Leverage Star Sues After Being Dropped From Reboot Over Assault Allegations

screenrant.com:

Former Leverage star Timothy Hutton is suing the producers behind the hit series after being left out of the IMDb TV reboot following his sexual assault allegations. From 2008 to 2012, Hutton was one of the key members of the fan favorite television show Leverage, which centered on a team of former criminals who now use their skills to take out corrupt figures preying on the weak. Hutton played Nate Ford, the so-called «Mastermind» of the group. He starred alongside Gina Bellman, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge, and Christian Kane.

Leverage: Redemption was first announced to be in the works at IMDb TV in 2020 before premiering last summer. Save for Hutton, the entire original cast returned for the new series. Mere months before Leverage: Redemption was confirmed, Hutton was accused of rape by former child actress Sera Johnston. Buzzfeed News published the initial report, which stated Hutton assaulted Johnston when she was 14 years old. Though prosecutors ultimately didn't press charges due to a lack of evidence, Hutton was left out of Leverage: Redemption. The series then brought in ER and Falling Skies vet Noah Wyle to effectively replace him on the team.

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Now Hutton is suing Leverage's producers for pushing him out of the reboot. Per Variety, the suit alleges Electric Entertainment, the company run by Leverage producer Dean Devlin, dropped Hutton from Redemption following the Buzzfeed report without doing its own investigation into Johnston's claims. Electric also ignored evidence provided by Hutton's representation. It's said that Hutton's team reached an oral agreement to include him in the series, and by leaving him out, Electric violated