A law suit started by an actress, who had not been paid a $700 fee for four months and brought against Park Ridge talent agency McBlaine & Associates, was settled after five months of negotiation.
McBlaine’s settlement to a number of actors, who were owed a few hundred dollars to $12,000, was finalized March 29 and most of the actors paid in full.
The agreement was reached with Mary Poplowski, agency owner and daughter of the late Patricia McBlaine.
The actress sought legal aid from Joel Freimuth, an attorney with Swanson, Martin & Bell, just after Thanksgiving, 2003. As actors talked and realized they were not the only ones whose fees had not been paid, the single legal action grew to a potential class action suit.
During this period, Poplowski, a mother of two, was dealing with a personal crisis. Her husband was terminally ill and her attention was diverted to his care and her children. Her husband recently died.
McBlaine’s bookkeeper worked Saturdays from nine to noon, which was an inadequate amount of time to handle all the talent and routine overhead payments, said a reliable source. The company appeared to be sufficiently liquid to keep up with payments.
Of the actors involved, most were owed less than $5,000, and a handful were owed more than $7,000. One actor claimed non-payment of $12,000.
