Jackass legend Brandon “Bam” Margera filed a lawsuit against another Jackass legend and former co-star Johnny Knoxville, director Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, and others that are also associated with the newest addition to the Jackass franchise. Bam also wants an injunction on the release of Jackass Forever for intellectual property infringement.
In the complaint filed Monday, Aug. 10, 2021, in Los Angeles Superior Court, Margera claims that his rights were violated in his forced signing of a “Wellness Agreement”, which had provisions for his immediate termination granted that the specified conditions are not followed or enacted. The suit described the agreement as legally unenforceable, draconian, and tantamount to psychological torture.
According to reports, the “Wellness Agreement”, as detailed in the suit, specifies immediate termination in event that Margera didn’t submit to a urinalysis twice a week, blow into a breathalyzer three times a day, have his hair follicles tested regularly, and morning intake of pills while on a video call with a physician of Paramount’s choosing.
Bam later tested positive in a drug test and was dismissed from the fourth Jackass main film series.
Margera, however, claimed in the filing that he has mental and physical disabilities; being in and out of rehabilitation facilities since 2009 on top of having been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and bipolar disorder. Margera’s lawyer, Eric George, says that the defendants knew full well of his client’s intake of Adderall as a treatment for ADD.
“[In] one of the numerous drug tests Margera was forced to submit to demonstrated that he was taking prescription Adderall,” details George. “He had been on this medication for several years. But all of this notwithstanding, and without even giving Margera an opportunity to explain, Paramount fired him.”
Attorney Eric George insists that his client followed the “Wellness Agreement” perfectly without slip-ups. He adds that the actions made by the defendants were a wrongful, unlawful discharge that violates public policy.
Margera also filed for breach of contract against the defendants on top of intellectual property infringement. Bam claimed in the suit that Jackass Forever infringes on his intellectual property by using his ideas and thus, it should net him some percentage of the profits.
The injunction on Jackass Forever’s release is also based on the same IP infringement claim.