Joan Rivers to Face Writers Guild Trial Board Over Fashion Police Strike

Months after Fashion Police's writers went on strike, the Council of the Writers Guild of America East has voted to send Joan Rivers to a trial board, Variety reports.

In April, members of the E! show's writing team went on strike, seeking $1.5 million in unpaid regular and overtime hours. They also filed complaints with the California Division of Labor Standards, demanding that the show comply with the standards of the WGA. Rivers is accused of violating the union's rules by writing and performing showrunner duties for Fashion Police.

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According to a video made my several of the writers, the group initially brought its concerns to Rivers, a fellow WGA member, but they were immediately shot down. "She was completely unreceptive to it, none of the producers were receptive to it," Bryan Cook says. "We were essentially told if we unionize we'd essentially lose our jobs."

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The WGA East will soon appoint the three-member trial board to whom Rivers can present her side of the case.

"The question of whether she has, in fact, violated our working rules will be decided by the trial board," WGA East President Michael Winship said. "We cannot pre-judge the outcome, but we can say that it is a very serious matter when a member is accused of writing and showrunning on a non-covered show, and continuing to do so after the other writers have decided to go on strike for reasonable pay and benefits."