Ryan Murphy's attorney threatens legal action against Warren Leight

Ryan Murphy through a letter from his attorney to the Writers Guild of America leadership has issued a threat of legal action against Warren Leight - who served as an East Coast strike captain and member of the Strike Rules Compliance Committee.

The controversy began when Leight, a former showrunner of Law & Order: SVU and a playwright, claimed in a tweet that the crew members on Murphy's American Horror Story were being threatened with blacklisting if they refused to cross the Writers Guild's picket lines. 

Murphy's spokesperson promptly dismissed the tweet as "absolute nonsense" and "categorically false".

In response to the situation, Murphy's attorney, Craig Emanuel, sent a letter to the WGA expressing their intention to pursue litigation. Subsequently, the WGA leadership met with Leight, who then deleted the tweet and issued an apology and retraction, admitting that his initial statement was "unsubstantiated" and "completely false and inaccurate." 

Representatives for Murphy declined to comment further on the matter.

Following the meeting with Leight, the WGA East officers sent a memo to their strike captains notifying them of the threatened litigation. The memo stated that Leight had stepped down from his positions as co-chair of the Strike Rules Compliance Committee and as a strike captain.

Sources familiar with the situation report that tensions arose during a strategy meeting between WGA East leadership, including Michael Winship, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Chris Kyle, and the strike captains.

The discussion reportedly centered around themed pickets with no specific mention of Warren Leight until members expressed their desire for an explanation regarding his removal from leadership roles.

According to multiple sources, only four scripted TV series are currently in production on the East Coast, three of which are produced by Ryan Murphy.

It is important to note that Murphy, in addition to being a member of the WGA West, holds positions as a producer and director. As long as he does not perform services typically carried out by writers, he is permitted to continue working under the WGA guidelines.