Cheryl Cole slaps `X Factor (US)` producer with USD 2.3mn lawsuit

Los Angeles: Pop star Cheryl Cole is demanding her paycheck although she was fired from the US version of ‘The X Factor’ even before the show aired. According to the lawsuit filed on Friday, Blue Orbit Productions which produces the reality series owes her USD 2 million in salary. In the suit, the British singer claims she`s promised such amount of money for the show`s second season. Under a "pay or play" clause in her contract, she`s entitled to the salary even though she never appeared in the second installment of the series. "On June 5, 2011, Blue Orbit formally elected to exercise its pay or play right pursuant to the terms of the Agreement," the complaint reads, "such that Cole was not required to perform any services as a judge on `The X Factor` series." The complaint also reveals that the Girls Aloud member received USD 1.8 million salary for the first season. However, she never received the USD 2 million paycheck for the second season. She also demands the producer to pay her USD 300,000 for wardrobe, stylist and living expenses. Cole was dumped as a judge from the US version of ‘The X Factor’ after she had taped the show during the auditions. She was then replaced by Nicole Scherzinger, who was later fired after only one season. PTI