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Update, 12:45 Pm: The Screen Actors Guild issued a response saying, in part: “We believe that this suit is completely without merit and we will vigorously defend all claims in court. We are confident that our actions are appropriate and consistent with the law and our own rules of procedure.” Full statement posted below. Breaking… Exclusive 11 Am: (Click here for .pdf of lawsuit) A number of Screen Actors Guild members filed a lawsuit today asking the court for a preliminary and permanent injunction to stop SAG from calling for a vote on the proposed SAG-aftra merger. The suit claims that the SAG Board has breached its fiduciary duties to conduct an actuarial impact study detailing the effects of the proposed merger on SAG membership pension and health benefits. The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court, Central District of California. The members filing suit are: Martin Sheen, Edward Asner,...

Update, 12:45 Pm: The Screen Actors Guild issued a response saying, in part: “We believe that this suit is completely without merit and we will vigorously defend all claims in court. We are confident that our actions are appropriate and consistent with the law and our own rules of procedure.” Full statement posted below. Breaking… Exclusive 11 Am: (Click here for .pdf of lawsuit) A number of Screen Actors Guild members filed a lawsuit today asking the court for a preliminary and permanent injunction to stop SAG from calling for a vote on the proposed SAG-aftra merger. The suit claims that the SAG Board has breached its fiduciary duties to conduct an actuarial impact study detailing the effects of the proposed merger on SAG membership pension and health benefits. The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court, Central District of California. The members filing suit are: Martin Sheen, Edward Asner,...

The controversial MembershipFirst faction of SAG announced Friday a slate of 33 potential candidates who will vie for openings on the national and local boards and go head-to-head with the newly formed opposition group, Unite for Strength.

Among the actors looking to fill Hollywood's 11 national board seats and 22 local seats are 11 new MembershipFirst candidates, including Scott Bakula, Keith Carradine, Charles Shaughnessy and Joely Fisher. Also on the slate are 22 incumbents to the board, including JoBeth Williams, Joe Bologna, and Lainie Kazan.

The announcement of the candidates comes a day before a crucial SAG national board meeting Saturday and two days after Unite for Strength announced its intention to contest seats held by those in MembershipFirst. Unite's 31 candidates include Amy Brenneman, Kate Walsh and Doug Savant.

MembershipFirst came to power in 2005 and currently dominates the Hollywood board, holding the majority of seats as well as backing current president Alan Rosenberg. The group is the controlling voice in the SAG contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, which is currently at a stand still.

Unite for Strength blames MembershipFirst for its hardline approach to the negotiations as well as its anti-aftra sentiment, which led to the unsuccessful campaign to get members to vote down the sister union's primetime/TV deal with the AMPTP.

In its announcement, MembershipFirst said its goals for the coming year include uniting "all actors under the Screen Actors Guild banner, protect actors wages and working conditions in all areas, fight for residuals in all media platforms, protect the right of every dues paying member to vote on SAG issues and to secure complete jurisdiction in new media."

Unite for Strength's main goal is to merge SAG with AFTRA, something the MembershipFirst faction has bitterly opposed in the last two attempts in 1999 and 2003.

The potential MembershipFirst national board candidates are:

Scott Bakula

Joe Bologna (incumbent)

Clancy Brown

Keith Carradine,

Joely Fisher

Lainie Kazan (incumbent)

William Russ (incumbent)

Alan Ruck

Charles Shaughnessy

JoBeth Williams (incumbent).

Joe d'Angerio (incumbent)

Jane Austin (incumbent)

Jeff Austin (incumbent)

Renee Aubrey (incumbent)

Steve Barr (incumbent)

Michael Bell (incumbent)

Warren Berlinger (incumbent)

Eugene Bogs (incumbent)

Tom Bower

Anthony Desantis (incumbent)

Ron Harper (incumbent)

David Jolliffe (incumbent)

Russell McConnell (incumbent)

Peggy Miley (incumbent)

Paul Napier (incumbent)

Peter Van Norton

France Nuyen (incumbent)

F.J. O'Neil (incumbent)

Vic Polizos

Yale Summers (incumbent)

Charles Malik Whitfield

Christopher R. Wielh

Scott Wilson (incumbent)

Current MembershipFirst sitting members of the SAG National Board of

the Hollywood Division are:

1st Vice President Kent McCord

Angel Tompkins

Bonnie Bartlett

Justine Bateman

Joanna Cassidy

Seymour Cassel

George Coe

Anne DeSalvo

Frances Fisher

Leigh French

Elliott Gould

Valerie Harper

Sumi Haru

Robert Hays

Anne-MarieJohnson

Diane Ladd

Piper Laurie

William Mapother

Esai Morales

Barbara Niven

Harrison Page

Susan Savage

Nancy Sinatra

Renee Taylor

Angela Watson

Jenny Worman...