Thomas Gibson has hired a top Los Angeles lawyer to pursue a possible lawsuit after the actor was fired from Criminal Minds following an alleged altercation on set, Us Weekly can confirm.
The 54-year-old actor, who played FBI Special Agent Aaron Hotchner on the hit CBS drama prior to his August 12 termination, tapped litigator Skip Miller’s law firm, Miller Barondess, to represent his case. The firm is expected to evaluate whether Gibson should pursue a suit against the producers of Criminal Minds.
Gibson’s action comes just hours after he was officially fired by ABC Studios and CBS Television Studios for allegedly kicking show writer Virgil Williams in the leg during an argument on set a few weeks ago.
“Thomas Gibson has been dismissed from Criminal Minds,” producers said in a statement to Us Friday, August 12. “Creative details for how the character’s exit will be addressed in the show will be announced at a later date.”
The actor, who has also starred on Chicago Hope and Dharma and Greg, later addressed his shocking exit in a statement to Us, saying, “I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last 12 years. I had hoped to see it through to the end, but that won’t be possible now. I would just like to say thank you to the writers, producers, actors, our amazing crew and, most importantly, the best fans that a show could ever hope to have.”
Gibson has starred on Criminal Minds since the drama’s September 2005 series premiere. Following the alleged altercation with Williams, Gibson was initially suspended for two episodes before it was announced that he had been terminated.
Criminal Minds returns to CBS on Wednesday, September 28, at 9 p.m. ET.
