Earlier this week, we wrote about the potential legal action between actor Charlie Sheen, Warner Bros. and "Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre. It is likely that Sheen and Warner Bros. will file some form of a contract dispute against the other in regards to Sheen's recent firing from the popular sitcom.

Although the potential lawsuits may be brought to a settlement, it seems that Sheen is intent on making his claims against his former employers as public as possible. On the other hand, Warner Bros. and Lorre have a definite interest in keeping the dispute private, and will likely attempt to utilize arbitration to settle the case. Therefore, there is likely to be a court battle to determine the appropriate venue in which to resolve the case.

Sheen's contract with Warner Bros. does include a broad arbitration clause, according to Warner attorney John Spiegel. In fact, Spiegel has already submitted the dispute to a California dispute resolution company, who has agreed to take the case. According to that third party, both sides now have 14 days during which to submit their first written arguments. Then the company will choose a neutral arbitrator, and the case will proceed privately.

However, the contract is between Sheen and Warner, not Sheen and Lorre, and there is no requirement that any dispute between the latter pair be settled through arbitration. It remains to be seen whether Warner Bros. and Lorre would pursue legal action together, and if so, whether the arbitration clause will apply.

There are many additional factors to be decided and announced before any legal action proceeds, such as the future of "Two and a Half Men" and whether a different actor will replace Sheen in the show, which would likely upset the actor even more.

Source: Reuters, "Lawyers in Charlie Sheen fracas lay out strategies", Matthew Belloni, 9 March 2011