Warner Bros. TV asked "several times" for a statement from Charlie Sheen's doctor certifying that he could come back to work -- and didn't get one, the studio said in its letter firing the actor.
Without a doctor's permission, which would have allowed shooting to resume as scheduled Feb. 28, the producers worried that any return to work on the hit CBS sitcom would just see more of the same from Sheen, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
Also read: Sheen's Lawyer: Warner Bros. Letter 'False,' Will Sue for Breach of Contract
Further, when the studio suspended the show rather than going ahead with the Feb. 28 return, it "requested from him any proposal for cure of his condition necessitating the suspension,” according to the studio's termination letter. As the WBTV letter adds, “no such proposal has been received.”
The allegation raises questions about what medical treatment Sheen has sought since announcing Jan. 28 that he was entering rehab, a move that forced the show into hiatus.
He opted to undergo rehab at home instead of at a licensed facility, and mocked medical treatment when he was asked last week on "20/20" if he might be bipolar: "And then what? What's the cure? Medicine? Make me like them? Not gonna happen."
Also read: Read: Warner Bros. TV Letter Terminating Charlie Sheen
Sheen's efforts to take care of himself medically will be just one likely point of dispute in what could be years of legal wrangling between his attorneys and former employers. Sheen may have helped the other side when he went on a media blitz after the show's cancellation for the season, talking about his history of drug use and his slip-ups on “Two and a Half Men.”
As Sheen ranted, his then-bosses did the wise thing: Nothing.
Warner Bros. Television and CBS kept quiet and waited out Sheen (pictured right with his "Men" co-stars Jon Cryer and Angus Jones in happier days), giving him plenty of rope to make a series of statements that helped provide the basis for his firing. He boasted about smoking "seven-gram rocks," missing rehearsals, and using pieces of furniture on the set to support himself after long nights.
Whether those arguments hold up will likely be up to an arbitrator, if the show and its star can't reach a settlement before the case goes to court. So far, they've been unable to agree on much.
Sheen's attorney, Marty Singer, says there's no question Sheen will sue. He argues that Sheen has misbehaved before -- even pleading guilty to misdemeanor third-degree assault last year -- with no repercussions.
Warner Bros. only saw fit to fire Sheen, Singer said, when he criticized show creator Chuck Lorre in a series of interviews. Sheen has contended that Lorre's jokes were "tin cans" he managed to turn into "gold," called him "Chaim Levine," and said the show had to be canceled for the season because Lorre hadn't written new episodes -- not because of Sheen's rehab.
