Slaven Vlasic/Getty ImagesMercury poisoning has not made Jeremy Piven toxic on Broadway.
A grievance committee did not rule against the actor Thursday after considering a formal complaint brought against him by the producers of Speed-the-Plow, the show he prematurely left in December after being diagnosed with a high mercury count.
"The Producers, who initiated the proceeding, did not prevail in their attempt to convince the Grievance Committee that Mr. Piven should not have dropped out of the play on the instruction of his doctors," Piven's rep, Samantha Mast, said in a statement to E! News.
"Although the Producers might have expected to receive the support of Actors' Equity, they did not; the union sided with Mr. Piven."
A committee of 10—five Actors' Equity members and five from the Broadway League—were on hand to hear the case and were unable to reach what needs to be a unanimous decision for further action.
"The producers have the right, as a next step, to proceed to arbitration," the organizations said in a joint statement.
Piven's early exit from Speed-the-Plow due to mercury poisoning, which his doctor determined was brought on by eating too much sushi, gave producers pause because Piven had already expressed interest in leaving the show ahead of its scheduled closing this month, according to the New York Times.
His employers filed the grievance Jan. 16.
Shortly before noon, the Emmy winner walked into the Actors' Equity Association building in New York to face the music.
Earlier Thursday, AEA spokeswoman Maria Somma told E! News that the union would be representing Piven and that today's proceedings were private.
"Actors' Equity will not comment on any aspect of the grievance to protect all parties involved," she said.
—Additional reporting by Ashley Fultz
(Originally published Feb. 26, 2009 at 12:08 p.m. PT)