Employment law lessons are truly everywhere — even Hollywood.

Unless you live in a place unencumbered with TV and/or Internet access (which might be nice, frankly), you’ve no doubt heard of actor Charlie Sheen’s rather public “difficulties” in recent weeks. Well, now those difficulties have spilled over into the employment law arena.

A dispute has arisen around whether Warner Brothers was within its rights to terminate Sheen from the sitcom Two and a Half Men. For a rather unique insight into high-stakes employment law posturing at its finest, click here for a copy of the termination letter sent to Sheen’s lawyers by Warner Brothers. Proceed at your own risk — some of the details are rather sordid.

The Lesson? There are many . . .

Deal promptly and decisively with problem employees — even superstars. Warner Brothers could arguably have avoided many of its headaches had it dealt with Sheen’s behavior more aggressively earlier.

Be careful with contracts. Ambiguous and unclear terms can come back to haunt you. Clarify expectations with key employees clearly in writing at the outset of the relationship, including termination triggers and procedures.

Be careful whom you hire. My guess is that even a quick background/reference check would have uncovered some of the issues in Sheen’s past. Don’t expect employees to suddenly become model citizens just because you hire them. If you decide to proceed despite known risks, address ‘em thoroughly in the employment agreement.

Get help. If you’re an employer, please make a full-featured EAP available to all employees. If you’re an employee, please use the EAP and get the help you need.