The bottom line: Until the suit is resolved, the upcoming two episodes of the show may be the last that "Runway" aficionados will see for a while.
It's a jarring interruption of what has been a stellar ride for "Runway," one of cable television's great success stories.
When the program launched in late 2004, even its producers had some doubts about its premise.
"When we started, we thought, 'Who is going to sit around and watch a bunch of people sewing?' " recalled executive producer Jane Lipsitz.
But the program's inside pass to the fiercely competitive fashion world proved a major draw, as did the outsized personalities who vie to be crowned the country's "next great designer."
"If somebody told me you have 24 hours to make a dress out of candy wrappers, plants or car parts, I'd curl up in the fetal position," said executive producer Jane Cha. "To see these designers make these amazing creations in such a short amount of time with pretty strict parameters never ceases to wow people."
"Runway" winners have become celebrities; their catchphrases -- such as Season 4 winner Christian Siriano's "fierce!" -- pop culture argot.
A singular, dominant character has not emerged this season, but there have been plenty of provocative participants, including Kenley, a 1950s-style designer whose defensive sarcasm offended not only the other contestants but also the judges and Tim Gunn, the program's avuncular mentor.
"I will say, the editing is kind to everybody," Gunn said dryly.
For Bravo, "Project Runway" helped power its rise as a destination for a young and affluent audience. By far the most-watched program on the cable channel, ratings for the show are at an all-time high this season, averaging 3.981 million viewers each episode.
"It is the gold standard," said Frances Berwick, general manager of Bravo Media. "It has been very influential for us and many other networks as well."
Competition shows that explore the creative process, such as "Top Chef," "Shear Genius" and "Top Design," are now the cornerstone of Bravo's schedule.
The end of the program's run on Bravo is especially poignant for the duo of Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth, whose company Magical Elves oversaw the show's daily production. In May, they signed a deal to produce other projects for NBC and are not working on the sixth season for Lifetime. (That's being produced by Bunin-Murray, the company behind "The Real World" and "The Simple Life.")
