A Los Angeles judge has set aside a $71-million jury verdict against NBC Universal over the disbursement of profits from the legendary crime TV drama “Columbo.”Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard Burdge Jr. granted the studio’s motion for a new trial, overturning a March finding in favor of the creators Richard Levinson and William Link. The court ruled Monday that the jury should have been instructed on the meaning of certain key provisions that determined whether NBC Universal had the right to deduct distribution fees for the 1970s detective series. However, the judge left in place a $50-million actual damages judgment against Fox, which produced the crime drama that ran from 2005 to 2017. The cases have shone a light on murky Hollywood accounting practices that often result in court battles. The complaint by Foxcroft Productions Inc. and Fairmount Productions Inc. — entities representing Link‘s and Levinson’s heirs — was first filed in November 2017.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 03, 2019 05:14 UTC