Attorney Jon Pfeiffer, acting on behalf of the actors, filed a lawsuit against the TV executives in a Los Angeles Superior Court in April (11), accusing them of using the cast’s photos on casino slot machines without paying them.
The stars of the hit American sitcom, which aired between 1974 and 1984, were promised a five per cent cut from net proceeds if their sole image was used and a two-and-a-half per cent cut if their image appeared as part of a group shot. However, the actors claim they haven’t received a dime from the merchandising.
CBS bosses previously admitted to owing the stars at most $9,000 (£5,625) each and said they were “working with” the stars to resolve the issue. However, the show executives have now responded with legal papers of their own.
The documents, obtained by CNN, state, “Rather than simply seek what they are purportedly owed under their contracts, plaintiffs are attempting to generate a lucrative litigation windfall by riddling their complaint with unsupported and overreaching causes of action.
“(The actors) offer no basis for their vague allegation that defendants did not intend to pay merchandising royalties to plaintiffs at the time the parties entered into the agreements… Instead, all plaintiffs can allege is that defendants ultimately failed to pay, (which is) insufficient as a matter of law to show fraud.”
