James Best claims he is owed millions of dollars from merchandising related to the show during its heyday 30 years ago.
The actor, who played Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on TV, will face off with Warner Bros. bosses in North Carolina next month (Feb13) after a federal judge agreed he should have his day in court 17 months after he filed suit in August, 2011.
Best claims he is owed millions from the sale of watches, shoes and cars among other items featuring his likeness from 1992 to 2009, and accuses Warner Bros. bosses of misappropriating his name and image.
According to a deal Best signed off on in 1981, the 86 year old is entitled to receive an alleged five per cent of merchandising revenue from products that featured his identity, or 2.5 per cent of total revenue for merchandise when other cast members were incorporated.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the jury trial was scheduled to begin last week (ends11Jan13) but it was postponed after the mother of an important Warners executive, who was scheduled to testify, suffered a medical setback.
The trial is now set for 11 February (13).
