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Bochco feels blue about drama series
Bochco feels blue about drama series
By
Hollywood.com Staff
|
Thursday, March 15, 2001
HOLLYWOOD - Producer Steven Bochco, co-creator of the series NYPD Blue, is suing Twentieth Century Fox, alleging that the TV rights for the show were sold to Fox cable network F/X for a fee substantially below fair-market value.
The case is headed for trial April 9 after a judge denied the studio's motion for summary judgment Wednesday.
Bochco claims that the series was sold for $400,000 an episode when its real value was at least $700,000. He maintains that with 200 episodes, damages add up to $60 million, Reuters reports.
Both companies are part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. media empire. If the case makes it to trial, it will be the first to charge that integrated entertainment companies are selling to each other at below-market prices.
Over the past few months, the court has dismissed Bochco's claims of fraud by Fox, but yesterday's ruling grants Bochco a trial for breach of contract.
Bochco's attorney, Brian Lysaght, is pleased to get this case to trial. "The big news is that we broke through the last barrier and have a clear shot at a jury," he said.
Fox attorney Anthony Basich says that said $400,000 was the record price per episode of the show in 1995. "This case is about someone who struck a good deal and a few years later they think they could have done even better," he said.
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