Posted in: CBS, Peacock, TV | Tagged: cbs, chuck norris, sony, Top Kick Productions, walker, walker texas ranger

Walker, Texas Ranger: Chuck Norris, CBS, Sony Settle 2019 $30M Lawsuit

Chuck Norris & Top Kick Productions have settled their 2019 $30 million lawsuit against CBS & Sony over Walker, Texas Ranger residuals.

In light of the work stoppages with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes over residuals with studios, it might seem like a Chuck Norris "Fact" that the actor was able to settle his residuals issue with CBS & Sony over Walker, Texas Ranger. Crashing back down to reality, it was a 2019 lawsuit from Norris alleging he was shortchanged out of at least $30 million in profits from the popular CBS action Western series. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Monday dismissed the case after both sides agreed to resolve the suit in a settlement. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

Norris, through his company Top Kick Productions, claimed in a suit filed in 2019 that the companies violated a term in his contract requiring he be paid 23 percent of profits "earned from any, and all, exploitation of Walker," according to the complaint (via The Hollywood Reporter). He alleged that CBS intentionally marketed and distributed the series in such a way as to avoid having to pay him his share of streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) revenue. Specifically, the companies focused less on marketing Walker to television stations and DVD viewers and more on promoting the show on SVOD services, some of which they owned or co-owned, the suit said.

Top Kick claimed CBS hadn't included SVOD revenue on profit participation statements since 2004 and refused to turn over Sony's statements. It also alleged that Sony ignored a lucrative licensing offer from Katz Broadcasting while granting an exclusive license to getTV, which the company owns. "The institutional system for exploiting Walker and follow-up reporting by CBS is designed to keep Top Kick in the dark, unaware of the precise sources and amounts of revenue at issue, and to prevent Top Kick from knowing the various methods and contractual terms through which the 23 Percent Profit Clause has been diluted, reduced and materially breached," the complaint stated.

Sony, which the suit said was contractually bound to the same terms as CBS by entering into a licensing agreement to distribute the series, was dropped from the case last year. Top Kick sued for breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The series starred Norris as Cordell Walker, who works with fellow Texas Ranger James Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr), to fight crime and injustice across the state. Created by Christopher Canaan, Leslie Greif, and Paul Haggis, the series lasted nine seasons from 1993-2001. It also inspired The CW remake series Walker by Anna Fricke, with Supernatural star Jared Padalecki in the title role. The Norris-starred series is available to stream on Peacock.

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