Suit claims Judge Judy's 'astronomical' pay wiped out profits due company
A lawsuit filed on Monday claims a raise that boosted Judge Judy’s pay to $45 million in 2009 wiped out profits due to a company that is successor to the talent agency that created her show.
The suit filed by Rebel Entertainment Partners against CBS and Big Ticket Television says Judge Judy’s pay is now as high as $47 million, Courthouse News Service, ABC News, Fortune, Forbes and Deadline Hollywood report. The TV judge—Judy Sheindlin—is not a defendant,
Since 2010, “Rebel has not received a dime in backend compensation,” the Los Angeles County suit (PDF) says. “Sheindlin’s astronomical salary can only be considered ‘reasonable’ if someone else—namely Rebel—is paying for it.”
The complaint also claims the defendants reduced profits by licensing the show to CBS television stations for below-market fees, and failed to approach Rebel about a packaging fee for a Judge Judy spinoff, Hot Bench.
The suit says Rebel principal Richard Lawrence met Sheindlin more than 20 years ago, recognized her star potential and pitched the show to Big Ticket. The suit claims breach of contract and the implied covenant of fair dealing.
Sheindlin released a statement. “The fact that Richard Lawrence is complaining about my salary is actually hilarious,” the statement said. “I met Mr. Lawrence for two hours some 21 years ago. Neither I nor anyone involved in the day-to-day production of my program has heard from him in 20 years. Not a card, not a gift, not a flower, not a congratulations. Yet he has somehow received over $17,000,000 from my program. My rudimentary math translates that into $8,500,000 an hour for Mr. Lawrence. Not a bad payday.”
