CBS, ‘Happy Days’ Actors Settle Lawsuit Over Merchandising Fees
UPDATE: This afternoon CBS issued the following statement on the settlement with Happy Days actors Marion Ross, Erin Moran, Anson Williams, Don Most and the widow of Tom Bosley.
The case has been settled. All contractual obligations will be honored, as we had promised from the beginning. We appreciate the Court’s earlier dismissal of the far-reaching claims, which paved the way for an ordinary settlement based on contractual issues.
PREVIOUS: Just 11 days before they were to go to trial, CBS and Happy Days’ actors Marion Ross, Erin Moran, Anson Williams and Don Most, plus the widow of Tom Bosley, have reached at settlement in the actors’ merchandising lawsuit. Sources tell Deadline that the actors will receive between $60,000 and $65,000 each. The actors, who played Mrs. C., Joanie, Potsie and Ralph on Happy Days, sued CBS last year for $10 million. Henry Winkler and Ron Howard, who played the Fonz and Ritchie Cunningham on Happy Days, were not a part of the lawsuit. CBS distributes the iconic 70s TV series. The actors filed their multimillion-dollar breach of contract complaint on April 19, 2011 (read it here) after a friend told Ross about Happy Days-themed slot machines she noticed at a casino. Ross and the other actors contacted CBS about them and the use of their images on them. As it wound it’s way through the courts, the suit eventually became about the actor’s likeness on DVD boxsets. Ross, Moran, Williams and Most are represented by Pfeiffer of Santa Monica’s Pfeiffer Thigpen FitzGibbon & Ziontz.
A $300,000 payment is way, way less than the $10M they sued for. Seems like CBS got off relatively easy.
$10 million whittled down to a few hundred thousand. Let me guess, the lawyers won the most?
Gee, hope CBS can afford it. Shameless that studios can’t work this crap out amicably without litigation. Actors from older series certainly deserve to be compensated for any “new” media use not covered under original contracts.
doesn’t seem like a whole lot of money. It seems like cbs got off easy and the actors really rolled over. But I often see erin moran on tabloid shows in poverty so hopefully she can do something with the 60,000 dollars
And we’ll never see the release of future DVDs of this show due to all the music issues they have to clear, but maybe watered-down versions of the seasons like season 4 was before it was halted.
Actually the DVD business is over, so there’s no demand for DVDs.
but CBS / Paramount could release the shows on ITunes if they strip out the old music and replace it with library cues like they do with most shows
$65,000 each? That’s all?!? Hey CBS! That ain’t cool!
They deserve $650,000 each. Their lawyers did a bad job.
They got screwed. Howard and Winkler shoulda stepped in and helped provide for these good people.
They shouldn’t provide for them, that’s ridiculous. But standing with them in solidarity would’ve probably meant a lot.
I haven’t seen the slot machines in question. Perhaps, their image wasn’t included.
That is Les Moonves’ monthly travel allowance. Shameful.
That’s a lousy settlement. I got more for illegal use of my client’s likeness on a mailer for a well known corporation….and we never had to hire a lawyer or go to court.
After Erin has paid off her lawyer bill, she’ll probably have enough for another beer.
These actors not only rolled over, they barked.