Carol Burnett Sued by Dead Co-Producer's Company
Entertainer Carol Burnett is the target of a lawsuit that claims the actress cut out a former partner from a new deal that was recently made with Time Life.
The lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, was brought on by Bob Banner's production company, Banner Associates, and claims that Burnett withheld money from Banner and his production company.
Banner passed away in 2011 from Parkinson's disease, but his production company is moving forward with their lawsuit that states that Banner was left out of a 2012 deal between Burnett and Time Life that was for rights to distribute videos of "The Carol Burnett Show." Banner co-produced the show form 1967-1972.
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In the suit, Banner's company is requesting a complete list of the profits earned from "The Carol Burnett Show," including any money made from the home video distribution deal. Banner's company is also demanding a share of the revenue made from the popular comedy show.
"The Carol Burnett Show" was a variety and sketch comedy show starring Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway.
It first ran on CBS from September 11, 1967 to March 29, 1978, which produced 278 episodes. The show has been described as a classic by critics and was a viewer's favorite for the nine years it aired.
The show won 25 primetime Emmy Awards, and in 2007 was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All Time."
Burnett, who is now 79, has been the target of litigation previously. In 2007, Carol Burnett sued 20th Century Fox for copyright infringement, trademark violation, invasion of privacy, and misappropriation of name and likeness over the use of an altered version of her signature closing song and the portrayal of her cleaning lady "charwoman" character in an episode of Family Guy.
