Universal, Jack Klugman Settle Over “Quincy” Profits

Jack Klugman and Universal City Studios settled a dispute in which the actor claimed the studio owed him millions of dollars for his work on the television series "Quincy, M.E.," the actor's attorney said Friday.

Klugman, now 88, played the crime-fighting coroner Dr. R. Quincy from 1976 to 1983.

His 1976 contract with NBC entitled him and his company, Sweater Productions, to 25 percent of the "net profits" from the series, according to a lawsuit he filed last Aug. 21 alleging breach of an oral agreement and failure to provide regular accountings.

Universal provided Klugman with an accounting statement showing the series lost $66 million from 1998 through 2006, but he believed the show made substantial money, according to his court papers.

"It is a huge profit center, a cash cow for Universal," Klugman's court papers state. 

Financial details of the settlement were not disclosed, but Klugman's lawyer, Neville L. Johnson, said, "The issues have been resolved to the satisfaction of both sides and the lawsuit has been dismissed."

Universal attorney Joel R. Weiner could not be immediately reached.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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