Months prior, the stars of the Fox crime drama series have been awarded $128 million in punitive damages after an arbitrator in charge of their lawsuit over show profits ruled in their favor.
- May 4, 2019
AceShowbiz - "Bones" co-stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz are preparing to challenge a new court ruling overturning the massive $128 million (£97.3 million) they were recently awarded in a lawsuit over show profits.
The actors, who featured on the comedy/drama series for 12 seasons until it ended in 2017, sued production officials at 20th Century Fox TV and Fox Broadcasting back in November, 2015, for breach of contract and fraudulent concealment, among other allegations, claiming they had not received a cut of profits from the distribution of the long-running show for years.
The case went to arbitration and in February, the private official appointed to oversee the dispute ruled in the plaintiffs' favour, accusing Fox executives of purposefully lying about finances and defrauding the stars out of profits.
Together with two fellow plaintiffs, writer/executive producer Kathleen Reichs and another executive producer, Barry Josephson, they were awarded more than $179 million (£136 million), which included $128 million in punitive damages - the second-largest payout in TV industry history.
However, Fox bosses appealed the decision, and on Thursday, May 02, Los Angeles' Judge Richard Rico declared the huge damages fee was unwarranted.
The plaintiffs will still receive the balance of the amount awarded for compensation, interest and attorney fees, but their attorney, Daniel A. Saunders, has vowed to fight Judge Rico's ruling in the Court of Appeal.
