By Eric Kelsey
LOS ANGELES, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The Walt Disney Co. was
ordered to pay the British creator of the television game show
"Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" $319 million after a Los
Angeles court rejected the company's request for a new trial.
Britain's Celador International, which created the quiz
show, sued Disney in 2004 alleging that the company hid some of
the show's U.S. profits from Celador.
A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
in Pasadena ruled on Monday that the lower court's judgment was
neither excessive nor based on speculation of profits owed.
A 2010 jury trial found that Disney and its domestic
syndication company, Buena Vista Television, owed Celador $269.2
million and a federal judge added $50 million in interest.
"We are extremely disappointed with the decision, as ABC and
Buena Vista Television continue to believe that they fully
adhered to the 'Millionaire' agreement," Walt Disney said in a
statement on Tuesday.
Disney did not comment on further possible legal action.
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" aired on Disney-owned
broadcaster ABC from 1999 to 2002 and was credited with ushering
in a new era of reality programming on U.S. television.
"I am pleased that justice has been done," Celador Chairman
Paul Smith said in a statement.
The game show, which started in Britain and later became an
international hit, quizzes contestants on trivia for the top
prize of $1 million. The show is now in U.S. syndication.
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