Firm Announces Judge’s Order to Deny Disney’s Request for a New Trial in “Millionaire” Case

Los Angeles (December 21, 2010) - Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. is pleased to announce the Court's Order issued on December 21, 2010 in favor of its client Celador International.  In its Order, the Court denied The Walt Disney Co.'s bid to overturn the unanimous jury verdict issued in favor of Celador in July of this year. 

In the "must watch" jury trial of 2010, a U.K. production company won a remarkable $270 million verdict against the world's largest entertainment company, Walt Disney & Co. On September 27, 2010, the Court awarded $50 million in prejudgment interest to Celador, bringing the total to $320 million in damages. On December 21, 2010, the Court denied Walt Disney Co.'s bid to overturn the jury verdict.

In a four week trial, Roman M. Silberfeld and Bernice Conn showed how Disney and its subsidiaries used "shell-game" accounting and "sweetheart" deals to deprive Celador of its share of licensing fee profits stemming from the hit TV show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." The program, created by Celador and originally aired in the U.K. in 1998, was brought to the U.S. and helped propel ABC to become the #1 ranked network during its 1999-2002 run.