Trademark Properties v A&E Headed to Trial
Posted: June 7, 2007 Filed under: General 9 Comments »From Peter Hull of the Charleston Post and Courier:
U.S. District Court Judge C. Weston Houck ruled Wednesday that there’s enough evidence to suggest that the two sides made a verbal agreement to equally share profits from the show.
In making the ruling, Houck denied a request by A&E Networks to dismiss the suit brought by Richard C. Davis of James Island-based Trademark Properties.
A&E, which aired the real estate show until last summer, has said it never agreed to share revenue with Davis. He sued A&E last July, alleging that the network took his idea for “Flip This House” and did not pay him and his company their share.
We’ve ordered a copy of the transcript, and will post it as soon as it is available.
This was a major blow to A&E getting their motion for summary judgment quashed.
My guess is it doesn’t go to trial and A&E settles with Trademark, to include a mutually binding permanent injunction and we’ll never know what the amount was.
I hope I’m wrong though! LOL
From the article I see a possible ‘tell’ here to use Poker parlance…
A&E with a statement, ‘at the end of the day’ (oh, the irony) and Richard Davis with ‘no comment’
Maybe I’m reading too much into that but I HOPE this goes before jury. DO IT!
Is it? Summary Judgment motions are almost never granted.
This will settle like 99% of most cases.
Unless one runaway party plans on spending in excess of the damages to make a point.
curt,
‘Almost never’ and ‘99%’ are a little extreme ; )
The ‘court’ would prefer a settlement
though, no doubt about it.
OK, I know this is off topic, but why did they change the name of the show from “The Real Deal” to “The Real Estate Pros”?
CJ,
I was going to ask the same question. Why the change in name??
Also, and I don’t mean to be off color here, but is Richard divorced? He constantly speaks of his kids, but NEVER about a wife. Does he date Ginger?
Whoa, Nellie! ; )
Is the Internet weaving its web into America’s court rooms? Not if a district court judge in Charleston has anything to do with it.
During a hearing last Wednesday in a lawsuit between Trademark Properties and A&E Networks, District Court Judge C. Weston Houck commented on the potential role of a Web site that’s following the case online.
http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/jun/11/flip_this_house_case_spawns_web_worries/
In my opinion, Judge Houck clearly
doesn’t understand the Internet or this site. I followed the Scooter Libby trial, online, at firedoglake.com. And they get upwards of 2M hits a month. If anything, the Judge and the Post just helped drive traffic here on what otherwise is a
fairly little known website
‘Humble Webmaster’,
Keep up the good work!