Chuck Norris Kicks Hard at CBS, Sony With $30 Million Lawsuit Over ‘Walker’ Profits

Actor/martial artist says he is due 23 percent of profits from his former series

Chuck Norris
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Chuck Norris is looking to stage his next showdown in a courtroom.

Actor and martial artist Norris’ company, Top Kick Productions, has filed a hefty lawsuit against CBS and Sony Pictures Television, alleging that he’s been stiffed out of profits from his former series “Walker, Texas Ranger.”

And Norris is asking for a bundle — the suit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, is seeking damages “exceeding $30 million.”

According to the suit, when CBS agreed to distribute “Walker, Texas Ranger,” a deal was struck where Norris would be paid 23 percent of the profits “earned from any, and all, exploitation of ‘Walker.’”

Instead, the suit says, the defendants “have continually sought to market, sell and distribute ‘Walker’ in ways that are designed to collect significant fees and revenues from the ongoing exploitation of ‘Walker’ but without having to honor or pay Top Kick, and to instead materially breach the 23 Percent Profit Clause.”

The suit adds that CBS and Sony “have also concealed information about their efforts to exploit ‘Walker’ on streaming video on demand (SVOD) services.”

Sony and CBS had no comment for TheWrap on the lawsuit.

The suit says that “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which originally aired on CBS from 1993 to 2001, has remained popular, in part because Norris has maintained his visibility via, among other things, appearances in films like “Dodgeball,” “The Expendables 2,” as well as “the well-known internet phenomenon through which generations of younger fans have bonded around the humor and anecdotes widely known as ‘Chuck Norris Facts.’”

The suit alleges breach of contract, among other counts.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

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