Chuck Norris Sues CBS and Sony for $30 Million Over 'Walker' Profits

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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.”

Also Read: Chuck Norris Says His Wife Was 'Poisoned' in $10 Million Lawsuit Against Drug Companies

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.”

Also Read: Chuck Norris Endorses Newt Gingrich, Swings Crucial 'Walker, Texas Ranger' Constituency

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.'”

Also Read: 11 Hollywood Stars in the NRA: From Chuck Norris to James Earl Jones (Photos)

The suit alleges breach of contract, among other counts.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

11 Hollywood Stars in the NRA: From Chuck Norris to James Earl Jones (Photos)

The National Rifle Association has stood up for gun owners for years, but come under heavy criticism for opposing gun control after mass shootings from San Bernardino to Orlando. Some celebrity members of the group have stood by it, while others have distanced themselves from certain stances.
Arguably the most famous Hollywood star associated with the NRA was Charlton Heston, who served as its president from 1998 to 2003 before stepping down after an Alzheimers diagnosis. (He died in April 2008.)
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Rock musician Ted Nugent is one of the NRA's most outspoken members. In January 2015, on the organization's radio show, he called NRA opponents "subhuman mongrels" and "some kind of inbred Martian."
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NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone is an avid hunter and has served on the NRA Board. But he angered some gun owners when he spoke to Sports Illustrated about those who buy guns for their protection: "The big picture is that guns won't protect you. If someone really wanted to get you, they would."
"Walker, Texas Ranger" star Chuck Norris has a long history as an avid NRA spokesperson, creating videos supporting the Second Amendment and NRA initiatives including the "Trigger The Vote" campaign.
Actor Tom Selleck got into a heated debate with Rosie O'Donnell in 1999 when she questioned him about being a member of the NRA. In 2013, shortly after the Sandy Hook school shootings, MSNBC pundit Lawrence O'Donnell said that it was time to "question Selleck's humanity" after the actor's silence on the matter.
In 2014, an online petition circulated demanding the Glastonbury music festival remove Metallica from the schedule because its frontman, James Hetfield, is an NRA member with a history of hunting. Hetfield narrated the History Channel series "The Hunt," about a trek to Kodiak, Alaska, to kill brown bears. When it comes to gun control, however, Hetfield said in 2013: "I don’t want to make it easier for someone to have an assault weapon, but I also want to be able to protect my family."
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In 2012, Whoopi Goldberg revealed on "The View" that she is a member of the NRA during an interview with libertarian writer and TV pundit John Stossel. "I don’t mind having to register and let them know that I have them," Goldberg said. "I want to know that there’s at least some way to prevent folks who are just getting out from mental institutions [from getting guns].”
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James Earl Jones wrote about being a NRA member in his 1993 self-titled autobiography: "I just throw the political mail from the NRA into the trash ... When it comes to the right-wing politics of the NRA, I don’t get into that. I just believe in my right to have a gun in my house.”
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After the Sandy Hook school shootings in December 2012, West Coast Choppers founder Jesse James wrote a Facebook post supporting the NRA and objecting to gun control laws in some states. "People that should not have guns will still find a way to get them. Please join the NRA now," he wrote.
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Country singer Miranda Lambert is a lifetime NRA member and an outspoken gun rights advocate. At the 2016 American Country Music awards, she showed up on the red carpet sporting pink stilettos with a tiny gun and holster strapped to the front.
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In a 2002 interview with The Guardian, director Michael Moore talked about how he got a NRA lifetime membership as part of a stunt for his documentary, "Bowling For Columbine." He mentioned he had planned to run against Charlton Heston for the group's presidency, but gave up on the plan. The NRA president is voted on by board members, rather than the entire organization.
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Some famous members are strongly against gun control, while others have distanced themselves from the group’s most extreme stances

The National Rifle Association has stood up for gun owners for years, but come under heavy criticism for opposing gun control after mass shootings from San Bernardino to Orlando. Some celebrity members of the group have stood by it, while others have distanced themselves from certain stances.

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11 Hollywood Stars in the NRA: From Chuck Norris to James Earl Jones (Photos)

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