14 DAY TRIAL // In 2009, Don Johnson took the producers of his old show “Nash Bridges” to court claiming he had not been paid what he was due and that he’d been robbed of about $30 million in revenue.
A judge ruled the other day that the amount the actor was due was actually almost double, awarding him $51 million for loss of profit on the same show.
Johnson, who also played the lead in the detective series that aired on CBS for six whole years, also holds half of the copyright for it, the Daily Mail informs.
In order to get back the money he felt he should have been paid all along, Johnson took to court three separate firms, all of which defended themselves by saying production costs on the show were too high.
That is to say, if the show hadn’t been so expensive to make, Johnson would have gotten more money for it, they said.
Unfortunately for them, a judge did not see things their way, therefore he ruled in favor of the actor, who now stands to make a lot of money for the many years he wasn’t paid for his show.
“A judge has doubled actor Don Johnson’s award for profits from the TV series Nash Bridges to more than $51 million,” the Mail says.
“Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Stern ruled that the actor is due more than $28 million in interest from the show.”
“The order came two months after a jury determined that Johnson, who owned half the copyright to the series, was owed $23.2 million in profits,” the same publication informs.
After the favorable ruling, the 60-year-old actor expressed his gratitude, saying the show had been his idea, therefore he was more than entitled to a cut of the profits.
“Nash Bridges was my project, and I poured my heart into it. I feel a sense of vindication and sincere gratitude that both the jury and Judge Stern continue to agree with me,” Johnson said in a statement.
Aside from the aforementioned sum and how vindicated Johnson is feeling, more good news could be on the way, as the show is still running in many countries.
In rough translation: he stands to make even more money off it.
“Johnson, 60, could be entitled to more money in coming years, his attorney Mark Holscher said. Nash Bridges remains in syndication in dozens of countries, and the actor is entitled to half of future earnings due to the jury verdict, Holscher said,” the Mail reports.