In papers filed yesterday in Manhattan Supreme Court, Broadway mogul Marty Richards' company, Producer Circle charges it's been fleeced out of at least $10 million in royalties by Miramax for the Academy Award-winning movie musical.

Miramax has been stiffing him on the bulk of his earnings by doing some movie magic, the court papers say. Richards' lawyer, Thomas Puccio, said he believes his client is "the victim of what they call Hollywood accounting." That includes "failing to include revenue relating to video and DVD sales" and overstating overhead and interest charges.
The papers say Richards brought the musical to Broadway back in 1975 and "was determined that it belonged on the silver screen and began a 27-year quest to fulfill this dream."

The suit says he bought the film rights to the play and music for $500,000 after it completed its first Broadway run. While he's gotten that cash back, he hasn't received any of the money he was supposed to get after it broke even. The movie has made over $300 million worldwide, the suit says.

A Miramax spokeswoman said she had not seen the legal action and was unable to comment on the case.