Bid For New Trial Rejected In 'Millionaire' Case
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge says she won't order a new trial in a lawsuit that resulted in a $319 million judgment against Walt Disney Co. over profits from the TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips issued her ruling Tuesday, writing that evidence supported the jury verdict in favor of London-based Celador International.
The company sued in 2004, accusing Disney of using creative accounting to hide profits.
Disney attorneys argued the judge improperly excluded certain evidence and testimony. Disney has called the verdict "fundamentally wrong" and is likely to appeal.
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" first aired in the U.S. from August 1999 to May 2002.
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