Lisa Kudrow finds herself in an unfriendly battle with her ex-manager Scott Howard. Howard claims Kudrow and he made an oral agreement that ensures that he still gets paid a percentage of her earnings from Friends’ residuals. Howard states that he was owed five percent of Kudrow’s continued payments from Friends reruns. He argues that because she obtained the job while still being represented by him, he deserves some of those residuals. On Wednesday, a Los Angeles County jury agreed. They ordered Kudrow to pay Howard $1.6 million in residuals from starring in the hit NBC sitcom.
Howard managed Kudrow for 16 years (1991-2007), and received over 11 million dollars from her. The trial originally began in 2008; the judge ruled in favor of Kudrow. However, in 2012, during the appeals trial, it was determined that the judge excluded some important testimony. One of Howard’s witnesses, Martin Bauer, a Hollywood agent, testified that managers continue to receive payment on any work their clients take while still being managed by them. He stated that the only money a manager should not acquire from an ex-client is any obtained by the client after the manager’s termination.
Kudrow claimed that she only agreed to pay commission on the first round of residuals. The trial mainly focused on whether it is standard practice for a manager to continue to get residuals even when his relationship with the client ends. Originally Howard believed he could obtain as much as 8 million dollars from Kudrow in post-termination fees. Eventually, the jury ruled he should only receive 1.6 million. However, Kudrow’s attorney Gerald Sauer plans to file an appeal.
In an Inside Edition video, Howard’s legal team believe that he won the case because the jurors concluded he was more “creditable than Ms. Kudrow.” They went on to further state that Howard was very honest and never changed his testimony or demeanor.
When asked about the dollar amount, he said he was “very pleased.”
Image via Lisa Kudrow, Facebook
