Paramount Assailed in Buchwald Case

An angry judge lashed out at a lawyer for Paramount Pictures today, accusing him of trying to introduce another theory in a dispute with columnist Art Buchwald over the movie “Coming to America.”

“You are doing what every litigant would like to do,” said Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Harvey Schneider. “You argue a theory and lose and come back and say, ‘I’d like to argue a new theory.’ ”

Schneider, who shouted at Paramount attorney Charles Diamond throughout a rancorous hearing, finally agreed to let the lawyer present an offer of what evidence he wants to add to the case.

But Schneider said he is not automatically allowing Paramount to reopen its case. He said he felt his ruling Dec. 21 resolved the key issue in the controversy over profit rights to “Coming to America.”

Schneider ruled Dec. 21 that the studio’s method of computing net profits was “unconscionable,” and said Buchwald and his writing partner, Alain Bernheim, must receive their fair share of the movie’s net profits.