MOVIES - Oct. 8, 1991

Buchwald Business: Determining how much Paramount Pictures owes author Art Buchwald and producer Alain Bernheim for their work on the Eddie Murphy film “Coming to America” has taken another turn. Saying that he did not have enough information to make a decision, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Harvey Schneider on Monday referred a question about access to confidential William Morris Agency papers to retired State Court of Appeals Judge Richard Amerian, who will consider arguments on both sides. Paramount attorneys contend they need access to profit participation statements from the agency, which represents Bernheim, in order to obtain a sense of the going rate for industry-wide payments. Buchwald attorney Pierce O’Donnell and the agency have opposed releasing the contracts. On Monday, O’Donnell said that Judge Schneider “seemed very concerned about the primary concerns of William Morris,” which involve making client files public. Amerian is to report in 30 days.