Roseanne Arnold Sues Former Agents

Comedian Roseanne Arnold took action Wednesday to have her former talent agency’s license revoked, alleging that the agents cheated her out of more than $20 million in profits from her hit ABC-TV series “Roseanne.”

In a petition filed with the state Department of Industrial Relations, which regulates talent agencies, Arnold accused agent Tracy Kramer and Los Angeles-based Triad Artists Inc. of secretly cutting a deal with the show’s producers, Carsey-Werner Co., for a share of the profits “in direct competition” with her.

Arnold said the agency’s stake in the series is worth far more than the 10% commission allowable under state law--”possibly substantially more than 50%” of her own compensation.

Arnold--then known as Roseanne Barr--was an obscure nightclub comedian when she met Kramer in 1985. She said Kramer “capitalized on (her) lack of sophistication in the entertainment industry” to steer her into unfavorable deals.

At lunch on May 14, 1987, for example, Kramer told Arnold that he would lose his job if she didn’t sign documents he handed her, according to the petition. In a “state of panic,” she signed the documents, making Triad her exclusive agent, Arnold alleges.

Shortly afterward, Arnold and Kramer met with producers Marcy Carsey and Tom Werner to discuss the possibility of her starring in the new series. Arnold then told Kramer the terms she wanted, and he began negotiations, according to the petition.

But rather than trying to get the highest possible profit percentage for her, Arnold alleges, “Triad instead immediately began secretly and deceitfully whittling away at the percentage earmarked for Roseanne in order to put almost half of the amount Roseanne would have otherwise received into its own pocket.”

Triad contends that the packaging agreement it made with Carsey-Werner is standard in the industry.

In a statement issued through lawyers, Triad said: “Roseanne Arnold has a history of terminating and refusing to pay for the services rendered by her personal representatives, who have been among the most highly respected and well-known agents, lawyers and managers in the entire industry. Triad is the most recent target.”

Arnold, through a spokesman, rejected those charges. The comedian has been associated with the William Morris Agency since 1988, and the relationship has been “solid,” she said.