Roseanne, Tom Arnold Win Breach of Contract Lawsuit

A Los Angeles federal court jury found Friday in favor of Tom Arnold and his former wife, Roseanne, in a breach of contract lawsuit against a New York clothing firm they hired to distribute their “plus size” clothing line.

U.S. District Judge Harry Hupp said he plans to award the former couple $750,000. Still to be resolved is whether the president of CelebSales, Stanley Warner, will have to pay them all the money, or $250,000, with the company chipping in the rest.

Warner had filed a countersuit against the multimillionaire entertainers, both of whom have remarried, for $24 million.

At issue in the original suit was whether Warner reneged on his deal to help them market the lines in stores across the country. Warner wanted the clothing sold via a new cable operation called RSTV. He also said that the couple’s real-life histrionics and Roseanne’s irreverent rendition of the “Star-Spangled Banner” had made them commercially unviable as far as clothes were concerned.

The stars, particularly Roseanne, did not want the clothes sold on cable TV, believing such exposure could hurt her career. She also testified that the proposed clothing she was sent to inspect was of inferior quality.

The verdict was delivered after the deadline for today’s Calendar section, which includes a Morning Report item saying jury deliberations had begun.