Disney, Actors Ordered to Pay $15-Million Award

A jury ordered Walt Disney Co., Tim Allen and others tied to ABC’s hit show “Home Improvement” to pay nearly $15 million to a talent agency.

A Los Angeles Superior Court jury said Disney owed $3.25 million for underpaying commissions when the sitcom aired on ABC from 1991 to 1999. The rest of the award must be paid by several other “profit participants” in the show, including Allen and actress Patricia Richardson.

The verdict sprang from a 1997 lawsuit by the Agency for the Performing Arts, which sued on behalf of one of the show’s creators, Matt Williams, claiming he was cheated out of profits. Disney is considering an appeal of the verdict.

“We are disappointed by the verdict,” said Disney spokeswoman Michelle Bergman. “We believed that we satisfied our obligation” to the talent agency.