Reality TV star seeks new trial

Richard Hatch deserves a new trial on charges he failed to pay taxes on his $1 million “Survivor” prize because a judge improperly kept him from testifying about claims of cheating on the CBS reality series, his lawyer told an appeals court in Boston on Thursday.

Hatch, 45, was convicted last year of tax evasion and sentenced to more than four years in prison. He is serving his sentence at a minimum-security prison in Morgantown, W.Va.

His attorney, Michael Minns, told a three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Hatch thought CBS or show producers were responsible for paying his taxes. Minns said Hatch wasn’t allowed during the trial to explain why -- and that hurt his defense.

Prosecutors said Hatch had an opportunity to testify about cheating, but his lawyer never asked the question.