Bochco and CBS Seek Fees From ‘City of Angels’ Suit

TV series creator Steven Bochco, two producers and the CBS network are seeking $750,000 in legal fees from a Los Angeles hair-care entrepreneur and his wife who had accused them of stealing the idea for the defunct drama “City of Angels.”

A federal jury in Los Angeles last month ruled against Jerome C. Metcalf and his wife, Laurie, in the lawsuit they filed against the network, Bochco and producers Nicholas Wooton and Paris Barclay.

Another defendant, actor Michael Warren, was dismissed from the lawsuit, and the Metcalfs face an order to pay Warren $120,000 in legal costs.

The Metcalfs sued Bochco and the other defendants in 2000, alleging they lifted the couple’s idea for a drama about an inner-city hospital. A federal judge threw out the lawsuit but an appeals court later reinstated it.

The Metcalfs’ lawyer, Robert Helfing, said his clients were appealing the jury verdict, adding that he believed that some crucial evidence was excluded and that the jury didn’t properly follow instructions.

Bochco’s lawyer, Edward A. Ruttenberg, countered that jurors clearly understood that the series was created without copying any ideas from the Metcalfs. “Their evidence was weak and was not accepted by the jury,” Ruttenberg said.

“City of Angels” premiered in 2000, starring Warren, Blair Underwood and Vivica A. Fox. Despite accolades and critical acclaim, it failed to catch fire in the ratings and was canceled.

Bochco’s other credits include such long-running shows as “Hill Street Blues,” “NYPD Blue” and “L.A. Law.”