NBC Universal has taken Dick Wolf, the executive producer of its "Law & Order" series of dramas, to court in a dispute over how much he is being paid.
The lawsuit, filed late last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, asks the court to clarify a contract signed by the network and its top producer of scripted shows. Besides the original "Law & Order" series, Wolf has made "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" for NBC.
Wolf has argued that the contract essentially guarantees him a kill fee, or money for producing 48 extra episodes of "Law & Order" even after NBC has determined it doesn't want the show anymore. NBC says in the court papers that it has made no such promise.
"NBC Universal is trying to rewrite an existing contract," Pam Ruben Golum, a spokeswoman for Wolf, said Monday.
