Touchstone TV sued over 'Chief'

September 10, 2008 In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the producer-director-writer claims Touchstone used the WGA strike to stop paying him under his contract for the failed 2005 series about the first female U.S. president. Lurie, who sued under his Chariot Prods. shingle, was ousted early in the series' run, replaced as showrunner by Steven Bochco, who in turn was replaced by the show's executive producer Dee Johnson for its final episodes. According to the lawsuit, after his firing, Lurie's contract was amended to include a two-year extension agreement, where he retained executive producer credit on "Commander" and was paid $3 million (in weekly installments) and an overhead allowance of $100,000 per year until June 2008.

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