Frasier cocreators' agents sue Paramount

Two agencies that represented the three cocreators of the TV hit series Frasier sued Paramount Pictures on Thursday, claiming they have not been fairly compensated. The suit was filed on behalf of the Jim Preminger Agency, which represented Peter Casey and gay writer-producer David Lee, and the Kaplan Stahler Gumer Braun Agency, whose client was David Angell. Angell and his wife were aboard one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

The lawsuit alleges that Paramount Pictures, which produced and distributed Frasier, did not comply with the agreed-upon agency package commission, which is typically based on a percentage of revenues and profits generated by a series. "Paramount has made other significant calculation errors...that have resulted in an underpayment of additional amounts which are also now due and payable," according to the lawsuit. The studio has made more than $1.5 billion in gross revenue from Frasier, the suit claims.

Angell, Casey, and Lee created, wrote, and executive-produced the Emmy Award-winning comedy starring Kelsey Grammar. A call left late Thursday for Paramount Pictures was not immediately returned. (AP)