NBC countersues <i>Will & Grace</i>'s Mutchnick and Kohan (11564)

This week NBC fired back at Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, accusing them of being "duplicitous" in their dealings with the network regarding the license fee for the hit sitcom, in a counterclaim to the duo's lawsuit against the network. According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC's cross-complaint, filed on March 3, maintains that Kohan and Mutchnick and their "handlers" had always planned to sue the network over the license-fee deal struck in 2002 for Will & Grace. The NBC complaint details lengthy steps that the network took to involve the creators and their attorneys and agents in the license-fee renegotiations that took place in late 2001 and early 2002.

"Mutchnick, Kohan, and their handlers were only interested in creating an illusion of cooperation when in fact they were totally uncooperative, duplicitous, and guilty of shameless self-dealing in the process," the NBC complaint reads.

Kohan and Mutchnick filed suit against NBC in December, claiming that NBC did not seek the fair market value for Will & Grace when it negotiated its license fee as part of a long-term renewal deal for the show. Kohan and Mutchnick's suit accused NBC of cutting a sweetheart deal on the license fee because Will & Grace is produced by NBC studios and licensed to NBC.