LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two dozen entertainment firms have agreed to pay $70 million to settle age discrimination claims by 165 television writers over the age of 40 in the largest settlement of its kind.
The defendants include 17 television networks and production companies, including ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, and seven talent agencies including the now-merged William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, Gersh and UTA.
The settlement announced Friday caps nearly a decade of court battles. Just one outstanding case, against Creative Artists Agency, remains.
The money covers attorneys' fees and damages. About $2.5 million will go to a fund that will give writers grants and loans to further their careers, and to study ways to supplement pensions and improve medical coverage.
Two-thirds of the settlement money is being covered by insurance carriers.
