BURBANK (CNS) - A trust for the late Marty Krofft has been substituted as a defendant for the puppeteer himself in a lawsuit in which his brother, Sid Krofft, contends he is owed nearly $500,000 as part of a May 2017 buyout.
Sid Krofft filed his suit in January 2023 against his sibling and companies associated with both men. Marty Krofft died in November 2023 at age 86 and is survived by three daughters as well as Sid Krofft, now 95.
On Wednesday, attorneys on both sides filed joint court papers with Burbank Superior Court. Judge Frank M. Tavelman informing him of the party substitution agreement. The judge signed the accord and a conference on the litigation is scheduled Dec. 11.
Sid Krofft filed his suit in January 2023 against his brother and Krofft organizations Krofft Entertainment Inc., Sid and Marty Krofft Pictures Corp., Sid and Marty Krofft Productions Inc. and SMK Productions Corp. Sid Krofft seeks $470,000 in compensatory damages as well as punitive damages, plus a declaration of the rights of the parties and a court order allowing him to inspect corporate records of all funds received since May 2017.
The companies countersued Sid Krofft on June 7, saying he "breached the 2017 agreement in material ways and violated his duties and obligations to the Krofft companies even before the ink dried."
The countersuit further alleges the plaintiff used the Krofft companies' business relationships and assets to set up productions without rights, infringing on the exclusive ownership and control of the Krofft entities' assets, including copyrights and trademarks.
As a former officer/director, Sid Krofft had specific fiduciary duties to the Krofft firms that he breached by doing things that conflicted with the companies' interests, the countersuit states. Sid Krofft also used confidential company information for his personal gain, the countersuit further alleges.
Sid and Marty Krofft, both born in Montreal, made numerous children's television programs, mostly in the 1970s, including "H.R. Pufnstuf," "Land of the Lost" and "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters."