Susan Meddaugh, the author and illustrator of the Martha Speaks books that inspired the popular PBS Kids show, is suing WGBH for a portion of viewer contributions, the Boston Globe is reporting.
The author’s complaint, filed in Middlesex Superior Court, contends that because WGBH uses Martha Speaks to solicit donations, the station owes Meddaugh a portion of that money.
According to the Globe, “Meddaugh also claims she was cheated out of royalties when the public broadcaster employed the kind of deceptive accounting practices usually associated with infamous Hollywood bookkeeping. She further alleges WGBH exploited her intellectual property to make money on ventures she never agreed to, and has not shared the proceeds.”
WGBH declined comment to the newspaper.
The lawsuit was filed in January. A judge is hearing the station’s motion to dismiss the case June 11.