Willie asks court to dismiss ABS-CBN counterclaim

MANILA, Philippines - Willie Revillame has asked a Quezon City court to junk the counterclaim of ABS-CBN on its appeal in a breach of contract case his former network filed against the television host.

Revillame cited a Court of Appeals decision last week dismissing the network’s copyright infringement case against him before a Makati City court. He said the CA had ruled that ABS-CBN engaged in forum shopping by filing two cases that stemmed from one action before separate courts.

Revillame’s pleading was filed on Sept. 7 before Judge Santiago Arenas of Regional Trial Court Branch 217.

ABS-CBN had filed two civil cases against Revillame: one before Makati City court, asking it to protect the network’s alleged copyright over the game show “Wowowee,” while the other is pending before Arenas, in which the network asked to uphold its talent agreement with Revillame and the issuance of a preliminary injunction.

The judge previously in charge of the case, Judge Luisito Cortez of RTC Branch 84, had junked ABS-CBN’s appeal for a temporary restraining order to stop the airing of “Wowowee.”

In the case before the Quezon City court, the host asked for P11 million from ABS-CBN after leaving a year before his three-year contract lapsed. ABS-CBN, in turn, filed a P486-million counterclaim against Revillame, who now hosts a game show on TV5.

Revillame said since his contract was terminated in August 2010, “there is no more ground to proceed with the hearing for the issuance of preliminary injunction.”