Mark Burnett's Companies Sued Over Finances on MTV's 'Bully Beatdown'

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Mark Burnett's One Three Television and JMBP, Inc. ("J. Mark Burnett Productions") are being sued over the MTV reality show, Bully Beatdown.

our editor recommends

Emmys 2012: Mark Burnett on 'The Voice's' Noms, 'Idol's' Snub: 'It's a New Era'

Upfronts 2012: USA Network Continues Unscripted Push With Mark Burnett Project, 'Bromantic' Comedy

On Tuesday, Big Headz Entertainment filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that it has been bullied out of money from the show.

Read the Complaint Here

According to the complaint, Dallas-based Big Headz first developed the show about mixed martial artists challenging bullies to a prized fight in 2007 along with another company called ProElite.

STORY: Mark Burnett: My Ex-Wife Did Not Invent 'Survivor'

After ProElite went out of business, Big Headz says it came to an agreement whereby Burnett's companies would pay it 12.5 of modified adjusted gross revenue from the series.

The plaintiff says that financial statements handed over purport to show that revenue from the series increased 53 percent from $3.2 million to nearly $5 million in 2009 and 2010, but that at the same time, expenses increased from $2.5 million to $4 million. As a result, Big Headz says that it has been told the series operated at a loss and that it wasn't getting the revenue it expected.

"On information and belief, the financial statements provided by MBP to Big Headz were incomplete, inaccurate, and misleading," says the complaint.

Claiming the series did not operate at a loss, Big Headz is now suing for immediate and complete access to the financial books.

The defendants couldn't immediately be reached.

Email: eriq.gardner@thr.com

Twitter: @eriqgardner