(CNS) Posted Thursday January 6, 2011 – 10:20am

Steven Seagal, A&E and a production company that claims the actor and cable channel stole its idea for a reality TV show agreed today to try and settle the case out of court.

The Idea Factory claims in a lawsuit filed in August 2009 that its representatives met with Seagal in 2007 and presented their idea of a reality show.

They also took the pitch to A&E Television Network, where the idea was allegedly first broached about focusing a show on Seagal's work as a reserve deputy sheriff in Jefferson Parish, La.

Lawyers for A&E and the 58-year-old action star argued the suit should have been tossed because there was no written contract with Seagal to participate in the Idea Factory show, and that the idea for the show was not unique.

But on Dec. 15, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory W. Alarcon ruled that a jury should decide the case.

Alarcon postponed issuing rulings today on a series of new motions so that the mediation could begin.

The lawsuit was filed just before the premiere of A&E's “Steven Seagal: Lawman,” which Idea Factory claims in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit was taken from its pitches.

The lawsuit maintains an agreement was in place with Seagal to do the show with Idea Factory and that an additional contract was presumed to exist with A&E for Idea Factory to produce any Seagal program.

http://www.tiftv.com/
The Idea Factory
7453 Woodley Avenue
Van Nuys, CA 91406

The Idea Factory is an independent, end to end production company,   The Los Angeles office of the Idea Factory boasts full service production and post-production facilities.

Since its inception, the Idea Factory has established itself as a creator, supplier and innovator of non-scripted television.

The Idea Factory has produced first class productions such as ” Half Pint Bralwers” Spike TV, Psychic Search” for A&E,  “Big Medicine,” for TLC.The critically acclaimed series “God or the Girl” for A&E, “Gay Siblings” for LOGO,”Bound for Glory” for ESPN, “Looking for Love” and “Karaoke Mom's” for CMT as well as “Warrior Challange” for RIPE TV.