Quiz show mastermind Cary Young claims former game show host Rob Elliott may owe him more than $1m

SALE of the Century world champion Cary Young says former Wheel of Fortune host Rob Elliott could owe him more than $1 million in royalties from the board game Smart Ass.

QUIZ show mastermind Cary Young believes he could be owed more than $1 million in his board game battle with former Wheel of Fortune host Rob Elliott.

The Herald Sun revealed last month that Young suspects he was duded in a deal which saw him provide questions and answers for Elliott’s award-winning game Smart Ass.

It can now be revealed Young believes Elliott got more than US$5 million when the game was sold in 2011 and the $50,000 he received was less than the 20 per cent share to which he claims he was entitled.

And Young had an early win in his bid to recoup any outstanding royalties, with Elliott ordered by the County Court to hand over a raft of documents.

But Elliott claims he can’t comply because he no longer has the paper work.

Rob Elliott on set of "Wheel of Fortune" in 1996.

Young became the first world champion of popular TV game show Sale of the Century before forging a career preparing trivia-style questions and answers — including for the Herald Sun.

The County Court heard Young and Elliott agreed in 2004 that for 10 per cent of sales profits, Young would provide Elliott’s company, Red Media, questions and answers in four categories — Who am I? Where am I? What am I? and High IQ!.

In an updated deal in 2005 it was agreed Young would get 20 per cent, would retain his copyright, and, if the rights for the game were sold or passed to another party, receive 20 per cent of any proceeds.

MORE:

QUIZMASTER CARY YOUNG TAKES FORMER WHEEL OF FORTUNE HOST ROB ELLIOTT TO COURT

CRIME BOSS ROCCO ARICO’S PARENTS ACCUSED OF BREAKING TAX DEAL IN GANGSTER FORTUNE HUNT

Young says he provided about 4,795 questions and answers and continued to edit and correct existing questions until January 2010.

In 2011, the game was the focus of a protracted legal dispute between University Games, which had a deal in 2007 to distribute the game in the US, UK and Europe, and World Wide Games, which had purchased the rights for the game outside Australian.

As part of a confidential settlement University Games purchased the game from WWG. Around the same time WWG also purchased Young’s rights in the game for US$50,000.

Elliott says he has had nothing to do with the game since its sale and has received no further royalties.

Cary Young on Sale oo the Century in 1997.

His lawyers told the court that in November 2006 their client had asked Young to reduce his share back to the original 10 per cent and produced two emails in which Young appears to consent to this.

Young’s lawyers told the court they had written to Elliott in June last year denying any agreement to cut Young’s royalties was ever reached and demanding Elliott pay their client what he was owed.

The letter said it had more recently come to Young’s attention that Elliott received more than US$5 million from University Games, with more than 1.5 million units sold, which, if correct, meant the US$50,000 he had received was less than he was entitled to.

The court heard Elliott accused Young of harassing him and undertaking a “fishing expedition” in March.

In June Young applied to the court for access to documents, including all correspondence between Elliott, Red Media, World Wide Games and University Games regarding the sale of Smart Ass; details of all questions submitted by Young for use in the game; details of any expenses claimed against his royalty payments; and game sales figures.

Elliott told the court he had already provided two documents to Young but no longer had any of the documents sought.

Judge Paul Cosgrave found that as Young had presented a reasonable basis to potentially commence a proceeding against Elliott for breach of contract and misleading and deceptive conduct he should be granted pre-trial discovery access to the documents.