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Appeals Court Upholds Judgment Against Universal: The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a 1991 jury verdict for $11.6 million in favor of Accent Films against Universal Pictures. Accent had claimed that Universal in 1983 breached a contract to distribute the Roman Polanski film “Pirates.” The film, eventually released by MGM/UA in 1986, was a box office flop. Accent had claimed that Universal refused to pay $18 million of the $27-million budget of the film for U.S. and Canadian distribution rights, while Universal argued that it had the right to reject the distribution agreement. Lawyers for Accent said they expect to collect $13.5 million from Universal to cover the judgment and accumulated interest. Universal said it has no plans to appeal the ruling.