Frank Darabont Seeking Over $280 Million In The Walking Dead Lawsuit With AMC

The co-creator of AMC's The Walking Dead, Frank Darabont, and his agents have submitted a certifcate of trial readiness in their lawsuit against AMC which revealed the plaintiffs are seeking a damages verdict in excess of $280 million.

AMC stands firmly against all claims being thrown at them by Darabont's team.

"Plaintiffs' damages claim has no basis in reality and we will continue to vigorously defend against this lawsuit," said AMC in a statement to THR.

Darabont served as the co-creator and showrunner of The Walking Dead through its first six-episode season and was fired from the production half way through the second. Following his departure, AMC licensed the series to its cable affiliate network for an amount of money which Darabont's team claims was not enough.

AMC argues that it negotiate the right to set an imputed license fee.

Darabont's contract entitled him to as much as 10 percent of certain The Walking Dead profits after deductions. Given the amount his team is filing for in damages, the numbers suggest that the AMC series has hauled in mutlipe billions of dollars.

The trial will highlight the circumstances surrounding Darabont's departure from the series, as well. Darabont is alleging that AMC improperly reduced his profit share by not counting his efforts on the show's second season as being involved all year. He claims to have worked on all episodes of the second season. A judge allowed the claim after an initial deposition from Darabont which revealed the "crisis-level problems" on the show.

Don't expect to hear any updates from the case, even if it does head move foward. Justice Eileen Bransten has a full schedule at the moment and says this case won't be dealt with until 2018 at the earliest. Should the case get to trial, it will be on of the biggest profit cases in television history.

The Walking Dead returns for its seventh season in October. For complete coverage and insider info, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.