PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – The Game of Life is known for turning events such as marriage, going to college and paying for auto insurance into moves on a board. Now, it’s at the center of a different real-world experience: a lawsuit.
The widow of a toy inventor said Hasbro and another inventor worked together to cut her out of $2 million in royalties and possibly much more from one of the most popular board games in history. Lorraine Markham also said her husband, Bill Markham, has been denied his legacy of creating the game after the other man, Reuben Klamer, took full credit for it.
Markham is seeking a declaration from the U.S. District Court in Providence that her husband was the sole creator of the game and that the company he left her owns the game outright. The lawsuit, filed last month, also seeks a complete accounting from Hasbro on what is owed.
Klamer countersued Thursday, saying he is the sole creator and Markham’s widow has no right to any royalties.
A spokeswoman for Pawtucket-based Hasbro did not return emails seeking comment.