‘West 57th’ Producer to Make Miniseries on Hedda Nussbaum

NEW YORK — In an unusual deal, the executive producer of CBS’ “West 57th” news series will produce a miniseries for the network’s entertainment division about the much-publicized Lisa Steinberg child-abuse case here, CBS officials said Friday.

But they emphasized that CBS News is not involved in producer Andrew Lack’s work on the dramatization of Hedda Nussbaum’s life, including her battered years with a disbarred lawyer, Joel Steinberg. Steinberg was sentenced two weeks ago in the fatal beating of the couple’s illegally adopted daughter, Lisa, aged 6.

The entertainment divisions of NBC and ABC also are interested in the case, in which trial testimony brought out stories of heavy drug use and beatings by Steinberg of both Nussbaum and the child.

The case received heavy local coverage when Steinberg and Nussbaum were arrested in 1987 (charges against her subsequently were dropped) and large portions of his trial late last year and this year aired live on local TV. Parts of the proceedings were also broadcast live on Cable News Network.

Steinberg, convicted of first-degree manslaughter, was sentenced to 8 1/2 to 25 years in prison and is appealing his conviction.

Lack will produce a two-part miniseries for CBS Entertainment under terms of a deal worked out by Nussbaum’s lawyer, Barry Scheck, and Lack, who earlier had sought unsuccessfully to arrange an interview with Nussbaum for “West 57th.” She has refused to give interviews to any news organization.

CBS officials declined to say how much Nussbaum will be paid, but one unidentified source was quoted in Friday’s New York Daily News as saying the fee would be less than $100,000.

Scheck was not available for comment. Neither was Lack, who was reported traveling in Europe. He also is working on a revamp of the low-rated “West 57th.”

CBS Broadcast Group President Howard Stringer said Lack’s involvement in the entertainment project doesn’t violate CBS News guidelines. He described the undertaking as “a summer project” for Lack.