Throwing a litigious lump of coal in its friend's stocking, Warner Bros. TV leveled a breach-of-contract lawsuit against CBS seeking $49 million in unpaid license fees and production costs for Two and a Half Men.

Never mind that the parties co-own a network together and have managed a smooth, lucrative relationship since well before Men became a hit six years ago — what's due is due, per a suit filed Tuesday in LA Superior Court:

The suit [...] alleges that as part of CBS' renegotiated license agreement to air Men for a fifth and sixth season, it agreed to pay WBTV a premium above the initial license fee schedule and reimburse the studio for costs associated with the production of TV's top-rated comedy. This "deficit recoupment," as the term is commonly known, required CBS to pony up if the show reached specific ratings milestones in its fourth season.

"CBS has reaped the benefits of the tremendous success of Two and a Half Men but wants to deny Warner Bros. the right to its agreed-upon share," the complaint argues.

True, Men did enjoy its current season's highest ratings last week, and true, Charlie Sheen's lavish $800,000-per-episode salary doesn't pay itself. But buried in the THR report is the more glaring reality that WBTV won't any time soon see a cent of the $23 million that the bankrupt Tribune Company owes it for syndicating Men and Friends, leaving Warners' the unusual but necessary option of Les Moonves unwrapping different kind of briefs than he's used to this season. And if you're going to accept responsibility for Men, you might as well get your money's worth. You can't really blame the guys.