Litigation partner Joel Weiner was cited by Law360 on the recent trend of right of publicity and defamation suits filed against media giants in Hollywood. These cases threaten to make it more difficult for producers to make docudramas and sports features. Docudramas are, Joel says, "America’s guilty pleasure." But pending lawsuits are raising "serious concerns" about the dangers of making documentaries and how producers should proceed. This is particularly problematic as several courts across the country appear to be allowing right of publicity and defamation claims to move forward past the pleading stage and not, Joel says, "knocking them out immediately" as they often should. "This makes it tough for producers."
Read “Wave of Publicity Suits Washing Over Hollywood, Attys Say” in its entirety.
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