Latest in Hollywood lawsuits

The ABC  comedy series’ creator has been hit with a breach-of-contract and fraud suit by her former manager. In a suit filed today in LA Superior Court (read it here), The Gotham Group‘s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein claims that Emily Kapnek stopped paying commissions after the Suburgatory creator signed a two-year overall…

Just under two months after they took their first swipe at getting the judgment against them and a class action in the Black Swan interns' case reversed, Fox Searchlight and the Fox Entertainment Group have hit back again. In filings late last week, Fox asked a federal judge for formal permission for an “immediate…

Heavyweight Hollywood attorney Marty Singer's infamous blistering letters on behalf of his clients won't be changing their tune or tone anytime soon thanks to a trio of judges on a California Court of Appeal. Yesterday the Second District overturned a trial court's ruling over a 2011 letter from Singer to former Big Br…

Fox Searchlight said it was going to try to get the June 11 judgment against it and for a class action in the Black Swan Interns case reversed, and today it started that effort. Aiming to carve up the order, the company filed a motion of partial reconsideration (read it here) Tuesday in U.S. District Court in New…

UPDATE, 10:17 AM: Having reached a confidential settlement today in their multimillion-dollar lawsuit over profits from NCIS: LA, CBS and NCIS creator Don Bellisario released a joint statement Friday: "We're pleased to settle this lawsuit on amicable terms and put this dispute to rest," said David Stapf, President…

Four Hollywood studios today had class action lawsuits filed against them that allege the short changing of home video royalties. If successful, the suits could result in a multi-million dollar windfall for the plaintiffs. In nearly identical filings Wednesday in LA Superior Court, Paramount Pictures, Universal City St…

Legendary Pictures today filed suit (read it here) against producers Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Doug Davison to have them removed from the Godzilla reboot. The company also wants the court to order arbitration to stop a potential temporary restraining order by the defendants against the film’s production. The new Godzilla…

Nu Image today filed a lawsuit against shuttered Overture Films for what could be millions in unpaid proceeds from a trio of films. The films noted in the complaint (read it here) are 2010’s Brooklyn's Finest, the 2008 Robert De Niro and Al Pacino movie Righteous Kill and 2008’s Mad Money starring Diane Keaton and…

Director Nick Cassavetes is being sued by two Canadian singers and their father for more than $500,000 over an alleged loan to the movie Yellow. In their complaint filed today (read it here) plaintiffs John Thomas and TwinSpin Music say that in September 2010, singers Carman and Camille Thomas met with the director in…

Former Reba creator and showrunner Allison Gibson has been denied her claim on profits from the sitcom's second season for a second time. California's Second District Court of Appeal reaffirmed a trial judge's decision that 20th Century Fox Television did not commit breach of contract by not paying Gibson a 25% vested…

In yet another legal setback for the producer and film financier, a judge has ruled that David Bergstein cannot sue the employers of his former lawyer Susan Tregub even if she did switch sides against him. "The fact that it is alleged that defendants aided and abetted Tregub does not change this into an action by a…

The multiple legal disputes between producers over credit on the upcoming Martin Scorsese-directed The Wolf Of Wall Street are over. Red Granite Pictures and Alexandra Milchan issued the following statement today: Los Angeles, CA – October 3, 2012 – It was announced today that Red Granite Pictures and Alexandra Milcha…