| Bringing Down Latifah's House from Yahoo! News |
| By Lia Haberman All's not good in the hood: Queen Latifah and the producers of Bringing Down the House are accused of ripping off the urban laffer. Marie Flaherty, a New York lawyer, sued Latifah (real name Dana Owens) & Co. for $15 million on Friday, claiming she came up with the original concept a few years ago. Flaherty alleges the box-office blockbuster is based on a screenplay she wrote called Amoral Dilemma about a lawyer who becomes entangled with a prisoner he meets online. Bringing Down the House, starring Latifah (who's listed as an executive producer in the credits) and Steve Martin, is a PG-13 comedy about an uptight lawyer who unwittingly corresponds with a prisoner online, only to have her wreak havoc on his life when she shows up at his door and coerces him into helping prove her innocence. As of last Sunday, the movie maintained its number-one position at the multiplex for the third straight weekend in a row and has tallied $83.3 million in box office receipts so far--perhaps a sign that audiences bombarded by war coverage were seeking some comic relief this month. The movie was the third-best March opening ever and the best Martin launch ever. It also fueled the publicity machine leading up to the 75th Academy Awards (news - web sites) where a wisecracking Martin served as host and Latifah competed (unsuccessfully) for a Best Supporting Actress trophy for her role in Chicago. In the suit, Flaherty claims she enlisted the services of Boston attorney George N. Tobia Jr. in 1999 to help her shop the script around. A few months later, Tobia informed her that he and a friend, Jason Filardi, had sold their own script called Jailbabe.com, which became the inspiration for Bringing Down the House. When Flaherty confronted Tobia over the storylines' similarities, he dismissed her allegations saying Filardi's script was a comedy while hers was a drama, according to the lawsuit. Tobia, Filardi (who had a minor role in 1996's The Craft) and Latifah are named as defendants in the suit, along with Hyde Park Entertainment, which produced the movie, and Walt Disney Co., which distributed the flick. While she's seeking a minimum of $15 million, Flaherty, who plans to represent herself in the case, noted that the court could boost the damages due her, given the movie's healthy gross, which should top out over $100 million. Latifah's reps refused to comment while calls to Disney were not immediately returned. Meanwhile, Chicago's "Mama" Morton shows no signs of slowing. Latifah just inked a deal with Disney to star and produce in a modern spin on the traditional Cinderella story called Just Wright and is developing The Cookout for Lions Gate. Meanwhile, her next album, First Love, is due to hit shelves this summer. |
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| posted 4 april 2003 3:39 p.m. central story #0026 |