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Courthouse Steps

By ALM Staff | Law Journal Newsletters |
August 26, 2003

CASE CAPTION: Marcus Chong v. Warner Bros., AOL Time Warner Inc., Anarchos Productions Inc., Eon Entertainment and Village Roadshow, L. A. Superior Court # BC295799.

CAUSES OF ACTION: Breach of contract; breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; promissory estoppel; and slander/libel per se.

COMPLAINT ALLEGATIONS: In 1998, Chong and the defendants entered into an oral agreement for Chong to star in the film 'The Matrix.' The defendants agreed that Chong would also be featured in the two 'Matrix' sequels. The agreement was later reduced to writing, but Chong was not given a copy. The defendants ratified the agreement in 2000, and told Chong that he would undoubtedly be paid more than the $150,000 he got for the first 'Matrix' film. But Chong was not used in or paid for the sequels. The defendants also published numerous false statements about Chong including that he was a terrorist. The defendants conspired to blackball Chong from further professional acting work in Hollywood.

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