Courthouse Steps

CASE CAPTION: Warren Beatty v. Tribune Media Services Inc., L.A. Superior Court # BC333430.

CAUSES OF ACTION: Breach of contract and declaration of rights.

COMPLAINT ALLEGATIONS: In a written agreement in Aug. 1985, Tribune assigned plaintiff Beatty the film, TV and other rights to the Dick Tracy character. The agreement stated that Tribune had a conditional option to get the rights back by following a specific procedure that included giving Beatty two separate written notices, plus a 2-year opportunity to avoid the forfeiture by producing a Dick Tracy project after the first notice and before the second notice. In 1988, Beatty assigned most of his rights to Walt Disney Pictures but reserved the right to produce his own project during the last 18 months of the 24-month period following a notice from Tribune. There was a Tracy film in 1990; in 1994 and 1995, Disney produced an ice show featuring the character. In July 2002, Tribune, in a letter to Disney, asked if Disney would be willing to agree to Tribune reacquiring the rights without going through the formal procedure. Disney didn't agree. In Sept. 2002, Tribune, in another letter to Disney, claimed that it had already effected a reversion of the rights. Beatty wasn't notified of this claim. The same thing happened in Oct. 2004. The 2002 letter wasn't a notice to produce as required by the Beatty agreement. It did, however, make it commercially impossible for Beatty to produce a new Tracy project because of Tribune's claim.

In May 2005, Disney reassigned most of the rights to Beatty who plans to develop another Tracy picture. Tribune has denied his right to do so and announced its intention to exploit the rights.

RELIEF SOUGHT: $30 million and an injunction against Tribune exploiting the Tracy rights.

PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL: Bertram Fields of L.A.'s Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman Machtinger & Kinsella (310-553-3610).

CASE CAPTION: Lynn Ianni Ph.D. v. Courtroom Television Network LLC, The Smoking Gun, Andrew Goldberg, William Bastone, Viacom International Inc., MTV Networks, VH1, and Patricia A. Farrell, L.A. Superior Court # BC333295.

CAUSE OF ACTION: Defamation.

COMPLAINT ALLEGATIONS: The plaintiff has been licensed in California since 1986, and has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist. She got a Ph.D. in 1998, in clinical psychology from California Coast University after completing a 7-year program of post-graduate study and writing and defending a doctoral dissertation. The plaintiff has appeared as an on-air therapist for a Fox reality-TV show entitled “The Swan” for two seasons. Goldberg is managing editor of “The Smoking Gun” and Bastone its editor. In May 2004, “The Smoking Gun” put an article on its website titled “Fox Doctor's Diploma Mill Degree” that stated that the plaintiff got her Ph.D. from a correspondence school described as an unaccredited diploma mill by Congressional investigators. The article also stated: “Therapist Lynn Ianni, it turns out, is not a doctor, she just plays one on TV.” The article stated that the school's catalog says it offers degree programs not designed to meet any particular licensing or credentialing laws. While the 2003-2004 California Coast University catalog does contain that statement, it also states that the school has been awarded the “highest educational status awarded by the State of California” and that California has the most rigorous standards in the nation. The school was also federally accredited in Jan. 2005. This favorable information was withheld from readers to preserve the defamatory impact of the article. Subsequently, MTV and VH1 produced a program called “VH1 News Presents: Reality TV Secrets Revealed” on which Goldberg was interviewed repeating the false allegations. Farrell appears on the show and is identified as a clinical psychologist. She says it is reprehensible for someone to pretend to be something she isn't.

RELIEF SOUGHT: Unspecified damages.

PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL: Hillel Chodos of Los Angeles (310-473-8666).

CASE CAPTION: Warren Beatty v. Tribune Media Services Inc., L.A. Superior Court # BC333430.

CAUSES OF ACTION: Breach of contract and declaration of rights.

COMPLAINT ALLEGATIONS: In a written agreement in Aug. 1985, Tribune assigned plaintiff Beatty the film, TV and other rights to the Dick Tracy character. The agreement stated that Tribune had a conditional option to get the rights back by following a specific procedure that included giving Beatty two separate written notices, plus a 2-year opportunity to avoid the forfeiture by producing a Dick Tracy project after the first notice and before the second notice. In 1988, Beatty assigned most of his rights to Walt Disney Pictures but reserved the right to produce his own project during the last 18 months of the 24-month period following a notice from Tribune. There was a Tracy film in 1990; in 1994 and 1995, Disney produced an ice show featuring the character. In July 2002, Tribune, in a letter to Disney, asked if Disney would be willing to agree to Tribune reacquiring the rights without going through the formal procedure. Disney didn't agree. In Sept. 2002, Tribune, in another letter to Disney, claimed that it had already effected a reversion of the rights. Beatty wasn't notified of this claim. The same thing happened in Oct. 2004. The 2002 letter wasn't a notice to produce as required by the Beatty agreement. It did, however, make it commercially impossible for Beatty to produce a new Tracy project because of Tribune's claim.

In May 2005, Disney reassigned most of the rights to Beatty who plans to develop another Tracy picture. Tribune has denied his right to do so and announced its intention to exploit the rights.

RELIEF SOUGHT: $30 million and an injunction against Tribune exploiting the Tracy rights.

PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL: Bertram Fields of L.A.'s Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman Machtinger & Kinsella (310-553-3610).

CASE CAPTION: Lynn Ianni Ph.D. v. Courtroom Television Network LLC, The Smoking Gun, Andrew Goldberg, William Bastone, Viacom International Inc., MTV Networks, VH1, and Patricia A. Farrell, L.A. Superior Court # BC333295.

CAUSE OF ACTION: Defamation.

COMPLAINT ALLEGATIONS: The plaintiff has been licensed in California since 1986, and has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist. She got a Ph.D. in 1998, in clinical psychology from California Coast University after completing a 7-year program of post-graduate study and writing and defending a doctoral dissertation. The plaintiff has appeared as an on-air therapist for a Fox reality-TV show entitled “The Swan” for two seasons. Goldberg is managing editor of “The Smoking Gun” and Bastone its editor. In May 2004, “The Smoking Gun” put an article on its website titled “Fox Doctor's Diploma Mill Degree” that stated that the plaintiff got her Ph.D. from a correspondence school described as an unaccredited diploma mill by Congressional investigators. The article also stated: “Therapist Lynn Ianni, it turns out, is not a doctor, she just plays one on TV.” The article stated that the school's catalog says it offers degree programs not designed to meet any particular licensing or credentialing laws. While the 2003-2004 California Coast University catalog does contain that statement, it also states that the school has been awarded the “highest educational status awarded by the State of California” and that California has the most rigorous standards in the nation. The school was also federally accredited in Jan. 2005. This favorable information was withheld from readers to preserve the defamatory impact of the article. Subsequently, MTV and VH1 produced a program called “VH1 News Presents: Reality TV Secrets Revealed” on which Goldberg was interviewed repeating the false allegations. Farrell appears on the show and is identified as a clinical psychologist. She says it is reprehensible for someone to pretend to be something she isn't.

RELIEF SOUGHT: Unspecified damages.

PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL: Hillel Chodos of Los Angeles (310-473-8666).