Celebrity News
Want More Celebrity News?
Visit our affiliates at: Celebrity DUI, Celebrity Arrest, Celebrity Divorce or Celebrity Bankruptcy.
Celebrity Legal News Spotlight: Literary Section
Literary lawsuits may encompass a wide variety of charges, from stealing ideas and plagiarism to infringing on copyright protections and much more. Recent literary legal developments have not only involved controversial figures like O.J. Simpson and the late Anna Nicole Smith but also centered on a popular culture phenomenon like "The Da Vinci Code." Follow the latest literary lawsuits involving celebrity figures below and see if these legal dilemmas are as interesting as the books or movies that they revolve around.
With that said, don't forget to check out our other Celebrity Legal News Spotlight sections for more information on the most recent entertainment, music, sports, political, and unusual lawsuits to take place.
Literary Celebrity Legal News Spotlight Updated on June 7, 2007
Anna Nicole Smith's Diaries Don't Sell at Auction
The Monterey Herald in Monterey, California has reported that two diaries written by Anna Nicole Smith in the early 1990s failed to sell at an auction. Two bidders both pulled out of the auction amongst concerns that the diaries had been stolen and should be returned to the late starlet's estate. The diaries are still up for sale in a "Buy It Now" auction, for the price of $25,000. The buyer may face legal action from Smith's estate administrator and former companion, Howard K. Stern, who is convinced the diaries were stolen. The auction house reportedly obtained the diaries from an anonymous German businessman.
O.J. Simpson Book Auction on Hold
The company-reportedly owned by O.J. Simpson's children-that made the $880,000 O.J. Simpson "If I Did It" book deal with HarperCollins publishers, has filed bankruptcy in a Florida court. The filing has stalled the court-ordered auction of the book rights until a Federal judge reviews the case. The auction had been scheduled for April 17. The bankruptcy filing by Lorraine Brooke Associates is yet another obstacle for the family of murder victim Ron Goldman, who was killed along with Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, in 1994, to collecting the $33.5 million civil suit judgment against O.J. Simpson. The family has collected almost no money from the former football star, who was acquitted of murder in America's most infamous Hollywood trial.
Writer Says "Day After Tomorrow" Movie Idea Stolen From Him
The Associated Press has reported that Li Jianmin, a science fiction writer, is suing 20th Century Fox for copyright infringement, saying that the creative concepts and plot of the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" was stolen from two plays he had written in 2001 and 2002. Li charges that 308 scenes in the film were taken from his plays.
Court Rules on Da Vinci Code Lawsuit: No Copyright Infringement
Random House Publishing and author Dan Brown have prevailed in a copyright infringement suit after a British appeals court rejected claims made by two authors that the best-selling novel, "The Da Vinci Code" by Brown was lifted from a 1982 book, also a best-seller, called "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail." Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, authors of the latter book, said in court documents that Brown's book stole significant elements from theirs, most notably that Mary Magdalene and Jesus had been married and had a child, and that they have descendants alive today. In April, 2006, a judge ruled that there had been no copyright infringement. The appeals court upheld the ruling.
Judge Orders Auction Date in OJ Book Auction
A Santa Monica judge has ordered that a date be set for the auction of the O.J. Simpson book, "If I Did It" and ordered the Sacramento County Sheriff's department to conduct the auction. Earlier this month, the same judge had agreed that book rights should be auctioned and all proceeds go to the family of murder victim Ron Goldman. The family of Ron Goldman won a $33.5 million civil lawsuit against Simpson for the death of Goldman. Simpson was acquitted of criminal charges of killing Goldman and his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson. Simpson's attorney, Yale Galanter, said he plans to appeal the judge's order to auction the book, as well as a television deal, claiming the company that made the book deal is owned by Simpson's children.
Judge Says Profits from O.J. Simpson's "If I Did It" Book Will Go to Goldman Family
The Associated Press has reported that a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge has ruled that all rights from O.J. Simpson's book, "If I Did It," will be auctioned and that proceeds will go to the family of murder victim Ron Goldman. Simpson penned the book last year, which reportedly explains how he "might" have committed the killings, "if" he had committed them. The book was not sold to the general public as planned, after a firestorm of bad publicity erupted, criticizing the publisher, HarperCollins. A planned television special was also canceled and will be sold in the auction. The Goldman family won a $35 million civil lawsuit against Simpson in 1995, after Simpson was acquitted of murder in a criminal court for the deaths of Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman.
Unabomber Ted Kaczynski Appeals Sale of His Written Works
Convicted "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski has filed an appeal to stop the sale of his journals, correspondence, and versions of the infamous "Unabomber Manifesto" the he wrote before he was sentenced to four consecutive life terms in federal prison for sending primitive bombs through the U.S. postal service that killed several people. Kaczynski has filed a motion to stop the government from auctioning materials seized form his mountain cabin in Montana after his arrest. Kaczynski, now 64, claims his written material is copyrighted and can not be sold. Kaczynski has also protested the government's request to destroy what it considers to be bomb-making materials found in his cabin.
Best-Selling Novelist Haywood Smith Sued for Defamation
Author Haywood Smith is being sued by a lifelong friend over a character in the best-selling novel, "The Red Hat Club." The Georgia Court of Appeals will soon hear a pre-trial appeal by Smith in a defamation case that a Hall County State Court refused to dismiss in 2004. Vickie Stewart claims that Smith's character "SuSu" shares 22 similar characteristics with Stewart's real life, including details of her family history, marital history, physical appearance, the jobs she held, schools she attended and the places where she's lived, according to media reports. The lawsuit alleges, "These similarities between the character SuSu and Vickie Stewart are so significant that they would lead a reasonable person who knows Vickie Stewart and who reads the book to conclude that the character SuSu is Vickie Stewart," the lawsuit stated. The book, which portrays SuSu as a promiscuous alcoholic, has sold more than 100,000 copies and was on the New York Times bestseller list in 2003.
Cameron Diaz Wins Damages against National Enquirer Publisher
Actress Cameron Diaz settled a lawsuit with American Media, Inc, which publishes the National Enquirer tabloid, for wrongfully printing a 2005 story alleging that she'd had an affair with a married man. Diaz reportedly settled the suit for "substantial" damages, according to her attorney, Simon Smith. Sam Howard, the Enquirer's attorney said in a statement that the tabloid "entirely accepts that the allegations were without foundation and ought never to have been published".
Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel's Suspected Attacker Arrested
The man accused of attacking Nobel laureate and Holocaust scholar Elie Wiesel, 78, in San Francisco in early February was arrested by police in Montgomery Township, N.J. Eric Hunt, 22, of Sussex County, will face charges that include attempted kidnapping, false imprisonment, elder abuse, stalking, battery, and commission of a hate crime, according to San Francisco police. Wiesel, who penned, "Night," the legendary true story of his experience during the Holocaust, and several other books, was reportedly approached by a young man who approached him in the lobby of the Argent Hotel in San Francisco and the attacked him in an elevator.
