Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace, which tells the story of the singer’s 1972 gospel album, is subject of more legal issues.
The film, which was mired in limbo for 46 years as a result of various legal battles, is now the subject of a suit from producer Alan Elliott, against distributor Neon and CEO Tom Quinn.
The crux of the issue also involves the Hollywood trade press, including Deadline, which covered the news that Neon had acquired the U.S rights to the film in December 2018. There was one small problem, the producers allege, it hadn’t signed a deal, and in fact, the producers were in talks with other buyers, including Apple, when Neon announced the deal.
The suit (read it here) alleges that Neon “fraudulently induced” the producer to accept a distribution deal by publicly announcing the pact.
“In a plan commandeered by Quinn, Neon acquired the coveted domestic distribution rights to the Picture through a series of fraudulent actions, starting with a false and premature press announcement that Neon had already acquired those rights when in fact it had not,” the suit alleges.
Click here to read more.
SOURCE: Deadline, Peter White
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