Lawsuit Claims Chris Rock Stole Documentary Idea

Thursday

08Oct2009

Lawsuit Claims Chris Rock Stole Documentary Idea

Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 5:25AM

The success rate for lawsuits that claim the big star or major studio stole Idea X is astonishingly low. Somebody would have to help me out on the last time a court ruled in favor of the little guy.

We just wrote a couple of weeks ago about the pair of writers trying to halt the release of Love Happens because it sounded like an idea they gave Universal. So far: Nothing. Now it's Chris Rock's turn to be hounded by legal proceedings.

Regina Kimbell has filed suit against Rock and "several film companies," according to The Hollywood Reporter, stating that elemens of her film My Nappy Roots have been co-opted for the comedian's new documentary Good Hair.

The basis of her claims is the assertion that she screened My Nappy Roots for Rock in 2007, although he had already begun working on his look at the historical and cultural significance of hairstyles in the African-American community.

The first film has never been officially released (although it has screened several times since then) and Rock's new movie comes out later this month. The lawsuit is asking for damages in excess of $5 million, although it's going to be hard to prove outright theft since the court documents reveal Rock was, in fact, already on the road to developing Good Hair.

It's doubtful this will raise that success rate.

Colin Boyd |

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