Director Guillermo del Toro is celebrating after beating a plagiarism lawsuit over his Academy Award winning sci-fi romance The Shape of Water.
A federal judge has dismissed the legal action brought against him in February (18), just ahead of the Oscars ceremony, by representatives overseeing the estate of playwright Paul Zindel, who accused the filmmaker of lifting plot elements from the late dramatist’s 1969 play, Let Me Hear You Whisper.
Judge Percy Anderson issued a short ruling on Monday (23Jul18) dismissing the claim with prejudice, meaning Zindel’s camp can never file another lawsuit on the matter again. The magistrate also ruled that del Toro and Fox Searchlight executives are entitled to recover the money they spent on legal costs in their defence.
The director has always maintained The Shape of Water, which picked up trophies for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design and Best Original Score at the Academy Awards ceremony on 4 March (18), was an original idea, and vehemently denied the plagiarism allegations.
– Excerpt from an article written by Film-News. Find the full article here.
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Disclaimer: Please note that the information contained within this news post and site is offered simply as a consideration to visitors who are in the entertainment industry and are seeking to learn more about various areas of entertainment, be it in film, movies, television, music, digital, new media, film financing, merchandising and/or branding. As such, the information so provided should never be construed as legal advice. If you need further assistance or legal advice for your specific matter, please do not hesitate in contacting an entertainment attorney (film, music, digital, licensing, financing) here in Los Angeles, California at The Hollywood Lawyer by(1) emailing us at info@hollywoodlawyer.com; (2) calling us at (323) 300-4184; or (3) filling out our online form.
