Legal news for Florida entertainment law lawyers.
Paris Hilton sued in Miami federal court for $8.3 million.
Miami, FL–Celebrity socialite and hotel heiress, Paris Hilton was sued for $8.3 million over the comedy flop Pledge This! Hilton was accused of violating her contract by failing to promote the movie and allegedly ignoring requests to appear on talk shows, radio interviews, and magazine interviews for the 2006 film, as reported by the Guardian. The Miami Herald also reports, Hilton testified in a Miami federal courtroom on July 10, 2009, claiming not even her celebrity exposure could have saved the movie. According to her 2004 contract, Hilton was required to promote the movie, but the contract did not clearly state what exactly the “promoting” entailed, which left the contract requirements up for dispute. Hilton claims she did everything she could possibly do to promote the movie, including two high profile trips to France’s Cannes International Film Festival and she made an appearance at the Chicago premiere of Pledge This! in 2006.
In the case Goldberg v. Paris Hilton Entertainment attorneys allege Hilton’s team denied nine requests to promote the movie overseas and refused to promote the movie when Pledge This! hit retail store shelves. According to court filings, Hilton turned down interviews with British tabloids citing inappropriate questions, and refused to take off time during her trip to Japan for Motorola to promote the flick. Hilton adamantly fought back the allegations, stating she was unable to promote the movie in Japan because of contractual obligations, which legally bound her to solely promote for Motorola. Hilton also stated the producers neglected to fly out press to the Pledge This! set for back-to-back interviews, which she states is a regularity in every other movie she was been involved. The federal judge residing over the case, Federico Moreno, has not issued a ruling at this time.
World Wide Entertainment Group, which is not defunct, was responsible for the financial backing of the movie and are the main aggressors against Hilton. Worldwide Entertainment group is trying to recoup money lost in the defunct investment. The entertainment group had even bigger problems just six months before the release date of Pledge This! The Miami Beach company was shut down in April 2006 by federal regulators for operating a $300 million Ponzi scheme.
Legal news for Florida entertainment law lawyers.