Gary man suing Tyler Perry over screenplay
Post-Tribune staff report May 1, 2013 10:44AM
Tyler Perry (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
At the movies
Tyler Perry is best known for these films:
Madea’s Witness Protection (2012)
I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009)
Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)
Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
Source: IMDb
Article Extras
Updated: May 1, 2013 10:53PM
GARY — Miller resident William James found the story line in Tyler Perry’s “Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor” eerily familiar.
The similarities prompted James to sue Perry, Tyler Perry Studios and Lions Gate Entertainment, claiming copyright infringement.
James, with Miller lawyer Darnail Lyles, filed the suit April 24 in U.S. District Court in Hammond after realizing that the plot of the movie was “substantially similar to the plot in “Lovers Kill,” the federal complaint states.
“It was more than mere coincidence,” the suit says.
“The plot of ‘Lovers Kill’ centers on a married couple; the wife of whom, is tempted by another man and subsequently has an affair which destroys her life and marriage,” James’ suit states.
Neither Perry nor Lions Gate responded to requests for comment from several entertainment news sites.
Lyles declined to comment on the lawsuit, telling The Post-Tribune he was waiting for a response from the defendants.
The movie was a critical flop, but has earned about $49 million since its release March 29.
James, 46, wrote his play in 2009 and obtained a registered copyright on April 9, 2010. More than a year later, “James entrusted his copyrighted work to Barbara Hunt, an associate of Oprah Winfrey. Ms. Hunt was to present James’ work for Tyler Perry’s review and consideration,” the claim reports.
Perry apparently never contacted James, because James didn’t learn about “Temptation” until it was about to be released.
The suit wants Perry to give James credit for the screenplay and to pay “such damages as are proper.”
