The Hollywood Reporter ran a story Elephant-Rights Documentary Provokes Charge of Idea Theft - Hollywood Reporter. The film is "How I Became An Elephant", produced by Jorja Fox (CSI), associate produced by Emily Deschanel (Bones). The idea theft controversy focuses on high school student Juliette West, her father, Lee West (hedge fund manager) and his associate Michael C. Tobias (Forbes.com, Dancing Star Foundation) The lawsuit claims that then 14-year-old Juliette West was not the brainchild of "How I Became An Elephant" as the website claims, but taking credit for an idea that was not hers. The Hollywood Reporter states, "Idea theft lawsuits are common, but it's not every day that one centers around the actions of a teenage animal rights activist and her father."
Check out the First Amended Complaint online.
Apparently there is a trail of emails from Juliette West's father, Lee West. For example, according to the FAC, in April of 2009, Juliette West's father, Lee West wrote the following email to plaintiff Melya Kaplan in order to have her prepare his daughter to be the protagonist in plaintiffs' elephant film:
"I will call you today and we can hit your points of yesterday and today. I believe Juliette needs more time with you one on one. Your ideas have to be put to her as well as your arguments; it will eventually become hers as she says it in her own words. But now she is too timid to speak out without rehearsal and ammunition that must/should come from you. She can certainly draw upon her reading...but how to express it and with conviction and with authority will come at first by mimicking you and your stance."
The FAC then claims that after months of working together, Lee West and his partner Michael C. Tobias went behind plaintiffs' backs and gave the idea of their film and their protagonist, Juliette West, to filmmaker Tim Gorski who was looking for an American angle to his elephant film. The lawsuit claims that Michael C. Tobias, Lee West and Juliette West went on to enrich themselves unjustly with the use of an idea taken from someone else. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/133949311/HowIBecameAnElephantLawsuit
Too early to tell the outcome but though the defense attorney has been trying for a year to get the case dismissed, an LA Superior Court Judge denied the demurrer: "Defendants Michael Tobias and Lee West's demurrer to the 1st Amended Complaint is overruled. The court finds sufficient facts have been alleged to state causes of action against defendants."
Related links:
