Attorney, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, Los Angeles, CA, Neville L. Johnson, Douglas L.
Johnson, Nicholas A. Kurtz, Mathias D. Maciejewski, business law, business litigation,
contingency litigation, consumer class action, tortious disputes, contractual disputes,
llegal news gathering tactics, surreptitious news reporting, entertainment law, music law,
entertainment litigation, music royalties, royalties copyrighted music, composer rights,
songwriters rights, intellectual property law, intellectual property, intellectual
property rights, copyright law, copyright infringement, trademark infringement, patent,
trademark law, tradename, trade secrets, multimedia law, film/tv law, news media law,
media litigation, media law, publishing law, television law, motion pictures law, theatre
law, visual arts law, cable tv law, sports law, privacy, privacy law, invasion of
privacy, defamation, libel, slander, Douglas Johnson, Super Lawyers Rising Star 2006,
Neville Johnson, Trial Lawyer of the Year 2005, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, Songwriters Guild of
America, SGA, Nashville Songwriters Association International, NSAI, performance
rights organizations, PRO, civil rights, civil rights litigation, employment
discrimination, sexual harassment, First Amendment, First Amendment Attorney,
Constitutional Law, jjllplaw.com, 11-16-08, 09-15-08, 06-12-08, 05-20-08, 04-07-08,
11-05-07, 09-21-07, 08-01-07
News
and Media - November / December 2008 |
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SAG
to pay $25 million in unclaimed residualsSAG says 'Get Your Money'
By DAVE MCNARY
Variety
October 29, 2008 |
 Neville
Johnson
Johnson & Johnson, Beverly Hills |
SAS to now pay $25 million in "unclaimed residuals" it hasn’t
given to more than 66,000 people. Los Angeles attorney Neville L. Johnson is
representing the plaintiff Ken Osmond. |
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| SAG to pay "unclaimed residuals" to relatives of Alan Ladd and
others. |
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SAG moves to
settle suitTalks begin over foreign tax revenues
By DAVE MCNARY
Variety
September 15, 2008 |
Neville
Johnson
Johnson & Johnson, Beverly Hills |
SAG is quietly moving to settle a lawsuit over how it disburses millions
of dollars from foreign tax revenues to actors. Los Angeles attorney Neville L.
Johnson is representing the plaintiffs (Ken Osmond, Jack Klugman, William Richert) in all
three cases. |
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| Writers
Guild of America Settles With Non-Union Directors Over Foreign Levies By Cortney
Fielding
Daily Journal Staff Writer dailyjournal.com
September 15, 2008 |
Neville
Johnson
Johnson & Johnson, Beverly Hills |
The settlement will result in a disbursement between $2 million and $7
million in collected fees to the plaintiffs, pending an audit, said Webb's attorney, Neville
Johnson of Johnson & Johnson LLP. "This is money these directors never
would have seen otherwise," he said. "The settlement brings accountability and
transparency to DGA's foreign levies program." |
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| New Trends
in Intellectual Property, Trademark, and Entertainment Law By Neville L. Johnson
August 21, 2008 |
Neville
Johnson
Johnson & Johnson, Beverly Hills |
2008 IP Lawyers Summary of Entertainment Law for the USA Wolf v.
Walt Disney Pictures and Television, Tiffany (NJ) Inc. v. eBay, Inc, Christoff v. Nestle
USA, Inc., JA Apparel Corp. v. Abboud, Derek Andrew, Inc. v. Poof Apparel Corp., Marathon
Entertainment, Inc. v. Blasi, Yari v. Producers Guild of America, Inc., Nygard, Inc. v.
Uusi-Kerttula, Comedy Club Inc. v. Improv West Associates, Webb v. Directors Guild of
America, Richert et al. v. Writers Guild of America west, Osmond v. Screen Actors Guild ... |
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 Yahoo!
Buzz
www.hollywoodreporter.comThe 100 most influential attorneys in entertainment
July 23, 2008, 05:58 PM ET |
Neville
Johnson
Johnson & Johnson, Beverly Hills |
Johnson, a former journalist, often takes the media to task for
questionable news-gathering tactics, such as the use of hidden cameras or undercover
reporters. (Professor David Elder's treatise of privacy law is dedicated to
Johnson.) This year the plaintiff-side litigator took on SAG, the WGA and the DGA
over the millions he alleges are owed to guild members from the collection of foreign
levies. The DGA settled, working out an arrangement in which an accounting firm will
conduct an independent review of its foreign levies program. And Johnson
was a familiar face at the Anthony Pellicano trial because he reps several alleged victims
of Pellicano's web in civil cases, including the estate of the late producer Aaron Russo. |
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Yahoo!
Buzz
www.hollywoodreporter.comHollywood
Docket:
Did the Coreys Make a 'Secret Side Deal' for
Reality Show?
June 25, 2008
Posted by Matthew Heller
The Hollywood Reporter, ESQ. blog focuses on the intersection of law and the
entertainment and media industries
Case: Pullano v. Haim, Case No. BC393051 (Los Angeles Superior Ct.),
filed June 20 |
myspace.com/coreyfandcoreyh
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Claims: Breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty,
unfair competition, fraud, interference with economic advantage
Allegations: Plaintiffs are successful writers and producers of reality
TV programming who "created an original concept and idea" for a show about the
relationship between '80s teen idols Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. After entering into an
agreement with Haim, they pitched the idea to ABC Television development executive Greg
Goldman. ABC declined to buy "The Coreys" but the Coreys, Goldman and other
defendants including reality producers RDF "agreed to a secret side deal" that
excluded Plaintiffs, ignored their rights and resulted in the purchase of the show by
A&E Television Network.
Filing attorney: Douglas Johnson, Johnson & Johnson,
Beverly Hills |
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www.superlawyer.comSouthern
California 2008 Rising Star
Douglas L. Johnson selected as Southern California 2008 Rising Star
July 1, 2008
Profile |
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| Douglas Johnson
is a partner at Johnson & Johnson, LLP. He specializes in entertainment, business, and
class action litigation. Mr. Johnson has handled numerous high-profile and wide-reaching
litigation, including music and movie royalty disputes, rights of privacy, defamation,
partnership disputes, breach of contract, and class actions. Johnson & Johnson has
certified numerous class actions, including one this year against the Writers Guild of
America for nonpayment of foreign royalties. Mr. Johnson's recent significant wins include
a $10 million arbitration in a partnership dispute, a multimillion-dollar settlement in a
breach of fiduciary duty case, along with a million-dollar jury verdict in a copyright
case. This is Douglas Johnson's third consecutive year on the Rising Stars list. Selected to Super Lawyers
Southern California Rising Stars 2008
Southern California Rising Stars 2007
Southern California Rising Stars 2006
Practice areas: Intellectual Property Litigation,
Entertainment & Sports, Business Litigation |
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Yahoo!
Buzz
www.hollywoodreporter.comJack
Klugman gets contract Rx
Judge orders NBCU to provide actor with 'Quincy' papers
By Leslie Simmons
June 25, 2008 |
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All Jack Klugman wanted was access to his decades-old "Quincy
M.E." contract, which had been misplaced over the years. And on Wednesday, that's
exactly what a Los Angeles judge gave him.
In a one-page tentative order, Judge Gregory Alarcon ruled that the show's producer, NBC
Universal, should provide Klugman access to the contracts, the same ones NBC offered to
him six months ago.
The actor sued NBC in March, seeking a court order allowing access to the contracts.
According to the lawsuit, Klugman's attorney, Neville Johnson,
asked NBC lawyers in July for copies of the contract after NBC reported the series
"accumulated over $66 million in net losses." The request was the first step in
conducting an audit to verify NBC's reports.
The studio's lawyers responded that they were unable to send the contract but that Johnson could view the 30-year-old documents as long
as no copies or notes were made.
NBC sources said copies initially were not allowed because some of the papers involving
the series contained confidential information.
The judge's ruling clears up whether Klugman can get access to those papers.
"Because the defendants offered to provide plaintiffs with access to the contract
they seek, the court finds good cause to order defendants to provide that access again and
to permit the copying of the documents for purposes of judicial economy and to promote the
ends of justice in an effort to resolve the dispute," Alarcon wrote in his tentative
ruling.
NBC has 15 days to provide Klugman's lawyer with the contracts.
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| Courthouse News Serice
www.courthousenews.com
New Complaint - Dr. Quincy
L.A. Superior Court BC38819
Jack Klugman; Sweater Productions Inc.
v.
NBC Universal Inc; Does
Cause of action: Declaratory relief
Filing counsel: Douglas Johnson, Neville Johnson and Nicholas Kurtz of Johnson & Johnson (Beverly
Hills, Calif.) |
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Award-winning actor Jack Klugman, best known as Dr.Quincy M.E. on the
television show "Quincy M.E.," claims NBC may still owe him profits from his
work on the late-1970s series, but refuses to provide a copy of his contract.
In his lawsuit against the broadcast company, Klugman claims that he and co-plaintiff
Sweater Productions Inc. signed a deal in 1976 with NBC, which agreed to pay Klugman 25
percent of all net profits from the show for playing the lead role.
The agreement stipulated that NBC would provide proper accounting of the profits, and that
Klugman and Sweater Productions could audit the records in the event of a dispute, the
lawsuit claims.
Klugman says NBC may have been shortchanging him, "as the series may have produced
more revenue than expenses incurred, thus generating net profits," but that he will
never know until NBC produces a copy of the contract.
In a letter denying the request for a contract, lawyers for NBC stated that "it is
NBC Universal's policy not to provide copies of talent contracts or other confidential
documents."
Plaintiffs demand a declaration of their legal rights, production of the contract and
legal fees.
-N.S.
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| Entertainment Law Digest
www.entlawdigest.com
New Complaint - Pellicano
L.A. Superior Court BC388664
Michael Gerbosi
v.
Anthony Pellicano; Pacific Bell Telephone Co. dba AT&T
California; Robert Pfeiffer; Alan Weil; Gaims Weil West & Epstein LLP; Does |
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| Causes of action: Unlawfull wiretapping; unlawfull eavesdropping; common
law intrusion; constitional invasion of privacy; negligence; negligent supervision Filing
counsel: Douglas Johnson, Neville Johnson and Nicholas Kurtz of
Johnson & Johnson (Beverly Hill, Calif.)
Notorious celebrity snoop Anthony Pellicano has been accused yet again of conducting an
illegal wiretap on the subject of one of his investigations.
Michael Gerbosi filed suit against Pellicano. attorney Alan Weil and the law firm of Gaims
Weil West & Epstein, along with two other defendants, in state court in Los Angeles.
Gerbosi claims that Pellicano improperly coerced employess of co-defendant Pacific Bell
Telephone Co. to set up illegal wiretaps on Gerbosi's phone in order to monitor
conversations between Gerbosi and a woman named Erin Finn.
Finn is the former girlfriend of record executive and co-defendant Robert Pfeiffer. She is
also a neighbor of Gerbosi's who allegedly helped the FBI conduct an investigation of
Perllicano, which resulted in numerous federal charges being brought against the tainted
sleuth. In May, a federal jury found Pellicano guilty of 76 counts of racketeering, wire
fraud, wiretapping and indentity theft.
According to Gerbosi, Pfeiffer was seeking information "to secure a tactical
advantage" in litigation between himself and Finn. Gerbosi claims Perllicano
instructed Pfeiffer to hire Gaims Weil West & Epstein in order to file suit against
Finn.
The lawsuit further accuses the firm of knowingly using information gainedm from the
illegal wiretaps in furtherance of their services to Pfeiffer.
Pellican has a long history of ethically dubious behavior, with activities ranging to his
association with notorious Mafioso Anthony "the Ant" Spilotro. He also spent 30
months in prison on federal explosives harges between 2004 and 2006.
-S.C. |
News
and Media - March / April 2008 |
- April 14, 2008 - William Webb,
represented by Beverly Hills attorney Neville L. Johnson, receives
settlement from Director's Guild of American (DGA) of 2006 lawsuit for non-payment of
foreign tax collections. DGA will now have a registration function on its website and an
outside independent auditor. Webb's attorney, JJLLP partner Neville L. Johnson,
said in a statement, "This settlement brings accountability and transparency to the
DGA's foreign levies program, and assures that nonmembers will have full disclosure of the
DGA's distribution of foreign levies."
- April 11, 2008 - A former People magazine
freelance reporter listed as "Jane Doe" and represented by Beverly Hills
attorney Douglas L. Johnson, has filed a lawsuit against Splash News
photo agency and two paparazzi for invasion of privacy for secretly filming her without
her permission while filming actor Heath Ledger in a hotel room where
drugs were being taken. Click for the top
100 international news releases reporting on the lawsuit
- April 10, 2008 - Beverly Hills attorney Neville L.
Johnson comments on International Privacy
in World Media Law Report, a daily email service that provides
Newsletter Updates on copyright developments from over 50 jurisdictions and is written by
a panel of 120 leading copyright lawyers from both national and international law firms
specifically for senior lawyers in industry and private practice, as well as government
and regulatory officials.
- April 4, 2008 - Monica Zsibrita, represented
by Beverly Hills attorney Douglas L. Johnson, appeared on ABC
News Nightline relating to the infamous Anthony Pellicano Hollywood trial.
- April 2, 2008 - Jack Klugman, Quincy, M.E., represented by Beverly
Hills attorney Neville L. Johnson's client, tells Nikki Finke, DeadlineHollywoodDaily, “I
don’t want their money. I want my money."
- March 28, 2008 - Jack Klugman, Quincy,
M.E., represented by Beverly Hills attorney Neville L. Johnson,
files complaint in L.A. Superior Court against NBC Universal to exercise his right to
audit the popular TV series.
- March 20, 2008 - Ken Osmond, Leave it to Beaver,
represented by Beverly Hills attorney Neville L. Johnson,
according to Sharon Waxman,
WaxWord, may be a victim of a secret agreement between SAG and the studios.
- March 19, 2008 - Ken Osmond, Leave it to
Beaver, represented by Beverly Hills attorney Neville L. Johnson,
benefits from U.S. District Court ruling that SAG has limited his right to recover money
collected from foreign tax revenues intended to benefit the copyright holder.
- March 1, 2008 - Federico Galavis,
professional model, represented by Beverly Hills attorney Nicholas A. Kurtz,
has filed class action lawsuit against L.A. Models for alleged illegal "Service
Charge" on models.
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