'American Gangster' Slapped by Feds' Lawsuit (Former DEA Agents Say They Were Defamed By The Film)

ABC News ^ | Jan. 16, 2008

[Wolfie]

Exclusive: 'American Gangster' Slapped by Feds' Lawsuit

Former DEA Agents Say They Were Defamed By The Blockbuster Film

ABC News has learned that a group of former federal drug enforcement agents has filed a class-action lawsuit against NBC Universal today, asserting they were defamed by the blockbuster flick "American Gangster."

As the final credits roll on the flick starring Denzel Washington as Harlem drug thug Frank Lucas, a screen appears that states three-quarters of the drug enforcement agents assigned to New York were convicted as a result of Lucas' cooperation with "outcast cop" Richie Roberts, portrayed by Russell Crowe in the movie.

There were no such convictions, Drug Enforcement Administration officials told ABC News. But the agency had no immediate reaction when told of the lawsuit.

The agents are also seeking a restraining order against further distribution of the movie, $55 million in damages and punitive damages and any profits from a box-office gross that so far has exceeded about $130 million.

The suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, charges that "the defamation involved the defendant NBC Universal, through its Universal Studios, falsely communicating, in writing, to millions of people in a motion picture called American Gangster that three-quarters of New York City's DEA, from approximately 1973 through approximately 1985, were convicted criminals."

According to former U.S. attorney Dominic Amorosa, who prosecuted Lucas and his cohorts in the federal case and now represents the aggrieved former narcs, the assertion that Lucas' cooperation with "outcast cop" Richie Roberts "led to convictions of three-quarters of the New York City's Drug Enforcement Agency" is baseless and "impugns and damages the reputations of hundreds of honest, decent and courageous agents."

NBC Universal declined to comment in early December when ABC News first reported on the dispute between the former agents and the Hollywood studio. Contacted on Tuesday, the studio was not immediately available to discuss the pending developments.

In a letter to Amoroso dated Dec. 7, replying to his demand that the movie studio "retract and correct" its statements, David Burg, NBC Universal's senior vice president for litigation, said, "The film in no way charges or even insinuates wrongdoing on the part of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Thus, we must respectfully deny the claim of your client and other former federal DEA agents."

Amoroso answers this with the lawsuit:

"American Gangster falsely represents that Lucas not only cooperated with Roberts in investigating corrupt law enforcement officers, but...falsely states as a fact that this 'collaboration led to the convictions of three-quarters of New York City's Drug Enforcement Agency.' This legend is false, defamatory and libelous per se. No such thing ever occurred. Not a single agent of New York City's DEA, or any other law enforcement officer, was convicted of anything based upon the so-called 'collaboration' of Lucas and Roberts. Nor was a single agent of New York City's DEA or officer of the NYPD convicted in any case or investigation involving Frank Lucas whether based upon a collaboration of Lucas and Roberts or any other resource."

Among the narcs Amorosa represents is Gregory Korniloff, the Drug Enforcement Administration case agent on Lucas.

"After risking life and limb for two and a half years in this investigation, we are portrayed as a gang of corrupt hoodlums," Korniloff told ABC News in December. "Just on the faces of it, there were about 300 agents in New York at the time," Korniloff says. "Leaving the theater you get the impression that the movie audience comes to believe we are corrupt."

[GOP Poet]

This is what should always happen when these disrespectful jerks tout a film as ‘real life’ and then re-purpose the truth to smack of their BS reality. As a writer I am all for strengthening whatever it takes to make fiction stronger, but then I DO NOT advertise it as reality and this is the BS Hollywood has been getting away with for years. Glad to see a group of hard working, risk taking agents have said, no f-—ing way you’re getting away with this garbage of lies!

[FoxInSocks]

If the agents prevail, they'll all be entitled to a free ticket to see . . . American Gangster.

[rednesss]

Are the Rampart cops going to sue FX’s “The Shield” next???

[Borges]

There doesn’t seem to be remotely enough here for legal action. Suing over a fraction? What if they had said 1/5?

[Brad from Tennessee]

Lucas didn’t rat out cops, he ratted out other drug dealers to keep out of jail:

http://www.newcriminologist.com/article.asp?cid=130&nid=2000

[ozzymandus]

Guess I’ll have to see that movie, after Netflix gets it.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

If the facts are as stated, the film makers should pay heavily.

[flattorney]

Thank you for the thread. Here's another recent movie NBC-Universal stepped in the legal poo. - TAB

FlAttorney's FR "Straight Talk" page
Charlie Wilson's War
“These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world...
And then we f**ked up the endgame.” – Charlie Wilson (Movie Close)
A more accurate movie closing statement by Charlie Wilson would have been:
“Our ultra liberal Democrats-George Soros Shadow Party movie was to be a glorious anti-war and anti-Republican attack... And then Joanne Herring and key Houston Republicans f**ked up our endgame”

Due to a threatened Herring and GOP “friends of the court” lawsuit, substantial modifications along with 42 minutes were deleted from the original movie four(4) weeks before it’s intended wide release in theaters. Tom DeLay's attorney,Dick DeGuerin, a life long "yellow dog" Texas Democrat, lead the lawsuit charge against Universal Pictures et. al.

Purpose of this FR Thread
12.21.07: Theater Movie | 12.22.07: TV Documentary: The True Story of Charlie Wilson
04.22.04: Book | Support Articles, Docs, Intel & "Dirt" | FR members comments |
How Joanne Herring won Charlie Wilson's War | Videos: Joanne & Charlie resource links
Reagan's War, Not Charlie Wilson's by FR CutePuppy
Special FR Section: Sorry Charlie, This Is Michael Vickers's War | FR Threads: Michael (Vickers)
Aaron Sorkin’s War a.k.a. busted drug addict and ultra liberal Democrat that
never gave a dime to a Republican. The latter also applies to actor Tom Hanks, who also bought the CWW movie rights, and movie director Mike Nichols.
Box Office: Summary | U.S.A. | Foreign | More: IMDB | All FR Charlie Wilson (War) Threads


NOTE: It is very important you READ the purpose of this thread. I also appreciate FR NancyTx recapitulation of my key positions HERE. It is very important that you understand the movie was funded and produced by George “Soros Shadow Party" ("SSP") Participant Productions, the same company that produced Al Gore's highly fraudulent movie "An Inconvenient Truth" and the barf-fest movie "Jimmy Carter Man From Plains". Both Carter and Gore were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize - in different years - in which George Soros has/had significant influence with key members of the Noble selection committee in both awards. If you visit the movie's official website do not respond or send money to the "Act Now" request by TakePart.com. “TakePart.com: Social Action Network” is a SSP organization like ultra radical “MoveOn.org: Democracy in Action”. TakePart states your “Charlie Wilson’s War” (“CWW”) donation will go to “Fulfilling Charlie’s hope of rebuilding Afghanistan” and supporting causes that help veterans” through “Roots of Peace.org”, which is another SSP front organization. In my and other highly knowledgeable individuals opinions, and it is only our opinions, the purpose of both SSP CWW related organizations are fraudulent and your donations will go directly to funding Democratic candidates, along with SSP agendas that are destroying our great Country. The Soros Shadow Party criminal enterprise has a well established history of using "public causes”, such as this one, Al Gore’s fraudulent man-made global warming movie, and others, to obtain donations to their 501(C)(3) tax exempt non-profit organizations so they don't have to FEC disclosure donations sources. They then illegally funnel the money to Democrat's campaigns and other SSP political interests and front-operations. - FlAttorney

Update: Posted for FlAttorney by TAB

[Larry Lucido]

If the agents prevail, they'll all be entitled to a free ticket to see . . . American Gangster.

Jackie Chiles: "You'll take it? Who told you to take it? I can get my own movie tickets! I wanted to hear what came after the 'plus'!"

[tx_eggman]

There doesn’t seem to be remotely enough here for legal action. Suing over a fraction? What if they had said 1/5?

Given that there weren't any, I'd say any number greater than zero constitutes libel.

[microgood]

This is a movie based on a true story. They can sue all they want, they will not get a dime. They are probably trying to bully for some kind of settlement.

[discostu]

They gonna sue over Serpico and The French Connection too? All these movies touch on corrupt NYC cops in the same era. Also they’re all good movies.

[Captain Pike]

This is a movie based on a true story.

But if they run a screen past the ending making a statement about the result upon the real people behind the characters, then obviously it was meant as a factual statement, not fiction.

[Sir Gawain]

Whatever the DEA is for, I’m against.

[lowbridge]

Can the Armed Forces sue for defamation after all those anti-war films portraying them as murderers? :-)

[microgood]

But if they run a screen past the ending making a statement about the result upon the real people behind the characters, then obviously it was meant as a factual statement, not fiction.

Not necessarily. In the movie The General's Daughter with John Travolta, they have a statement at the end about what happened to the General after he was exposed to the charges by John Travolta. I thought it was real based on that but the entire story was fiction, including the end statements which was trying to make it look somewhat factual.

[Borges]

The ‘Based on a True Story’ card has long been understood to be a way to excuse the most outrageous plot twists and general content because ‘don’t blame us man it really happened!’. The Coen Brothers used it in the entirely fictitious Fargo as a joke.

[microgood]

Given that there weren't any, I'd say any number greater than zero constitutes libel.

Well, unless they get all the agents to sue, the theater can just say that we were not talking about you guys, but the other 75%. Since noone was actually named specifically, it is going to be tough, besides the fact that they can claim the whole movie is fictional, including the end statement.

If anyone was to claim harm, it should be the agency, not some individuals that no movie goer even knows was a DEA agent. There is simply no harm to those individuals specifically.

[CodeToad]

DEA? Who cares. If I were on the jury I’d make those bastards pay the film makers. The DEA is the most unconstitutional agency ever created.