Smart Family Hires Entertainment Lawyer

CBS News ^

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Smart Family Hires Entertainment Lawyer

SALT LAKE CITY, April 5, 2003

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Elizabeth Smart with her father, Ed (AP/Deseret News, Tom Smart) Elizabeth with her parents Lois and Ed (AP Photo/Deseret News, Tom Smart)

(AP) Elizabeth Smart's family has hired a Los Angeles entertainment attorney to help them screen movie and book proposals about Elizabeth's abduction and remarkable return.

Kelly Crabb, who reportedly has negotiated contracts for Paul McCartney, Dave Matthews and Muhammad Ali, was hired a week ago, said Chris Thomas, the family's spokesman.

According to his firm's Web site, Crabb's areas of practice include motion picture, television and other programming production and financing; composer agreements, personal appearances and motion picture distribution.

"These kind of contracts are very specialized," Thomas said.

Crabb received bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University before earning a law degree from Columbia University in 1984. He also worked for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.

Elizabeth, now 15, was abducted from her bedroom on the night of June 5. On March 12, she was found in a Salt Lake suburb with her alleged kidnappers.

[Utah Girl]

And how do you know the details of the sexual assault will be excluded in the trial. The SLPD have repeated over and over again that they want to throw the book at Mitchell and Barzee, and will press and pursue all charges. The Smarts weren't happey with the sexual assault charges, for reasons for Elizabeth's privacy, but they are supporting the SLPD in the charges. Hopefully, the judge will be able to come up with a scenario that will get the relevant facts. Like I keep saying, can't wait for the trial, just to see some theories shot down.

[Wrigley]

Is potentially gaining new members not profiting from the ES affair?

[bonfire]

I don't think they tried to fool anyone. They are guilty of being negligent and in la la land. I DO believe they are loving parents...just not an ounce of common sense. My kids have friends who have loving, caring parents but don't have a CLUE about the real world. I see it everyday and it makes me crazy. I have a friend who's the NICEST woman in the world...I adore her. But she's dumb as a box of rocks when it comes to her kids. I think these parents fit into this category. Too bad there's not a test before one becomes a parent.

[af_vet_rr]

Somebody may beat me to it, but he sells the photos to Getty Images, and he gets some kind of commission everytime somebody uses them. You'll notice the Getty copyrights/trademarks/whatever on the photos.

[bonfire]

Actually, I hope the trial is NOT televised. For Elizabeth's sake.

[irish_links]

George:

As noted in a previous post, the source is the Globe tabloid. I only saw the cover in passing at the grocery store checkout counter this weekend. To my knowledge no internet link is available.

Any details from the article were gleaned from prior posts on this link. I can't vouch for the accuracy of the Globe's reportage, obviously, but the posts appear to be a reliable retelling of the contents.

[Hildy]

He may, or he may not, but if he does, what I'm saying is that they're donating the profits to charity. Isn't that what you would do? Why do you think these God-fearing people would do anyting less than you would?

[Hildy]

God forbid you and your family should come under the lens of a microscope and be judged by people like you.

[Mamzelle]

Creepy is right--he gives me the creeps. This is not a guy who needs to seek the limelight.

[Luna]

Not meaning to criticize or anything...but what kind of parents want to profit from their child's traumatic experiences? It's sick, sick, sick, and wrong.

Again...I'm not meaning to criticize...

[Eva]

You know, you and the other Mormons on this board are really over sensitive to any sign of criticism. You read things into posts that aren't there. It makes me wonder if you are very secure in your beliefs. No one would have questioned the meaning if I had said Christian freak show. Everyone would have understood that I was speaking of a Hollywood portrayal. Lighten up!

[Bluntpoint]

"Entertainment Lawyer?"

Does he dress up as a clown and juggle?

[bonfire]

I don't take chances with my kids. That's my job.

[Teacher317]

There's no guarantee that another company won't run their story with the sexual theme, just because they control this one.

[Risa]

>>Irony -- it's so ironic! <<

LOL

[Spiff]

Is potentially gaining new members not profiting from the ES affair?

Another of your ridiculous theories?!

Give it up, whacko.

[Utah Girl]

"Smart, who was on hiatus from the newspaper when he took the photos and owns all rights to the images, immediately distributed the pictures through the wire services and signed a deal to allow Getty Images to handle subsequent licensing. Proceeds from Smart’s portion of sales will go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which plans to use the money for search and rescue software."

From Covering The Elizabeth Smart Story, Uncle And All (it is the 2nd article down on the page.)

[george wythe]

Thanks for your response.

I feel embarrassed jumping into this thread, since I was so far behind on recent developments on the Elizabeth saga.

[Utah Girl]

Thanks for the explanation.

[mountaineer]

It's hard for me to understand how someone who had a thing like this happen to his child would want to seek the limelight, but that seems to be the case.