NBC sued over Gangster
2008-01-17 14:37
New York - Three former Drug
Enforcement Administration agents filed a $55 million
defamation lawsuit against the movie studio that made American
Gangster on Wednesday, claiming it tarnished hundreds of
reputations.
The film follows the rise and fall of former Harlem heroin
kingpin Frank Lucas, portrayed by Denzel Washington.
His empire
undercut the price and quality of heroin sold by the Mafia, and
when he was caught, Lucas turned informant.
In a suit filed in Manhattan federal court, former DEA
agents Louis Diaz, Gregory Korniloff and Jack Toal said NBC
Universal, the owner of Universal Studios, falsely claimed the
movie was based on a true story and misrepresented the events
surrounding Lucas.
'Convicted criminals'
The film diminished the agents' reputations by falsely
claiming that from 1973 to 1985 three-quarters of New York
City's DEA agents were convicted criminals, according to the
suit, which seeks class action status.
"With this utterly false and defamatory statement, the
defendant has ruined and impugned the reputations of these
honest and courageous public servants in the eyes of millions
of people," the suit said.
The movie, starring Oscar-winners Washington and Russell
Crowe, grossed $127m, according to the lawsuit.
NBC Universal is owned by General Electric.
NBC
Universal and the Drug Enforcement Administration were not
immediately available for comment.