Legal Opinion
Polydoros v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.
California Court of Appeal
Decided August 27, 1997No. B103309PublishedCited by 11 opinions
1Opinion of the Court
Opinion
BOREN, P. J.
A noncelebrity sued the makers and distributors of a film called The Sandlot (Twentieth Century Fox 1993), claiming that the filmmakers invaded his privacy by appropriating his name and likeness. We conclude that the filmmakers’ release of a patently fictional movie did not invade the plaintiff’s privacy and is, in any event, protected by constitutional guarantees of free expression. Moreover, the film is not defamatory. Accordingly, we affirm the trial court’s judgment in favor of the defendant filmmakers.
Facts
In 1993, respondents released The Sandlot, a comedic…
2Cases cited16 opinions
- Time, Inc. v. HillSupreme Court of the United States · 1967
- Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. WilsonSupreme Court of the United States · 1952
- Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Assn., Inc. v. BreslerSupreme Court of the United States · 1970
- Old Dominion Branch No. 496 v. AustinSupreme Court of the United States · 1974
- Ginger Rogers v. Alberto Grimaldi, Mgm/ua Entertainment Co., and Pea Produzioni Europee Associate, S.R.L.Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit · 1989
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3Cited by11 opinions
- Facenda v. N.F.L. Films, Inc.Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit · 2008
- Tamkin v. Cbs Broadcasting, Inc.California Court of Appeal · 2011
- Rezec v. Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.California Court of Appeal · 2004
- De Havilland v. FX Networks, LLC, California Court of Appeal, 5th District2018
- Local TV, LLC v. Superior Court of Los Angeles CountyCalifornia Court of Appeal · 2016
6 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.