Producers Beth Grossbard and Barri Rosenblum are suing The Walt Disney Co. because they allegedly ripped off their idea for a Christmas movie.
The Breach of Contract suit alleges:
The ABC television movie, The 12 Dates Of Christmas, is nothing more than a hijacking of the Idea which was originally pitched by Plaintiffs to Defendants and the treatment which was given to ABC executives by the Plaintiffs, cloned and re-written in a crude attempt to conceal the brazen theft of the Idea.
According to the duo, they met with an ABC executive in 2005 to pitch their I Hate Christmas film idea. At the time, they believed their meeting went well, saying that the network believed their idea was “great” and “unique.” Several months after the pitch meeting, ABC told the duo that they were passing on the film, as they weren’t sure “it would be suitable for ABC Family.” In 2011, ABC aired The 12 Dates of Christmas, which the lawsuit alleges bears a lot of similarities to Grossbard’s and Rosenblum’s story.
The pair are suing Disney, ABC, ABC Family and former ABC executive Beth Miller for an unspecified amount. The industry veterans have requested a 4-day jury trial, but we will update you when new information becomes available.
