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Court Decides Production Company's Release Agreement with Michael Keaton Was Signed Under Duress
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled that a production company could proceed with its breach of directing services claim against actor/director Michael Keaton over the movie The Merry Gentleman. Merry Gentleman LLC v. George and Leona Productions Inc., 13 C 2690. The production company asserted that Keaton's behavior, including on film editing, “delayed the film's release, increased costs, and harmed the film's prospects for commercial success.” Keaton argued that a claims release the parties signed stipulating the showing of Keaton's edit of the movie at the Sundance Film Festival barred the production company's suit. But District Judge Gary Feinerman agreed with the plaintiff that the release had been signed under duress: “Keaton's threat to not appear at Sundance unless Merry Gentleman agreed to allow his second cut to be shown ' an agreement memorialized in the Release ' could be found opportunistic within the meaning of the [Illinois] duress doctrine in light of Merry Gentleman's allegations.”
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