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‘Amazing Grace’: Producers Take Legal Action Against Neon; Suit Alleges Distributor “Fraudulently Induced” Deal For Aretha Franklin Doc

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Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace, which tells the story of the singer’s 1972 gospel album, is subject of more legal issues.The film, which was mired in limbo for 46 years as a result of various legal battles, is now the subject of a suit from producers including Alan Elliott, against distributor Neon and CEO Tom Quinn.The crux of the issue also involves the Hollywood trade press, including Deadline, which covered the news that Neon had acquired the U.S rights to the film in December 2018.

There was one small problem, the producers allege, it hadn’t signed a deal, and in fact, the producers were in talks with other buyers, including Apple, when Neon announced the deal.The suit alleges that Neon “fraudulently induced” the producers to accept a distribution deal by publicly announcing the pact.“In a plan commandeered by Quinn, Neon acquired the coveted domestic distribution rights to the Picture through a series of fraudulent actions, starting with a false and premature press announcement that Neon had already acquired those rights when in fact it had not,” the suit alleges.Neon disputes this and sources close to the company say that Elliott signed off on the press release, similarly something that he disputes.The announcement came after a sold-out screening at the Film Forum in New York and ahead of a Spike Lee-hosted event in LA, which was designed to lure buyers such as Apple.The producers allege that the company and CEO Tom Quinn “strong-armed” them into the deal and that the pact, which closed two months later, for a minimum guarantee of around $1.5M, must be “backdated”.The suit also alleges that Neon refused to release the film in 1,000 theaters around the country and promote it to Black communities.

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