Farrah Fawcett Producer Wants Ryan O'Neal Defamation Lawsuit Against Him Dismissed
Posted on Aug 19, 2011 @ 02:30AM - 1 comment
By Jen Heger - Radar Legal Editor
Craig Nevius, a friend of the late actress Farrah Fawcett and producer of the television show Chasing Farrah, is asking a Los Angeles judge to dismiss a $1 million defamation lawsuit that Ryan O'Neal filed against him, RadarOnline.com is reporting.
Farrah Fawcett Producer: ‘Ryan O’Neal Is Trying To Harass Me Into Silence’
Posted on Jul 15, 2011 @ 03:00AM - 7 comments
Ryan O'Neal filed a million dollar lawsuit on Thursday against Craig Nevius, the executive producer of Chasing Farrah and Farrah's Story for defamation and libel. In it O’Neal accuses Nevius of spreading false stories about him that are “malicious and defamatory” and claims he’s been damaged in excess of $1million.
Ryan O’Neal Ready To Defend Himself Over ‘Missing’ Farrah Fawcett Warhol
Posted on Jun 27, 2011 @ 07:30AM - 4 comments
By Cliff Renfrew - Radar Reporter
Ryan O’Neal is prepared to fight to clear his name over the mystery surrounding a $30 million Andy Warhol painting of his former lover Farrah Fawcett, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned.
EXCLUSIVE: Television Producer Settles Farrah Fawcett Lawsuit Against Ryan O'Neal; Calls Him 'Squatter'
Posted on Apr 08, 2011 @ 08:25AM - 5 comments
A multi-million dollar legal fight between a television producer and Farrah Fawcett's ex-lover Ryan O'Neal has been settled, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.
EXCLUSIVE: Read The Explosive New Farrah Fawcett Lawsuit
Posted on May 18, 2010 @ 12:55PM - 2 comments
RadarOnline.com has obtained the latest Farrah Fawcett lawsuit in which the actress' former business partner, television producer Craig Nevius, accuses one of Los Angeles' oldest and most prestigious law firms of a major conflict of interest.
EXCLUSIVE: Read The Explosive New Farrah Fawcett Lawsuit
Nevius is suing Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp (MSK), alleging legal malpractice and negligence. He is seeking undisclosed general and punitive damages.
PHOTOS: Friends Lay Farrah To Rest
In the filing, Nevius details a complex triangle of legal representation that, he claims, is the "direct and proximate" cause of the bitter and ongoing legal feud that has engulfed Fawcett in death.
MSK once represented Nevius and Fawcett's production company Sweetened By Risk (SBR), the document says.
PHOTOS: Farrah Fawcett Through The Years
But according to the filmmaker, the Charlie's Angels star became "frustrated" and fired the firm, citing "lackadaisical and inattentive representation" as the reason.
PHOTOS: Behind The Scenes With Farrah
Yet when Nevius decided to sue Fawcett's on-and-off again lover Ryan O'Neal, friend Alanah Stewart and business manager Bernie Francis -- claiming he was improperly cut him out of the documentary -- MSK agreed to represent the three defendants.
As a result, Nevius is also suing two of the firm's lawyers, Pagnanelli Karis and Kim H. Swartz.
EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENT: Read Farrah Fawcett's Will
"It was clear that MSK... possessed an actual conflict of interest in deciding to represent the interests of Francis and O'Neal with respect to the dispute involving Nevius and the future management of SBR (Sweetened By Risk)," the filing says.
PHOTOS: Farrah's Grave
"For almost one year, MSK represented and had confidential attorney-client communications with Nevius... regarding SBK, the Program and NBC (who aired Farrah's Story)."
PHOTOS: Celebs Who Died Young
Alleges Nevius: "Defendants failed to exercise reasonable care and skill and acted in negligent manner with respect to their duty of loyalty owed to Plaintiffs, by among other things, taking an adverse position... With respect to issues concerning ownership and control of SBR, acting as counsel of record for Francis and O'Neal in the Action, refusing to voluntarily withdraw as counsel of record in the Action and forcing Plaintiffs to pursue a motion to disqualify in order remove Defendants as counsel of record in the Action."
EXCLUSIVE: Explosive Claim, Charlie's Angel Kate Jackson Says Ryan O'Neal Denied Her Access To Dying Farrah
The claim was filed last week in the Superior Court of California.
Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp has not returned RadarOnline.com's request for comment.
EXCLUSIVE: Explosive New Farrah Fawcett Lawsuit
Posted on May 18, 2010 @ 10:54AM - 17 comments
The bitter legal fight over the documentary Farrah's Story has sparked a new legal battle, RadarOnline.com is reporting exclusively.
PHOTOS: Farrah Fawcett Through The Years
The producer suing — and being sued — by Farrah Fawcett’s estate has fired back in a new lawsuit, in which he is now suing high-profile Los Angeles law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, alleging legal malpractice and negligence.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Producer Threatens To Reveal Truth About Ryan O'Neal's Relationship With Farrah
Posted on Mar 30, 2010 @ 06:45AM - 9 comments
A television producer being sued by Farrah Fawcett's estate is sending a clear message to Ryan O’Neal, telling RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview that he’s prepared to expose the real story of Ryan and Farrah’s relationship – and it’s not the story Ryan tells.
Craig Nevius also warns Ryan that this is a fight the Love Story star cannot win. And Nevius gives more details about how Ryan threatened to kill him, an allegation he has made in court papers filed last week in response to a lawsuit against him by Farrah’s estate.
"Ryan said to me, 'If you take me on, I'll kill you... I'll kill you in Farrah's life, then I'll kill you in real life,'" Craig Nevius told RadarOnline.com of the September 2008 incident.
EXCLUSIVE: Ryan O'Neal Threatened To Kill Me, Producer Charges
Posted on Mar 29, 2010 @ 07:44AM - 6 comments
Ryan O’Neal threatened to kill a producer who wouldn’t give up control of Farrah Fawcett’s documentary, the producer charges in new court papers, RadarOnline.com has learned exclusively.
DOCUMENTS: See The Explosive New Papers
Craig Nevius, who is being sued by O’Neal and Richard Francis on behalf of Farrah’s estate, filed new court papers stating:
PHOTOS: Farrah Fawcett Through The Years
“In September 2008, Ryan O’Neal contacted Mr. Nevius and wrongfully demanded that Mr. Nevius relinquish control of SBR and the Film to a producer of his choosing. When Mr. Nevius refused, Mr. O’Neal threatened to kill him.”
The filing also says that Francis told Nevius that Ryan would get violent. The papers state:
Runaway Kiss - Ryan & Tatum O'Neal Embrace At Movie Premiere
“In April 2009, Mr. Francis threatened Mr. Nevius to stay away from Ms. Fawcett under threat of physical violence, stating: ‘... you better not appear at Farrah’s. Because you’re gonna get your ass kicked in by Ryan! And I mean it!’”
Fawcett’s estate has accused Nevius of embezzling and charged that he was removed from the project of Farrah’s documentary for poor work.
PHOTOS: Behind The Scenes With Farrah
But Nevius has battled back viciously in court. He sued O’Neal, Alana Hamilton Stewart and Francis last year.
He also says that Stewart used Farrah for profit, to sell a book about her friend’s situation. Claiming that in the book, “Ms Stewart divulged details of Ms Fawcett’s private medical records for her own profit.”
Nevius outlines his close personal friendship with Fawcett, claiming that when Farrah was diagnosed with the anal cancer that eventually took her life, he was among the first people that Farrah contacted, ahead of her “best friend” Stewart, who Nevius says learned about the diagnosis via reports on the internet.
Slamming Stewart, Nevius also states that she “remained largely absent from Ms Fawcett’s life during Ms Fawcett’s first round of cancer treatments when there were no video cameras present”.
Explosive Claim, Charlie's Angel Kate Jackson Says Ryan O'Neal Denied Her Access To Dying Farrah
Nevius goes on to allege, “Ms Stewart became interested in being part of the documentary and the notoriety it would give her, and began to spend time with Ms Fawcett more frequently”.
Nevius also alleges that throughout April and May 2009 he made numerous requests “to see or talk with Farrah, to check on her health and see if her needs were being met” but that he was denied access by the estate.
Hitting back at the allegations of embezzlement made against him by the Estate, Nevius turns the tables, stating, “Mr Francis and Ms Stewart are using the Foundation to divert Ms Fawcett’s assets away from other rightful beneficiaries.”
Farrah died June 25, 2009.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Ryan O'Neal Calls Oscar Omission of Farrah Fawcett "Hurtful"
Posted on Mar 08, 2010 @ 02:07PM - 37 comments
Ryan O'Neal spoke to RadarOnline.com exclusively regarding the omission of Farrah Fawcett from the "In Memoriam" segment during Sunday's 82nd Academy Awards broadcast, calling it "hurtful" and "terrible."
Farrah Fawcett Left Out Of In Memoriam Oscar Montage
“It was a terrible decision and very hurtful," O'Neal said. "Farrah was a member of the Academy for over 40 years and we could not believe she did not get a mention." Patrick Swayze, Michael Jackson and Brittany Murphy were included in the segment.
EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Friend Blasts Academy Over Farrah Fawcett Oscar Tribute Snub; Demands Apology
O'Neal also revealed that he and daughter Tatum O'Neal- who watched the ceremony together- intend to write a letter of protest.
“Both Tatum and I were very upset and we intend to write a letter to the Academy to try and get an explanation for this oversight on their behalf."
PHOTOS: Farrah Fawcett Through The Years
RadarOnline.com spoke to Lesle Unger, a rep for the Academy, shortly after the awards ended. She explained that "there are many angles that are looked at as to who to include and unfortunately we don't include everyone."
Bruce Davis, the executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said days before that the segment was the most difficult to produce since they had to whittle over a hundred names down to around thirty.
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O'Neal scoffed at the notion that Fawcett would not make that final cut: “They gave mentions to sound guys and other writers and without being disrespectful, Farrah Fawcett was an icon and a household name.
PHOTOS: Hot Trends At The Academy Awards
“Quite frankly, we were stunned at the decision not to include her in the tribute and I feel that the Academy should be scolded for that, everyone was
shocked.”
Famed critic Roger Ebert also criticized the decision saying, "No Farrah in the memorial. They have a whole lot of 'splaining (sic) to do."
