News

ABC Fires Back at CBS Lawsuit Over ‘Big Brother’-Type Reality Show
“Even CBS must realize it cannot copyright the idea of 14 contestants living in a house rigged with cameras,” the ABC court papers argue. ABC has shot back in the legal war over its upcoming reality series Life in a ... read more

Underwriter Successful In Limiting Liability to Lender After Borrower Default
After a borrower in California defaulted on a $37 million construction loan, the lender sued the underwritten title company and the title insurer for allegedly breaching the lenders closing instructions and the title policy and also for alleged fraud, breach ... read more

Jury Rejects Bank’s Suit Over Loan
The $55 million lawsuit has the real estate and banking industries watching closely. RIVERSIDE – A jury here rejected a $55 million lawsuit against a title company that a bank accused of committing fraud and fiduciary duty breaches in connection with a multimillion-dollar ... read more

Fidelity Wins Verdict In $55M Suit Over Development Loan
Law360, New York (April 27, 2012, 5:08 PM ET) — A California state jury on Tuesday handed a verdict in favor of Fidelity National Title Co. in a $55 million lawsuit by Hawaii-based Central Pacific Bank over an unpaid construction ... read more

Southwestern Law School Profiles Eric Early
Meet Southwestern’s first President of the Entertainment and Intellectual Property Alumni Association Step foot into the hip, modern, yet understated and professional office of Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae and you would never guess that the firm is less ... read more

Bryan Sullivan Named Founding Board Member Of Non-Profit Aiming to Support Child Abuse Victims
April 11, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA – A diverse and far-reaching group of professionals announced the formation of “Lion Fund For Children” (LFFC), a non-profit organization aiming to thwart child abuse and raise child abuse awareness. LFFC’s mission is ... read more

‘Scare Tactics’ Producer Sues to End Distribution Deal
WMTI Productions, producers of the Syfy reality show Scare Tactics, has filed both arbitration claims and a separate lawsuit against Rive Gauche Television, which is responsible for licensing and exploiting the show worldwide. The show, which has been hosted in ... read more

Eric Early Again Named to Southern California Super Lawyers
For the eighth year in a row, Eric Early has been selected as a 2012 Southern California Super Lawyer. He was also named in the 2012 Super Lawyers Business Edition. Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a rigorous, multiphase rating process. ... read more

Fighting Fraud with Due Diligence
Criminals will always find ways to take advantage of unsuspecting victims, but crime itself is evolving constantly. In today’s economic climate, more criminals are hatching intricate escrow- fraud schemes to bilk innocent people out of equity and other finances. As ... read more

Devin McRae Quoted in Several Moore v. Kirkman, Walking Dead Articles
Devin McRae appeared in several articles regarding Tony Moore’s lawsuit against Robert Kirkman, an executive producer of The Walking Dead TV series. Here are some excerpts: “Robert Kirkman, the famed comic book writer who helped create AMC’s hit zombie series The ... read more

Four Early Sullivan Lawyers Named Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars
We are proud to announce that Scott Gizer, Diane Luczon, Devin McRae and Bryan Sullivan have been named 2012 Rising Stars by Southern California Super Lawyers. Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars is a highly ... read more

Watching Out for Fraud
Be sure you’re doing the proper due diligence on behalf of your clients in a distressed-property sale. BY ERIC P. EARLY , SCOTT E. GIZER No doubt, you’ve read reports about intricate fraud schemes designed to bilk distressed property ... read more

Fox Fraud Suit Against Distributor Gets Qualified OK
Law360, Los Angeles (January 19, 2012, 6:56 PM ET) — A California federal judge ruled Thursday that 20th Century Fox International Corp. can sue a German stakeholder in an international film distributor that allegedly breached a contract and bilked the ... read more

War Zone Security Guards Claim Breach of Employment Contracts
A U.S. government contractor providing security guards at military bases and other sites in Iraq and Afghanistan has been sued for failing to pay overtime wages and provide meal and rest breaks to its employees. The lawsuit, filed on Dec. ... read more

Fans’ Ideas at Risk
Studios’ Interaction With Fans Can Land Them in Hot Water if it Appears They Stole Ideas LOS ANGELES – In the digital era, relationships between many corporate marketing departments and their customers have become as interactive as a video game. ... read more

Woman Claims Discovery Swiped ‘Weed Wars’
LOS ANGELES (CN) – A woman claims the Discovery Channel “flat-out” stole the idea for its “Weed Wars” show from a pitch she made it in June 2010. Kylie Krabbe sued Discovery Communications in Superior Court. Krabbe claims she pitched ... read more

Discovery Sued By Woman Who Claims ‘Weed Wars’ Was Her Idea
Discovery Communications has been sued by a woman who claims the company’s Discovery channel stole the idea for its new medical-marijuana docuseries Weed Wars. In a detailed lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Kylie Krabbe claims she came up with the ... read more

Would-Be Producer to Sue Discovery Channel’s Parent Company, Says ‘Weed Wars’ TV Show Was Her Idea
A lawsuit to be filed today asserts that Weed Wars—a reality show that follows the day-to-day action at a California medicinal marijuana dispensary—was the brainchild of one Kylie Krabbe, who was not paid for it. But Krabbe “isn’t your normal ... read more

Law360 Q&A With Early Sullivan’s Bryan Sullivan
Law360, New York (September 28, 2011, 5:17 PM ET) — Bryan Sullivan is a founding partner of Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP. He has been involved in cases with a wide range of legal issues, with a particular ... read more

Law360 Q&A With Early Sullivan’s Devin McRae
Law360, New York (September 19, 2011, 10:17 AM ET) — Devin A. McRae is a founding partner of Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP. His practice focuses on copyright and trademark infringement, and entertainment and employment disputes. He ... read more