Jerry Heller is not a happy man
Jerry Heller, the former manager of NWA, is set to sue all of those involved in the making of the recent Straight Outta Compton biopic. TMZ reports that Heller just filed a $110 million lawsuit against Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, NBC Universal, the estate of Eazy-E and others for defamation and using his likeness in the box office hit without his permission.
The 75-year-old co-founder of Ruthless Records claims that the film falsely depicted him as “a sleazy manager who took advantage of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube.” He said the movie contains a few inaccurate scenes including him withholding a $75,000 check from Ice Cube, persuading Dre and Cube to sign misleading contracts, and getting fired by Eazy-E. Heller also claims that the producers of the film included key scenes from his memoir, Ruthless, without his permission.
Heller is seeking $35 million for compensatory damages, $75 million in punitive damages, and the rest of the film’s profits which he and his lawyers value at $110 million.
As of October 22, 2015 “Straight Outta Compton” has grossed $199 million domestic and worldwide making it the highest grossing musical biopic in history.
