14 DAY TRIAL // “Fahrenheit 9/11” remains the highest grossing documentary of all times, making over $220 million worldwide. Controversial upon release in 2007, it continues to be so, as director Michael Moore has just sued its distributors, the Weistein brothers.
Moore is taking the Weinsteins to court over claims that they used Hollywood gimmicks to make profits from the film “disappear” so that they wouldn’t have to give him his fair cut.
The famed director claims in court documents he was cheated of over $3 million, which should have been his share of the movie’s revenue, Hollywood News reports.
“The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, sues for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty, and makes constructive fraud claims stating that the Weinstein’s agreed to split profits 50-50, but then diverted funds so that Moore would receive less,” the e-zine reports.
In response to the claims made in the lawsuit, Bob and Harvey Weinstein are saying he’s just trying to get more money from them, from their own cut of the profits off the documentary.
According to them, the claims have no merit and the lawsuit is “baloney.”
“The Weinsteins have paid everything they should have paid. Mr. Moore has received a huge amount of money from this film and we believe he is overreaching. He should be ashamed of himself,” the Weinsteins say in a statement.
Since he’s not the one to take this lying down, Moore has also issued a statement on his own, saying the mere fact that this is the first lawsuit he ever filed in a 20-year career should be enough indication that he’s only asking for that which is legally his.
He has proof to back all his claims, he also notes.
“An independent auditor came in and discovered that the Weinsteins had re-routed at least $2.7 million dollars that belonged to Michael Moore from ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’,” a statement from Moore’s lawyer reads.
“The $2.7 million is just the floor of what we believe is owed. When this goes to discovery I wouldn’t be surprised if the amount of what was taken goes much, much higher,” the statement further says.