The Wall Street Journal-20080117-Ex-DEA Agents Sue Over -Gangster-
Return to: The_Wall_Street_Journal-20080117
Ex-DEA Agents Sue Over 'Gangster'
Three former special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against NBC Universal Inc. over the Denzel Washington-Russell Crowe film "American Gangster."
The film, which has grossed more than $129 million, was distributed through NBC Universal's Universal Pictures arm. NBC Universal is a unit of General Electric Co.
The suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, alleges, among other things, that the movie falsely claims that three-quarters of "New York City's Drug Enforcement Agency," from 1973 to 1985, was convicted of a crime. The lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status on behalf of 400 present and former DEA agents in New York, is seeking damages and a disgorgement of profits from the movie.
The complaint also is seeking an injunction preventing distribution.
