Olivia de Havilland, 101, Is Speeding Up Her Lawsuit Against Ryan Murphy
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Olivia de Havilland wants her court date, and she wants it now. The actress, who is 101 years old, is asking a judge to accelerate her trial against Ryan Murphy and set it for September, Deadline reports. The Oscar winner filed a lawsuit in June against the celebrated showrunner for “unauthorized commercial use” of her name and identity on his FX series Feud, saying that no one asked for her permission before making her a character on the series. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays de Havilland on the show, largely portraying her as a colorful talking head who gossips about the drama between Bette Davis, her close friend, and Joan Crawford.
Now de Havilland’s legal team is citing a statute that benefits individuals who are above the age of 70 and want to ramp up litigation due to their senior status. Considering the actress’s “advanced age,” as they put it, it’s unsurprising she would want to move quickly on the lawsuit.
“This is the kind of case for which the statute was passed,” de Havilland’s attorney Suzelle Smith said in a statement on Tuesday. “There is a substantial risk that without a trial preference, Miss de Havilland will be prejudiced in not obtaining the benefits of the litigation. She is eager to have this case fully resolved well in advance of her 102nd birthday.”
Her legal team has reportedly asked the Los Angeles Superior Court to set the trial for September 13, which is just a few days before this year’s Emmys ceremony. Feud has a whopping 18 nominations, including best limited series, best writing, and best actress (for both Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon), so the lawsuit would undoubtedly be a topic of conversation among voters. Of course, this also could be the kind of thing that burnishes the show’s reputation, giving it a fittingly gossip-drenched real-world touch—but who knows. Considering Sarandon and Lange’s lofty status in Hollywood, their Emmy potential is likely to be quite insulated from this legal drama.
As for the suit itself, it’s a bit unclear which side the law will fall on. In the past, plenty of celebrities have been able to successfully sue creators for using their likeness in particular projects. However, plenty of creators have also been able to get away with making projects about a real person’s life. The Facebook drama The Social Network, for example, was made despite Mark Zuckerberg’s claims that many elements of the story were untrue. Though he never sought legal action, he apparently did try to stop the movie from getting made.
In another case, ex-N.W.A. manager Jerry Heller sued just about everyone involved in the making of the biopic Straight Outta Compton due to his portrayal in the film, seeking about $110 million in damages. Heller died last year, but the case still has not been resolved, with his estate now handling the suit.
De Havilland is currently still in Paris, but may return to Hollywood if she gets her desired trial date, per Deadline. Who knew we’d be getting a fiery epilogue to Feud after all?
This story originally appeared on Vanity Fair.
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