By Stone Martindale Dec 20, 2006, 22:36 GMT
Anthony Lazzarino, a screenwriter who claims he was "embezzled" out of his rights to the The Bourne Identity starring Matt Damon, has been told he can resubmit his lawsuit for another review.
Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Bernard Fried ruled that Lazzarino can continue to pursue his claim.
Variety reported that back in 1981, Lazzarino was paid $175,000 for a deal with the no-longer-in-existence Orion Pictures. Lazzarino alleges he wrote a screenplay based on Ludlum's novel The Bourne Identity.
"They embezzled me. They took my rights and converted them as though they were Ludlum's rights. My argument is based on the original contract and what it says. The other side has fabricated documents that were never a part of the original deal." said Lazzarino.
The defendants in the claim said that the statute of limitations has expired an Lazzarino's argument is not valid. "We are arguing Lazzarino has no rights because the events he said took place never happened," defense lawyer Marshall Beil told the New York Daily News. The defendant in the case is Henry Morrison, Ludlum's agent, since Ludlum died in 2001. Lazzarino is allegedly also suing Universal Pictures.
The Bourne Identity was directed by Doug Liman and was a hit in 2002. It set up the 2004 sequel The Bourne Supremacy directed by Paul Greengrass.
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