Akin Gump Sues Over Kevin Spacey Comedy 'Father of Invention' Funding
BigLaw firm Akin Gump and Kevin Spacey are somewhat strange bedfellows. Yet here they are, at the center of a legal dispute. Spacey isn't involved himself. His newest film, Father of Invention, is.
Akin Gump alleges that film exec Mark Manuel owes it some money. Manuel helped secure millions of dollars in studio loans for the film.
He was only able to do so because of Akin Gump. A lawyer at the firm assisted him with arranging the loans. Manuel even agreed to pay the firm a finder's fee, which isn't too common in the big bad legal world.
He never paid up.
Apparently, Manuel landed the lucrative deals partially because he had some sort of innovative idea concerning film financing and immigration laws. The specifics are a bit fuzzy.
Okay, maybe not "fuzzy." It's just downright confusing.
Manuel sought to arrange loans "to major film and television studios pursuant to a complex federal statutory regime by which foreign immigrants seeking EB-5 resident visas in the United States fund job-creating loans," The Hollywood Reporter states.
Doesn't your noggin hurt after reading that? What does this even mean?
The short summary of that statement is that Manuel had some sort of innovative idea that could help studios.
Yet there's a lesson that Manuel should probably learn. And that is this: do not cross a BigLaw firm. They have no shortage of attorneys who are willing to sue you. This is especially true if you owe them money.
Hell hath no fury like a BigLaw firm scorned. Akin Gump is currently seeking $2 million in damages.
Manuel has responded by stating that there are "gross inaccuracies and mischaracterizations" in Akin Gump's Kevin Spacey film lawsuit, according to the Reporter.
Related Resources:
- Akin, Gump Says Movie Producer Owes It (Courthouse News Service)
- Akin Gump Sued for Malpractice Over Outdoor Sign Advice (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- BigLaw's Contract Attorneys Don't do Quality Work: McDermott Suit (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)