A producer of the TV documentary "Farrah's Story" is suing her longtime boyfriend Ryan O'Neal and others, accusing them of stealing creative control of the film from him.
What the lawsuit is about
Producer Craig Nevius, who has worked with Fawcett during her fight with cancer, has filed a lawsuit this week against O'Neal and Alana Stewart, who shot the film, alleging that they kicked him out of the project and also that O'Neal "physically threatened him".
The dispute centers on the 90-minute TV documentary "Farrah's Story" that chronicles Fawcett’s numerous medical treatments and several heart-broken events in recent weeks, including one when the terminally ill, bed-ridden actress was barely able to recognize her and O'Neal's son, Redmond, as well as a footage of Fawcett shaving her own hair.
The film, which gives an intimate look at the 62-year-old actress’ life since being diagnosed with anal cancer three years ago, is set to air on NBC on Friday.
Plaintiff’s claims in detail
In his breach of contract lawsuit, Nevius accused O'Neal or his associates of taking over the documentary without the "Charlie's Angels" star's authorization.
The producer claimed Fawcett authorized him to act on her behalf, and that he made a deal with Farrah back in 2004 to chronicle her life in a documentary called "Chasing Farrah". Nevius said he was working with Fawcett for two years on the current project, but O'Neal and Alana Stewart started wrongfully interfering with Nevius's contractual relationship with the actress.
"I have been banned from talking to or seeing Farrah for about ten weeks, which is highly unusual, considering that healthy or sick, I spoke to this woman at least twice a day from the time of her diagnosis on," Nevius said.
The lawsuit claims that in September, 2008, O'Neal contacted him and demanded he give up control of the company that was producing the project, but "when Nevius respectfully declined, O'Neal physically threatened him."
"I take no joy in this," Nevius said of filing lawsuit against O’Neal. "I tried to avoid this, but I am doing it for Farrah."
Defendant’s reaction to Lawsuit
Meanwhile, Paul Bloch, a spokesman for O'Neal, called Nevius’ lawsuit "horrific".
He said: "They're shocked at this unconscionable act being done as Farrah fights for her life. Ryan is devastated. We hope and we pray that Farrah Fawcett does not find out about this lawsuit, because we know it would impact her health even more so."
However, Nevius maintained that the lawsuit is strictly not against Fawcett. He told FOX News: "Make no mistake: this suit is not against Farrah Fawcett. It is for Farrah. This is not about money or about ego. It's about Farrah. These are the moments in a person's life that count. The details of the law suit speak for themselves."
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