Posted on Tue, Dec. 09, 2008
The Associated PressMARSHALL -- A Fort Worth woman who accused actor-screenwriter Tyler Perry of stealing material from her play for his blockbuster movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman lost her federal lawsuit against the entertainer on Tuesday.
Jurors found Tuesday that Donna West did not present evidence that supported her claim of copyright infringement.
In the lawsuit filed in May 2007, West argued that Perry lifted material from a script she wrote titled Fantasy of a Black Woman. The play was performed three times in 1991 in Dallas and West contended Perry could have gained access to the script in 1998 when he presented his plays at the Dallas Black Academy of Arts and Letters.
Perry, who testified during the trial, insisted that his screenplay is an original work.
"We are very pleased that the jurors understood that Tyler Perry is an incredibly talented person who has no need to copy the work of others," attorney Veronica Lewis said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Jurors began deliberating after noon on Tuesday and returned with a verdict about 2:30 p.m., The Marshall News Messenger reported in its online edition.
Aside from Perry, West sued the actor's company, Tyler Perry Inc., because it sells the movie online and by mail. West also filed suit against Lions Gate Entertainment, Inc., which funded and distributed the film.
She asked for damages and profits made from Perry's 2005 film, which earned some $50 million.
Attorneys for West did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday.
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