Lawsuit Against Syfy's 'Ghost Hunters' Gets New Life
The producing pair are using claims of an implied contract breach this time
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way, two television producers are filing a new lawsuit as part of its five-year battle against Syfy's "Ghost Hunters" series and its spinoffs.
Larry Montz and Daena Smoller claim NBC Universal (as well as "Ghost Hunters" executive producer Craig Piligian and star Jason Hawes) breached an implied contract they had with the studio based on a reality concept they say is quite similar to the current "Ghost Hunters" series on Syfy, according to Deadline.com. Montz and Smoller had lost an earlier case in 2006 with claims of copyright infringement, but the case was allowed to be reinstated soon after by an appeals court on the contract breach claim.
NBCU's attorneys argued to the Supreme Court late last year that losing the copyright claim should be more than enough to toss out the contract claims, but the court disagreed.
A Syfy spokesperson said the newest lawsuit was without merit and that the cable channel "expects to prevail" in the case."
Montz and Smoller said they pitched Syfy -- then known as the SciFi Channel -- about the concept in the late 1990s, and filed their concept with the Writers Guild of America in 2000. Their show would use detection devices and other technology to investigate reported paranormal activity, and document those efforts in a reality show, according to the suit.
SciFi Channel rejected the pitch, but later decided to go with a similar concept through Pilgrim Film and TV, according to the suit. "Ghost Hunters" premiered on SciFi Channel in 2004 and has been a reality hit for the cable channel since then, creating spinoffs that include "Destination: Truth" among others.
There have now been eight seasons of "Ghost Hunters," and both Montz and Smoller said they are being denied millions of dollars in profits from the series.
A lawsuit is usually only a list of claims against another party, and are only claims until they have been adjudicated in court. Allegations do not necessarily mean another party is at fault, and are simply that: allegations.
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