Looks like Snoop Dogg is beginning the new year in the same way he ended the old one – in legal trouble.
The rapper’s Snoop Youth Football League Foundation has been sued by New York-based Natural Resources Media & Technology Group over claims that it made a deal for a reality television show in violation of a pre-existing deal with 20th Century Fox to develop a similar feature film, reports Billboard.
Filed last week in New York Supreme Court, the June agreement gave Natural Resources exclusive pay-per-view, cable, home video and other video footage rights for the league in exchange for raising and donating more than $100,000 for the production and splitting revenue with the foundation.
20th Century Fox heard about the deal and promptly fired off a letter to the parties involved - which include TV One, Beverly Hills- based Strange Fruit Film and TV, and Jacksonville, Fla.-based Axcess Sports & Entertainment - informing them of Fox's "exclusive rights to portray Snoop in any motion picture or television project or other production based on Snoop's involvement with his sons' football teams and leagues."
Fox is in the midst of developing a feature entitled "Coach Snoop" with screenwriters Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin.
"Fox already has made a huge investment in our project and if you continue to move forward with your television project in violation of Fox's rights, it will severely impact the viability of our theatrical motion picture," Michael Ross, Fox's senior vp legal affairs, wrote in a letter dated Oct. 13.
Natural Resources alleges production on the show, which was to feature the on- and off-the-field activities of Snoop and his 9- to 12-year-old players leading up to the "Snooperbowl," a championship game planned to coincide with Super Bowl XLI, was halted immediately and the "parties with whom plaintiff had contracted for the recording and broadcasting of the event withdrew from their agreements and ceased recording the events," according to the complaint.
Meanwhile Natural Resources, run by Corey Simmons, says it informed Snoop after receiving Fox's letter that he was in breach of the contract by failing to own the rights the foundation had licensed.
"They did not respond to our request that they cure the breach," said the plaintiff's attorney, Bradley Rosen. The complaint alleges a single cause of action for breach of contract and seeks $250,000 in damages plus attorney's fees.
The rapper’s Snoop Youth Football League Foundation has been sued by New York-based Natural Resources Media & Technology Group over claims that it made a deal for a reality television show in violation of a pre-existing deal with 20th Century Fox to develop a similar feature film, reports Billboard.
Filed last week in New York Supreme Court, the June agreement gave Natural Resources exclusive pay-per-view, cable, home video and other video footage rights for the league in exchange for raising and donating more than $100,000 for the production and splitting revenue with the foundation.
20th Century Fox heard about the deal and promptly fired off a letter to the parties involved - which include TV One, Beverly Hills- based Strange Fruit Film and TV, and Jacksonville, Fla.-based Axcess Sports & Entertainment - informing them of Fox's "exclusive rights to portray Snoop in any motion picture or television project or other production based on Snoop's involvement with his sons' football teams and leagues."
Fox is in the midst of developing a feature entitled "Coach Snoop" with screenwriters Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin.
"Fox already has made a huge investment in our project and if you continue to move forward with your television project in violation of Fox's rights, it will severely impact the viability of our theatrical motion picture," Michael Ross, Fox's senior vp legal affairs, wrote in a letter dated Oct. 13.
Natural Resources alleges production on the show, which was to feature the on- and off-the-field activities of Snoop and his 9- to 12-year-old players leading up to the "Snooperbowl," a championship game planned to coincide with Super Bowl XLI, was halted immediately and the "parties with whom plaintiff had contracted for the recording and broadcasting of the event withdrew from their agreements and ceased recording the events," according to the complaint.
Meanwhile Natural Resources, run by Corey Simmons, says it informed Snoop after receiving Fox's letter that he was in breach of the contract by failing to own the rights the foundation had licensed.
"They did not respond to our request that they cure the breach," said the plaintiff's attorney, Bradley Rosen. The complaint alleges a single cause of action for breach of contract and seeks $250,000 in damages plus attorney's fees.
