Film producer David Bergstein has been convicted in federal court in New York of seven counts related to defrauding investors of more than $26 million. He will be sentenced June 8 by Us District Judge P. Kevin Castel, who presided over the four-week trial. Some of the seven counts of the conviction carry maximum sentences of 20 years in prison and fines of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Bergstein, who lives in Hidden Hills, California, was…...
- 3/3/2018
- Deadline
“In the Heart of the Sea” producer David Bergstein has been found guilty of cheating investors out of $26 million. According to court documents obtained by TheWrap, Bergstein was found guilty Thursday on seven counts, including Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, Securities Fraud, Investment Advisor Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Investment Advisor Fraud & Securities Fraud. According to Reuters, Bergstein was the chief executive of merchant banking firm Cyrano Group Inc, at the time of his arrest in 2016. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 8. Also Read: 'In the Heart of the Sea' Producer Faces Charges in...
- 3/2/2018
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
David Bergstein, the once high-flying movie producer and film financier who is currently facing prosecution for fraud, just had one of his biggest legal victories wiped out. On Thursday, a California appeals court reversed his $50 million trial victory against his former attorney, Susan Tregub.
Back in 2010, as Bergstein became involved in a planned purchase of the Miramax film studio and library, he had five of his companies forced into bankruptcy amid a war with Aramid Entertainment's David Molner. Tregub went to work for Aramid after she left Bergstein, and helped organize creditors and the litigation. Bergstein later alleged she breached fiduciary duty and...
Back in 2010, as Bergstein became involved in a planned purchase of the Miramax film studio and library, he had five of his companies forced into bankruptcy amid a war with Aramid Entertainment's David Molner. Tregub went to work for Aramid after she left Bergstein, and helped organize creditors and the litigation. Bergstein later alleged she breached fiduciary duty and...
- 5/4/2017
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Bergstein, the high-flying producer, financier and philanthropist, has been arrested by the FBI and charged with defrauding investors out of more than $26 million. His executive producer credits include Accidental Love, Father Of Invention, and last year's box office dud In The Heart Of The Sea, but none of the investors he's charged with swindling appear to have been involved in the movie business. According to an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court…...
- 11/10/2016
- Deadline
A Hollywood film producer and financier has been arrested as part of a $26 million fraud case. David Bergstein, who produced films like Ron Howard’s “In the Heart of the Sea” and Sidney Lumet’s “Before the Devil Knows Your Dead,” was arrested at his California home on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Bergstein also serves as chief executive of the private equity firm Cyrano Group Inc. It is alleged that he and Keith Wellner, former general counsel of Weston Capital Asset Management, perpetrated a scheme to conceal information from Weston investors, as well as transferring money from one pool of investors to make payments.
- 11/10/2016
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
A California movie producer was arrested Wednesday on charges that he and an executive in an investment advisory firm siphoned millions of dollars from investors to fund their lifestyles as part of a $26 million fraud. David Bergstein, 54, was arrested in Hidden Hills, California, and faced an initial court hearing in Los Angeles. Bergstein produced the 2004 romantic comedy Laws of Attraction, with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore. His attorneys haven't returned a message seeking comment. Prosecutors said Bergstein and co-defendant Keith Wellner, 49, of Manhattan, cheated investors at advisory firm Weston Capital Asset Management in 2011 and
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- 11/10/2016
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ryan Lambie Sep 5, 2016
An often spectacular drama, American History X left its maker shunned by Hollywood. Ryan looks at a great film and its maverick director.
It should have been a proud moment for British director Tony Kaye. His first feature, American History X, had finally appeared in Us cinemas on the 30th October 1998, and was already earning deserved attention for the strength of its direction and its powerful performances - not least from Edward Norton, cast in the lead as a volcanically angry young neo-Nazi in Venice, California.
American History X might have marked the next phase in Kaye's career, which, like such directors as Ridley Scott and Alan Parker before him, had begun in advertising back in the 1980s. And yet post-production on the movie had been protracted and difficult, as Kaye engaged in an increasingly public battle for its final cut. That battle had become so heated,...
An often spectacular drama, American History X left its maker shunned by Hollywood. Ryan looks at a great film and its maverick director.
It should have been a proud moment for British director Tony Kaye. His first feature, American History X, had finally appeared in Us cinemas on the 30th October 1998, and was already earning deserved attention for the strength of its direction and its powerful performances - not least from Edward Norton, cast in the lead as a volcanically angry young neo-Nazi in Venice, California.
American History X might have marked the next phase in Kaye's career, which, like such directors as Ridley Scott and Alan Parker before him, had begun in advertising back in the 1980s. And yet post-production on the movie had been protracted and difficult, as Kaye engaged in an increasingly public battle for its final cut. That battle had become so heated,...
- 9/2/2016
- Den of Geek
Shot way back in 2008, caught up in the wrangling and law cases involving troubled film financier David Bergstein, shut down several times during production and disowned by its own director, Accidental Love (aka Nailed), finally limps into British cinemas. We can still see traces of what David O Russell and his screenwriter Kristin Gore (daughter of former Vice President Al) were trying to achieve. The aim was for a Frank Capra-style screwball comedy that made some trenchant points about Washington politics and Us heathcare provision.
- 6/18/2015
- The Independent - Film
Exclusive: After more than four years of lawsuits, disputed loans, tattered reputations and tens of millions in fees, the vitriolic war between film financier David Bergstein and Aramid Entertainment looks to be almost over. And the victor might shock you. The parties have reached a settlement agreement, according to filings this week that, if approved, would see Bergstein paid $6 million from the bankruptcy protection-seeking hedge fund. The film financier and his former associate investor Ron Tutor also will acquire “100%” of the equity that longtime legal foe and Aramid exec David Molner has in the film financing fund, estimated to be nearly 5% of the total. Bringing movies back into it, the deal additionally gives Bergstein full rights to the Tony Kaye-directed 2009 pic Black Water Transit, which never was released Stateside due to the litigation.
The settlement deal goes before the bankruptcy court in the Southern District of New York on...
The settlement deal goes before the bankruptcy court in the Southern District of New York on...
- 9/4/2014
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline
The Hollywood Reporter and its parent company Prometheus Global Media have filed a motion to dismiss film financier David Bergstein's $150 million lawsuit charging the company with defamation, conspiracy and business interference. The motion was filed Wednesday in New York Supreme Court, and asked that Bergstein's “scattershot complaint” be tossed in full with prejudice. The initial suit, filed in February, charged that THR reporter Alex Ben Block wrote numerous stories about Bergstein that damaged his reputation and interfered with his business and earnings. Also read: Hollywood Reporter Slapped With $150 Million Defamation Suit by Film Financier David Bergstein Specifically, Bergstein alleged that Block's stories.
- 4/18/2014
- by Todd Cunningham
- The Wrap
Federal bankruptcy court Judge Barry Russell dismissed the remaining claims on March 5 against R2D2 and other movie companies, including ThinkFilm, that were controlled by David Bergstein and Ronald Tutor, which had been brought by Screen Capital International, run by David Molner, acting for creditors and on behalf of the court-appointed trustee overseeing the bankrupt movie companies. Russell ruled that a 2009 waiver related to payment of $2.9 million to satisfy a ThinkFilm loan by the Aramid Entertainment Fund, where Molner is also a manager, meant that Sci had no right to bring claims in the involuntary bankruptcy
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- 3/7/2014
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Hollywood Reporter and parent company Prometheus Global Media have been sued by film financier David Bergstein for $150 million in damages for defamation, conspiracy and business interference. According to the summons filed on Wednesday in New York Supreme Court, Bergstein alleges that THR reporter Alex Ben Block wrote numerous stories about the movie financier that damaged his reputation, interfered with his business and earnings. “Defendants reporting included material misstatements which were not matters of opinion, inference, shading or context, but were simply untrue,” the lawsuit states. The suit further states that the allegedly inaccurate reporting of Bergstein’s legal dealings displayed.
- 2/21/2014
- by Wrap Staff
- The Wrap
Embattled financier David Bergstein won a legal victory when federal bankruptcy court Judge Barry Russell dismissed the last in a series of lawsuits brought by Screen Capital International Corp. acting on behalf of the bankruptcy trustee. It was one of eight cases that personally named Bergstein and his former partner in the movie business, Ronald Tutor, as defendants. This latest ruling, which came Dec. 12, is significant because it may mark the collapse of a plan by Scic and the Aramid Entertainment Fund to act on behalf of the court-appointed trustee, Ronald Durkin, to find assets and unlock any
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- 12/24/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Judge Barry Russell has refused to recuse himself from the involuntary bankruptcy case involving ThinkFilm and four other companies formerly run by David Bergstein. On Nov. 14, in federal court in downtown Los Angeles, Russell dismissed a motion asking him to step aside. A group of creditors in the three-year-old case led by David Molner and Screen Capital International had filed court papers asking Russell to step aside from the case after a tape-recorded phone conversation between Bergstein and his former business associate Paul Parmar was made public. In the tape, Bergstein is heard telling Parmar that
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- 11/19/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Just when it seems like the legal battle between film financiers David Molner and David Bergstein can’t get any nastier, these two mortal enemies find fresh ways to up the ante on outrage. In a motion filed Monday in Los Angeles Bankruptcy Court, attorneys for Molner’s Screen Capital International and Aramid Entertainment are asking for Judge Barry Russell to recuse himself from a case involving tens of millions of dollars in debts and allegations of financial fraud. The legal back-and-forth between the two men has dragged on since five Bergstein-controlled film financing entities were forced into involuntary bankruptcy in 2010. Also.
- 10/1/2013
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
The lead creditors locked in a bankruptcy battle with film financier David Bergstein want the federal judge running the case to recuse himself after The Hollywood Reporter posted covertly recorded audio of Bergstein planning to exploit information about the judge's alleged predilection for prostitutes. Aramid Entertainment Fund and Screen Capital International, lead creditors in the long-running involuntary bankruptcy cases involving Capitol, ThinkFilm and three other companies, filed the motion on Monday. They're asking federal Judge Barry Russell to effectively remove himself from the case. "Bergstein is heard on the tape accusing Judge Russell of illegal personal conduct," reads
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- 9/30/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The legal saga surrounding embattled film financier David Bergstein has taken an outrageous turn. A previously undisclosed recording of Bergstein was ordered Thursday to be produced in a case in federal court in New Jersey. In the transcript and audio, a copy of which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Bergstein is quoted making scandalous claims, including allegations involving prostitutes against a judge who has been overseeing an involuntary bankruptcy case involving five movie companies Bergstein formerly controlled. Story: New David Bergstein Lawsuit References Secret Recordings, Sidney Lumet and the FBI In a telephone conversation recorded in March 2012, Bergstein
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- 8/19/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Bergstein will not pass go, and will not collect $50 million. Film producer Bergstein has been defeated in his $50 million lawsuit against Aramid Entertainment, according to court papers obtained by TheWrap. Also read: David Bergstein Blusters: I'm a Victim! ... Rrrrright Los Angeles Superior Court judge Michelle R. Rosenblatt has sided with Aramid's demurrer in the case, and denied Bergstein a leave to amend. Bergstein filed suit against Aramid in January 2012, claiming that Aramid had breached its agreement stemming from a loan settlement and causing his companies to go into involuntary...
- 8/10/2013
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
Embattled movie financier David Bergstein's lawsuit against Aramid Entertainment Fund, claiming it breached terms of a 2009 settlement of a loan dispute, was dismissed Aug. 5 by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, who ruled the same action cannot be amended or re-filed. Bergstein, who has been credited as a producer on films like The Whole Ten Yards and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, had sought some $50 million in damages from Aramid, Screen Capital International, fund manager David Molner and related parties whom he blames for the 2010 involuntary bankruptcy of five companies he once ran. He says
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- 8/9/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After three years of legal battles in bankruptcy court, Ronald Tutor and his former partner in the movie business David Bergstein have won an important legal victory that appears to open the door for Tutor to finally sell more than 500 movies that have been frozen for months by a legal injunction including The Whole Ten Yards, Woody Allen’s Sweet And Lowdown, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the Oscar-winning documentary Taxi To The Darkside. On Monday in Los Angeles, federal Judge Barry Russell issued a final order dismissing complaints for fraudulent transfer of movies and other things by four
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- 7/24/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Embattled movie investor David Bergstein has lost another of his many appeals in the bankruptcy case involving Capitol, ThinkFilm and three other movie companies – and this time the denial came with a stern warning from the judge. On May 22, U.S. District Court Judge Philip Gutierrez denied Bergstein’s motion to reverse a lower court ruling that denied him the right to pursue litigation claims on behalf of the bankrupt companies. That original ruling was made by federal Judge Barry Russell in Los Angeles on November 8. Photos: Top 10 Legal Disclaimers in Hollywood Russell had denied Bergstein’s request
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- 5/29/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Bergstein's latest legal salvo against Aramid Entertainment's David Molner reads like the script of a thriller: Secretly taped phone calls, the promise of a role in a Sidney Lumet movie and a self-confessed secret government agent and an FBI probe of Bergstein. On Tuesday, Bergstein filed a lawsuit in L.A. Superior Court against Molner, Aramid and related companies -- along with Bergstein’s former business partner Paul Parmar -- charging them with extortion and conspiring against him. According to the suit, Parmer surreptitiously recorded hours of phone calls with Bergstein, which Molner has acquired in a related legal case. Photos:
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- 5/15/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A federal judge Tuesday approved five identical motions filed by the trustee in the nearly three-year-old bankruptcy case involving Capitol Films, ThinkFilm and three other now defunct movie companies — despite vehement opposition from David Bergstein and Ronald Tutor, who formerly owned those entities. The motions represent an agreement between trustee Ronald Durkin and David Molner, a hedge fund manager who represents a group of creditors that includes the Aramid Entertainment Fund, Molner’s Screen Capital International and two law firms who represent them. The ruling allows Aramid to “step into the shoes” of the trustee to sue insiders
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- 2/28/2013
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bankruptcy court trustee Ronald Durkin filed a motion in federal court Wednesday to compel beleaguered movie financier David Bergstein and one of his lawyers, Victor Sahn, to sign statements evidencing the finances of five companies now in involuntary bankruptcy. The motion by Durkin, a former FBI agent and forensic accountant, threatens financial sanctions against Bergstein and Sahn for filing earlier financial schedules in “bad faith.” Read the motion here. Bergstein was identified by the bankruptcy court as the official representative of the five bankrupt companies, which include Capitol Films, ThinkFilm and R2D2, which was a holding company for Bergstein
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- 12/6/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A company controlled by movie financier David Bergstein filed a lawsuit Monday claiming that bankruptcy court trustee Ronald Durkin is “waging a personal and vindictive war” against him while conspiring in a “broad and wide-ranging attempt to destroy Bergstein.” The suit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles by Bergstein's UK-based Pangea Media Holdings, arises from the company's dealings with Daro Film Distribution, a Monaco-based film licensing company that Bergstein claims owes him money. The suit says Bergstein has been frustrated in his efforts to collect because Durkin and his counsel Leonard Gumport have pursued the
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- 12/4/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film financier David Bergstein won a $50 million judgment against his former attorney Susan Tregub in August, but his efforts to use that victory as leverage in other lawsuits isn’t working out so far. Bergstein has filed a series of legal actions seeking to blame a 2010 involuntary bankruptcy case on the improper actions of his former attorney after she left to join Aramid Entertainment. Analysis: Why David Bergstein’s $50 Million Legal Victory Could Backfire One of the most prominent suits is Bontempo v. Aramid, which has proceeded in Los Angeles Superior Court for more than two years and has
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- 10/8/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film financier David Bergstein has lost his attempt to sue two Los Angeles law firms he believes helped nemesis Aramid Entertainment force his companies into bankruptcy. THR reported last week that Judge Michael P. Linfield had tentatively ruled in favor of an anti-slapp motion brought by Stroock & Stroock & Lavan and Levene Neale Bender Yoo & Brill because Bergstein's allegations against the firms arise from protected litigation activities. Now that tentative ruling has become official. Bergstein still has a $50 million jury verdict against his former attorney Susan Tregub, who went to work for Aramid after she left
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- 9/26/2012
- by Matthew Belloni
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Embattled film financier David Bergstein's plan to use a $50 million verdict against former in-house attorney Susan Tregub as a hammer in other cases isn't going well. Photos: Top 10 Legal Disclaimers in Hollywood A Los Angeles Superior Court judge is set to dismiss one of Bergstein's bigger lawsuits — against two of Aramid Entertainment’s law firms, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan and Levene Neale Bender Yoo & Brill. In a tentative decision issued in advance of a hearing next week, Judge Michael P. Linfield wrote that he is inclined to rule in favor of the defendants' anti-slapp
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- 9/20/2012
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Embattled film financier David Bergstein won a $50 million legal battle Aug. 21 when an L.A. Superior Court jury agreed that his former attorney Susan Tregub had breached her fiduciary duties to him and committed malpractice. It was a public vindication for Bergstein after several years of legal setbacks and provided validation to his oft-repeated claims that commercial treason by Tregub was a major cause of his numerous legal problems in federal bankruptcy court and in his many civil lawsuits. He charged his opponents, especially Aramid Entertainment, conspired with Tregub to use insider information to damage his businesses
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- 9/6/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Bergstein, the embattled film financier, isn't as fortunate pursuing Lawyer No. 2 as he was Lawyer No. 1. Two weeks after winning $50 million in damages against his former in-house attorney Susan Tregub for breaching fiduciary duties and committing malpractice by disclosing his confidential information, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge has crossed out his second $50 million lawsuit against attorney Teri Zimon, a close confidant of Tregub. Judge Alan Rosenfield has just dismissed the lawsuit against Zimon because the statute of limitations had run its course. Bergstein has been pursuing attorneys on claims they helped nemesis Aramid
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- 9/5/2012
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A Los Angeles jury Wednesday awarded embattled film financier David Bergstein punitive damages of $500,000 in his legal fight with an ex-lawyer, bringing the overall total award to $50 million. Bergstein, the controversial figure whose stewardship of film companies ThinkFilm and Capitol Films has been the subject of much litigation, has been in trial against Susan Tregub, a former Bergstein in-house attorney who is accused of breaching fiduciary duties and committing malpractice by, among other things, using confidential information against him. Story: Miramax at Center of David Bergstein's Bitter Trial Against Former Lawyer Tregub departed Bergstein's Capitol
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- 8/22/2012
- by Matthew Belloni , Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In more than two years of legal battles, embattled movie financier David Bergstein repeatedly has blamed many of his troubles on his former lawyer Susan Tregub, whom he says breached her ethical obligations to him as an attorney. Story: Miramax Co-Owner Ronald Tutor Claims Victories in Bankruptcy Battle Beginning Tuesday, Bergstein will have his day in Los Angeles Superior Court in a complicated, bitterly contested trial expected to last three weeks. While the amount of money Bergstein stands to win is minimal -- Tregub apparently does not have significant resources -- a victory would clear the way for Bergstein in related
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- 8/7/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bankruptcy judge Barry Russell delivered a serious blow to the Aramid Entertainment Fund's case against Miramax co-owner Ronald Tutor and film financier David Bergstein this week, issuing five orders that disallow most of Aramid's claims to upwards of $140 million. Aramid and other creditors have been engaged in a protracted legal dispute with Tutor (pictured left), his former business partner and several of their companies. Tutor, a construction tycoon, is co-owner of Miramax and other film properties. Also read: Miramax Co-Owner Ron Tutor Looking to Sell Film Assets (Updated) Aramid was seeking money for...
- 6/22/2012
- by Lucas Shaw
- The Wrap
Embattled film investor David Bergstein returned legal fire at Aramid Entertainment Fund, David Molner and others in a new lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court charging breach of contract, promissory fraud and more. The legal action, the latest in a flurry of suits filed by Bergstein and his former business partner Ronald Tutor, is an off-shoot of motions granted by a federal court earlier this week that dismissed a number of claims made by Aramid in an involuntary bankruptcy case involving Capitol, ThinkFilm and other companies formerly managed by Bergstein, and at one time owned by Tutor.
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- 6/22/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Miramax co-owner Ronald Tutor claimed victory this week in his legal battle with Aramid Entertainment Fund and other creditors fighting over the remains of five film companies forced into involuntary bankruptcy last year -- Capitol Films, ThinkFilm, R2D2, Ct-1 and Capco. Federal bankruptcy court Judge Barry Russell has issued five orders (one for each bankrupt company) that disallow unsecured claims by Aramid totaling about $143 million. Many of the orders were tied to a Rico claim that charged Tutor and his former business partner David Bergstein committed fraud and operated a Ponzi scheme to defraud lenders and investors.
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- 6/22/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ronald Tutor and a company he controls filed the latest in a series of lawsuits Wednesday against David Molner, Aramid Entertainment and others charging breach of contract and interference with contractual relations in regard to other litigation related to film businesses involving investor David Bergstein. The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by Tutor and a U.K. company he owns called Library Asset Acquisition Co. (Laac), which was formed to hold interests in movies. The suit is against not only Molner, Aramid and related entities but also a number of former employees of Bergstein’s companies, including
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- 5/31/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Investor Ron Tutor told analysts and journalists today on an earnings call for his multi-billion-dollar construction businesses that he was looking to unload at least some of his share of movie business assets within the next 10 days. Tutor is one of a group of investors who purchased Miramax from Disney for $663 million in 2010. In response to a question near the end of the call, Tutor said if for any reason the plan to shed movie assets falls through, he likely will execute a stock sale in July. Some of the assets are tied up in bankruptcy or other litigation, but onetime Tutor investment associate David Bergstein has agreed to drop his litigation concerning his dealings with Colony Capital in exchange for “a small amount of money” for his efforts to achieve the Miramax purchase. Related: It’s Official: Disney Seals Miramax Sale David Bergstein Reaches Miramax Deal, Drops His Own...
- 5/5/2012
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
There's more fallout from the attorney who left film financier David Bergstein's side to go work for David Molner and Aramid Entertainment. The two law firms -- Stroock and Stroock and Lavan Llp and Levene Neale Bender Yoo & Brill Llp -- that allegedly used confidential information provided by Susan Tregub to aid Molner in his fight against Bergstein have been sued a second time over the affair. This time, the action comes from Miramax co-owner Ronald Tutor, the construction tycoon and former Bergstein partner, who is also quite upset about what happened. Two weeks ago, the two law firms were
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- 5/1/2012
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Bergstein has settled his multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Miramax investors, the parties said Tuesday. As part of the settlement, the film investor has retracted allegations that he was owed tens of millions of dollars for his part in structuring and negotiating the $660 million purchase of the indie label from Disney. The suddenness of the settlement is surprising, given that the suit was filed roughly two weeks ago. He named Miramax Chairman Richard Nanula, Colony Capital and Filmyard Holdings as defendants. In the suit, Bergstein claimed that he was paid $6.1 million when...
- 4/24/2012
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
Filmyard Holdings LLC, the group that acquired Miramax from Disney, has reached an out-of-court settlement with David Bergstein that settles the suit he filed April 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Bergstein had sought a payment of $6 million he said he was owed and 3.3 percent of the equity in Miramax he said he was promised, which would be worth more than $20 million. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Sources say that Bergstein was being offered about $4.5 million to settle. It appears
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Bergstein had sought a payment of $6 million he said he was owed and 3.3 percent of the equity in Miramax he said he was promised, which would be worth more than $20 million. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Sources say that Bergstein was being offered about $4.5 million to settle. It appears
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- 4/24/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Controversial film financier David Bergstein has filed a lawsuit against two Los Angeles law firms seeking damages of at least $100 million “for aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty” by his former in-house attorney Susan Tregub. The suit, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court on Bergstein’s behalf by attorney Alex Weingarten, charges that four different lawyers used confidential information about Bergstein and his companies that was provided by Tregub while she still represented Bergstein “to launch a litigation assault against Bergstein and his affiliated entities on behalf of David Molner and Aramid Entertainment Fund Limited. “ Story:
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- 4/20/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Bergstein has sued Miramax investors over his role negotiating the 2010 deal with Disney for the rights to independent studio behind "The English Patient" and "Pulp Fiction." The film financier claims that he is owed tens of millions of dollars for his part in structuring and negotiating the $660 million purchase of the indie label. He has named Miramax Chairman Richard Nanula, Colony Capital and Filmyard Holdings in a suit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court. "It was Bergstein who recognized the unique and lucrative opportunity and the hidden value...
- 4/9/2012
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
David Bergstein is suing Colony Capital, its executive Richard Nanula and Filmyard Holdings, the entity crated to acquire Miramax Films. The embattled film executive claims in a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court that he and a U.K. entity he owns, Exodus Film Co., are owed tens of millions of dollars in fees and other payments related to the $675 million acquisition of Miramax in December 2010 from the Walt Disney Co. The suit is for breach of contract, fraud, unjust enrichment and other claims. According to the suit, Filmyard paid Bergstein a closing fee of
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- 4/9/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Embattled film financier David Bergstein is going to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over a judge's refusal to overturn a bankruptcy case. Bergstein brought new evidence that purports to show that his former attorney, who switched sides, destroyed evidence in the case, provided privileged documents to assist Aramid Entertainment Fund in forcing his companies into bankruptcy, and is participating in a conspiracy against him. Last month, Bergstein filed a new motion that describes how after two years of hard-fought discovery battles in the litigation over his bankrupt film companies, he had uncovered evidence proving his arguments why terminating
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- 4/5/2012
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This story first appeared in the April 6 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Ron Tutor and David Bergstein were once highflying business partners. They also were close friends. Neither is the case any longer. The pair met about 12 years ago through Bergstein’s then-girlfriend, and as their business relationship grew, their friendship developed rapidly. If not for Bergstein, Tutor might not have entered the movie business and eventually acquired Miramax. Story: Ron Tutor: The Lawsuits, Losses and Private Struggles of the Man Behind Miramax In the early days, the pair were men about town, mixing it up with
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- 3/29/2012
- by Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film executive David Bergstein has scored a victory in his ongoing feud with hedge fund manager David Molner. A New York judge has dismissed a $190 million tortious interference lawsuit that alleged Bergstein and others attempted to raise shareholder suspicions about the value of Aramid Entertainment as the investment group sought to sell its entertainment portfolio in 2010. The judge can't find a sufficient connection between Bergstein's actions and the failure of a big transaction. Aramid and Screen Capital International filed the lawsuit last year in New York state court against Bergstein, Joseph Bianco, and several other investment groups. Molner
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- 3/23/2012
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The saga of Franchise Pictures, one of the biggest Hollywood blow-ups of all time, isn't quite over. On Tuesday, Warner Bros. was sued in California federal court for allegedly distributing three films -- The Whole Ten Yards, The In-Laws and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever -- without a proper license. The claims come from a German production company that owns the copyright on the films and licensed Franchise to distribute them before that company went bankrupt. Oh, and there's a David Bergstein element here too. According to the lawsuit filed by Mhf Zweite Academy Film Gmbh, the company granted Franchise the
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- 3/22/2012
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
I say this as someone who has fully respect for the guy — Tony Kaye is one odd bird. He left the filmmaking scene for eight years (following an editing fiasco on American History X), came back with a 2 1/2 hour abortion documentary, Lake of Fire, and will now follow-up his feature comeback, Detachment, with the fittingly-titled Attachment.
Oh, and he has two other projects — both of which were shot years and years ago — sitting in an editing room somewhere.
To be fair, this lengthy reprise from screens can be heavily attributed to the legal and creative troubles that have plagued these works, Black Water Transit and Lobby Lobster. The former of those, a Katrina-based drama that starred Laurence Fishburne, Stephen Dorff, Karl Urban, and Britanny Snow, played at Cannes in 2009, got caught in some court cases, and hasn’t been seen since.
A dire situation that Kenneth Lonergan knows all too well — and yet,...
Oh, and he has two other projects — both of which were shot years and years ago — sitting in an editing room somewhere.
To be fair, this lengthy reprise from screens can be heavily attributed to the legal and creative troubles that have plagued these works, Black Water Transit and Lobby Lobster. The former of those, a Katrina-based drama that starred Laurence Fishburne, Stephen Dorff, Karl Urban, and Britanny Snow, played at Cannes in 2009, got caught in some court cases, and hasn’t been seen since.
A dire situation that Kenneth Lonergan knows all too well — and yet,...
- 3/17/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Tony Kaye's first film this decade is "Detachment" -- and his follow-up is called "Attachment." Though they're not part of the same story, the two projects are related, the director told The Playlist.
"Both films are about love," Kaye explained. "It's the journey from detachment to attachment in 'Detachment,' and it's about the love of mankind. And 'Attachment' is about love for the self alone, with no interest in how the other person feels, and how that is damaging."
"Detachment" follows a substitute teacher as he learns to engage with his high school students as well as a fourteen-year-old runaway, while "Attachment" revolves around a college-age student (Tom Felton, who just joined the cast today) who is obsessed with and starts stalking an older woman (Sharon Stone) after they have a one-night stand. "It's a continuation of my exploration of love," Kaye said. "Maybe all my films are.
"Both films are about love," Kaye explained. "It's the journey from detachment to attachment in 'Detachment,' and it's about the love of mankind. And 'Attachment' is about love for the self alone, with no interest in how the other person feels, and how that is damaging."
"Detachment" follows a substitute teacher as he learns to engage with his high school students as well as a fourteen-year-old runaway, while "Attachment" revolves around a college-age student (Tom Felton, who just joined the cast today) who is obsessed with and starts stalking an older woman (Sharon Stone) after they have a one-night stand. "It's a continuation of my exploration of love," Kaye said. "Maybe all my films are.
- 3/14/2012
- by Jen Vineyard
- The Playlist
Ronald Tutor, a construction tycoon and Miramax co-owner, can't escape messy litigation emanating from his days working with former business partner David Bergstein, the embattled film financier. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has tentatively denied his argument that he was personally uninvolved in transactions that prompted Aramid Entertainment Fund to seek redress for tens of millions of dollars in loans and transactions made over films including Love Ranch, The Edge of Love, Black Water Transit, The Good, Incendiary and Bad Meat. Aramid filed the $17 million lawsuit in May 2010 against Tutor, Bergstein and a number of their
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- 3/12/2012
- by Eriq Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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