August 2016 – Kendall Brill & Kelly attorneys Bert Deixler, Philip Kelly, and Joshua Sussman represented legendary composer Hans Zimmer and several other defendants in successfully defeating a lawsuit concerning the musical score for the Academy Award-winning film, 12 Years A Slave. The plaintiff, Richard Friedman, voluntarily dismissed the copyright infringement lawsuit when faced with evidence which resoundingly disproved his claims and raised the threat of sanctions for pursuit of a frivolous lawsuit. The plaintiff also wrote a letter of apology to Zimmer, saying he was misguided and mistaken in making the claims of copyright infringement, and paid Zimmer an undisclosed amount of money. Zimmer, one of Hollywood’s most revered composers, has scored more than 150 films including The Lion King, Interstellar, and The Dark Knight. He said he was very pleased by the successful resolution of the lawsuit and hoped the outcome would discourage other unfounded claims against artists.
Please see the story in the Hollywood Reporter.