A producer who is battling with Jennifer Lopez over a proposed film about the star’s first husband and their 11-month marriage said today that despite a setback from an appellate court, she still hopes to go forward with the project.
(Flickr/Ana Kley)
Claudia Vazquez made an appearance this morning before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Deirdre Hill, who delayed any action to formally dismiss the producer’s lawsuit against the singer/actress.
The judge said she wanted to give Lopez’s lawyers until April 4 to try to recover from third parties videos their famed client believes would invade her privacy if made public.
The videos were made during Lopez’s marriage to Ojani Noa.
The lawyers also are filing a motion for attorneys’ fees against Vazquez to compensate Lopez for fighting the case in court.
Vazquez sued the “Selena” star in December 2010, maintaining the project she wanted to complete with Noa and writer Ed Meyer would be a “comedic parody of Noa’s life crafted nearly entirely from material that is already in the public domain.”
The producer alleged Lopez was interfering with her project without justification.
But in reversing a May 2011 ruling by Judge Ann Jones, a three-justice panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal on Sept. 24 found that current law prevented Vazquez’s lawsuit against Lopez from proceeding.
“The litigation privilege bars all of plaintiff’s claims and the trial court erred in denying the (dismissal) motion,” Justice Elizabeth Grimes wrote in the unanimous 12-page opinion directing a trial judge to toss out the case.
Lopez, 43, claimed the movie Vazquez wants to make deals in part with the “Selena” star’s marriage to Noa and that revealing the information would
damage the actress’ career and could cause the public to think poorly of her.
Vazquez said after today’s hearing that she has already spent a considerable sum developing the film and wants to shoot it in Noa’s native Cuba and in Florida. But she said potential distributors are nervous about the project without assurance from her that they would not be violating any judge’s orders, and they want her to get a document stating that she has permission to go forward with her film.
“They want to see that paper from the court,” Vazquez said.
Lopez’s lawyer, David Jonelis, told Hill that he is working with a former lawyer for Vazquez to get some of the disputed footage from the attorney’s computer.
Vazquez is now representing herself.
The actress’ lawyers also are trying to enforce a court order forcing Noa to turn over any videos he possesses, but he has refused to comply.
Lopez married Noa, who managed a Pasadena restaurant she then owned, in 1997 and divorced him just under a year later.
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