It is fair to say that Paul Giamati's portrayal of Jerry Heller in the film, Straight Outta' Compton, was less than favorable. The character in the film was presented as a greedy, money-grubbing, opportunistic obstacle to the massive heights that N.W.A. could have reached had they not broken up. If there is an antagonist in the film (other than the police), it is Jerry Heller. Naturally, the real-life Jerry Heller is not too pleased about his portrayal in the film. The 75-year-old music manager and businessman has filed a $110 million lawsuit over his portrayal.
According to AllHipHop, the defamation lawsuit was directed at Dr. Dre and Ice Cube for categorizing him as the "sleazy manager who took advantage of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube."
As TMZ reports, NBC Universal and the estate of rapper Eazy-E were also named in the lawsuit.
Heller also alleges the movie propagated a series of lies, including the $75k check he withheld, the fraudulent introduction of Dre and Cube to sign unfavorable contracts, the lobster brunches he enjoyed while the contracts were being signed and his eventual firing of Eazy-E.
He also claims that he never gave permission to use his likeness wants some compensation from the movie's profits. This is on top of his assertion that producers used "his book without permission for pivotal scenes, including the one where Suge Knight strong-armed Eazy-E into signing away his rights to Death Row."
Apparently, Heller is also mad that the producers failed to use a fake name like "Gary Beller." TMZ also reports that Heller sat in the front row of the film's premiere with his lawyers sitting in adjacent seats. In total, the former music management legend is suing for $35 million in compensatory damages and at least $75 million in punitive damages (ie. profits from the film).
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