Judge Bans Airing of Lifetime TV's Chris Porco Movie (Exclusive)

[sailingaway]

In a development that could reverberate throughout the entertainment industry, a New York Supreme Court judge has taken the bold step of enjoining the broadcast of Lifetime Television's telefilm Romeo Killer: The Christopher Porco Story, which was scheduled to air Saturday.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/lifetimes-chris-porco-movie-banned-429988

[V3n]

haven't decided where I stand on this yet; but providing more detail from the article:


Porco sued Lifetime, claiming that the film violated New York Civil Rights Section 51, the state's version of publicity rights, which allows a person to seek redress if his or her "name, portrait, picture or voice is used … for advertising purposes or for the purposes of trade without the written consent first obtained."

The jailed killer, who hasn't seen Romeo Killer, alleged that the movie was a “substantially fictionalized account … about plaintiff and the events that led to his incarceration."

Lifetime counters that "the essential elements of the movie are true and accurate and based on court and police records, interviews with persons involved, and historical and other documents."

So it was banned based on the request of the person the movie is about, not some arbitrary censorship. I can understand someone wanting to protect their name, their reputation.. on the other hand, they are protecting that post-conviction!