"He Redefines The Term Greedy" - Yes Or No? Michael Moore Sues Weinstein Brothers

At least multi-millionaire Michael Moore didn't have the chutzpah to sue Harvey and Bob Weinstein in a New York City court. Because there's no way a jury in the center that suffered through the attack on the World Trade Center would give Moore a penny. Today, Moore filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and even fraud arising out of his audit of his controversy documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. Moore is seeking at least $2.7 million in what he claims are unpaid profits. But I've learned that the Weinsteins have already paid Moore $19.8 million for his backend profit participation in the movie. Further, the lawsuit blindsided the Weinsteins who for the past six months offered to go to mediation on what their reps are calling a "standard accounting dispute" -- but Moore kept rejecting that out of hand. And, as recently as last week, the Weinsteins were discussing with Moore doing another movie together because insiders tell me that Moore next wants to direct a fictional feature film. (Of course, some partisan circles found Fahrenheit 9/11 to be fictional and others saw it as courageous Now the Weinstein will have their Hollywood pitbull litigator Bert Fields defend them against Moore. "He made $19.8 million in backend profit on a 9/11 movie. And now he wants to beat up the Weinsteins for another couple of million dollars," an insider complains to me tonight. "He redefines the term greedy for someone in this business who claims to be a Mr. Poverty indie documentary filmmaker."

The issue is not even whether Moore is entitled to the moolah. Or even whether the Weinsteins cheated him using so-called “Hollywood accounting tricks” and “financial deception”. Rather, it's a matter of appearances. Insiders tell me that Moore has pocketed almost $48 million from his recent movies with the Weinsteins and Overture, including his 2009 Capitalism: A Love Story centering on the financial crisis and the economic stimulus package while indicting the current U.S. economic order and capitalism in general. Yet here is the same filmmaker who 21 years ago cultivated an image as a Man Of The People with Roger & Me and keeps it going -- but is now in court demanding still more riches from his 2004 Fahrenheit 9/11 movie which made $222.4 million in box office. This is why so much of America hates Hollywood and what they view as its hypocrisy. For instance, I haven't heard word one that Moore intends to give any millions he might pocket from his lawsuit to the 9/11 victims or clean-up crews.

Moore's lawyer Larry Stein today released the following statement: "An independent auditor came in and discovered that the Weinsteins had re-routed at least $2.7 million dollars that belonged to Michael Moore from Fahrenheit 9/11. This is the first time Michael Moore has ever sued anyone in his 20-year career as a filmmaker. That should be some indication about how serious this is. It's very sad it had to come to this. Michael believes the Weinsteins have been a force for good when it comes to championing independent film -- but that does not give them the right to violate a contract and take money that isn't theirs."