'CSI' writer sued by couple over show's characters
05-23-2009, 06:29 AM
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LOS ANGELES ? A couple sued a writer for the CBS show "CSI," claiming two shady characters on the show were named after them in revenge for a real estate deal gone bad.
Real estate agents Melinda and Scott Tamkin on Friday sued writer and producer Sarah Goldfinger for defamation and invasion-of-privacy. They are seeking $6 million in damages, alleging the show hurt their real estate business. The Tamkins represented the owners of a Los Angeles home that Goldfinger wanted to buy in 2005, according to the lawsuit. Goldfinger pulled out when the sale was in escrow, but there was no indication of any animosity at the time.
The "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" show set in Las Vegas featured a real estate agent named Melinda, who dies under mysterious circumstances, and her husband Scott, a mortgage broker who watches pornography, drinks and is suspected of killing his wife, according to the suit.
The characters had the last name Tamkin in an original screenplay and Goldfinger helped cast actors who looked like the Tamkins, according to the lawsuit. The Tamkins claim the characters' last name was changed to Tucker at the last minute, which they said was evidence Goldfinger borrowed details from their lives.
Anthony Glassman, the Tamkins' attorney, said potential clients looking for their real estate company could have been deterred from contacting them because episode descriptions were online for months before the program aired.
Real estate agents Melinda and Scott Tamkin on Friday sued writer and producer Sarah Goldfinger for defamation and invasion-of-privacy. They are seeking $6 million in damages, alleging the show hurt their real estate business. The Tamkins represented the owners of a Los Angeles home that Goldfinger wanted to buy in 2005, according to the lawsuit. Goldfinger pulled out when the sale was in escrow, but there was no indication of any animosity at the time.
The "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" show set in Las Vegas featured a real estate agent named Melinda, who dies under mysterious circumstances, and her husband Scott, a mortgage broker who watches pornography, drinks and is suspected of killing his wife, according to the suit.
The characters had the last name Tamkin in an original screenplay and Goldfinger helped cast actors who looked like the Tamkins, according to the lawsuit. The Tamkins claim the characters' last name was changed to Tucker at the last minute, which they said was evidence Goldfinger borrowed details from their lives.
Anthony Glassman, the Tamkins' attorney, said potential clients looking for their real estate company could have been deterred from contacting them because episode descriptions were online for months before the program aired.
05-23-2009, 06:34 AM
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It is widely known that when an attorney is looking for an outrageous case to support a preposterous claim, California is the #1 place to go to find that legal support. 
05-23-2009, 06:37 AM
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True, I know that concept all to well....
Last I checked, t.v. was "make believe" ... but, maybe I a missing something?
My guess is that each of us could find a show that had a plot similar to an event in our own lives.
Last I checked, t.v. was "make believe" ... but, maybe I a missing something?
My guess is that each of us could find a show that had a plot similar to an event in our own lives.
05-23-2009, 11:22 AM
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Originally Posted by craigm1841' post='887676' date='May 23 2009, 02:11 PM
sounds crazy, but they will prob settle.
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