SALT LAKE CITY (CN) - A Utah attorney claims he was assaulted in his office by "large and rough" men from New York, who said his "family would be in trouble" if he refused to intervene in a dispute over a "horse film" that sparked previous lawsuits.
Joseph G. Pia sued Supernova Media, Joseph Di Palma, Joycelyn Engle aka Joycelyn Di Palma, Julianne Michelle, and 10 Does - including the two alleged assailants - in Salt Lake County Court.
Pia claims the muscle men approached him at his office in downtown Salt Lake City in 2009.
"This action arises from a disagreement between the parties involving the production of a feature film entitled 'Shannon's Rainbow' (the 'film'), which has subsequently been released under the title 'Amazing Racer.' The production and distribution of the film has been plagued by numerous wrongful acts committed by the defendants against Mr. Pia and others," the complaint states.
It continues: "Beginning on or around November 2008, and continuing to the present time, the defendants (and other parties involved in the film) have been engaged in a dispute (the 'dispute') over the ownership of, and control over, three limited liability companies associated with the film. These are Shannon's Rainbow LLC, a Utah limited liability company ('SR Utah'), Shannon's Rainbow LLC, a Delaware limited liability company ('SR Delaware'), and Shannon's Rainbow Production LLC, a Pennsylvania limited liability company ('SR Pennsylvania' and with SR Utah and SR Delaware, the 'SR entities').
"The SR entities were created by persons affiliated with SummitWorks LLC ('SummitWorks' and persons affiliated thereto, the 'SummitWorks parties'). The SummitWorks parties contracted with the defendants to make and obtain investments in the SR entities, and to perform various roles in the production of the film. The defendants misrepresented their ability to perform their duties, and jeopardized the success of the film by, inter alia, seeking excessive compensation for their roles, attempting to force the SR entities to distribute the film in an unrealistically expensive manner, and wrongfully asserting that the defendants, rather than the SummitWorks parties, had control over the SR entities.
"The real substance of the dispute was that the defendants wanted to control the SR entities so as to use the release of the film, which stars [defendant Julianne] Michelle, to launch her movie career. The SummitWorks parties, which included the film's writers, and most of the producers, wanted to manage and operate the SR entities in such a manner as to maximize the return on their investments of time and money.
"The dispute included: i) whether the defendants, or SummitWorks, held controlling interests in the SR entities, and therefore the rights to control the manner of distribution of the film; and ii) whether the defendants had contractual rights to control the manner of distribution of the film independent of the issue of control over the SR entities."
Pia claims the Shannon's Rainbow entities hired to do legal work, and that he never had - and does not have - any interest in the entities or the film.
"Mr. Pia, by and through his law firms, was initially hired by the SR entities and the SummitWorks parties to handle legal work involved in corporate formation and contracts necessary to produce the film.
"Mr. Pia's role expanded when he was hired by the SR entities and SummitWorks to represent them against the defendants in the dispute," the 18-page complaint states.