Ice-T Accused of Stealing Idea for A&E Show

LOS ANGELES (CN) - A man claims in court that actor/rapper Ice-T and A&E swiped his idea for the TV series "The Peacemaker: L.A. Gang Wars."

Click here to check out Courthouse News' Entertainment Law Digest.

In his eight-page complaint in Superior Court, Roy Colbert of Rialto, Calif., claims he was never paid for introducing the concept of a show about stopping Los Angeles gang violence to A&E and Ice-T.

Colbert says he pitched a documentary drama series with the working title "Banging Peace" to A&E programming director Colleen Conway in August 2008.

Colbert says the idea was based on his own "efforts to stop gang violence," and he expected to be creatively involved and to get paid.

But he claims A&E and Ice-T aired the first episode of "The Peacemaker" series in late 2010 without ever paying or consulting him.

Colbert, who is representing himself, has accused A&E Television Networks and Tracy Lauren Marrow ("Ice-T") of breach of implied contract, breach of confidence and accounting.

He demands at least $25,000 in damages.

He told Courthouse News that after he pitched A&E, he discovered that Ice-T's manager (nonparty) Jorge Hinojosa had "got a creative credit for the show," though A&E had used the "exact" same idea as "Banging Peace" for "The Peacemaker."

"I ended up without even a credit," Colbert said in an interview.

He said he expects a lawyer to take on his case soon.

Neither A&E nor Ice-T's representatives immediately responded to requests for comment.

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