Tyler Perry Sued Over Temptation Movie

Indiana man is seeking damages against the filmmaker for supposedly stealing his idea

By Josh Grossberg Apr 26, 2013 9:24 PMTags
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If this were a movie, maybe it should be called Why Did I Get Sued?

Tyler Perry is on the receiving end of a lawsuit filed by an Indiana man who's accused the famed writer-director of ripping off his script for the film Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.

In the complaint, filed Wednesday in federal court in Indiana and a copy of which was obtained by E! News, William James says he wrote a script titled Lovers Kill, which centers on a married couple and the wife's affair that destroys her marriage.

According to court docs, the plaintiff gave a copy of the work to "an associate" of Oprah Winfrey at Harpo Studios who informed him that she would give it to Perry for his "review and consideration."

James goes on to claim that Perry subsequently used his ideas in his marital drama-thriller, which has grossed a solid $50 million since hitting theaters a month ago.

Even though he was "never apprised" as to whether the filmmaker was interested in his project, James is demanding he be credited in the film, alleging that the Temptation's plot is substantially similar to the plot of Lovers Kill.

The suit seeks unspecified damages and other relief.

Perry's camp declined to comment.