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The family of baseball legend Roberto Clemente finds themselves in the middle of a legal storm as they face a lawsuit over the alleged fraudulent sale of the rights to the Hall of Famer's life story to multiple parties.
Filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, the lawsuit names Roberto Clemente Jr. and Luis Clemente, sons of the Pittsburgh Pirates icon, accusing them of "fraudulently" selling and reselling the rights to their father's life story "for their own, substantial financial gain." This explosive development was first reported by Deadline.
Tragically, the Pirates' outfielder died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, at the age of 38, while attempting to deliver aid to earthquake survivors. The Puerto Rican native was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973, becoming the first Latin American elected to Cooperstown. In 2002, MLB honored his legacy by designating September 15 as "Roberto Clemente Day."
The details of the lawsuit
The lawsuit alleges that Inside the Park LLC was granted "an exclusive and irrevocable option" by Clemente's sons in January 2023 to develop a feature film based on Roberto Clemente's life and the 2013 book "Clemente - The True Legacy of an Undying Hero."
However, the plaintiff claims that the Clemente brothers had already sold the same rights in 2015 and had a previous option agreement with Legendary Pictures Productions that had not expired.
Inside the Park LLC accuses the Clemente brothers of engaging in "fraudulent conduct" to boost interest in Clemente's brand, which led to a lucrative $60 million mini-series deal and a multi-year seven-figure sponsorship deal with Capital One for naming rights to Roberto Clemente Day with Major League Baseball.
The plaintiff states that significant steps and considerable sums were expended to develop and produce the feature film based on the rights they believed were exclusively theirs.
"With this information being deliberately withheld... (Inside the Park LLC) took substantial steps and expended considerable sums to commence development and production of a feature film based on the Rights," the lawsuit says.
The Clementes are not the only defendants
Inside the Park LLC is suing for breach of contract, fraud, and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The plaintiff seeks $5 million to "recoup the significant monies it has lost as a result of Defendants' wrongdoing."
The lawsuit also names the Clemente brothers' licensing entity, 21 in Right, their agency CMG Worldwide, its president Mark Roesler, and Legendary Pictures Productions as defendants.
As this legal battle unfolds, the legacy of Roberto Clemente, a revered figure in baseball history, faces an unexpected twist that threatens to overshadow his monumental contributions to the sport and humanitarian efforts.