CITATION: Wiseau Studio, LLC Et Al. V. Harper Et Al., 2020 ONSC 2504 COURT FILE NO.: CV-17-577020 DATE: 2020-04-23
CITATION: Wiseau Studio, LLC et al. v. Harper et al., 2020 ONSC 2504 COURT FILE NO.: CV-17-577020 DATE: 2020-04-23 SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE - ONTARIO RE: WISEAU STUDIO, LLC and TOMMY WISEAU d.b.a. WISEAU-FILMS, Plaintiffs/Defendants by Counterclaim AND: RICHARD HARPER, FERNANDO FORERO MCGRATH, MARTIN RACICOT d.b.a. ROCKAHVEN PICTURES, ROOM FULL OF SPOONS INC., PARKTOWN STUDIOS INC., RICHARD STEWART TOWNS, Defendants/Plaintiffs by Counterclaim BEFORE: Schabas J. COUNSEL: Daniel Brinza, for the Plaintiffs Matthew Diskin, Meredith Bacal and Douglas Murray, for the Defendants HEARD: January 6-10, 13, 14 and 17, 2020 REASONS FOR JUDGMENT Introduction [1] In June 2003, the plaintiffs, Tommy Wiseau (“Wiseau”) and Wiseau Studio, LLC, released a feature film called The Room. It was a box office flop and received terrible reviews. Entertainment Media described the film as “[a] movie that prompts most of its viewers to ask for their money back – before even 30 minutes have passed.” A sign on the ticket booth where the film was playing read “NO REFUNDS” and contained an excerpt from a review that said, “watching this film is like getting stabbed in the head.” [2] Despite these reviews, or perhaps because of them, the film developed a cult-like status. Tommy Wiseau, who wrote, produced, directed and starred in The Room, has become somewhat of a celebrity, often attending screenings to promote the film, meet with fans, engage in question and answer sessions, and sell merchandise related to the film. [3] In 2011, Wiseau’s co-star and friend, Greg Sestero (“Sestero”), wrote a non-fiction book about the making of The Room called The Disaster Artist – My Life Inside The Room, The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made.
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