In a scene from the movie “Straight Outta Compton” — Paul Giamatti, who plays Jerry Heller in the film — tells a badly beaten Eazy E that you don’t retaliate against people with violence.
No Heller said, “you bleed those f*cker’s dry in court.”
Heller is taking his own advice, as TMZ reports that he’s suing Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, the estate of the late Eazy-E, Universal, and others, for defamation of character.
Heller says he was portrayed as “the bad guy” and “a sleazy manager who took advantage of Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.” And he says there are other lies in the movie, including:
— He withheld a $75k check from Ice Cube
— He fraudulently induced Dre and Cube to sign unfavorable contracts
— He enjoyed lobster brunches while the contracts were being signed
— He was fired by Eazy-E
He claims he never gave permission to use his likeness and he wants profits from the movie as well because NBC sold tickets off his back. He also claims producers used his book without permission for pivotal scenes, including the one where Suge Knight strong-armed Eazy-E into signing away his rights to Death Row.
Heller is also upset because producers didn’t even bother to give his character a fake name, like “Gary Beller.”
That tells you all everything you need to know about how confident Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and other were in portraying their former manager, knowing that a lawsuit could come.
It appears Heller is just out for attention, and will likely never see a penny. Jerry reportedly wants at least $110 million, with $35 million in compensatory damages and “at least” $75 million in punitive damages, as well as “all profits” from the film.