STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Tyler Perry Sued for Swaying Government Officials to Open Studio

Rival entertainment company says the mogul blocked their plans.

Tyler Perry is being sued by an entertainment company in Atlanta that claims the filmmaker blocked their plans to open a studio in the city. 
The rival company, Ubiquitous, is accusing Perry of working unfairly with government officials to get permission to transform a military base into his Tyler Perry Studios, where his many productions are headquartered. Ubiquitous says its CEO met with the chairman of the government authority in December 2011 to share its vision of creating a movie studio and entertainment complex at the site. The company says Perry tried to persuade the authority to negotiate a similar deal with his company instead.
Ubiquitous has also named the U.S. Army and the government authority of Fort McPherson Military base as co-defendants in the suit. 
Perry, one of the most prolific media moguls working today, shoots many of his films and television shows at his Atlanta studio and is credited for making the city the "Hollywood of the South." Perry's productions bring not only glitz and glamour to Hot-Lanta, but also economic development and jobs. 
The filmmaker is no stranger to lawsuits. Perry recently won court battles for the copyright to his film Good Deeds, as well as the trademark to the popular phrase "What Would Jesus Do?" He also sued the producers of his popular series For Better or Worse for causing multiple fires at his studio.
Neither the filmmaker nor his publicity squad have commented on the suit.
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(Photo: Jose Perez, PacificCoastNews)

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