New York – A federal judge in Manhattan
has narrowed Woody Allen's $68 million lawsuit against
Amazon.com Inc for backing out of a four-picture
production and distribution agreement and refusing to distribute
a film he had already completed.
US District Judge Denise Cote's dismissal of four of
Allen's eight claims on Wednesday means the filmmaker will have to show that
Amazon wrongly abandoned agreements for individual films.
She dismissed claims covering two alleged breaches of the
Aug. 2017 multi-picture agreement, an unjust enrichment claim,
and an alleged breach related to the first film, the completed
"A Rainy Day in New York".
Allen, 83, had sued two Amazon units in February, claiming
they could not abandon their distribution plans because of a
"baseless" allegation that he had molested his adopted daughter
Dylan Farrow in 1992.
The allegation had gained renewed prominence in the #MeToo
movement, which began in late 2017.
Allen has long denied the allegation, which was also made by
Farrow's mother Mia Farrow, who appeared in a dozen of his films
and was his longtime partner. He has not been charged.
Lawyers for Allen did not immediately respond to requests
for comment. Amazon's lawyer Moez Kaba declined to comment.
Cote said Allen and his Gravier Productions Inc failed to
allege an "actionable breach" of his so-called multi-picture
acquisition agreement, or MAA.
"The MAA provides certain benefits to Amazon, such as an
exclusive 'first look' at Allen's subsequent literary and visual
materials and the right to publicize the parties' agreements,
but the plaintiffs do not allege that they suffered damages from
the termination of these provisions," the judge wrote.
Allen had originally sued Amazon Content Services LLC and
Amazon Studios LLC. The latter is no longer a defendant because
it had faced only the now-dismissed unjust enrichment claim.
Allen has won four Oscars, including best director for
1977's "Annie Hall", which also won best picture, and several
actresses have won Oscars for work in his movies.
But the filmmaker has seen modest commercial returns for
many of his films since his bitter breakup with Mia Farrow. Some
actors and actresses have expressed regret for appearing in his
films after Dylan Farrow's allegation gained renewed attention.
Variety said in May that Amazon had returned to Allen the
domestic distribution rights for "A Rainy Day in New York." The
film is being released in Europe, according to media reports.