Law And More

Woody Allen - Can This Career Be Saved (in America)?

Like too many professionals who have suffered a career setback, Woody Allen went to court. 

He filed the lawsuit "Gravier Productions v. Amazon." In it he alleged that Amazon illegally cancelled their agreement on four movies. He requests $68 million.

That hasn't panned out as he expected. His marketability had decreased in the U.S. since he made negative remarks about the #MeToo Movement and the Farrow family resurrected contentions about child molestation. In Europe, his career is holding up.

As Law.com reports, U.S. District judge Denise Cote of the Southern District in the Southern District of New York threw out most of the complaint. Here is that ruling. 

Essentially, the judge found the Allen must demonstrate legally that Amazon wrongly cancelled agreements for specific movies. This, of course, narrows the scope of the lawsuit and makes it more difficult to prove. 

Allen is represented by a legal team at Quinn Emanuel. 

This legal setback throws more shade on Allen. And that can harden public opinion against him in the U.S. His problem essentially stems from an error of judgment he made decades ago. 

For a man who supposedly understands human nature, he created a "scorned-woman" situation with his former long-term romantic partner Mia Farrow. He took up with her adopted daughter. That decision seems fraught with self-destructiveness. After all, with his fame and wealth, Allen could have developed a loving sexual relationship with so many other women. More importantly, he could have terminated his relationship with Farrow in a way that for her would have been less humiliating. 

In a sense those in the U.S. are punishing Allen, indirectly, for a crime of the heart that there was no need of committing. Funny, also this throws shade on psychotherapy. Didn't this issue of potential self-destructiveness come up in those myriad talk sessions which are part of Allen's signature?

Allen's career in the U.S. might be saved by his humble admission of what motivated him decades ago to do what he did in his personal life. That could take the form of a formal public relations campaign. Yes, he must appear on "The View."

Takeaway: Filing a lawsuit can be an expensive and non-productive strategy to turn around a career.

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Post-Mueller Testimony - Time for Lawyers to Divide Up These Not So United States

Today's testimony by Robert Mueller was a phenomenon out of the classic Japanese film "Rashomon." That movie's meme was the extreme subjectivity of perception. 

The conservative media, ranging from the Drudge Report to the New York Post, assessed Mueller's presentation as that of a doddering old fool. 

The liberal media was positive, of course. 

And the smart producers of "ABC Evening News" let the video do the reporting. There was no position taken. 

After these kinds of radically different evaluations of Mueller's performance one wonders if the nation should split in two. Bring the lawyers in to divide up what states conservatives get and what states liberals do. And that will be that. There will be no more united states of America.

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"Ma"- Pain, Pre-Digital, Then a Crime Spree

Back in an Ohio high school, Sue Ann - who goes by nickname Ma - had been withdrawn and naive. She was also one of the few blacks. Of course, she craved to belong.

The mean kids set her up to give oral sex to popular Ben. Then, as a group almost like a Greek Chorus, they laughed about it. That was in person, in the high school corridor. Today it would be through Instagram. 

The film "Ma" chronicles how Sue Ann enacts revenge on those former classmates. That plot starts out with their children, whom she allows to party in her basement.

Bit by bit she becomes increasingly unstable and hostile. That ranges from murdering Ben and his girlfriend Mercedes to drugging and sewing the lips of a smart-mouthed teenager who told her she needed a man. 

Critics note that "Ma" could have been a great film. The plot line and acting don't take advantage of possibilities. But what resonates is the message that those years between childhood and becoming an actual adult are difficult. There are those, like Ma, who never shake off the pain. 

Some entrepreneur with a deep understanding of human nature can invent an app that allows teenagers to sort out in real time and all the time what's happening in their little lives. It would be voice-activated like Alexa, be a damn good listener, and provide sophisticated forms of compassion and guidance. In addition, it would be guaranteed for confidentiality. 

Another kind of help would be allowing students to bring their dogs to school. 

My own descent into hell began not in high school. It was in an all-woman's small Roman Catholic College, not far from where "Ma" is set. Here is that dark psychological drama.

Three years ago, I returned to the scene of the crime to try to sort out all that. I didn't expect it to work. But it did. Unfortunately, too many real-life therapists are unimaginative about what could and does heal. Apps could be lots more creative. 

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No Using OJ Simpson Playbook - Harvey Weinstein's Puzzling Behavior

In his criminal trail, OJ Simpson used these two plays.

One was to keep his dream team working together and for him. That was despite their big egos.

The other was to have the key moves in the courtroom, not out there in the court of public opinion.

And it was the dream team and what they accomplished in the courtroom that got him off.

Harvey Weinstein learned nothing from that playbook.

Again, reports the Daily Beast, his dream team has collapsed. That is attributed to his difficult nature.

Jose Baez who had defended Casey Anthony and Harvard Law professor Ronald Sullivan had been granted permission by Judge James Burked to leave the case.

And, secondly, Weinstein is convinced he will win by what happens in the court of public opinion. That's downright nutty. In the court of public opinion, he has been - to use that phrase from the "John Wick" film series - "excommunicado." In the New Yorker, Ronan Farrow saw to that. 

Weinstein is charged with a 2013 rape and a 2006 sex act.

Given his puzzling behavior, one might wonder if Weinstein is delusional. If so, his two lawyers might try an insanity defense. 

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Ben Crump Could Be the One to Stop Alleged Police Brutality Against Blacks

The way New York Magazine depicts Ben Crump is as the digital era's Martin Luther King who has a law degree. 

Crump has King's innate sense of showmanship and his selfless determination.

Also, through his legal background, Crump has already achieved justice for the families of black males such as Martin Lee Anderson and Trayvon Martin. 

But, Crump feels no satisfaction. Despite the headlines he helped create for his legal victims, he assesses that alleged police brutality against blacks hasn't stopped. That's his mission: stopping all that. 

Crump is an expert in how to get the right attention. Early in his law career he knew to bring into the loop publicity experts. Currently he has his own production company. 

Most importantly, like Detective Robert Goren from "Law & Order Criminal Intent," Crump focuses on the question. Recently, he knew exactly the question to ask of a black financial services executive who had allegedly been mistreated by a bank. Then that professional was arrested by the police and put in a jail cell. There he remained for hours before being allowed a phone call.

That question was: How did you feel?

It took a while for the executive to allow the answer to rise up from his soul.

Eventually, the response was: This is how it happens.

Crump could go down in history as the disruptor who didn't allow "it" to happen any more.

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Roger Ailes v. OJ Simpson - Why Some Antiheroes Get into Our Soul & Others Don't

Of course, conservative Drudge Report curated the news that Showtime's "The Loudest Voice in the Room" only attracted 299,000 viewers.

Ailes' former personal public relations representative Bob Dilenschneider is probably breathing a gigantic sigh of relief.

Obviously, those lousy ratings don't bode well for the rest of the Ailes' exposes which will be trotted out. 

That's very different from the non-stop attention showered on another antihero - OJ Simpson. The world can't get enough of him and his saga. When he started tweeting at @OJ_Simpson32, that was big news. The members of the media still are following his tweets and the responses to them.

This raises the issue - one important to all in the promotions loop - why some unsavory characters get into our soul and others aren't sticky.

I have some hunches about that.

To begin with, Ailes isn't likable. OJ is.

It was journalist Hedrick Smith who analyzed in the book "The Power Game" the correlation between likability and influence. That plays out over and over again in the criminals America turns into pop antiheroes and those who never make it into the collective memory bank. We like Ted Bundy. The pontificating crowd castigates that. We could care less. Announce that next deconstruction of Bundy's inner life and, you bet, we will tune in.

Next, trials cement legends.

We are visual creatures and the goings-on in courtrooms represent vivid live theatre. The scenes from the OJ criminal trial are hardwired into our culture.

Ailes died before any of the lawsuits against him were tried. It's unforgivable he denied us watching the camera pan on his forehead for any sweat. 

And, third, as heinous as alleged sexual harassment is, it isn't murder - not in the literal sense.

Of course, long-term abuse can kill the spirit. But, the actual alleged taking of a life is in a class by itself. Among the reasons the novel "Crime and Punishment" has become iconic is because it explores the thinking processes of a murderer.

Not all crimes are created equal. No surprise, "Dateline" specializes in murder, not #MeToo matters.

Reflection: Ailes may not be resting peacefully in his grace knowing that he isn't the big show.

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Now It's Dems Kicked in Butt with "Old White Man" Meme

"Old white men" had been the classic rhetorical attack on Republicans.

Now, it's being used against Democrats - and by members of their own party. In fact, the members are the ones running against old white men for the U.S. presidency.

The Guardian picked that up from the two debates and ran with it. Here is the commentary.

Joe Biden has been saddled with the old white man label. That has long been in the coming, of course. But the label, like tar and feathers, has been made to stick via youngish woman of color Kamala Harris.

Others who have showcased during the debates that they are definitely not old white men include, in addition to Harris, Cory Booker, Julian Castro, Pete B., and Elizabeth Warren.

This not old white men positioning and packaging can be used directly against the GOP incumbent Donald Trump. He is the stereotypical old white man - smug and wealthy. With Americans losing sleep about money right now, that's not the branding Trump should have.

Yes, a recession has not been officially declared but Bankrate.com documents that 56% of us are already tossing and turning at night because of angst about everything financial. That ranges from increasing trade/tariff tensions to not enough socked away for retirement. 

The takeaway from last night's debate was: Biden, as the line from "John Wick" goes, has been declared excommunicado. 

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If DR Minibar Booze Was Contaminated, Then Law Enforcement/Plaintiff Lawyers Want to Know If It Was Negligence or Murder

Right now, many are having flashbacks to those old black-and-white news reels and films about law enforcement breaking up moonshine operations during Prohibition in the U.S.

Aside from being illegal and dodging taxes, back then the unregulated alcohol production centers frequently caused deaths from contaminated ingredients. And that's exactly what are being investigated as the possible cause of the deaths of seven tourists in the Dominican Republic (DR). The FBI at Quantico, Virginia, is in the loop on this one. 

The hypothesis, reports the New York Post, is that there had been counterfeit booze in the mini bars of the guest rooms at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and the Bahia Principe.

In the content could have been methanol which is toxic. For instance, it is used in antifreeze which can be fatal for humans. On "Dateline," there had been at least one case in which the female spouse poisoned the estranged husband with antifreeze. It was a brutal way to go.

What investigators want to know is who supplied those alcoholic beverages which were in the minibar.

Both hotels deny the possibility of contamination. 

If contamination is found, then the questions for law enforcement - and plaintiff lawyers - is whether this was negligence or premeditated murder. 

Meanwhile, of course, the tourist industry in the Dominican Republic has suffered a massive blow. Eventually, there will be a case study how public relations turned that around. But that could be a long time from now.

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Charlie from "The Intruder" - Made for "Dateline"

Promos for film "The Intruder" highlight the deranged thinking of former home owner Charlie, played by Dennis Quaid.

But the emotional grabber is that the intense emotions Charlie goes through mirror those many of us have also gone through. We are among those forced by financial circumstances to sell a house. After all, a house captures our soul. Call the effect voodoo. And the plot line is made for "Dateline." In that iconic series the husband is usually the killer.

Deeply in debt, Charlie hands over his prized abode in the woods to a advertising guy and his wife. The two plan that to be their nest for rearing a family.

There had been a previous marital crisis involving the husband's roving eye. But that is in the past and their present is about total commitment.

What they don't know is this gregarious guy has had an earlier emotional unraveling when he was threatened with loss of the property. His wife had told him she was filing for divorce and taking the house. He offed her, making it look like a suicide. There wasn't enough evidence for law enforcement to nail him. So, that is one saga which will never make it onto "Dateline."

His new strategy to get back the house is to get rid of owner Scott and marry the wife Anne. It takes a while for them to catch on. And that's too late for one more murder to be committed.

Quaid is great in simulating the facial expressions of growing insanity.

But, there is something very human in Charlie's battle to not lose the house, not forever. His fantasy is not only regaining the property but the life he had had. That impossible mindset is familiar.  

More and more often that is playing out in the ordeal of aging couples who get it that they should ditch the house in the pricey metro area and rent in a less expensive location. That house remains a presence in their lives. They can't shake the memory. And, rarely do they adjust to the need to re-start fresh. 

In 2004, at age 59, I took that road more traveled. Fortunately, it was at near of the top of the real estate boom. The transaction was profitable. That should have been that. But, like Charlie, I had moments of rage when I observed modifications the new owners had made to my house.

Reflection: Members of The New Aging should view "The Intruder." That could clue them in about the brutal tradeoffs of giving up home ownership and the lifestyle they assumed would be forever for a lower cost of living. Houses can cast spells. There could be something to the aging-in-place movement.

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So, What Went Down at Google After 2018 Walkout?

The 1950 Japanese movie "Rashomon" played out how how many different perceptions there can be of the same incident.

Currently there might be the same phenomenon at Google.

The question is: Did employee Claire Stapleton wind up burning bridges when she co-organized the 2018 walkout? It was to protest how the corporation handled alleged sexual misconduct. A bigwig at Google - Andy Rubin - had been accused of that. On his way out he was given a multi-million-dollar package.

In a post on Medium, reports Daily Mail, Stapleton contends she is leaving Google because there has been retaliation for her role in the protest. That included shunning. Pregnant, she also wants more time for herself.

Google says there was no push-back. In fact, it gave her the "Culture Award." 

In addition, there are all the onlookers out here.

Do some perceive Stapleton's organizing activity as not at all smart? After all, she had a job most would kill for.

And, do others view her as a hero of #MeToo times?

Meanwhile, we recall when former Uber employee Susan Fowler posted on her blog about alleged sexual antics and retaliation at that business, things went her way. Here is that post.

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