In a recent development, the legal tussle surrounding the Netflix miniseries 'Griselda,' featuring Sofia Vergara, has reached a settlement. The lawsuit, initiated by the family of the late Griselda Blanco, claimed unauthorized use of their image for the limited series. Here are the key details:
The family's legal counsel officially dismissed the complaint against Netflix's 'Griselda' with prejudice. This dismissal implies that the same claim cannot be resurrected in court, marking a resolution to the legal dispute.
The legal battle surfaced weeks ago when Griselda Blanco's son, Michael Corleone Blanco, and his wife, Marie, filed the suit in a Miami-Dade County Court. The family contended that Netflix lacked authorization to utilize their 'image, likeness, and/or identity' for the series, featuring Sofia Vergara as the infamous Colombian drug lord.
According to the lawsuit, Michael Blanco asserted that he had engaged in discussions with producers about developing a book and show based on his mother's story from 2009 to 2022. He claimed to have participated in interviews and shared materials with them. However, Michael became aware of the limited series only through news publications and alleged that Netflix utilized his narrative and materials without due credit or compensation.
The complaint highlighted that Michael Blanco's unreleased and private artistic literary work was utilized in the series without proper acknowledgment. The lawsuit emphasized the absence of credit to Michael for his contributions to the depiction of his life story and that of his mother, Griselda Blanco De Trujillo.
Sofia Vergara, an executive producer on 'Griselda,' and Netflix were among the defendants listed in the lawsuit. The legal dispute involved a total of seven defendants. Executive producer Eric Newman, not named in the lawsuit, addressed the situation before the series launch, comparing it to his experiences with Pablo Escobar's children during the making of Netflix's 'Narcos' franchise. He emphasized the fictionalized nature of the series, stating that it is not a documentary but a dramatized account.