Black-ish creator Kenya Barris was just hit with a $1 million lawsuit alleging there was a breach of contract and a breach of confidentiality, and that the idea for the ABC sitcom wasn’t his own. The lawsuit comes two days after he landed a feature films deal with 20th Century Fox
The complaint goes on to allege that Barris committed fraud, and the complainant isn’t seeking merely damages. He also wants a full accounting, creator and writer credit and compensation on the show, along with a piece of “all derivative, ancillary and merchandising rights and interests.”
So who brought this suit forward? Director Bryan Barber, who was behind Idlewild. He explains in his complaint that he and his former Clark Atlanta University friend worked on the never-produced script based on Barber’s life. He claims the idea was then “hijacked” by Barris and made into Black-ish.
The filing names several similarities between Barber’s untitled script for a series and that of Black-ish. Notably, the primary character’s wife being named “Rainbow” and being called “Bow” by others. The complaint also states: “Both works conclude with the protagonist overcoming challenges with race relations, adapting to his professional environment, and coming to terms with his ‘blackish-ness,'”
Seeing as though Bryan Barber is a respected director and individual in the industry, this might not be an open and shut case. It will be interesting to see how things unfold in court.
