Sofia Vergara spoke to Fox News Digital about her fellow “America's Got Talent” judges, saying she thinks it's great that everyone takes the show seriously and understands that it's important to the contestants.
Sofia Vergara and Netflix are being sued by Griselda Blanco's son over the “Modern Family” star's portrayal of the late Colombian drug lord in a new limited series.
Michael Corleone Blanco and his wife Marie filed a lawsuit in Miami-Dade County on Jan. 17 alleging “unauthorized” use of his “artistic literary work” and the family's “image, likeness and/or identity.”
Blanco alleged in the lawsuit that Netflix used information from private interviews he conducted about his mother's life for the limited series without his permission and without compensating him.
The lawsuit goes on to say that Blanco “spent several years meticulously documenting his private narratives and his mother's life with the intent of publishing a book and developing a Spanish soap opera.”
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Vergara is an executive producer on the series and plays Griselda Blanco. (Jose Oliva/Europa Press via Getty Images/Miami-Dade Police Department / Getty Images)
Eric Newman, creator and executive producer of “Griselda,” told Today.com: “I looked into similar suits worn by Pablo Escobar and his family while filming 'Narcos.' I tend not to think much about them . It just feels a little surprising and kind of fits with the territory.”
Albert Soler, a partner at New York-based law firm Scarinci Hollenbeck, told Fox News Digital on Friday that lawsuits of this type are “pretty common.”
“The same lawsuits took place in connection with the various shows that portrayed the late Pablo Escobar,” Soler explained. “The main problem is that family members and estates (a) want to protect their loved ones from unfavorable portrayals and (b) want to profit from their own projects and books, for example.”
“However, for these types of projects, a producer typically does not need permission from subjects or their estates. However, preserving life story rights is always the best course of action in such situations.”
Eric Newman, left, creator and executive producer of “Griselda,” said: “I looked into similar suits worn by Pablo Escobar and his family while filming 'Narcos.' I tend not to think much about them. It just feels a little surprising and somehow… (Pablo Cuadra/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
Soler noted, “When the subject of a show or documentary is a 'public figure' such as Griselda Blanco, there is less protection and the First Amendment provides protection for shows of this type depicting Griselda and her life.”
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But he added: “Griselda's family are not 'public figures,' so this lawsuit alleges that Griselda's family, including her son Michael, were featured on the Netflix show without permission.”
He continued: “Even in states that recognize a postmortem right of publication, there are exceptions for creative and expressive works. Public figures enjoy minimal protection, but the use of Griselda's family name and likeness may be a problem, but such claims could be difficult to prove in this case.”
Soler is not involved in the lawsuit.
According to Today.com, Vergara previously told Telemundo that she was not “very aware” of the lawsuit but had respect for Michael Blanco and wanted to read his book.
Vergara is an executive producer on the series and plays the “Cocaine Godmother,” a name by which Grisela Blanco became known in the series.
The lawsuit seeks damages “in excess of $50,000” and an injunction to prevent the series from being released on Netflix on January 25, but as of Thursday the series was available on Netflix.
Blanco called the series “disrespectful” in an interview with Fox News Digital published earlier this week.
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“Sofia Vergara did not consult with members of the Blanco family when portraying my mother to show respect or evoke family details,” he said.
“When I found out about the 'Griselda' project, my team reached out to Sofia's camp and offered my consulting services,” the 45-year-old claimed.
The cast of “Griselda.” The show premiered on Netflix on Thursday, despite Michael Blanco's request to temporarily halt the show's release. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Netflix/Getty Images)
Michael also claimed that after being invited to sit down with Vergara's team, he was told that “there was no space available for the project.” He claimed that the series was created without the involvement of members of his family.
“Sofia's camp and the Netflix creators were disrespectful and ultimately produced the 'Griselda' project on their own for commercial reasons, without important details from the Blanco family,” he claimed. “After the table hearing, my lawyers officially sent a cease and desist letter to Netflix and Sofia’s camp. To date, neither Netflix nor Sofia’s camp have made any attempts to reconcile.”
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“Regardless of public information, fundamental respect is required,” Michael continued. “I am Griselda's only living son who has life rights agreements signed by Griselda herself in which she intended me to carry out her life story. I am a businessman in the entertainment industry and understand the importance of films as I have to publish a book based on the true story.”
Sofía Vergara plays Griselda Blanco and is also an executive producer on the series. (Gustavo Caballero/Variety via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Netflix lawyers argued in court that Blanco had previously agreed to have his information used for the show, according to NBC News.
Blanco's lawyer, Benjamin Mord, told NBC News: “Netflix, as we have alleged, is using these ideas that were part of interviews that were recalled, as well as writings and notes. No one else could have these ideas and no one else could have these stories.” “
The series examines the rise and fall of Blanco, a single mother of four who rose to fame as a cartel leader before being shot dead in 2012 at the age of 69. In the 70s and 80s he was often referred to as “the female Pablo Escobar”.
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Fox News' Stephanie Nolasco and Tracy Wright contributed to this report.