X-Men screenwriter David Hayter and Howard Films (on behalf of Hollywood writer and casting director Tamer Howard) are suing the producer and talent managers of the Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart comedy Get Hard, claiming the comedy was based off of their story ideas.
According to the complaint, in May of 2012, Hayter and Howard presented ideas, story materials, and treatments to prominent talent managers Jimmy Miller and Julie Darmody for a “prison preparation buddy” comedy, after registering their treatments with the Writers Guild of America. After their agent followed-up with Miller and Darmody several times and received no response, Hayter and Howard believed their ideas were tossed aside. Get Hard went on to make millions of dollars for Miller and Darmody.
Hayter and Howard filed a breach of confidence lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on May 20, 2016. In their complaint, Hayter and Howard claimed that they operated under “well-established customs and practices of the entertainment industry” and “on the mutually understood condition that their ideas wouldn’t be used without permission and/or compensation in the form of payments and credits.” Their claim seeks restitution, lost profits, general damages, special damages, and punitive damages. Additionally, Hayter and Howard are seeking an injunction to stop Miller and Darmody from using their concepts and for a court order to make Miller and Darmody destroy materials based off of Hayter and Howard’s ideas. Miller and Darmody have not yet commented on the lawsuit.