Sammy Davis Jr. Widow Sues Over Legacy
Sammy Davis Jr. With His Wife Altovise Davis
Associated PressThe widow of Sammy Davis Jr. is suing two former business partners over the rights to the Rat Pack entertainer's life story and management of his legacy.
Altovise Davis says in a lawsuit filed in federal court that the two men exaggerated their show-business credentials and defrauded her into signing away some rights to her husband's estate.
The entertainer — a fixture in Las Vegas with fellow Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Joey Bishop — died of throat cancer in 1990 at the age of 64. He owed more than $5 million to the Internal Revenue Service, forcing his widow to auction many of his personal belongings.
Altovise Davis says she gave her intellectual rights to Sammy Davis Jr. Enterprises Inc., formed in 2004 by Barrett LaRoda and Anthony Francis, in return for a one-third share in the business.
She alleges the men hid the company's financial records from her.
Things came to a head, according to the lawsuit, during negotiations with a studio that wanted to make a biopic about Davis. The movie was to be partly based on two books — "Yes I Can" and "Why Me?" — that Davis wrote with the help of friends Judy and Burt Boyar. Altovise Davis and the Boyars held copyright interest in the books.
According to the lawsuit, LaRoda and Francis killed the movie negotiations by demanding a "substantial" fee and credit as executive producers.
The Boyars company, Dallas-based Boyar Investments LLC, joined Altovise Davis in suing the men. The lawsuit was filed last month in state court but was moved to federal court in Dallas because of copyright issues. Altovise Davis is seeking unspecified monetary and punitive damages.
LaRoda and Francis didn't immediately respond to calls seeking comment Monday.
In a court filing, they said Altovise Davis' royalties more than quadrupled after she signed up with them and that their efforts helped rebuild her husband's image. They accused Mrs. Davis of having an alcohol problem that was getting in the way.
LaRoda, whose company The LaRoda Group Inc. of Reseda, Calif., is also a defendant in the case, and the lawyer representing LaRoda and Francis did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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