Page 56 - RICHERT VS. SORKIN THEFT OF THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT AND THE WEST WING

November 16, 1995
Ms. Sally Burmester Writen Guild of America 8955 Beverly Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
Re: "The American President"
Dear I\[s. Burmester:
TEL .
(310) 395 - 0965
FAX .
(310) 395 - 8071
Reference is made to my. letters_to you dated November 7th and November 14th, 1995, concerning the writing credits for "The American President." It is now the day before the'picture op9-ns, ?gd I have not received a response.of_aqy kind from the Writers CuitC. The damage t{t*9-.Uy my client in this matter substantially iircrease! 9very day, as the massive aAv-niffi andpublic,ity.campaign for-the picqry marches iorward with what webelieve is incorrect *.itinE credit. If the film is released this way, the damage done to Bill Richert will increasE exponentially.
Because a lot of rhetoric has been-flying gouq{ from_all concerned panies in the past several weeks, I believe it is important to clarify a few things. These are as foliows:
1. Castle Rock, Aalon Sorkin and Richard Heller (Sorkin's aftorney) claim that it is somehow relevant that this matter has already been he_ard by three WGA arbitration panels, uU of *f,i"f, ruled in Sorkin's favor..Howcver, because Sorkin's attorncy misrepresennfu it"po"ant facts at lhe lre-arbitmtio-n hearing (based.o:r the account of Helier's stdtements con't"inJA iltil; September.29th letter compared with the subsequent admissions of Sorkin, Reiner, ffru"iunO Afqn H.orn), the pre-arbitration decision clearlj, must be thrown out, and furthei, tt e intiie gbitr.ation pr-ocess pfona th.al noint was fundame$ally biased and undermined by tfreinco.reci
decision made ^by ttre.p.re-q+itration panel. The issu6 of the pre-arbitration d""'irG il;;ut
explained in more detail in my November Ttir letter, that decision was baset
quitg simple.
-Aq
(and.coul$.ggly fave.beerlbasg{) q the g-uild'i6"6mi!ation that niiner a"a s"itinl"ru.tii developed'"The Amcrican hcsifur'rcmp-lgctyjucqeadq1tly of.,Thc plesidenimopes,;;ve;
igt P_"tl"g their picture qany -exten! on-The Presiient Elobes,- had noi been rii*ig *itrt Redford concerning i'The hesideat Elopeq'lprior the Sorkin *titiog his first draft, a"A niA noi 99e.1 tle prior screenplays f9g "!he ltesiddnt Elopes." This app-ears to-have been Richard He.ller's position at the.l_1e--qrbitrationhearing, accord.ing ro your Sdptember igth letter, anO tfre
guild simply accepted Heller's word without doing iny indepen'dent inviitigation'into ttre relationship benveen the two projects.
LAW OFFICES OF DAVID EVAI{S
BY FNilCOPY BY CERTIFIED MAIL
r5.1 OCEAN A}/ENUE
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SANT A M ON I CA, CALIFORNIA eoaol