CopyrightC.D. Cal.2:24-cv-01587

R. Lance Hill v. Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc.

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Summary

R. Lance Hill sues MGM, United Artists, and Amazon Studios for copyright infringement over allegedly stolen literary work.

Summary generated by AI from public docket data. Verify against the original filing before relying on it.

Deep summary (AI brief of the complaint)

# Case Brief: R. Lance Hill v. Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc. **Case No. 2:24-cv-01587 (C.D. Cal., filed Feb. 27, 2024)** --- **Plaintiff:** R. Lance Hill (a/k/a David Lee Henry), individual, resident of Canada, represented by Marc Toberoff of Toberoff & Associates, P.C. **Defendant:** Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (Delaware corp.), Amazon Studios LLC (California LLC), and United Artists Pictures Inc. (Delaware corp.), all headquartered in Los Angeles County. **Core allegation:** Hill authored the *Road House* screenplay on spec in July 1986, assigned the copyright to United Artists on September 16, 1986, and timely served a statutory termination notice under 17 U.S.C. § 203(a) effective November 11, 2023, which recaptured the U.S. copyright in the screenplay. Defendants refused to acknowledge the termination and completed an unauthorized 2024 remake of *Road House* derived from Hill's screenplay after the termination's effective date without obtaining a new license from Hill. **Asserted IP:** - Original *Roadhouse*…

AI-generated from the filed complaint. Always verify against the original document.

Coverage vs reality meter

Coverage vs realityNo signal

Latest ruling: neutral (2026-08-27)

Coverage sentiment vs. docket activity over time

Coverage sentiment vs. docket activity over time▲ plaintiff-favorable▼ defendant-favorableDocketFiled 2024-02-272026-05-19 · ruling · favors neutral Order2026-08-27 · ruling · favors neutral OrderFeb 24May 25Aug 26filingruling■ plaintiff■ defendantweekly coverage · docket events

Counsel of record

For the plaintiff
For the defendant
Other counsel (amici, etc.)
Court
U.S. District Court, Central District of California
Docket no.
2:24-cv-01587
Nature of suit
Copyright
Judge
Hernan D. Vera
Filed
2024-02-27
Last filing
2026-09-29

Cause

17:501 Copyright Infringement

Entities in this case

MGM3R. Lance Hill

Parties

R. Lance Hill (plaintiff) Does (defendant) Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc. (defendant) United Artists Pictures Inc (defendant) Amazon Studios LLC (defendant) Marc Toberoff (movant) Mark Goldzweig (mediator (adr panel)) Lady Amos Literary Works Ltd. (third party defendant)

Docket entries

  1. 2026-10-09

    Motion Hearing AND Review

  2. 2026-09-24

    Notice of Filing Transcript

  3. 2026-09-02

    Motion Hearing

  4. #1322026-08-27

    Order

  5. 2026-08-21

    Text Only Scheduling Notice

  6. 2026-08-20

    Order AND ~Util - Set/Reset Motion Hearing and R&R Deadlines

  7. 2026-06-12

    Notice of Filing Transcript

  8. 2026-06-09

    Discovery Hearing

  9. 2026-06-05

    Notice of Filing Transcript

  10. 2026-05-27

    Discovery Hearing

  11. 2026-05-20

    Notice of Filing Transcript

  12. 2026-05-19

    Order

  13. #922026-05-10

    No description on file

  14. #912026-05-08

    No description on file

  15. #902026-05-08

    No description on file

  16. #892026-05-05

    No description on file

  17. #882026-05-05

    No description on file

  18. 2026-05-05

    Motion Hearing

  19. #862026-05-04

    No description on file

  20. #852026-05-04

    No description on file

  21. #842026-05-04

    No description on file

  22. #822026-04-29

    No description on file

  23. 2026-04-29

    Notice of Filing Transcript

  24. #812026-04-23

    No description on file

  25. #802026-04-23

    No description on file

  26. #792026-04-23

    No description on file

  27. #782026-04-23

    No description on file

  28. #772026-04-23

    TRANSCRIPT ORDER as to Defendants Amazon Studios LLC, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc., United Artists Pictures Inc for Court Smart (CS). Court will contact Brad Rank at brank@sheppard.com with further instructions regarding this order. Transcript preparation will not begin until payment has been satisfied with the transcription company. (Hwang, Wook) (Entered: 04/23/2026)

  29. #762026-04-22

    MINUTES OF Informal Discovery Conference 67 held before United States Magistrate Judge Stephanie S. Christensen: Proceedings held remotely. Public access to proceeding available in Courtroom 590. Case is called. Counsel make their appearances. Separate order to follow. Court Recorder: CourtSmart 4/22/2026. Counsel for Plaintiff(s): Darrell Rae Atkinson, Esq. Counsel for Defendant(s): Wook Hwang, Esq. and Paul A. Bost, Esq. Courtroom Deputy: Teagan Snyder. Time in Court: 47 mins. THERE IS NO PDF DOCUMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ENTRY (tsn) (Entered: 04/22/2026)

  30. 2026-04-22

    Discovery Hearing

  31. 2026-04-13

    Order AND ~Util - Set/Reset Deadlines/Hearings

  32. 2026-04-09

    Appear Pro Hac Vice

  33. 2026-03-30

    Notice of Filing Transcript

  34. 2026-03-26

    Discovery Hearing

  35. 2026-03-11

    Discovery Hearing

  36. 2024-12-30

    Notice of Filing Transcript

  37. 2024-09-12

    Motion Hearing AND Strike

  38. 2024-07-14

    Text Only Scheduling Notice

Docket history from CourtListener/RECAP — most recent first.

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View on CourtListener →Open in feed →Last updated 2026-09-30