Motown Founder Berry Gordy Files $10M Lawsuit Over Fiction Film That Shows Him Putting A Hit Out On Rival Exec

Motown Founder Berry Gordy Files $10M Lawsuit Over Fiction Film That Shows Him Putting A Hit Out On Rival Exec

It looks like Berry Gordy isn’t playing any games when it comes to his reputation.

The legendary music executive has filed a $10 million lawsuit over a film that allegedly portrays him in a negative light.

According to RadarOnline, Berry Gordy is suing Timothy Bogart — the son of late music exec Neil Bogart — Hero Entertainment and Universal City Entertainment Group over a 2023 film called Spinning Gold.

Gordy says that Spinning Gold was produced by Timothy Bogart and focuses on his father Neil Bogart’s record label Casablanca Records. According to the record exec, Timothy has said this about the film:

“Every bit of it is true, even the parts that aren’t.”

However, Gordy claims the film creates false narratives and paints him in a negative light. According to the lawsuit, the film created a,

“made-up storyline in which Gordy is wrongfully and dishonestly portrayed as a thug and a mobster who goes so far as to order a murder for hire. The Picture is unlikely to be a commercial or artistic success. However, the picture does succeed in defaming and otherwise causing great damage to Gordy.” 

Berry Gordy

Berry Gordy claims the film portrays him as a gangster and a thug. He alleges one scene, in particular, had him “putting a hit out” on Neil,

“purportedly because Casablanca Records lured the Isley Brothers and Gladys Knight away from Motown to join the anemic roster of artists at Casablanca.”

The suit reads,

“None of this is true and [Gordy] is not, and has never, associated with criminals or criminal behavior, and there certainly was never any solicitation of murder by, or, on the part of, [Gordy].”

It continues,

“The negative portrayals of [Gordy] and the insertion of the scene concerning Plaintiff “putting out a hit” is a vile, reckless and baseless character assassination in the desperate attempt to create drama where non exists in a lackluster Picture. This wrongful and illegal content in the Picture has caused severe damage to [Gordy] and to [Gordy’s reputation].”