Important Case on Privacy and Reality TV: Marich v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists

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jonboydallas
May 14, 2009

While I was practicing law in Houston, I had an interesting case involving a reality TV show. My clients were Bob and Marietta Marich. Bob had been a special forces paratrooper in World War II and was an early figure in radio and TV in Houston. Marietta is a well-known character actress. Most recently, she played Leatherfaces mother in the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its sequel.

Bob and Marietta had a son, Michael, who went to Hollywood to be an actor and had some success. He had a recurring role on Hill Street Blues, for example.

One night, Michael went out with some friends and drank heavily. The next morning, the Los Angeles Police Department got an anonymous call that there was a dead body in Michaels apartment. The police arrived with a film crew from a reality TV show called LAPD: Life on the Beat. Michael had died of a heroin overdose. The crew filmed the interior of the apartment.

Months later, Marietta was in her kitchen in Houston late one night. The TV was on, but the sound was off. She glanced at the screen and noticed something familiar some curtains. Then she saw some small plastic dinosaurs shed seen before. The next image on the screen was Michael, dead, sitting Indian-style with his shirt off. His body was discolored from lividity. Marietta screamed and collapsed. Bob rushed into the kitchen, looked at the screen, and also collapsed in grief.

The show was, of course, LAPD: Life on the Beat. Later, the Marichs found out that the TV crew had also recorded and broadcast the death notification call by the officer who found Michaels body to the Marichs, including their anguished sobs.

I sued the media giant Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists (MGM/UA) (which distributed the show) and the production company on behalf of the Marichs. The case eventually settled for mid-seven figures.

The case got a lot of attention by the media. Leeza Gibbons asked the Marichs and me to be on her show. We were flown out to Hollywood and the show was filmed at the old Paramount Studios. This is a clip from the show.

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