(Updated, 6:19 p.m. PST)
Attorneys for Nanette Shipley claimed partial victory on Monday after a superior court judge put a lien on the assets of Maverick Films for failing to pay the literary scout for discovering “Twilight” and “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.”
Shipley’s lawyer Alex Weingarten told TheWrap that the scout obtained a writ of attachment against the assets of the shuttered studio.
“You can’t get a much clearer indication that in all probability you’re going to win for the court to make a move like this,” Weingarten said.
However, the judge only granted an $100,000 writ against Maverick and denied a request for a $55,000 lien. It did not grant liens against Former Maverick CEO Mark Morgan or his Imprint Entertainment, although both are named as defendants in the case.
“They are massively overstating their victory,” Gary Raskin, an attorney for Maverick, told TheWrap. “We’ll litigate the case and we will see what the judge or the jury thinks is right.”
Shipley claims that she was supposed to be paid $75,000 for delivering “Twilight” and $100,000 for finding “The Lightning Thief.”
Raskin said that his client was willing to reach a settlement on the order of $50,000, but that Shipley was holding out for a larger figure.
Weingarten said that his client is willing to reach a settlement, but baring that Shipley is willing to go to trial.
“We’re going to prevail. We have the contract and they don’t have any good defense, just a bunch of bad ones, ” he said.
Maverick Films was a production company co-founded by Madonna. It dissolved in 2008.
Morgan left to found Imprint Entertainment, which is listed as a producer on the “Twilight” films and “Percy Jackson.”
All told, the “Twilight” series has grossed over $1.7 billion worldwide and “The Lightning Thief” netted $226 million worldwide.
