What is the most expensive lawsuit in Hollywood history?
There are few things the tabloid press loves more than a high-profile celebrity lawsuit. These legal battles between famous faces with more money than God tend to rage on for years, as countersuits are filed and armies of attorneys are lined up for an eventual day in court that may or may not come. In the meantime, dirty laundry can be aired, and a war of words can be reported as the two sides trade barbs to sway the court of public opinion, all in an effort to reach a multi-million dollar outcome.
Over the years, Hollywood has seen more than its fair share of vicious and costly legal wars. In 2021, Scarlett Johansson sued Disney for $50million, arguing that the House of Mouse broke its contract with her when it released Black Widow simultaneously in cinemas and on Disney+ as a Premier Access rental. She had a backend deal with the studio that promised to pay her a considerable amount after a lucrative theatrical run, and the streaming release ate into those profits. The studio ended up settling out of court with the star, with the rumoured amount in the $40m range.
In recent years, however, the most infamous example has to be the ongoing battle between It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni and that movie’s star, Blake Lively. This salacious conflict began when Lively filed suit claiming Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set of the film, and in response, Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to the tune of an eye-watering $400m, arguing that they were attempting to utilise their wealth and star power to ruin his career.
Amazingly, though, the most expensive lawsuit in Hollywood history beats even Baldoni’s insane ask by around $100m, when adjusted for inflation. You see, in 1964, 20th Century Fox actually sued the two lead stars of its misguided blockbuster Cleopatra, which had the biggest production budget of any movie in history at that point. While it was the highest-grossing film of the year, its gargantuan cost and the perceived bad behaviour of its stars contributed to the movie nearly bankrupting the studio.
So, to recoup some of its losses, Fox sought $20m in damages from star Elizabeth Taylor, $5 million from her co-star Richard Burton, and a further $25m from Taylor and Burton as a couple. In total, that was $50m big ones, which equates to an astonishing $500m in today’s money.
Among other things, Taylor was accused of “not reporting for work on time”, “not performing her services with due diligence, care or attention”, and “reporting for work in a condition which did not permit her to perform her services”. Whatever she did behind the scenes, Fox claimed it caused her to “become disabled, incapacitated, or unphotographable”.
Similarly, Burton was an admitted alcoholic during production, and he and Taylor took part in a torrid affair that wound up splattered all over the tabloids. The studio claimed they had left it open to “scorn, ridicule and unfavorable publicity” thanks to their conduct, which became “offensive to good taste and morals” and torpedoed the commercial value of the film.
What happened in the end?
Soon after news of the lawsuit became public, a spokesperson for Taylor and Burton issued a statement that the legal action was “too ludicrous” to even dignify with a full response. All PR agent John Springer would say was, “It would appear that 20th Century‐Fox filed the suit here to divert attention from a suit now pending in Hollywood in which a company headed by Miss Taylor is suing Fox.”
Indeed, Taylor had previously sued Fox for breaching its contract with her. She was paid an unprecedented $1m for starring in the film, plus 10% of Cleopatra’s grosses, but her suit claimed she’d not seen a penny of that backend cash. In fact, she’d not even been furnished with an earnings report for the total box office take.
Ultimately, this legal war didn’t drag on for anywhere near as long as most. It was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount in 1966, only two years after Fox sued Taylor and Burton. However, it is believed Taylor may have had the last laugh, with her final salary for Cleopatra clocking in at somewhere in the region of $7m.
