The videographer who leaked Jared Leto saying foul remarks against Taylor Swift is being sued by TMZ and Warner Bros. According to reports, the suit has been filed in a California federal court on Friday.
Rolling Stone reported the suit comes after Leto filed a lawsuit against the gossip site on December where he was seen trashing Swift. "I mean, f— her. I don't give a f— about her," Leto commented about the pop singer on the clip.
The Suicide Squad actor immediately apologized, then later filed a lawsuit against the gossip site for invading his privacy and copyright infringement.
In an unexpected turn of events, TMZ and their corporate partner, Warner Bros. have filed their own charges against Jacob Miller, the source of the leaked footage. They assert that Miller misled them as to whether who has real ownership of the video in question.
"At the heart of this lawsuit is a straightforward question. Who owned the copyright in the allegedly infringed video on December 4, 2015? On that date, Third-Party Defendant Jacob Guy Miller represented to (TMZ affiliate) EHM that he created the video, that he had the right to and would sell it to EHM, and that he was free to do so 'without any obligations to any third party,'” reads a statement from the lawsuit shared by Just Jared.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, it’s considered unusual for news organizations to sue their sources, and mostly don’t offer compensation as TMZ does. When a deal between the source and a publication is made official, a contract enters the arrangement.
In this case, TMZ displayed interest in purchasing and publishing Miller’s video after seeing Leto’s controversial clip. Miller, for his part, was promised $2000 according to the lawsuit. However, the contract was never made because Miller failed to forward the signed documents.
Fifteen minutes later when the video was posted, the suit claims that Miller insisted on not publishing the clip, confessing that he does not have permission because he doesn’t own it.
TMZ and Warner Bros. have enlisted atty. Kelly Klaus to defend their case against Miller. Jared Leto nor Taylor Swift did not release any comments regarding this legal battle.
