The former National Basketball Players Association executive director, Billy Hunter, has filed a lawsuit against LeBron James, Drake, and Future, seeking damages of $10 million. The lawsuit, as reported by Carl Campanile and Priscilla DeGregory of the New York Post, alleges that the three celebrities infringed on “intellectual property rights” related to a film titled “Black Ice,” which portrays the segregated hockey league for Black players in Canada.
Hunter claims to have the exclusive legal rights to produce any film about the historic Colored Hockey League that operated from 1895 to the 1930s. Aside from shared profits from the film, he is pursuing $10 million in damages.
In a statement from Hunter’s attorney Larry Hutcher, the lawsuit asserts that fame and reputation in basketball and music do not justify the misappropriation of another person’s intellectual property.
The Black Ice documentary is adapted from the book “Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895 to 1925,” authored by George and Darril Fosty. Both authors are named as defendants in the lawsuit, with Hunter alleging that they struck a deal with James and Drake without his knowledge, despite him having paid $265,000 for the movie rights.
Hunter expressed his determination to pursue his rights, stating that the defendants underestimated the potential legal repercussions. The documentary is scheduled to be showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10.
