In a court filing, they said Altovise Davis' royalties more than quadrupled after she signed up with them and that their efforts helped rebuild her husband's image. They accused Mrs. Davis of having an alcohol problem that was getting in the way. LaRoda, whose company The LaRoda Group Inc. of Reseda, Calif., is also a defendant in the case, and the lawyer representing LaRoda and Francis did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Sammy Davis Jr.'s widow sues former partners
DALLAS (AP) - January 21, 2008 Altovise Davis says in a lawsuit filed in federal court that the
two men exaggerated their show-business credentials and defrauded
her into signing away some rights to her husband's estate.
The entertainer - a fixture in Las Vegas with fellow Rat Pack
members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Joey Bishop - died of throat
cancer in 1990 at the age of 64. He owed more than $5 million to
the Internal Revenue Service, forcing his widow to auction many of
his personal belongings.
Altovise Davis says she gave her intellectual rights to Sammy
Davis Jr. Enterprises Inc., formed in 2004 by Barrett LaRoda and
Anthony Francis, in return for a one-third share in the business.
She alleges the men hid the company's financial records from
her.
Things came to a head, according to the lawsuit, during
negotiations with a studio that wanted to make a biopic about
Davis. The movie was to be partly based on two books - "Yes I
Can" and "Why Me?" - that Davis wrote with the help of friends
Judy and Burt Boyar. Altovise Davis and the Boyars held copyright
interest in the books.
According to the lawsuit, LaRoda and Francis killed the movie
negotiations by demanding a "substantial" fee and credit as
executive producers.
The Boyars company, Dallas-based Boyar Investments LLC, joined
Altovise Davis in suing the men. The lawsuit was filed last month
in state court but was moved to federal court in Dallas because of
copyright issues. Altovise Davis is seeking unspecified monetary
and punitive damages.
LaRoda and Francis didn't immediately respond to calls seeking
comment Monday.