Four former cast members of the Broadway musical "Jersey Boys" have filed a counter-suit against the show's producers, including Franki Valli, raising intellectual property issues over a contentious off Broadway tour.
According to Billboard, the four original cast members — Christian Hoff, Michael Longoria, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer, filed suit against Valli, claiming that they are entitled to continue to perform in the "The Boys in Concert" tour, which features the group doing classic songbook hits, including some selections from the Four Seasons.
Valli had originally filed suit against the four former cast members in April, alleging that they stole songs, logos and production elements from the Broadway production of "The Jersey Boys" and asked the court to issue an injunction to prevent the four from continuing to tour.
In the counter-suit, the four former cast members allege that Valli committed tortuous interference when he allegedly threatened musicians working with the four and attempted to interfere with the group's business relations with concert promoters and venues. The four are seeking at least $1 million in damages.
"These four incredibly talented men have earned the legal right, through years of toil and artistic effort, to tell audiences of the historically accurate fact that they were stars in 'Jersey Boys'," the group's attorney, Howard Weller told Billboard. "They sing songs from the 1960s that include some Four Seasons hits, and that doesn't duplicate 'Jersey Boys' any more than John Coltrane's rendition of 'My Favorite Things' copied 'The Sound of Music.'" – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
