Lynyrd Skynyrd Court of Appeal Receives Green Light

In a statement following the decision, Cleopatra Films lawyer Evan Mandel described the decision as "a victory for filmmakers, artists, journalists, readers, viewers and the market for ideas". The irony of singing about freedom while trying to use a secret order to prevent other artists from expressing views with which the group is not 39; agreement. "

Mandel said the movie, which cost $ 1.5 million, was shot and was in post-production, with its release scheduled for the summer of 2019.

The representatives of the group refused to comment. Plaintiffs' lawyers, who can still appeal Wednesday's decision, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Pyle left the group in 1991 and did not participate in the appeal. According to the press, he described the film as "MY story", one "not only about the crash of the plane, but also about my personal relationship with the genius Ronnie Van Zant, that I loved as a brother and that day. "

In an interview granted in 2013, Mr. Pyle stated that he remained close to Mr. Rossington, adding, "Gary is surrounded by very sinister, money-driven people who are trying to make the slightest profit. Lynyrd Skynyrd and who use them do it. "

In its appeal, Cleopatra also argued that it had the right of First Amendment to "produce and distribute a dramatic film describing, describing and / or based on true historical events as it sees fit". the constitutional doctrine of the prior restraint that prohibits the censorship of material by the government before publication, many news and entertainment organizations have joined the legal cause of Cleopatra.

However, even overturning the decision, the court of appeal declared that it was not a violation of the First Amendment because "no government entity has obtained court order to prevent the making or broadcasting "of the film. The earlier decision nevertheless prevented "the viewing of an express work before it was made available to the public, and the courts should always be reluctant to prove such an injunction".

The Court of Appeal's decision also reversed the earlier decision that Cleopatra and Mr. Pyle would be required to pay plaintiffs at least $ 632,110.91 in legal fees.