Former Jackass franchise star Bam Margera has gotten some good news related to his lawsuit against his old friends. After Margera sued several key members involved in the production of Jackass Forever, including Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine, Paramount, MTV, and others, the defendants had sought to get the lawsuit thrown out. A Los Angeles Superior Court has now issued a tentative ruling that that a lawsuit by Margara may proceed, finding his claims have a “probability of success” against the defendants
Judge Robert S. Draper ruled in favor of Margera on the majority of his claims. The release of the movie set for Feb. 4, 2022, remains in jeopardy as a result of the Court’s ruling, according to Margera’s counsel. The Court disagreed with the defendants for claiming that Margera lacked the competency to bring the suit and offer evidence on his own behalf. “Defendants claim . . . the Court [should] strike Margera’s affidavit . . . is baseless to the point of being frivolous,” the Court wrote in its order. Although the order did eliminate two pleaded causes of action for an injunction, the Court did not eliminate Margera’s ability to seek to bar a release of the movie. The Court specifically stated that Margera could seek a temporary restraining order, according to his attorneys.
“This is a complete victory for Bam that demonstrates our claims are sound,” said attorney Dennis S. Ellis. “The Court eliminated what it believed were two wrongly pleaded causes of action, but it in no way eliminated Margera’s right to seek to block the use of his intellectual property through an injunction against the movie.”
Per the press release, Margera’s lawsuit will now proceed, including with claims that Margera’s intellectual property was stolen by the Defendants and they should be held liable for unfair competition. A date will be set early next year for the next stage of the lawsuit. Margera seeks millions of dollars in compensation and damages for what he says are his contributions to the Jackass movie franchise he created when he was a teen skateboarding star.
Margera and his company are represented by attorneys Eric M. George, Dennis S. Ellis, Katherine F. Murray and Serli Polatoglu of the law firm of Browne George Ross O’Brien Annaguey & Ellis and longtime personal attorneys Alison Triessl and Todd D. Thibodo. Margera’s lawsuit alleges he was illegally fired from the upcoming Jackass Forever movie by Hollywood studios and producers so they could steal the popular and lucrative movie franchise and not compensate him.
“While Margera has given Jackass—quite literally—more than two decades worth of his blood, sweat and tears, the defendants have not repaid him in kind,” said his attorney Eric M. George when the lawsuit was filed. “Rather, Margera, who has a documented history of mental health issues, including diagnosed bipolar disorder, has been the victim of unconscionable discrimination at the hands of defendants.”
At the time, Margera said “I am p*ssed-off, angry, hurt, and shattered that Johnny (Knoxville), Jeff (Tremaine), Spike (Jonze) and the studios and producers ripped off my creativity, content, and stunts to make this movie, fired me without justification, and refuse to pay for my work; I created this franchise before any of these guys ever got involved. My lawsuit isn’t just about compensation. It’s about treating people with mental health and addiction issues in an honest manner and not taking advantage of their disabilities to rip them off."
Jackass Forever is scheduled to be released in movie theaters via Paramount on Feb. 4, 2022.