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Frank Dux v.
Jean Claude Van Damme
Van Damme's attack on plaintiff's credibility continues as witness calls Dux a liar
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3 (Court TV) -- Calling Frank Dux a liar who "tries to get something for nothing," another defense witness, Richard Alexander, continued to erode the plaintiff's credibility.
Richard Alexander, Dux's friend for 20 years, testified that the plaintiff's feat of breaking bullet-proof glass with a single punch was a hoax. According to Alexander, the bullet-proof glass was really Plexiglas that Dux had found. Alexander also described another allegedly staged stunt in which Dux shattered a candied glass bottle that appeared to be real glass.
Alexander claimed that he contacted Van Damme's attorney, Martin Singer, after he saw Dux on Court TV lying on the stand. The witness said his last encounter with plaintiff was pleasant but admitted that he once filed an unsuccessful suit against Dux. During cross-examination, Alexander denied plaintiff attorney Steven Kramer's repeated accusations that Alexander stole a car he was supposed to purchase from Dux.
Alexander's testimony attacked arguably the most important aspect of Dux's case -- his veracity. The jury must believe Dux in order to give him a victory over Van Damme.
Dux claims that Van Damme failed to live up to an oral agreement to pay him 2.5 percent of the gross revenue (gross points) from "The Kumite." Dux also signed a separate deal to write the script for "The Kumite," but the movie was never made because its production company went bankrupt. When Van Damme subsequently starred in a similar movie, "The Quest," the Writers Guild of America ruled that Dux would not receive screenwriting credits. Dux decided to file suit.
Adam Rodman, a screenwriter and former member of the board of directors for the Writers Guild of America, testified about the Guild's responsibility in determining the writing credits for a movie. He said that the Writers Guild gives preference to the author of the original script. According to Rodman, if a third of the original script remains intact, then the original writer is given screenwriting credit.
Since the Writers Guild ruled that Dux would receive only "story by" credits for "The Quest," Rodman's testimony suggested that the movie contained very little of the plaintiff's original screenplay for "The Kumite."
Reported by Court TV's Bryan Lavietes
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