The founder and president of the nonprofit She the People has filed a lawsuit against Netflix and Tyler Perry over the scripted series of the same name, Law 360 reports.
Aimee Allison filed the lawsuit just ahead of the May 22 release of Tyler Perry’s new Netflix series. The suit brought against Netflix, Perry, his company, Tyler Vision, LLC, and actress Terri Vaughn alleges the series infringes on the nonprofit’s brand identity and the established goodwill of its political advocacy work.
Vaughn stars in the new comedy series as Antoinette Dunkerson, a determined politician running for lieutenant governor who ends up serving under a sexist, condescending boss, all while helping her family navigate the newfound spotlight of public life. Perry co-created the sitcom with Niya Palmer, who also serves as executive producer alongside Vaughn and former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
The lawsuit claims that Allison had previously partnered with Vaughn to develop a docuseries inspired by the “She the People” concept and that the new Netflix series borrows heavily from the themes and structure of her original work.
“The Series echoes many of the same themes regarding Black women’s experiences in politics that Ms. Allison addresses through her activism under the SHE THE PEOPLE mark, albeit in a slightly different format,” the lawsuit states. “With a lighthearted and comedic touch, the Series trailer (the “Trailer”) shows the newly-elected lieutenant governor confronting a number of issues likely to resonate with women of color[.]”
Allison’s lawsuit argues that the show’s themes, used alongside the “She the People” brand, raises concerns about potential misuse of Allison’s intellectual property. She has not publicly addressed the lawsuit or Perry’s new show, which is currently ranking in Netflix’s Top 10 series.