Former film exec sues TMZ for $20 mil

By Matthew Belloni

The ex-president of producer Jon Peters' company sued TMZ today for $20 million over an article that allegedly branded him a thief and a rapist.

Ronald Grigg, an attorney and former head of Peters Entertainment, filed suit for defamation in Los Angeles Superior Court over a December 24, 2008 report entitled "Famous Producer Alleges Fraud, Theft, Date Rape" that detailed a lawsuit Peters had filed against Grigg. "The article states that (Grigg) committed crimes during his employment, and as such, portrays him as a loathsome criminal," the complaint says.

When the lawsuit was filed, Grigg was in the middle of an employment dispute with Peters and suffered irreparable harm due to the statements in the article, he says.

Among the allegations in the TMZ piece, which the suit says is still on the site (even though we haven't been able to find it) UPDATE BELOW:

• Grigg stole computers from Peters' office

• Grigg drugged two drunk women with "Special K" and raped them on Peters' property.

• Grigg "went on a campaign of deceit" while Peters was in a "vulnerable" state recovering from surgery to remove a tumor.

TMZ did not respond to our request for comment. But judging by the headline of the piece, we're guessing the site reported on allegations in the Peters lawsuit. Without seeing how they couched those allegations, it's hard to tell whether they merely restated what was said in the lawsuit (which is usually allowed under the First Amendment) or went further into potentially defamatory waters. Grigg claims TMZ failed to investigate the matter and include Grigg's side of the story in the article, giving rise to claims for libel and false light and at least $20 million in damages.

 Grigg is represented by Ray Kermani in Beverly Hills.

UPDATE: Thanks to those with better Googling skills who forwarded us the original TMZ piece. The site is pretty careful attributing the allegations to the Peters complaint, which might shield it (and founder Harvey Levin, also sued personally) from liability under the fair reporting privilege of the First Amendment.