Geena Davis Sues Non-Profit For Stealing Her Innovative Charity Concept
Nothing says "I'm just doing this out of the goodness of my gentle heart" than throwing a temper tantrum over someone allegedly walking off with your charity idea. Such is the tangled, twisted web Geena Davis seems to be weaving; the details are admittedly a little confusing, but according to USA Today, Davis appears to be suing two Minnesota residents for selfishly hogging all her philanthropic glory:
Davis, 51, said in court papers that she came up with the idea for the See Jane foundation, which encourages balanced gender representation in entertainment for children, in 2004.
She alleges that [Joseph] Kelly and [Nancy] Gruver agreed to be the project's fiscal sponsors after meeting with her and that she raised nearly $750,000 in donations. But the pair later informed her "that they were the owners of the See Jane project and whatever legal rights existed in the See Jane name and goodwill," according to the lawsuit.
The feeling that there are no good roles for actresses over a certain age is common, and we appreciate Geena's tireless fight to make sure that girls ages four-and-up have equal opportunities to work their fingers to the bone in the self-esteem-crushing world of entertainment. But once you've found a pet cause, trying to sue it into the ground it is a fairly unique way of advancing your message. Stop and think, Geena, about the little girl who might walk up to you at an event, tug on your skirt, and say, "Excuse me, Madam President, but your lawyer's hourly fees alone could've covered an five-episode guest starring commitment on The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. Thanks a lot."