By Blake Brittain
The producers of the hit Broadway play “Stereophonic” have settled a lawsuit brought by Fleetwood Mac producer Ken Caillat over accusations of copying his memoir about the making of the band’s legendary album “Rumours,” according to a Tuesday filing in New York federal court.
The two sides said in a joint filing that they had “resolved the dispute in principle” and were working to finalize a settlement. Attorneys and spokespeople for Caillat and the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment or further information.
Caillat and co-author Steven Stiefel sued the makers of “Stereophonic” in October, alleging the play “copies the heart and soul” of their book “Making Rumours.” The book and the play both follow a young sound engineer recording an album with a mixed-gender, five-member British-American rock band in California between 1976 and 1977.
“Stereophonic,” written by David Adjmi, opened on Broadway in April and won five Tony Awards earlier this year including Best Play. The lawsuit claimed that it has grossed more than $20 million since its Broadway debut.
Caillat and Stiefel published “Making Rumours” in 2012. They said in their complaint that “Stereophonic” “essentially places the audience in the very chair where Mr. Caillat sat” during the recording of “Rumours.”
The lawsuit cited several similarities between the play and the memoir including settings, characters, storylines and dialogue. It said that Adjmi’s plan to adapt his play into a movie interfered with Caillat’s plans for a film based on his book.
The makers of “Stereophonic” did not respond to the allegations in court. – Reuters
