CSI Writer, Producers Sued Over Show's Characters
CSI
A Southern California couple has filed a lawsuit against CSI writer and producer Sarah Goldfinger, claiming that two characters on the show were modeled after them.
Real estate agents Melinda and Scott Tamkin are suing Goldfinger for defamation and invasion of privacy, according to the Associated Press. They're seeking $6 million in damages, claiming that the episode hurt their business. In 2005, the writer nearly bought a house from a client of the couple's, but pulled out while the deal was in escrow, on amicable terms.
In the CSI episode in question, a Las Vegas real estate agent named Melinda dies mysteriously. Her husband Scott — a mortgage broker, drinker and fan of pornography — is a suspect in her death.
The Tamkins' suit claims that Goldfinger cast actors who looked like them, and that an original draft of the screenplay used their last name. The CSI couple's last name was actually Tucker — a change that the Tamkins say was last-minute.
CBS Corporation and Jerry Bruckheimer Television were also named as defendants in the suit. CBS had no comment on the case, while neither the Tamkins' lawyer nor Bruckheimer responded immediately to requests for comment.
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