(1994) Tags: Universal
Dyer v. Childress
Plaintiff Troy Dyer attended USC film school with defendant Helen Childress in the late 1980’s. In 1990, Childress left school to work on a screenplay that became the movie “Reality Bites”, which was released in theaters in 1994. In the movie, Ethan Hawke portrays a rebellious slacker named Troy Dyer.
Dyer sued Childress and the other named defendants for defamation per se, defamation per quod and false light invasion of privacy based on the allegedly unflattering representation of Troy Dyer in the movie. Dyer claimed his work as a financial consultant in Wisconsin has been affected by the negative association with the movie character.