9 Famous Films Which Were Plagued By Ugly Lawsuits

6. Natural Born Killers (1994)

Classic controversial and violent film by Oliver Stone, Natural Born Killers was a scandal upon its release for the brutal and graphic mayhem it unleashed on the screen. The film follows the serial killing antics of Mickey and Mallory Knox and the media infatuation with them. There have been a heck of a lot of alleged copycat killings inspired by the movie. A lawsuit was brought against the film by Patsy Byers. A shop clerk, she had been left paralysed after Sarah Edmondson and her boyfriend Ben Darras entered the place where she worked and shot her. In police interviews, the couple revealed a love of Natural Born Killers. Byers filed a suit against Oliver Stone and Time Warner, blaming them for turning the lovers into killers. It was certainly a very tragic case but the defence sais that under the First Amendment, Oliver Stone could portray characters as he saw fit - even egregious characters such as Mickey and Mallory Knox. Stone's lawyer remarked that Edmondson and Darras maimed Ms Byers, not Oliver Stone. Sadly Ms Byers died of cancer two years after she filed the lawsuit. At least her attackers received legal justice - Darras was sentenced to life and Edmondson to 35 years.