WIFE IN DIVORCE CASE LOSES RULING OVER ‘AMADEUS’ : <i> From Associated Press </i>
A judge has decided the Oscar-winning movie “Amadeus” doesn’t belong to producer Saul Zaentz, sued for divorce by his wife who claims the film is community property.
Superior Court Judge Isabella Horton Grant ruled this week that the movie about the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is the property of the Saul Zaentz Co., a Berkeley film company.
According to court records, Saul Zaentz directly owns 5.6% of the company and is a beneficiary of 35% in common stock held by a trust.
Lynda Zaentz claims profits from the film, which won eight Academy Awards, should be split with her husband.
The judge granted a request by the Saul Zaentz Co. that the firm be excluded from the divorce proceedings.
Saul Zaentz was acting only as an employee of the company when he won an agreement to produce “Amadeus,” said attorney Jerome Falk who represented the firm.
He said Zaentz was paid a straight $300,000 producer’s fee in the deal, and there are no other contracts for the firm to pay him more than that.
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