TV Film Approved by Mother Jailed for Hiding Her Daughter

Plastic surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, released last month after more than two years in prison for refusing to reveal the whereabouts of her daughter, has signed with film maker Linda Otto of Landsburg Co. to produce a docudrama of her story for television.

Shelley Browning, a lawyer with the Beverly Hills firm of Rosenfeld, Meyer & Sussman, who represented Morgan in the negotiations for the television rights to her story, said Friday that Otto was selected because “she has dedicated her life and all of her work to child advocacy.”

Morgan has accused her former husband, Dr. Eric Foretich, a Virginia oral surgeon, of sexually abusing their now 7-year-old daughter, a charge he has vehemently denied. She was sent to jail on civil contempt charges in 1987 after hiding Hilary and refusing to produce her for unsupervised visits with Foretich. She is still suing to end his visitation rights, and he is countersuing to gain full custody of the child and terminate Morgan’s parental rights.

Otto produced the 1983 TV film “Adam,” about a young boy named Adam Walsh who was kidnaped and murdered. Later, with John Walsh--Adam’s father--she successfully lobbied Congress for passage of the Missing Children Act, which established the Washington-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Browning said that Morgan “will have final, absolute control over what appears” and will serve as a consultant to the film.

“This will be a real-life story based on verifiable facts,” using real names, including Morgan’s and Foretich’s, Browning said, adding that she fully expects lawsuits from Foretich. “But we are prepared,” she said. “He has made himself a public figure.”

Foretich, when told of the agreement, said Friday that “I will absolutely sue them if my name or my daughter’s name is used without my consent,” adding that “I have not spoken to or sought out any Hollywood producer to do my story because that would be an infringement on my privacy and that of my daughter’s. If Elizabeth Morgan is going to be a consultant, we all know the slant of this particular movie--that goes without saying.”

Browning refused to disclose Morgan’s fee, saying only that, “in all--the option money, the consulting fees, etc.,” it would total less than $250,000, “which will all go into a trust for the protection of Hilary.”