LOS ANGELES : Ruling Allows Fox to Air Movie About Menendezes

A judge refused Tuesday to bar the Fox network from airing locally a TV movie about Erik and Lyle Menendez, who face a second trial on charges of murdering their wealthy Beverly Hills parents.

U.S. District Judge Manuel Real rejected claims by the Menendezes’ attorneys that “Honor Thy Father and Mother: The True Story of the Menendez Brothers” would make it impossible to seat impartial jurors for the retrial. Real also refused to order Fox to provide a disclaimer or take out the word “true” and “murders” in the title of the movie, which is scheduled to air Monday.

Deputy Public Defender Terri Towery, who represents Lyle Menendez, said the brothers want the movie barred from local television because “it purports to be a true story, but that’s not true.” Towery said the movie contains fictional dialogue and the writers changed elements in the trial transcripts.

The movie is based on trial transcripts, public records and the book “Blood Brothers,” by John Johnson and Ronald Soble.

Robert Vanderet, an attorney for Fox, said the network believes it is a fair depiction of the Menendez case. And he said the law on such injunction requests is clear.