Celebs are constantly targets for lawsuits, especially given their net worths. Take Lenny Kravitz as an example, the musician was taken to court for a busted toilet, which leaked into a neighbors' studio. The ask wasn't a couple of bucks to repair damages, instead, the lawsuit was $333,849 in damages...
Eddie Murphy has enjoyed lots of success but on the flip side, he isn't immune to problems either. Not only does the comedian have ten children, but he also has a few career regrets, like turning down films like Ghostbusters, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
In the following, we'll take a look at a totally different problem, one not even Eddie Murphy himself could've predicted. A comedian changed his last name to Murphy, and went around claiming to be his son.
This got Brando Murphy more gigs and in the end, he would get a cease-and-desist letter from Murphy's team. The problem didn't stop there, as Brando would sue Murphy and his team for millions.
Let's take a look back at how it all went down, and why the lawsuit was eventually dropped by Brando Murphy.
Brando Murphy Got A Cease-And Desist Letter From Eddie Murphy's Team After He Appeared In 'Sons of Comedy'
Similar to Eddie Murphy's early beginnings, Brando Murphy was trying to make a name for himself in the world of standup comedy. The only problem, he had people believing he was Eddie Murphy's son, and this was increasing his booking probability for shows.
The final strike took place during the 'Sons of Comedy' show, which featured Brando on the list of acts. This would lead to a cease-and-desist letter from Murphy's team, who threatened to pursue legal action if Brando didn't drop his gig.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote about the case in 2014, stating, "Before the lawsuit began, the younger, less famous Murphy seemed to insinuate that he was the older, more famous Murphy’s son.""That led to a cease-and-desist letter from Eddie Murphy’s attorney Marty Singer, who threatened to sue Brando Murphy for doing things like appearing with Richard Pryor‘s son on the “Sons of Comedy” tour."
Not only did Brando ignore the request, but he would launch a lawsuit of his own.
Brando Murphy Tried Suing Eddie Murphy For Defamation And Asked For $50 Million
Brando Murphy had an agenda of his own, claiming that Murphy and his team were attempting to slander his name. Among the topics brought up, included his name Murphy, which Brando argue is not exclusive to Eddie.
“The name Murphy is of Irish decent … and not exclusive to Eddie Murphy, a ‘Black Man’ of African Ancestry and a purported African American," the statement reads.
The comedian would also file lawsuits against the National Enquirer and The Wendy Williams Show for hurting his career, given the 'false' coverage they were spreading.
THR writes, "The plaintiff also sued the National Enquirer and The Wendy Williams Show for repeating statements in coverage of the paternity claims that allegedly caused him reputational damage."
Ultimately, the lawsuit was said to be worth $50 million. Another claim made by Brando, was that Eddie Murphy's team also threatened him to drop his act. Nonetheless, Eddie's team ended up prevailing, and Brando told TMZ that the lawsuit wasn't his idea to begin with.
Brando Murphy Eventually Dropped The Lawsuit And Was Admitted He Got Bad Advice From His Management
In the summer of 2014, Brando dropped the entire lawsuit, putting the blame on his management team, who was apparently giving the comedian bad advice, this according to TMZ.
The lawsuit would also state that Eddie was threatening Brando physically as well... While others found it hard to believe Eddie had this kind of time on his hands.
Ultimately, we can understand why Eddie's team took exception to the lawsuit, especially given that Brando changed his last name, in an attempt to be associated with Murphy.
Brando would even take to coffee shops and purposely yell that his father didn't speak to him anymore... Looking back, Brando might be lucky Eddie's team didn't further explore the situation, and left it as is.
