The estate of legendary radio host Paul Harvey sued Paramount Global in New York federal court Monday for allegedly using a clip of the legendary broadcaster in the Paramount+ show “Landman” without permission.
The suit claims Paramount misused a 90-second clip from a Harvey monologue on rising gas prices in a segment of a “Landman” episode. Not only was Paramount unauthorized to the air the audio, Harvey’s estate alleges producers edited the monologue segment in a way that twisted the meaning of what Harvey was saying about the oil industry.
Paulynne Inc., which was founded by Harvey and his wife, Lynne, owns the rights to “The Rest of the Story” radio program, according to a press release announcing the litigation.
“In the world of audio licensing, 90 seconds is an eternity,” said Jaime Wolf, partner at Pelosi Wolf Spates LLP and lead attorney for the estate. “Paramount not only grabbed a long, copyrighted audio clip without our client’s permission, but they also twisted the intent of Mr. Harvey’s words by editing his original broadcast.”
Harvey, a mainstay of American radio for decades, died in 2009. His “Rest of the Story” program aired on radio stations from 1976—2008. At the height of his career, he was heard on approximately 1,200 stations.
In the lawsuit, his estate alleges the Jan. 12 season finale of “Landman” opened with Harvey’s well-known refrain, “Now, the rest of the story,” which was extracted from a 2008 Harvey episode which discussed the politics of oil, according to the plaintiffs.
The “Rest of the Story” episode from which the material was stolen — told in Harvey’s trademark surprise-ending style — quotes news items suggesting that oil plays a role in virtually every problem on the world stage, and that those problems could easily have been solved long ago through the development of alternative fuels, according to the press release.
However, the audio was edited by Paramount+ producers in a way to omit Harvey’s endorsement of alternative fuels, according to the lawsuit.
The legal team made the audio of the 2008 Harvey episode available.
“The producers had no right to falsify the late Mr. Harvey’s message and turn him into an unwitting shill for big oil,” Wolf said.
Wolf estimates that the Season 1 production budget of “Landman” was more than $150 million.
“You have to imagine the producers had a significant fund for obtaining permissions. So it’s baffling that they didn’t approach (the estate) at all,” he said.
The series began streaming last year on Paramount+ and stars Billy Bob Thornton and Demi Moore.
Representatives of Harvey’s estate said they contacted Paramount in March, offering a settlement, but they received no response. It is suing for unspecified damages alleging copyright infringement.
The Harvey estate previously sent cease-and-desist letters to supporters of Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump for alleged “deep-fakes” of Harvey’s voice.
An email to Paramount seeking comment was not immediately returned.
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