Sellers v. American Broadcasting Co.

Larry Sellers (plaintiff) shared with reporter Geraldo Rivera a specific, novel theory that Elvis Presley's bodyguard and physician replaced his cortisone treatment with a placebo, causing a fatal cardiovascular collapse, under an agreement guaranteeing Sellers credit and copyright rights, but Rivera never used that unverifiable theory; when ABC (defendant) later aired its own Elvis-death investigation concluding the death resulted from prescription drug misuse — a theory numerous newspapers had already published before Sellers ever met Rivera — Sellers sued for misappropriation of his idea, and the district court granted ABC summary judgment, finding ABC never actually used Sellers's story.