Tyler Perry is being sued for one of his latest projects. The filmmaker, along with actress Terri J. Vaughn and Netflix, are all named in a lawsuit that claimed the She The People comedy series is based on information from an unfinished documentary and infringed on the trademark of a Mississippi nonprofit organization.
According to the Clarion Ledger, Aimee Allison, the founder of political action group She The People, filed the litigation, which lists Tyler Vision, Perry’s production company, and an additional 25 unnamed defendants. In the lawsuit, which was filed in the days leading up to the show’s premiere, Allison claimed that she had hired Nina Holiday Entertainment Inc. in 2020 to create a documentary about her organization and had spoken to Vaughn, believing her to be working for the aforementioned company.
Furthermore, she alleged that she and Vaughn discussed themes, interviews, and more for the proposed She The People documentary series, and that all intellectual property was to be retained by the nonprofit.
She The People. Terri J. Vaughn as Antoinette Dunkerson in episode 105 of She The People.
Cr. Charles “Chip” Bergmann/Netflix © 2025
Allison’s lawsuit also detailed that Tyler Vision attempted to establish its own She the People trademark in September; however, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reportedly denied it in April. She is requesting a jury trial to resolve the matter.
“The Series echoes many of the same themes regarding Black women’s experiences in politics that Ms. Allison addresses through her activism under the SHE THE PEOPLE mark, albeit in a slightly different format,” the lawsuit stated, per Black Enterprise.
She The People premiered its first eight episodes last month, with the remaining eight set to debut this August. Alongside Vaughn, the comedy stars Jo Marie Payton, Jade Novah, Drew Olivia Tillman, Tré Boyd, and Dyon Brooks.
The series is officially described as follows:
“Lieutenant Governor candidate Antoinette Dunkerson runs a successful campaign and now must figure out how to thrive under a sexist and condescending governor while attempting to keep her family in line now that they’re all in the public eye.”
VIBE has reached out to Netflix for a statement regarding the lawsuit. A response had not been made by the time of publishing.
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