LEGAL FILE

Producer Claims Rights to Kovic’s Story: Producer Mel Goldberg has filed a breach-of-contract suit in Superior Court against disabled Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, whose autobiography was made into the film “Born on the Fourth of July.” Golberg contends that Kovic sold him movie rights in 1985 and then failed to help him make the film. He also alleges that Kovic avoided him to pursue the project with film maker Oliver Stone. “Kovic entered into the option contract so that he could take the $10,000 payment while he waited for Stone to renew interest in getting financing for a Stone-Kovic screenplay version of ‘Born on the Fourth of July,’ ” the suit said. The film, starring Tom Cruise, was released last month by Universal Pictures. Kovic was not available for comment.