Jerry Heller's Nephew Rumored to Continue the Lawsuit Against N.W.A Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton'

Former record executive Jerry Heller died in September at the age of 75, but his lawsuit against the creators of Straight Outta Compton may very much be alive. Heller’s nephew Terry is reportedly asking he be named executor of Jerry’s will in efforts to pursue Jerry Heller’s defamation suit against those involved in the 2015 N.W.A biopic.

“Sources close to Terry tell TMZ all of Jerry’s assets were already put into a private trust before his death, and the only reason he’s doing this is to change the name of the plaintiff from Jerry to Jerry’s estate ... ‘cause dead guys can’t sue,” TMZ reports.

Jerry Heller’s legacy was linked to Ruthless Records, as the music executive went on to manage the group and served various functions at the label from 1987 until N.W.A disbanded in 1991. Both Dr. Dre and Ice Cube have publicly criticized Heller for his business practices during their time with the pioneering group. After those accusations played out on film in Straight Outta Compton, Heller filed a $110 million lawsuit against Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E’s widow Tomica Woods-Wright, who all served as producers on Straight Outta Compton. Director F. Gary Gray, the film's screenwriters, and NBC-Universal were also named in the suit.

In June, a federal judge dismissed most of the suit on the grounds that the movie did not defame Heller. There is currently a debate about two scenes possibly having merit in court. One scene features Paul Giamatti—who portrayed Heller in the biopic—advising Ice Cube not to seek a lawyer. Another scene features Ice Cube’s character telling a reporter about an incident with Heller.

You can read the full report at TMZ.