Sammy Davis Jr. Widow Says “No You Can’t” to Movie Producers of Yes I Can

There’s no doubt some complicated legal and financial stuff at the heart of today’s filed lawsuit of Altovise Davis v. Barrett LaRoda and Anthony Francis. The gist of it is that Altovise had to sell some of the rights to her husband’s story because he died $5 million in IRS debt, including much of the material of Yes I Can, which was written with the help of Dallas’ Judy and Burt Boyar. She sold those rights to LaRoda and Francis, who may or may not have hindered a biopic’s progress. The Boyars’ company, Boyar Investments, is also suing LaRoda and Francis.