Agree that it's really a complicated question that's better left to a lawyer. I know someone who won a case against the authors, but plenty of other people haven't. If the person is famous, different rules apply.
One of the reasons why people (including lawyers) usually caution against contacting the person until absolutely necessary is that you just never know what shape your play or book or movie will take until it's finished. It's quite possible that you would have changed so much of the story that it really doesn't resemble the real story all that much. The minute you get the real person or estate involved, they may insist that you whitewash the truth and thereby ruin the drama. |
