Man Sues Disney for Stealing 'Hannah Montana' Idea

Almost three years since the premiere of “Hannah Montana” on Disney Channel, a man comes out suing the network because he claims the show was born out of his ideas. Richard Fronduto, according to TMZ, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, January 28 in L.A. County Superior Court to demand the right to a credit.

Fronduto said that he came up with the inspiration to have a story of a girl leading a double life, as an ordinary teenager and a pop star, in 1990. He claimed that he wrote the script titled “The Secret Life of Sindy” which later was renamed to “The Family Business”. His agent forwarded the idea to Disney and even got a favorable reply through a two-hour pilot order. However, nothing was settled between Fronduto and Disney but the network came out with “Hannah Montana” in 2006.

Other similarities of his alleged work and “Hannah” would be the part of a single parent who acts as the pop star’s manager and the fact that two of her best friends know about the secret. In the lawsuit, Fronduto asked for a “Created by” credit in all of the future publication of the series and also compensation for the “damages”. No response yet for the lawsuit from Disney.

In 2007, a comedy writer named Buddy Sheffield said that he created “Hannah Montana” in 2001 but his case was dismissed following a denial from ABC Cable Networks.