Maljack Productions v. Motion Picture Association of America

52 F.3d 373 (1995)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Maljack Productions v. Motion Picture Association of America

United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
52 F.3d 373 (1995)

Facts

Maljack Productions, Inc. (Maljack) (plaintiff) produced a low-budget film called Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Maljack was not a member of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) (defendant) but still submitted the film to the MPAA’s ratings board, the Code and Rating Administration (CARA), for a fee. CARA gave the film an X—the most restrictive rating—on the basis of excessive violence and other extreme content. Maljack brought suit, alleging that CARA gave the film an X rating because Maljack was not a member of the MPAA and that CARA gave films with equal or greater violence a more marketable R rating. Maljack’s claim was based on the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, which Maljack alleged the MPAA breached by discriminatorily applying its ratings standards. The district court dismissed the complaint for failure to state a claim. Maljack moved for leave to amend the original complaint, which the district court denied. Maljack appealed. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Williams, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 832,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership