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[PETER] Hi I'm Peter Spirer I'm a filmmaker here in California
I've been making films for the past fifteen years
[JOEL] Hi, and I'm Joel Rutkowski I'm an editor and a producer here in LA
I've been working with Peter for about the past six years
What Peter is probably too modest to tell you is that
He has been nominated for an Academy Award and an Emmy Award
He has made about fifteen feature length documentaries
Many of which have been broadcast
On networks like Showtime, HBO, MTV, VH1, FUSE, IFC, Starz
His films have been official selections at Sundance and other major film festivals
And all of his films I think are safe to say have enjoyed great critical acclaim
And great commercial success
[PETER] Today we want to talk to you about our latest project, Wheels of Fortune
A Film that deals with the Americans with Disabilities Act and serial litigation
[NEWSCASTER] Litigation to make a living, its a growing profession of sorts
[BRET] These are two hundred and fifty of the complaints that Mr Garcia filed
They're all identical other than the name of the person being sued, the date of the visit
[JERE] If you take that map of the hundreds of people that he's sued
And you overlay that with probably the hundreds of people
That other clients that Mehrban & Mehrban have sued,
Pretty soon you're talking about not a single square block
In the entire Southern California area that hasn't been touched by this guy
[MORSE] Just because someone has many lawsuits that he has filed
Doesn't reflect necessarily that he is going out looking for problems
It more reflects the fact that there is a lot of problems out there
[JAMES] Jarek Molski, a plaintiff, he had made about a million and a half dollars
In filing the four or five hundred lawsuits that he had filed
[JOHN] There are people out there that due to their poverty and sometimes greed
Are using lawsuits as a form of regular income and i think that is wrong
It really pisses me off because that puts a dark light on the problems that I have
And the legitimate lawsuits that people do file
[KATIE] We learned through this process that there are a lot of people that just do this for a living
So we Googled the very name of the woman that had come into our business
And found out that she had sued everyone from her condo complex
That in the city notes she was a bullet point, a topic to be discussed
What are we going to do about this woman?
[LEO] It makes it awfully difficult on the rest of the people with disabilities
When I come into a business I've seen the look on peoples' faces
They've been sued before or they have heard of someone being sued
So I'm sure they have concerns
[PETER] This film is really a departure from films I've done previously
I have worked mainly in the Urban and Hip Hop genre and I think that sometimes a film finds you
And in this particular case I came across this story quite organically
About a year ago I went to my favorite tennis shop and asked to use the restroom which I had in the past
And I was denied access to the restroom and complained about it a little bit
And the owner recognized me as a good customer and pulled me aside and said
Hey Peter listen, we had a person in a wheelchair come in here
And unfortunately they found that the restroom did not meet ADA compliancy
That it did not live up to the building codes and we were hit with a lawsuit
And so far it has cost me twenty-five thousand dollars
And now my attorney has advised me not to let anybody use the restroom
And he went on to tell me that every store up and down his block
Had been sued by the same person on the same date
I thought that was a bit outrageous, and as a documentary film maker wanted to learn more
So I decided to pick up a camera and shoot footage about this story
[JOEL] I think what Peter says is true, that films that we make sometimes choose us
But as a person who has family members who do have disabilities
I'm a big supporter of the Americans with Disabilities Act
And the notion of ensuring accessibility for people who are living with disabilities
I think is very important to myself and to Peter
And as an editor shaping that story
I wanted to make sure that this film remained balanced and objective in exploring this complex issue
But the sad truth is that there is a great number of what have been called professional plaintiffs
Who have exploited this otherwise good and needed law for their own financial gain
And figuring out how best to tell this story was one of our biggest challenges
Because I think both Peter and I had the goal of not allowing this film to become political
[PETER] And to add to that, you know there are a lot of documentaries
That have social or some political message
But they're usually backed by some organization that has an agenda
This film was really produced by Rugged Entertainment
We used our own money and resources to make this film
We haven't had any kind of outside funding up until asking for money now
So it's a very honest documentary, a very well-balanced documentary
That sees this issue from both sides
[JOEL] At the heart of this situation it is a personal and emotional issue, it's not a political issue
It's really about people and It's about common sense
We do talk with the senators, and the judges, the jurors, and the lawyers
Who have dealt firsthand with these cases in the legal and political realm
But more importantly we talk with individuals who are living with disabilities
Who have run into very legitimate instances of inaccessibility
And we also talk with the business owners who have been sued
Who have sometimes lost their business
We deal with these stories on a personal level
Because this problem affects individuals with disabilities and able-bodied individuals
In ways that most people don't think about or realize
Which is why it's a very important issue that needs to be explored
And dissected and discussed from all perspectives
[PETER] And that's where you come in
Wheels of fortune is nearly finished
We've spent a year of our own time and money making this picture
But now we need to get it to the next level
And that's going to include finishing our post, music, sound design
Graphics, putting the polish that we need to into this film
Getting it into festivals which will require making a film print
Then getting it ready for broadcast
Which will include cable stations, home video, Netflix, Amazon, all of those outlets
We need a good bit of money to make that happen
But with your help we think we can, and we have a film that can make a huge impact
So we thank you for your time and your support
And any assistance you can give us in helping us finish Wheels of Fortune
Thank You