Sophia Stewart

Sophia Stewart (aka Zenia Kavala) is an African-American and the author of a work titled The Third Eye. In 2003 she unsuccessfully sued several people and organizations associated with The Matrix and The Terminator claiming they infringed on her work. However, because Stewart failed to appear for a preliminary hearing, her original lawsuit was dismissed in 2005.
In the original copyright registration for The Third Eye and letters from the author, Stewart uses Sofia, and uses both Sophia and Sofia in real life. She says they both mean the same.
Litigation
Stewart's manuscript of Third Eye was registered with the United States Copyright Office (TXu 117-610) on February 2, 1983. Additional work was registered on February 6, 1984 (TXu-154-281) consisting of a narrative, preface, introductions, 8 brief chapters, and illustrations. Stewart claims this work has been creatively infringed upon by the movie series The Matrix and Terminator, and has taken legal action. Stewart asserts that "these two franchises are owned by the same people or movie house".
A complaint was filed by Stewart against Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski, Warner Bros., and Joel Silver, (responsible for The Matrix and its sequels/spin offs) and Gale Ann Hurd, James Cameron, Hemdale Films and 20th Century Fox (responsible for Terminator and its sequels) in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on April 24, 2003. In the complaint, damages are sought for relief from the results of copyright infringement, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) violations, and supplemental state claims.
On October 4, 2004, the court granted her leave to continue the case against the accused. This particular case has since been dismissed:
Stewart believes that her lawyers are to blame for the failure of her lawsuit, she explains on her website: "I want the people to know that the defendants have not only defrauded me… but with this great deception the entire world has been made a victim to this scam". She further explains her position and intent keep on with her suit. On July 30, 2007, Sophia Stewart filed a $150 million malpractice lawsuit (case number 2:07-cv-00552-DAK) against her former attorneys: Michael T. Stoller, Jonathan Lubell, Gary S. Brown, and Dean Webb in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah.
 
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