Sofia Vergara's Griselda releases on Netflix amid lawsuit from Blanco estate: 'Comes with the territory'

The co-creator and executive producer of Griselda, Netflix's new limited series about Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco, is not deterred by the lawsuit filed by the Blanco estate against the production.

Eric Newman recently told Today that the lawsuit, filed by Blanco's adult children on Jan. 17 in Florida's Miami-Dade County over unauthorized use of likeness, "comes with the territory." He said, "I dealt with similar suits from Pablo Escobar, his family, during the making of Narcos. I tend not to think much about them. It just feels a little bit unsurprising."

Netflix and Sofia Vergara, who stars as Blanco and is an executive producer on the show, are listed in the lawsuit. In it, Blanco's son Michael reportedly claims he had been participating in interviews between 2009 and 2022 with someone who was trying to develop his and his mother's life story into a book and a show, according to Entertainment Tonight, which obtained the suit. He alleged the series was shopped around Hollywood and Netflix expressed interest, but did not want to use his interviews or other materials provided, per the outlet's report.

The suit reportedly alleges, however, that Netflix leaned on his material, and he was never compensated. The estate called on a judge to halt the release of the show, but it dropped on Netflix on Thursday as planned.

Netflix declined to comment. EW has also reached out to Vergara's reps for comment.

When reached by EW on Thursday, Elysa Galloway, an attorney for the Blanco family, offered the following court update: "On Jan. 22, hours before the hearing, the defendant removed plaintiff’s claims from state court to federal court. In response, plaintiff immediately filed its Emergency Motion for Remand and Preliminary Injunction in the Third District Court. The hearing was held Jan. 24. The Blanco family respectfully awaits the judge's decision."

"Common courtesy, consent, and compensation would have amicably resolved the issues with the defendants and prevented this lawsuit," Galloway added. "This lawsuit boils down to the principle of decent respect for an individual and for the applicable laws coupled with the illegal use and/or exploitation of Blanco’s persona, his literary ideas, and his duty concerning his mother’s wishes."

From the team behind Narcos, the series stars Vergara as the late Colombian drug lord, known as the Cocaine Godmother, as she creates one of the most profitable drug empires in history. "This show is very much about a woman in a man's world — in a toxic man's world," series director Andrés Baiz previously told EW. "You're always with her and rooting for her in this world that is trying to push her down and aside."

Of Vergara's first foray into drama, Baiz said of her performance, "This was a chance to reinvent herself and step out of her comfort zone, which was very brave of her. She knew she had to dive in completely into this role and feel insecure and afraid, but she knew that all she had was her work, that she had to push herself to the limit."

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