You may have read the news stories or heard the jokes this month about a 40-year-old Indiana man suing his parents for six figures because they destroyed his prized porn collection. We’ve dug into the story, and think it’s more nuanced than a headline or punchline. We explain why in the new “Shoot This Now” podcast, which you can listen to on Apple or right here:
Every week on “Shoot This Now,” we talk about stories that should be made into movies. We think the lawsuit could be the basis for a story about a family falling apart, with the porn collection as a catalyst. But it’s also a story about fathers and sons, and how to raise a child.
The man, who we aren’t naming, lived briefly with his parents in Michigan after a divorce and a bout with homelessness, according to his lawsuit against them.
When he moved out, his parents found a dozen boxes of porn and destroyed them. The collection included everything from vintage films like 1976’s adult version of “Alice in Wonderland” to very specific, very non-mainstream films that the plaintiff says would be impossible to replace. The man stresses in the lawsuit that all of the porn was legal.
The man’s father admits to destroying the collection, likening it to destroying a vial of crack to keep it from an addict.
The story, first picked up by a Michigan Fox station, quickly went viral. It earned jokes from Jimmy Kimmel.
“How did this not happen in Florida?” Kimmel asked.
The lawsuit values the collection at about $30,000, and the man contends that he could be entitled to three times that amount, plus attorneys’ fees, under Michigan law.
But as we explain on the podcast, we don’t think the lawsuit is just about money.
If you pay close attention to the exhibits in the suit — especially a series of emotional, revealing e-mails between father and son — it becomes apparent that the porn collection is a symbol. We think it gets to the heart of a complex family dynamic, with lessons that should be relatable to us all.
The man’s lawyer, Miles Greengard, declined to comment. But we hope he’ll be part of the movie.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this story.