Robins filed the suit Oct. 8 in a state court in Santa Fe because New Mexico has a longer statute of limitations than Texas. The suit accuses Linklater and Universal Studios, which released the movie, of defaming Slater, Floyd and Wooderson, violating their privacy and causing them "severe emotional distress" and "mental anguish."
The defendants filed papers requesting that the case be transferred to federal court. Other than that, they have remained silent.
Andy Slater, left, Rick Floyd and Bobby Wooderson say the negative attention they still get irks them.
(Mark Matson For The Washington Post)
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A spokeswoman for Universal Studios declined to comment on the lawsuit. Linklater -- who is currently directing a remake of "The Bad News Bears" -- declined requests for an interview, responding by e-mail through his personal assistant, Sara Johnson, who wrote: "Richard isn't able to fulfill your interview request."
Pot of Gold?
After the lawsuit was filed, Floyd checked the Internet to see what the "Dazed and Confused" community was saying about it.
"There were 700 messages," he says, sitting at that Huntsville conference table. "Some of them were positive, but most were negative. 'You losers -- stop smoking those joints!' and 'Did you just wake up and learn there was a movie out?' "
He laughs. So do Wooderson and Slater. The lawyers are less amused.
Robins and Freeman remind their clients about an article that appeared in the Daily Texan, the University of Texas newspaper, after the suit was filed. In the article, actor Wiley Wiggins, who played a freshman in "Dazed and Confused," denounced the lawsuit as "half-baked and pathetic opportunism" by "sad sacks back in Huntsville who are trying to cash in."
Wiggins told the Daily Texan that he and Linklater had previously discussed making a "Dazed" sequel that would show how the characters had degenerated into "gas-pumping hungry ghosts of their former selves."
The lawyers find that comment very interesting.
"To the extent that that conversation did take place," says Freeman, "and Linklater said anything like that, it's illustrative of the fact that they have absolutely no regard for the names and reputations of my clients."
"It's going to be interesting as we get into the discovery phase of this case," Robins adds.
In their lawsuit, the Dazed Three did not specify how much money they think Linklater and Universal should be compelled to pony up.
"I don't even think about it, really," says Slater.
"It's the principle of the thing," says Wooderson.
