A contentious legal battle is brewing near Los Angeles over one of two Oscars given to Canadian-born Mary Pickford, a star of the silent film era.
Heirs to Pickford's husband, Charles (Buddy) Rogers, are at odds with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over the awards.
Canadian-born actress Mary Pickford, seen here in 1922, won an Oscar in 1930 and was given an honorary award in 1976.
(Associated Press)
Kim Boyer, the niece of Rogers's second wife and one of three heirs in possession of the Oscars, has said she wants to sell one of the Oscars.
But the academy has sued, claiming it has the right to buy the statuettes, because of an agreement signed by Oscar winners giving the academy the first chance to buy the statuettes for $10 US each if they ever go on the market.
The bylaw creating the rule about selling an Oscar was created in 1950.
Pickford, born in Toronto and one of the biggest stars of the early 20th century, won an Oscar in 1930 for Coquette and another honorary Oscar in 1976.
Boyer's attorneys argue Pickford won her first Oscar before the bylaws were in place.
However, the academy says Pickford signed an agreement after she won her second Oscar that made both her statuettes subject to the bylaw.
The two parties cannot agree on where the lawsuit is to be tried. The heirs want it in Riverside County and the academy has said it should be in Los Angeles where Pickford signed her contract.
A judge on Monday tentatively ruled that it should be tried in Riverside.
Pickford was one of the founders of United Artists with second husband Douglas Fairbanks.
Her third husband was Rogers. They had two children and remained married until her death in 1979.
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