Smart Family Hires Entertainment Lawyer

CBS News ^

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

Smart Family Hires Entertainment Lawyer

SALT LAKE CITY, April 5, 2003

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Elizabeth Smart with her father, Ed (AP/Deseret News, Tom Smart) Elizabeth with her parents Lois and Ed (AP Photo/Deseret News, Tom Smart)

(AP) Elizabeth Smart's family has hired a Los Angeles entertainment attorney to help them screen movie and book proposals about Elizabeth's abduction and remarkable return.

Kelly Crabb, who reportedly has negotiated contracts for Paul McCartney, Dave Matthews and Muhammad Ali, was hired a week ago, said Chris Thomas, the family's spokesman.

According to his firm's Web site, Crabb's areas of practice include motion picture, television and other programming production and financing; composer agreements, personal appearances and motion picture distribution.

"These kind of contracts are very specialized," Thomas said.

Crabb received bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University before earning a law degree from Columbia University in 1984. He also worked for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee.

Elizabeth, now 15, was abducted from her bedroom on the night of June 5. On March 12, she was found in a Salt Lake suburb with her alleged kidnappers.

[mewzilla]

Or they can ignore the whole thing and concentrate on taking care of their daughter. Who cares what other people think? And why make money off of what happened to their daughter? She's a human being, their child, not a commodity.

[isthisnickcool]

I hope they give some of the cash they make to the Laura Recover Center and to other groups that busted their butts looking for that kid.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

"Let's leave them in peace.

No, let THEM leave US in peace. I'm so sick of this phony "kidknapping" story I could throw a brick through the television every time I see any member of this extremely wierd family doing their little tapdance for the media.

This was a simple runaway-kid story from the beginning, and the family all KNREW it- why do you think they had such touching "Faith" that their little harp-playing angel was still alive?

Sorry- grumpy this morning.

[Hildy]

Geez, leave them alone...THEY HAVE NO CHOICE. Either they make it with their spin, or they leave it to the imagination of others. I would do the very same thing in their case and I will be you a million dollars they donate every single cent to a missing children's organization. These are good, religious people, why do you guys always have to think the worst of everyone?

[Use It Or Lose It]

There is something really really wrong about this family.

Understatement of the year. These people are beyond reprensible. They tried to prevent the sexual abuse charge from being filed against the Bonnie and Clyde of Utah to protect the privacy of their daughter, but will sell every detail of the ordeal for thirty pieces of silver. They are beyond sick.

[Hildy]

People like you make me embarrassed to be part of this forum. Only seeing the worst and rather believe that a little girl would willingly run away with two middle-aged freaks than stay with the family that loves her. I'm not going to get sucked into this again with some of you, because I just feel sorry for you and the experiences in your life that would make you believe that the little girl is the bad guy.

[Hildy]

Hey Moron...did you ever think that maybe they want control over the movie so there WON'T be an exploitation over the sexual aspects? People on this forum state that they are good, religious people, but have a hard time believing that there could actually be people like that out there.

[ladtx]

I don't blame the Smarts so much as the money-grubbing networks, book-publishers, movie-producers etc. They will try to make money off them and could care less about what it may do to their family.

[HumanaeVitae]

People will do anything to get on TV.

[mom4kittys]

This is probably true. People want to know the story, so the parents have to find a way to control things. The media will tell the stroy one way or another, so they may as well do it themselves.

[Bush2000]

Ka-Ching!

or ... "How to Turn your Family Tragedy into Cold, Hard Cash" ...

[Eva]

Did you read the report, a little over a week ago, that said that Elizabeth had met with Mitchell five or six times before the kidnapping? She had been visiting them at the shelter where they lived and was taking food and things to them. Sometimes she went with friends and a few times alone. She talked religion and Mitchell told her that she had been chosen to be his wife. She didn't take him seriously on that because she was so young.

I had predicted this would be the case and some of the Mormons on this board became very annoyed with me.

[KantianBurke]

bingo. What a bunch of scumbags

[Servant of the Nine]

Or they can ignore the whole thing and concentrate on taking care of their daughter. Who cares what other people think? And why make money off of what happened to their daughter? She's a human being, their child, not a commodity.

How most people think of and treat Elizabeth for the rest of her life will depend on the impression they get from the made for TV movies. That is a sad comentary on people but true.

They would be negligent not to try to make the impression favorable. This is one of the unfortunate but unavoidable parts of living in a media world.

So9

[ewing]

Correct, the tabloids (the only ones still following this story) said that Elizabeth met with the Mitchells alone at least 4 times before the abduction.

[ewing]

What happened to the modesty of not wanting the sexual assualt charges filed, and now the Smart parents will put the dirty laundry out in public for a book deal and movie rights?

[ewing]

[Eva]

It is exactly the scenario that I predicted. It is the only explanation for why she didn't scream for her father. She didn't think that he would hurt her. She thought that she could talk him out of whatever he was going to do. It is also the only explanation for how the little sister remembered the name of some homeless guy who worked for a few hours on the roof of their house six months after the incident. What is not explained by the meetings is why the parents didn't suspect him in the first place.

[bonfire]

How would a 14 yr.old have the opportunity to "meet" with these people?

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Didn't you know? According to many of these "real men" on this site, attractive 14 year old girls are eager to run off with middle aged losers.

At least, thats what all those "14 year olds" in the chatrooms tell 'em.