Tyler Perry accused of pilfering gospel verse for flick

Playwright and director Tyler Perry plagiarised from a gospel song for his movie Madea Goes To Jail, a federal lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit alleging copyright infringement was filed by a representative of late gospel singer Bertha James. It claims Perry has taken a verse from a song James wrote in 1950 titled When I Think of the Goodness of Jesus.

The lawsuit obtained by TMZ charges Madea with “incorporating the entire Chorus in a monologue delivered by the main character in Madea referencing her deliverance from a jail sentence”.

The estate of the late James also names Lionsgate Entertainment in the suit, which seeks unspecified damages.