(AllHipHop News) Newark, New Jersey Mayor Corey Booker is among the defendants named in a $21 million dollar lawsuit filed over the Sundance Channel’s documentary, Brick City. According to a lawsuit filed in United States District Court of New Jersey by Everett Adam Jackson, the series, which was executive produced by filmmaker Forrest Whitaker, infringes upon the “Brick City” trademark that he has owned for years. The Peabody-Award winning, five-part documentary series was directed by Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin and captures local residents improving the conditions of Newark, New Jersey, which was plagued by almost 50 years of violence, poverty and corruption. In the five one-hour episodes, which premiered in September of 2009, the lives of Mayor Booker and Police Director Garry McCarthy intertwine with a Bloods gang member -turned youth counselor named Jayda and her boyfriend Creep, who happens to be a Crip.Jackson, who is a certified English teacher in the state of New Jersey, claims his book “Brick City” was published in 1991. The author claims that fact makes him the oldest, legal owner of the name “Brick City” and also alleges that the documentary borrowed substantial portions from his book for their narrative.As a result of the infringement, Jackson is seeking a total of $21,325,828 from Mayor Booker, Forest Whitaker and The Sundance Channel.
