jolie-lawsuit-news.jpgAngelina Jolie is being sued by Croatian journalist James Braddock over claims that In the Land of Blood and Honey violates the copyright on his book, The Soul Shattering, but now it's being reported that the lawsuit won't interfere with the December 23rd release of her directorial debut.

Braddock has withdrawn his motion for a temporary restraining order on the film's release after the judge sided with the film's distributor last week, and more importantly, the judge has ordered Braddock's lawyers to turn in a brief by tomorrow explaining why the case should proceed in Illinois federal court rather than California.

U.S. District Judge Robert Dow Jr. noted that the connection to the jurisdiction in Illinois "appears to be minimal, at best", and The Hollywood Reporter notes that the transfer would be "a small victory for Jolie and the film's producers" because California is notorious for throwing out copyright infringement claims, and in many cases, plaintiffs bringing the lawsuit have been ordered to pay attorney's fees for the defense.

Jolie's distributor, FilmDistrict, pointed out that Braddock had represented that he knew about the making of the film since early 2010, but waited until now to take legal action. Judge Dow added that there were valid concerns about the timing of the lawsuit and that the plaintiff hadn't yet shown that "immediate and irreparable harm would result" from the film's release. So how does Jolie feel about all this? She recently stated that she's never read Braddock's book, and that the lawsuit is "par for the course. It happens on almost every film."