Entertainment

Arguments to be heard in "Spider Man" musical lawsuit

June 1, 2012 / 9:06 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Julie Taymor arrives at the opening night performance of the Broadway musical "Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark" in New York on June 14, 2011. AP Photo/Charles Sykes

(CBS/AP) The first courtroom arguments will take place in New York on Friday afternoon in a civil jury trial stemming from the Broadway production of "Spider-Man."

Judge Katherine Forrest must decide whether to dismiss fired director Julie Taymor's claims that her copyright on a three-page script treatment for the musical was violated. She also will decide the fate of counterclaims brought against Taymor by the show's producers.

The Tony award-winning director was fired in 2011 as the $75 million production sputtered to get off the ground despite three months of preview performances. The musical was rewritten and it successfully reopened.

Taymor sued the producers in November and they countersued. In court papers, the producers say Taymor's treatment was based on pre-existing "Spider-Man" comics and films.