Tyler Perry Sued: Did Director Steal 'Good Deeds' Story Plot? Author Terri Donald Sues Actor and Lions Gate for $225,000

According to reports, American author Terri Donald is suing actor/director Tyler Perry and Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation for allegedly stealing her original story idea and plotline behind the 2012 romantic drama "Good Deeds." Donald insists that Perry's playwright for the film was taken from her 2007 book "Bad Apples Can Be Good Fruit." Now, Donald is suing for $225,000 for initial damages and writing credit - if she proves victorious, her name will have to be featured in the opening and closing credits of the film.

According to the lawsuit, which was recently filed in Philadelphia, Donald (writing under the pseudonym TLO Red'ness) sent Perry a copy of her novel before production even began for "Good Deeds." She believes that her story actually proved the basis for Perry's film, but she received no credit for it. The author is also requesting that Lionsgate studio provide her an account of the film's total box office earnings (which supposedly add up to approximately $32,000,000).

Here are two descriptions of Perry's "Good Deeds" and Donald's "Bad Apples Can Be Good Fruit." Do they sound similar?

"Good Deeds," from Rotten Tomatoes:

"A successful, wealthy businessman, Wesley Deeds has always done what's expected of him, whether it's assuming the helm of his father's company, tolerating his brother's misbehavior at the office or planning to marry his beautiful but restless fiancée, Natalie. But Wesley is jolted out of his predictable routine when he meets Lindsey, a down-on-her-luck single mother who works on the cleaning crew in his office building. When he offers to help her get back on her feet, the chance encounter with someone so far outside his usual circle ignites something in Wesley."

And "Bad Apples Can Be Good Fruit," from Amazon:

"A compelling story of a woman s struggle to free herself from the past in order to move forward in the future with the man she loves. This mysterious secret must unfold in order for the woman to allow a committed vow. In this story her past unravels tragedy, murder and her secret. What the man isn t being honest about is that he also has a secret that materializes in the midst of the storm and the raging fury it holds. The two come to grips with the truths and decide for the future and what it has to offer them."

So, Team "Good Deeds" or Team "Bad Apples Can Be Good Fruit"?