Real Wolf of Wall Street’s Business Partner Sues Paramount

A former business partner of the real-life Wolf of Wall Street has launched a $25 million (£15m) lawsuit against movie director Martin Scorsese and Paramount over his characterisation in the Oscar-nominated film.
Andrew Greene, who worked alongside Jordan Belfort as an executive at Stratton Oakmont, claims he was falsely depicted as a hooker-loving, bad toupee-wearing fraudster.
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Greene, who was portrayed through the character Nicky ‘Rugrat’ Koskoff, says the film had defamed him.
Although he was not named, he maintains that Scorsese’s company and Paramount used his character traits and likeness without his consent.
Although he admits that Belfort dubbed him ‘wigman’ due to his bad hairpieces, he denies being a habitual drug user, party animal and criminal as the film, starring Leoanadro DiCaprio, suggests.
Greene says that the filmmakers have damaged his reputation as a respectable investment banker and is now seeking $25m in damages and also wants the film to be banned from cinemas.
Greene is not the first Stratton Oakmont employee to claim that he was falsely portrayed.
Following the film’s release, Danny Porush, who helped Belfort set up Stratton in the 90s, slammed his depiction as a figment of Belfort’s imagination. He denied taking illegal drugs and engaging in threesomes with Belfort at work.
“The character in the movie is not me. I had nothing to do with the film and I don’t live in the past. It’s not me, and anyone that knows me will know that I never did any of those things,” he said.
“It comes from the imagination of Hollywood writers and is based on several characters, not just me,” he protested.
– IBTimes