John Steinbecks Stepdaughter Awarded $13 Million in Court Battle Over Film Rights

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One dubious battle might be at an end. The stepdaughter of literary legend John Steinbeck has prevailed in a court battle over control of the rights to his works, and was awarded $13.15 million by a Los Angeles jury on Tuesday night.

Waverly Scott Kaffaga filed a lawsuit in 2014 against Thom Steinbeck, the author's son, and his wife, Gail Knight Steinbeck, alleging that they were interfering with her ability to license film adaptations of the author's work. Thom Steinbeck died in 2016, making his wife the sole defendant in the suit.

At issue is control over the rights to Steinbeck's works and attempts to make films based on "The Grapes of Wrath" and "East of Eden" that fizzled. Kaffaga's mother, Steinbeck's third wife Elaine, inherited control over the rights after his death in 1968. A settlement in 1983 provided some royalties to Thom Steinbeck. However, Kaffaga asserts that control remained with her mother, and that she inherited them upon her mother's death.

In October, a U.S. district judge granted summary judgment that Thom Steinbeck had breached the 1983 deal. But a jury would determine whether or not Gail Knight Steinbeck deliberately interfered with the attempted adaptations.