A Valley author and artist is alleging that Amber Frey, who gained notoriety as the former girlfriend of convicted murderer Scott Peterson, violated a contract they had to write and market a book and a screenplay.
Peter Reynosa filed a lawsuit late Wednesday in Fresno County Superior Court, seeking either $250,000 or Frey's renewed cooperation on the book, titled "Memoirs of a Sex Addict," and the screenplay, "Myths of the Flesh."
It is unclear whether the book was fiction or a memoir by Frey. But a document Reynosa claims is a contract said authorship would be listed as "Amber Frey as told to Peter Reynosa." The document is attached to the lawsuit. But the screenplay is fiction, Reynosa said.
"She was a collaborator," Reynosa said. "She was definitely part of [the book and screenplay]."
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Frey did not respond to requests for an interview. But her father, Ron Frey, said the lawsuit was nothing more than an attempt to cash in on his daughter's name.
"They're just trying to make some money," Ron Frey said. "Amber really is a good person, she just steps in problems all the time."
Frey, who dated Peterson in 2002, testified for the prosecution at his 2004 trial. Peterson, of Modesto, was convicted of killing his pregnant wife, Laci, and their unborn child on Christmas Eve 2002. He now sits on death row in San Quentin Prison.
Since then, Frey herself has published a book, "Witness For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson," but has also been in the news over her struggles to run a Clovis day spa and to keep her home out of foreclosure.
Last week, Frey appeared on "The View" as part of a weeklong series titled "Where Are They Now?"
A few months ago, her father said, she traveled to Thailand with her church as part of a charity effort to help minority hill tribes in that country.
Reynosa -- who is identified as Pedro Reynosa in the lawsuit -- said he was living in Farmersville and had an idea for the screenplay. He felt the project needed a famous name who lived close by, and Frey's name came to mind.
"I did try to cash in on her name, but it was voluntary on her part," Reynosa said.
According to the contract, Frey would get 65% of the book proceeds, and Reynosa would get the remaining 35%. The two would split any proceeds from the screenplay.
Reynosa said he was "still hopeful this can be resolved before we have to go to court."
Ron Frey, however, gave no indication his daughter would be cooperating any time soon. "Amber ain't paying nobody off," he said.
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