Robert Surtees’ relative sued over auctioned Oscar

A relative of late Ben-Hur cinematographer Robert Surtees has been slapped with a lawsuit from Academy Awards bosses after selling off one of the filmmaker’s Oscars. Surtees won gold three times during his career and his daughter-in-law, Carol, recently auctioned off the statuette he earned in 1953 for his work on The Bad and the Beautiful for $40,500 (£25,313).
However, Oscars officials at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have taken issue with the eBay.com sale as it violates the conditions of accepting the prize, which stipulates that they should be given first refusal to buy back the award for just $10 (£6.25).
They have now filed suit against Surtees’ relative, asking a judge to award them the sale profits and allow them to purchase the trophy for $10, according to TMZ.com.
Surtees, who also won Oscars for 1950’s King Solomon’s Mines and 1959 classic Ben-Hur, died in 1985, aged 78.