Jamie Awe vs. LucasFilm Ltd. was a highly publicised lawsuit filed by Belizean archaeologist Jamie Awe on behalf of Belize against Lucasfilm, its owner Disney, and Paramount Pictures over the use of a crystal skull replica in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. In his complaint Awe demanded the return of the Crystal Skull, which he said was a national treasure, from a treasure-hunting family who allegedly stole it. The lawsuit further claimed damages from profits of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
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Neither Lucasfilm nor Paramount reacted immediately to news of the lawsuit. They said the artifact was found in Peru and was of unspecified Native American heritage. The case was ultimately settled out of court by way of a confidential agreement between the parties.
Background
Frederick Albert Mitchell-Hedges traveled to Belize with his adopted daughter Anna in the early 1920s. In a 2008 documentary, Anna revealed that she discovered a Crystal Skull under a collapsed altar while exploring temple ruins on the trip. It was taken to the U.S in 1930, then traveled with the Frederick to England and remained there until his death in 1959, after which it was kept by the daughter and later the daughter's husband in Indiana.
In 2008, Lucasfilm released Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The movie featured a crystal skull, which was called the Mitchell-Hedges' skull and bore resemblance to the Belizean Crystal Skull.
Case
In 2012 attorney Adam Tracy filed a lawsuit for Jamie Awe, director of the Institute of Archeology of Belize against Indiana Jones citing that the crystal skull in question was illegally removed from Belize by defendant Frederick Arthur Mitchell-Hedges in 1930 after its discovery in the Mayan city of Lubaantun in 1924. The lawsuit further stated that Belize had laws preventing the removal of artifacts from government-owned property as far back as 1894. Therefore, the skull was stolen and Belize was still its legal owner.
In the complain Awe alleged that Lucasfilm never sought, nor was given permission to utilize the Mitchell-Hedges Skull or its likeness in the film. Awe sued Mitchell-Hedges estates and William Homann, Anna's husband and current custodian of the skull, for the return of the skull. He also sued Lucasfilm, Disney and Paramount.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull said the artifact was found in Peru and was of unspecified Native American heritage.
Media Coverage
Soon after the lawsuit was filed, it received wide media coverage. The lawsuit was called frivolous and baseless by commentators. The Hollywood Reporter called Awe "a real-life Indiana Jones" and the lawsuit "one of the most entertaining lawsuits of the year." Many media outlets also doubted the veracity of Anna’s story and the authenticity of the skull. A report on Discovery News said that historical records show that F.A. Mitchell-Hedges purchased the skull from an antiquities collector named Sydney Burney in 1933 and he eventually sold it to pay off a debt. Anna reportedly bought back the skull and made up an adventurous story about finding it on her seventeenth birthday in the jungle ruins. According to Discovery News, there is also no record of the Mitchell-Hedges ever visiting Lubantuun or Belize.
Live Science doubted the veracity of the skull itself. However, Awe's lawyer Tracy said that government of Belize did not believe the skull to be fake.