Variety reported that a suit was filed on Jan. 14 against Hirsch and his law firm in L.A. County Superior Court, accusing Hirsch of legal malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty. The trust seeks a jury trial and damages to be determined. The filing's charges include the claim that Hirsch failed to adequately secure Higgins' rights to a stage version of the hit 1980 movie from screenwriter Patricia Resnick. Higgins was brought onto the "9 to 5" movie as a screenwriter (he also directed the picture). Resnick has story credit on the film, and she and Higgins share screenwriter credit.

Resnick wrote the libretto of the new musical, which has songs by Dolly Parton. The musical premiered in Los Angeles last fall and will open at Broadway's Marquis Theatre this spring.

The trade reported that Hirsch and his legal team never properly sought Higgins' stage rights from Resnick, and that Higgins made significant contributions to the film property as writer and director.