Rejoice, Return of the Living Dead fans, for your precious tale has been released from the clutches of purgatory! The lawsuit over the movie has been dismissed, and it turns out the company behind it never actually held the rights it was fighting over. The case traces back to the original cast discovering that Living Dead Media, LLC was profiting off their faces and performances without paying them a dime. Now that the dust has settled, it seems the wizard behind the curtain may not have had the goods to begin with.
On July 31st, 2026, Judge Kevin C. Brazile ruled that Living Dead Media, LLC does not own the copyright to the 1983 shooting script for The Return of the Living Dead, nor does it own the 1985 film of the same title, as that lies with MGM Studios (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). Further, LDM does not own a trademark for movie production or distribution services pertaining to the film. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office confirms that LDM’s 2017 trademark application for film production services was denied, and ultimately abandoned in 2018. The court documents are public information, available via the Los Angeles Superior Court’s website – Case #25STCV01127.
Details of the settlement have not been released, but actress Beverly Randolph (Tina from Return of the Living Dead) says that she has opted out of being included in it:
“I will not make a deal with the devil.” – Beverly Randolph
In reply to a comment, Beverly added that LDM had asked for them to be silenced in the settlement agreement, but they refused:
The original lawsuit filed by Steve Wolsh (CEO of Living Dead Media, LLC) claimed that Return of the Living Dead Originals, LLC was interfering with his ability to do business with his trademarks and ownership of the 1985 movie. ROTLD Originals, LLC formed when the cast of the original movie realized LDM was making money off their images without compensation. ROTLD Originals includes actors Beverly Randolph, Linnea Quigley, Thom Matthews, Miguel Nunez Jr., John Philben, and Alba Francesca (on behalf of James Karen). Representing ROTLD Originals, LLC in the case is attorney Larry Zerner, who you may recognize as a former horror actor himself, having played the infamous prankster Shelly in Friday the 13th Part 3-D (1982). You may also know him as the guy who accidentally supplied Jason Voorhees with his very first hockey mask.
The fallout from the judge’s findings could create more headaches for LDM, as they have been charging others for licensing rights while not actually holding trademarks over the original film, not to mention attempting to raise money to make a new ROTLD film.
For example:
Linnea Quigley (Trash from Return of the Living Dead) added this:
Jewel Shephard (Casey from Return of the Living Dead) had this to say in the comment section of a YouTube video from Planet CCH that discussed the court case a few days ago:
“If the Gods of Horror truly hold the Gates to Hell – criminal charges.” – Jewel Shepard
To add insult to injury, it appears that LDM’s attorney asked to be removed from the case, as he had been trying to remove himself for months while LDM refused to sign the agreement of withdrawal.
Exhibit A:
Cast members Beverly Randolph and Linnea Quigley appeared on the Gore Club Podcast on August 20th, 2026, in which they added some more juicy details to the saga of this lawsuit, including how Steve Wolsh of Living Dead Media had originally offered them large amounts of money to appear in his new ROTLD movie, which they refused due to how rude he was. Check it out on the Gore Club Podcast on YouTube.
Hopefully this will end legal purgatory, and MGM will bless us with a new ROTLD film in the not-so-far future. Something involving the original cast would be a huge draw for franchise fans.
