Remarks escalate turf battle between state film executives

A feud involving two of the state's top film and entertainment officials heightened yesterday when the vice president of the Massachusetts Sports and Entertainment Commission threatened legal action against the head of the state film bureau over allegations she made in a letter last month.

A lawyer for Mark Drago, vice president of the Massachusetts Sports and Entertainment Commission, denied allegations that Drago had tried to bully Martin Scorcese's production executives into dealing exclusively with him. He said the allegations were baseless and have inflicted emotional distress and defamed his reputation.

The allegations were included in a letter that Robin Dawson, executive director of the Massachusetts Film Bureau, sent to Governor Mitt Romney March 22.

Dawson told Romney that Drago threatened to prevent the Scorcese team from getting Boston city permits if it did not deal with him exclusively.

Dawson also said that Drago had jeopardized a Tom Hanks film production on John Adams by leaking information to the press.

Drago's lawyer, Jeffrey A. Denner, said the charges are ''simply untrue" and that they ''defamed" Drago's reputation.

He said Drago intended to hold Dawson ''personally responsible . . . to the greatest extent the laws will support."

''Stating to a sitting Governor that Mr. Drago was guilty of extortion is 'extreme and outrageous' and is an intentional infliction of emotional distress," said a letter that Denner's law firm sent yesterday to Dawson.

Dawson was not available for comment, but a spokesman said she had no intention of backing away from the allegations.

''The constitution is quite clear that truth is the ultimate defense," said George Regan, president of Regan Communications.

Romney has asked Dawson to meet with him next week to discuss her allegations.

Dawson headed the state film office for eight years until budget cuts closed it in 2002. The Film Bureau, which runs mostly on private funds though it receives a $5,000 state grant annually, was created three months after the state office was closed; last year it was designated as the primary agency for recruiting film projects to the state.

In 2003, Drago, using his political connections on Beacon Hill, expanded the sports and entertainment commission's mission to include film projects.