EXCLUSIVE: Producer's lawsuit over Farrah Fawcett documentary could hinge on disputed signature on document that gave control to Ryan O'Neal

Farrah Fawcett's famous autograph is the ticking time bomb within the lawsuit over the NBC television special about her battle with cancer, potentially widening one man's complaint about being pushed out of the project into a major Hollywood scandal that includes accusations of coercion, forgery and an attempt to take over the iconic actress's estate.

Craig Nevius, Farrah's longtime friend and documentary collaborator, earlier this month filed suit against Farrah's longtime former lover Ryan O'Neal, O'Neal's business manager Richard B. Francis and Farrah's friend Alana Stewart, claiming they wrongfully interfered with a deal he'd made with Farrah to document her cancer fight.

The disputed signature is on a document that transferred control of the documentary to O'Neal, and is being compared to the very unique autograph Farrah has executed thousands of times on 8x10 photos which sell for an average of $50 to $100 online.

Nevius, who'd worked with Farrah since he created, directed and produced her 2005 reality television series, bases his case on an agreement he'd signed with Farrah last year.

It's one of two documents at the heart of the lawsuit and, Tabloid Baby has learned, the center of a brewing storm that includes claims that Ryan O'Neal took over the dying Farrah's documentary project and her life as part of a larger scheme to take over her estate upon her death. (O'Neal and Fawcett began a relation in the early 1980s but were never married. After a long hiatus, O'Neal returned to her life earlier in this decade after his own battle with leukemia.)

The LLC agreement between Farrah and Nevius, dated April 1, 2008, formed a company called Sweetened By Risk, "for the purposes of developing, producing and distributing/licensing a documentary currently entitled 'A Wing And A Prayer' (based on Fawcett's home movies)."

The agreement states:

"Fawcett will be the Manager/Chief Executive Office of the company and will make the final decisions on both business and creative matters.... "However, Nevius shall have both the right and the responsibility to assume Fawcett's role as Manager of the LLC if Q) Fawcett becomes too ill to function (for any prolonged length of time) or B) Fawcett is otherwise unavailable due to failing health (for a prolonged length of time) or C) Fawcett is unable to communicate her instructions and/or decisions for any reason whatsoever (for a prolonged length of time)."

The agreement was signed by Farrah on April 1, 2008 (above).

A year and nineteen days later, Farrah signed an "Appointment of Chief Executive Officer an Delegation of Rights" in which she appointed Richard B. Francis as Chief Executive Officer of Sweetened By Risk LLC, giving him "the full power and authority to take all actions the Chief Manager is authorized to take."

The half-page document also:

"...delegates to Ryan O'Neal all of her rights, whether under the agreement, any other agreement or under law, to exercise full artistic and creative control of the production currently entitled 'A Wing And A Prayer'... including, without limitation, the content, the editing and every version... including the final version."

Farrah's signature is dated April 20, 2009 (above).

At issue are those two signatures. The one dated April 1, 2008 is identical to the signature Farrah has written out thousands of time since her first flash of stardom in the Seventies.

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The signatures on the two documents are visibly different.

In an uncanny coincidence, Farrah's friend Alana Stewart (who is named in the lawsuit) was quoted on April 21st saying that Farrah had "thrown" a 68th birthday party for O'Neal on the 20th, the day the Delegation of Rights document was dated.

Stewart's statement was made specifically to counter a much-publicized statement by Farrah's son during a parole violation hearing four days earlier. Redmond O'Neal told a judge that his mother's weight had dropped to just "86 pounds."

Said Stewart on April 21st: "Redmond is young and overreacted a little. Farrah has lost weight, but not that much. No, no, no. I just saw her last night and she looked better. She had color in her face and was talking and laughing."

Her party story as not accompanied by photographs.

Farah Fawcett has not been seen in public since.

On May 7th, O'Neal was featured in People magazine, saying that Farrah's treatment has "pretty much ended."

The tabloid television special, "Farrah's Story," which starred O'Neal, made reference to his cancer movie, "Love Story" and included much footage shot hastily by producers of NBC News' tabloid series Dateline, aired on NBC on Friday, May 15th. After it was announced that the ratings were better than usual for a Friday night, O'Neal announced he would be producing a sequel, one that would presumably include Farrah's death.

But over the weekend, hours after Tabloid Baby's lawsuit report on Friday, O'Neal and Stewart said the sequel had been scrapped.

Farrah Fawcett's signature, April 2008 (click document to enlarge)

Farrah Fawcett's signature, April 2009 (click document to enlarge)

(UPDATE! Signature scandal leads to new questions...)