LOS ANGELES - An appeals court has ruled that a producer of the movie "Crash" cannot sue to get an Academy Award retroactively.

Bob Yari was one of six credited producers for "Crash," an ensemble film released in 2005 that explored racism in Los Angeles through intersecting stories.

He sued after the Producers Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named only two people as producers for purposes of Oscar credit. He claimed the snub damaged his reputation.

"Crash" went on to win three Academy Awards, including best picture. The movie's co-writer and director, London, Ont., native Paul Haggis, as well as producer Cathy Schulman accepted the statuettes at ceremony.

On Tuesday, the 2nd District Court of Appeals in California agreed with a lower court's ruling in 2006 that the "right of fair procedure" Yari's lawyers invoked did not apply in this case. Private organizations can make their own decisions when it comes to their awards, the justices said.

Academy executive director Bruce Davis said he was not surprised by the ruling, "but it is nice to be assured that the courts don't want to be in the business of deciding who wins an Academy Award," he said.

Yari, who continues to work as a producer, called the ruling "unfortunate."

He is part of the team making an original television series for cable company Starz Entertainment LLC based on "Crash."