Entertainment
REPRESENTATIVE CASES
- Breach of fiduciary duty action brought by celebrity against his business manager, contending that the business manager breached his fiduciary duty to the client by attempting to evade liability in a dispute over ownership of a portrait of the celebrity’s former girlfriend.
- A professional athlete-turned-television announcer was suddenly ordered to stop working by the network, after some viewers contacted the network to complain that the announcer had used a racial slur when announcing the event. The announcer denied that he had used a racial slur, but was instead describing the athlete’s style of play, and sued for wrongful termination.
- Action for wrongful termination brought by former employee of a television show, contending that the show’s celebrity host locked the employee in a room, yelled and threatened her with adverse employment action for allegedly leaking details about the show.
- Heirs of an animation artist brought a breach of contract seeking royalty payments arising out of the artist’s animated television series.
- Malicious prosecution action brought by a movie artwork publisher against a motion picture studio and its law firm subsequent to a decade of intellectual property litigation in the United States District Court and in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The studio had sued the movie artwork publisher for infringement of the studio’s trademark of an iconic cartoon character. The publisher ultimately prevailed in the federal litigation.
- Heir of famous author entered into a contract for a screenplay based on the author’s book. A dispute with the screenwriters ensued.
- A doctor whose Las Vegas bar was featured on a television reality show sued the show’s producers, casting company, and production company’s lawyer for damage to his medical reputation and medical practice for the show’s depiction of him.
- A production company sued a motion picture studio for breach of contract, unlawful business practices, fraudulent inducement, and sought an accounting, contending that, although it had paid the studio nearly $7 million to promote and widely distribute a feature-length theatrical motion picture that it had financed and made, the studio failed to do so. The studio instead released the movie only on a limited basis.
- A music sub-publishing company sued a karaoke establishment for breach of contract for alleged failure to pay a settlement agreement reached in prior federal court litigation. The sub-publisher has sued in federal court for copyright infringement of over 3,000 musical compositions they had acquired from various Korean artists. Several copyright ownerships were disputed.
- A technology company sued a film distribution company and its principal for fraud and breach of contract of a distribution agreement, which granted defendant exclusive rights to plaintiff’s animated feature-length motion picture. Defendant also allegedly failed to pay the required $2 million advance payment, to disclose its marketing plan, or to provide proper accounting for distribution of the film.
- Breach of contract action/infringement action brought by an individual in the music industry against a music industry star, contending that the defendant stole his idea for a new music technology.
- Plaintiffs were musicians who contended they entered into an agreement with defendants, a film composer and his company, to compose portions of the musical score for a full-length feature film. Plaintiffs contended that defendants refused, and failed to share credit and give them their full agreed-upon portion of the royalties. Plaintiffs filed suit for promissory fraud, intentional misrepresentation, promissory estoppel, breach of oral contract, declaratory relief, and accounting. Defendants cross-complained for defamation, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contract, and unfair competition in violation of Business & Professions Code Section 17200 et seq.
- Plaintiff sued a famous actor who had worked at a noted Los Angeles improvisational theater, contending that the actor’s association with the theater fraudulently led people to believe that they, too, would become famous if they took lessons at the theater.
- The bodyguard and business manager of an elderly animation artist brought suit after the artist’s death, alleging that the artist’s daughter maliciously instituted an elder abuse investigation against him, and had made unwelcome sexual advances towards him. The daughter had contended that Plaintiff had taken financial advantage of her father. Plaintiff also sued the police detective and employer city for investigating the daughter’s elder abuse allegations.
- Plaintiff, a music promotion company, alleged that it was defrauded by defendants, a noted a rap star and his agents, for the rapper’s suddenly backing out of a scheduled performance at a music festival. Plaintiff contended that, because the rap star was the headline act, the entire music festival had to be cancelled. Plaintiff also alleged that its deposit, of over $200,000, was not returned. Plaintiff sued for breach of written contract, conversion, breach of implied contract, common count (money had and received), and fraud.
- The former president and general manager of the motion picture group of a global media and entertainment company sued the company and its principals, contending that he was denied compensation generated by an IPO of a portion of the group, and that defendants then mismanaged the company. Plaintiff also contended that he was forced to resign after complaining of fiscal mismanagement. Plaintiff asserted numerous causes of action, including breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, promissory estoppel, promissory fraud, constructive discharge, retaliation in violation of Labor Code section 1102.5, and unfair business practices in violation of the Unfair Competition Law, Business & Professions Code Section 17200. Defendants cross-complained for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and negligence, contending that Plaintiff was a “once trusted corporate officer” who was instead a “deceitful charlatan,” and that Plaintiff’s employment contract was terminated due to Plaintiff’s poor performance and asset mismanagement.
- Plaintiff, a noted entertainer, and his company, contended that they executed a written agreement for defendant producer and his LLC company for defendants to produce a documentary film about the Plaintiff entertainer’s life. The project, however, allegedly did not go forward because no documents had ever been filed with the California Secretary of State to create and qualify defendant LLC as a valid and existing limited liability company. Plaintiffs filed suit for declaratory relief, seeking a determination that the written agreement was void, that a certain provision therein was unconscionable, and that Plaintiff entertainer had not transferred his right of publicity to either defendant for the purpose of producing a documentary about his life. Plaintiffs also sought a determination that all film footage belonged to Plaintiffs and should be returned.
- Action between an individual who is a tenant and manager of a famous elderly television star who is under a conservatorship, and the conservator (the actress’ only son). The tenant contended the actress had given him permission to reside in a second house on her property, and that he was being harassed by her family. The conservator/son cross-complained, contending that the tenant had committed elder abuse, theft, and fraud, by becoming his mother’s manager, stealing significant assets (including taking title to her home), paying only nominal rent pursuant to a long term lease, and isolating the actress from her family.
- One of the original Mercury 7 astronauts saw what he believed to be sunken shipwreck sites during his space missions, and recorded his observations on maps. Decades later, a television network created a reality TV show based on these maps. The widow of the astronaut sued the producer and network, contending, among other things, that they had wrongfully kept the maps.
