The feud between Michael Kassan and UTA over the MediaLink founder’s departure is intensifying, with Kassan suing the company’s lawyer for defamation.
Kassan, in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court docket on Thursday, accuses lawyer Bryan Freedman of making an attempt to tarnish his fame on the path of UTA in a bid to forestall workers and shoppers from following him to his subsequent enterprise.
“UTA has executed the whole lot in its energy to try to destroy Kassan with the hope that whereas UTA doesn’t have a contractual non-compete, it may create a non-compete by defamation,” states the criticism, which seeks a minimum of $125 million.
In an announcement, Freedman stated “info should not defamation” and that Kassan’s “steady baseless filings and statements are nothing greater than an try and create a false media narrative and divert consideration from his fraudulent actions.” UTA didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Kassan’s lawyer Sanford Michelman stated in an announcement that the criticism “represents Michael Kassan’s intention to carry Mr. Freedman liable for his strategically malicious and defamatory remark.” He added, “To render an announcement resembling he did, illustrates the truth that all Mr Freedman and UTA are doing are attempting to dam Mr. Kassan from competing by hurting him within the press as alleged in Mr. Kassan’s demand to arbitrate.”
The submitting of the lawsuit follows UTA final week withdrawing some claims towards Kassan after it filed a criticism in court docket slightly than in arbitration. Kassan despatched Freedman a letter threatening sanctions if he didn’t dismiss the lawsuit.
Kassan’s criticism, which brings claims for libel and slander, facilities on statements from Freedman to Deadline during which he accused the Medialink founding father of being a “pathological liar.”
“This assertion was made as if it was relaying a reality,” the criticism states. “This assertion by Freedman was malicious and intentional.”
Kassan says Freedman, who’s allegedly performing as a “mouthpiece” for UTA, made the declare in a broader effort to punish him for resigning his place from MediaLink and electing to compete. Whether or not Kassan should abide by the noncompete clause in his contract is among the many major points in litigation between the 2 sides.
In an arbitration motion initiated by Kassan on March 12 towards UTA that names chief government Jeremy Zimmer, he claimed that UTA fraudulently induced him to conform to a sale of MediaLink “solely to then stroll again the very guarantees made” concerning what he would oversee on the company and allowances for his particular bills funds. He resigned on March 6, preempting the company terminating him the following day. In response, UTA accused Kassan of treating firm cash as a “private slush fund.”
