LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) CAA’s lawsuit against UTA, accusing the latter of poaching agents, has reportedly been settled after being filed four years ago.
UTA had hired five senior CAA comedy agents, who brought clients like Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell and Ed Helms with them. CAA filed a lawsuit (here) in March 2015 accusing UTA of “willful, wanton, and malicious corporate raiding.” The five agents include powerhouse comedy agent Nick Nuciforo as well as Martin Lesak, Greg McKnight, Greg Cavic and Jason Heyman. Heyman and Lesak previously worked at UTA and joined CAA in 2005. More colleagues, John Sacks, Susie Fox, Joanna Scott, Mackenzie Condon and Chelsea McKinnies., left CAA for UTA a week later.
CAA called it a “midnight raid” and accused UTA of interfering with the agents’ existing contracts. Many execs were deposed including CAA’s Richard Lovett, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane, according to Variety.
“Defendants knowingly and willfully conspired and agreed amongst themselves to deliberately interfere with CAA’s contractual relationships and furthered the conspiracy by cooperating clandestinely amongst themselves, by covertly aiding and encouraging one another, and by ratifying and adopting the wrongful acts of one another,” the suit says.
“It’s all over at last, thankfully,” an agency source close to that matter told Deadline Hollywood. Attorney Bryan Freedman, who was representing UTA, added, “The matter was resolved, and the state court action, the arbitration and the petitions were all dismissed.”
Details of the settlement were not released but “after four years, one can assume somebody picked up the not-inconsiderable tab for legal fees,” Deadline said.
CAA had sought damages, injunctive relief and restitution for the alleged poaching.
