LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Creative Artists Agency has filed a lawsuit against United Talent Agency in the wake of a high profile defection of 10 agents and their clients such as Will Ferrell from CAA to UTA this week.
CAA's suit accuses the defendants of intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, breach of fiduciary duty, conspiracy to breach fiduciary duty, conspiracy to breach duty of loyalty and a business code violation.
The suit alleges that two agents, Gregory Cavic and Gregory McKnight, both named as defendants in the suit, recruited CAA agents for UTA while they were still both on CAA's payroll, and delayed business deals with an eye to completing them after exiting CAA.
“This case is about a lawless, midnight raid that UTA and its co-conspirators launched against CAA in a desperate attempt to steal clients and employees,” CAA said in the suit, according to Variety. “Months in the making, this illegal and unethical conspiracy has resulted in a number of agents who were under contract to CAA to brazenly and abruptly breach their contractual obligations to CAA and intentionally and deliberately interfere with CAA’s existing and prospective economic relationships with its clients.”
CAA also asserts that three of the agents who left, Dominic Nuciforo Jr., Martin Lesak and Jason Heyman, have “enforceable, ongoing contracts with CAA,” and the agency plans to seek legal redress through arbitration. – Staff Writers
