By Stuart N. Brotman Matt Lauer and Louis C.K. may be the latest answers on Jeopardy. But here is the real question: How do you control talent behavior in the entertainment and media fields? This inquiry has been posed for over 80 years now. When Hollywood had a studio system … [Read more...] about Convicting Celebrities: How the Morals Clause Continues to Shape American Culture
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No Joke: Court Dismisses Conan’s Affirmative Defense in Joke Theft Lawsuit
On Thursday, Judge Janis Sammartino of the Southern District of California rejected the affirmative defenses advanced by Conan O’Brien in a long-running joke theft lawsuit. The suit centers on four jokes that O’Brien told on his show Conanin 2015, which were allegedly stolen from … [Read more...] about No Joke: Court Dismisses Conan’s Affirmative Defense in Joke Theft Lawsuit
A House of Horrors: AHS House at Center of Lawsuit
The Rosenheim mansion in Country Club Park, the location of the first season of American Horror Story, is now at the center of a lawsuit. The plaintiffs, Ernest Von Schwartz and Pier A. Oaken, purchased the house from Von Steinbauer in 2015 for $3.2 million. They are suing … [Read more...] about A House of Horrors: AHS House at Center of Lawsuit
Writer Sues PBS after Network Terminates Employment for Meghan Markle Comment
On Thursday, October 25, a former PBS writer filed a lawsuit accusing the network of unlawfully firing him because of sex and sex stereotyping after he made an “innocuous remark” about Meghan Markle. The plaintiff, Hugh Heckman, alleges that he was fired as a result of sex … [Read more...] about Writer Sues PBS after Network Terminates Employment for Meghan Markle Comment
U.S. v AT&T/Time Warner: The Antitrust Trial of the Century
On Monday, March 19th, the U.S. Department of Justice faced off against Time Warner and AT&T in what is called the Antitrust Trial of the century. With the rise of direct-to-streaming companies such as Netflix and Amazon, Hollywood has seen aggressive content consolidation, … [Read more...] about U.S. v AT&T/Time Warner: The Antitrust Trial of the Century