The former CEO of a media marketing company has filed a $125 million defamation lawsuit against a Los Angeles attorney known for representing celebrity clients in an ongoing war of words involving the entertainment giant United Talent Agency Inc.
Michael Kassan, the former chairman and CEO of MediaLink, filed the lawsuit on March 28 in Los Angeles County Superior Court against attorney Bryan Freedman and the law firm Freedman, Taitelman & Cooley LLP. The complaint alleges that Freedman’s comment in an entertainment industry publication, Deadline, that referred to Kassan as a “pathological liar” tarnished the former CEO’s reputation.
Kassan resigned from his executive position on March 6, indicating that he would forgo a $10 million severance package in return for a “right to compete” as spelled out in a partner services agreement, according to the lawsuit. A right to compete gives an employee the ability to use his knowledge and contacts for the benefit of competing companies in an industry.
“Knowing that Kassan’s profession consists of providing important strategic advice to the largest companies in the world, on behalf of his clients, Freedman took aim at the heart of Kassan’s livelihood and profession and engaged in a sharp-shooting character assassination plan to further the scheme of trying to create a non-compete by defamation,” the complaint states.
United Talent Agency (UTA) acquired Kassan’s company, MediaLink, in 2021. Freedman, who represents UTA, said Kassan’s assertions in the lawsuit are without merit.
“Facts are not defamation,” Freedman said in a statement emailed to the Southern California Record. “Michael Kassan’s continuous baseless filings and statements are nothing more than an attempt to create a false media narrative and divert attention from his fraudulent activities.”
UTA has said in statements that the advertising executive funneled company funds for his own personal expenses and violated company rules.
“We filed our response rejecting all of Kassan’s arbitration claims,” he said. “While MediaLink will continue to focus on providing excellent work for its clients, UTA will continue to pursue Kassan for the millions he stole.”
Freedman has represented such personalities as Tucker Carlson, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon.
“UTA has done everything in its power to attempt to destroy Kassan with the hope that while UTA does not have a contractual non-compete, it could create a non-compete by defamation,” the lawsuit says. “Meaning, if UTA could destroy Kassan’s reputation, employees and clients would not follow him to his next venture, thereby creating a form of a non-compete by defaming him.”
The lawsuit asks for monetary damages from the defendants of $125 million – the same amount paid by UTA for its acquisition of MediaLink – as well as a preliminary or permanent injunction ordering all the defendants, their employees and affiliates not to make the same or similar “pathological liar” statements.
Kassan is also seeking an award of punitive damages and attorney costs.
The UTA filed a lawsuit against Kassan in Los Angeles County Superior Court in March detailing employment issues and, according to Kassan’s lawsuit, containing frivolous accusations against him. Then a UTA amended complaint dropped the accusations in the wake of media reports, according to Kassan’s defamation lawsuit.