UTA Fires & Sues Partner Michael Kassan, CEO Of Agency-Owned MediaLink, Over Misappropriation Of Funds

Italian film and TV orgs will hold an emergency press conference in Rome next week to discuss the damage being done to their sectors by uncertainty over the future of direct funding and tax credits. 

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor The latest twist in the battle between UTA and former MediaLink chairman-CEO Michael Kassan is a defamation lawsuit filed by Kassan against UTA attorney Bryan Freedman. Kassan has sued Freedman for slander and libel stemming from a statement that the lawyer made earlier this week to Deadline, which is a sibling publication to Variety under Penske Media Corp. Kassan and UTA parted ways earlier this month amid a flurry of litigation and arbitration filings and heated accusations from both sides.

In all of the exorbitant fallout from Michael Kassan’s exit from UTA earlier this month even the lawyers are getting shrapnel now.

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Kassan‘s team promised late last week they would up the legal ante with UTA unless the agency completely dropped its lawsuit against the resigned/fired (depending on who you ask) MediaLink CEO, and today they did just that.

EXCLUSIVE: If you thought the multi-million-dollar war of words and legal filings between UTA and former Medialink CEO Michael Kassan had been bare knuckles before, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer United Talent Agency has amended its lawsuit against former MediaLink chief Michael Kassan — striking its initial claims against its former partner to move those grievances to arbitration. The amended complaint offers new details of allegations of financial mismanagement against the advertising industry’s famous matchmaker and fixer, who blasts the litigation in a statement to Variety as a “smear” effort.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Joana Vicente has stepped down as CEO of the Sundance Institute. The news will come as a shock to the global independent film community, as Vicente served under three years in a plum role she took after years in leadership at the Toronto International Film Festival.

sell nearly half of Michael’s music catalog for $600 million.But this month, the judge sided with the executors and allowed them to use the late star’s money for the deal.According to TMZ, Katherine wants to appeal this decision, but Bigi doesn’t because he reportedly believes that she’ll lose. Bigi is the heir of his father’s money, and also does not want Michael’s estate paying for Katherine’s legal bills.Bigi, who arrived via surrogate in 2002, is one of the “Thriller” singer’s three children. Michael also shared son Prince, 27, and daughter Paris, 25, with his ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, 65.

This is concerning!

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Former ID-PR brands boss Michael Smith has launched a new communications firm, Midnight Dawn. Smith departed ID-PR in January. “Midnight Dawn has been 25 years in the making and I’m honored to have the privilege of representing a world class group of talent and brands,” Smith said in an exclusive statement to Variety on Tuesday.

As they prepare to start the third installment of the Knives Out trilogy with Daniel Craig to shoot later this year, T-Street partners Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman have made a two-picture producing deal with the Warner Bros Motion Picture Group.

EXCLUSIVE: Christina Diamantas has been promoted to partner at Thruline Entertainment on her 15-year anniversary at the company, where she started in 2009 as an assistant and became a manager in 2015. She becomes Thruline’s ninth manager/partner.

The Curtis Brown Group is pushing into the UK unscripted space.

EXCLUSIVE: Amidst allegations of financial impropriety and corporate skullduggery, the collapse of the relationship between UTA and MediaLink founder Michael Kassan now sees the parties battling it out with competing legal actions  and lots of finger pointing – even by Hollywood standards.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer United Talent Agency has been accused of breach of contract and fraud in relation to its 2021 acquisition of the consultancy firm MediaLink. MediaLink founder and UTA partner Michael Kassan, whose exit from the company nearly a week ago has not yet been reported, claims that UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer and two other top executives engaged in bad faith in the absorption and management of his company, according to documents filed with mediation service JAMS which Variety reviewed. This led Kassan to resign last week, the filing says.

Coleen Nolan recently revealed that she terrifying health scare that left her fearing for her future. However, as she is set to take the next step with boyfriend Michael Jones, the star is doing her best to focus on the future. "I'm so excited for a new chapter in my life," the 59 year old told OK! as she prepares to move into a new house with Michael.

A couple in Utah has been arrested on rape charges, new court docs reveal — and horrifyingly, the alleged victim was their own 15-year-old daughter. Per KSL News, the couple was taken int

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer recently picked up shares of the company on the open market and vice chair Michael Burns said today he thinks the purchase was spurred by a visit the set of the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Andy Cohen — executive producer of Bravo‘s “Real Housewives” franchise and the host of its nightly talk show “Watch What Happens Live” — has fired back against allegations made in a lawsuit by Leah McSweeney, a former cast member of “The Real Housewives of New York City.” In a letter sent on March 6 to McSweeney’s representation from his attorney, Orin Snyder, Cohen calls her allegations “false, offensive and defamatory.” On Feb. 27, McSweeney filed a complaint against Cohen, Bravo and NBCUniversal alleging that Cohen fostered a “rotted workplace culture,” as she told the New York Times in an interview.

Eight years after the death of her brother, Kristin Cavallari still feels the pain of the loss. Nowadays, though, she looks at it all from a totally new perspective.