The bitter legal fight between MediaLink founder Michael Kassan and United Talent Agency took a new turn as Kassan filed a slander suit against Bryan Freedman, an attorney representing UTA, seeking damages of at least $125 million.
According to the suit, filed in Superior Court in Los Angeles County, Freedman told a reporter for a trade publication that Kassan was a “pathological liar.”
In addition to at least $125 million in damages, Kassan is seeking an injunction preventing UTA from making further defamatory statements, punitive damages and costs.
“Freedman is not just a sophisticated lawyer and knew what he was doing was illegal but has also been a party to litigation in the past and understands what this strategy could do to a person’s reputation. Freedman broke the law by defaming Kassan, and as an agent of his clients, so too did they,” the suit says.
In a statement, Freedman fired back, reiterating UTA’s claims that Kassan put the firm's money in his own bank account.
“Facts are not defamation. 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. Today we filed our response rejecting all of Kassan’s arbitration claims. 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 said.
Kassan’s suit said Freedman’s remark was part of UTA’s efforts to damage Kassan’s reputation.
“The complaint represents Michael Kassan’s intention to hold Mr. Freedman responsible for his strategically malicious and defamatory comment,” said Kassan’s lawyer Sanford Michelman. “To render a statement such as he did, illustrates the fact that all Mr Freedman and UTA are doing are trying to block Mr. Kassan from competing by hurting him in the press as alleged in Mr. Kassan’s demand to arbitrate.”
