The Art Of Whining

CAA claims UTA conducted a midnight raid, luring top brass Greg Cavic, Nick Nuciforo, Greg McKnight, Jason Heyman and Martin Lesak to the agency last spring.

The March concern is “illegal” according to CAA, and its recent legal maneuver named names, accusing UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer, COO and general counsel Andrew Thau and associate general counsel Michael Sinclair of being complicit in the “lawless” raid.

“Forget the days of Michael Ovitz and ‘The Art of War,’” UTA’s response reads, “CAA has a new company handbook: ‘The Art of Whining.’”

UTA calls the complaint petulant and filed in the heat of emotion without having its facts straight. It goes so far as to say the Death Star is calling the kettle black after CAA “misappropriated” UTA’s confidential documents “in order to gain an unfair business advantage.”

UTA says the irony is that CAA has spent 20 years perfecting the practice of poaching, and laid out how CAA President Richard Lovett allegedly does it.

“Typically, Mr. Lovett leaves a room key for these agents at the hotel’s front desk and requests that the agents proceed to a private hotel room and wait for Mr. Lovett to arrive for the meeting,” the response reads, according to Deadline Hollywood. “While meeting with these agents for the purpose of luring them away from their current employers, Mr. Lovett walks them through the step-by-step, clandestine procedure that includes, but is not limited to, having these targeted agents hire specific lawyers and having these lawers communicate directly with CAA’s former General Counsel and current Managing Partner Michael Rubel, who dictates each move of the operation.”

A summary judgment hearing for the case is scheduled for Sept. 7.