CAA Alleges Trade Secret Theft in Lawsuit Against Range Media Partners
CAA has recently added a slew of new allegations to its lawsuit against rival firm Range Media Partners, claiming that former employees illegally accessed CAA databases and stole trade secrets when they left to form Range in 2020.
The initial lawsuit filed by CAA last fall accused Range of being built on deceit and betrayal. In the amended complaint filed on Monday, CAA claims to have uncovered damning evidence through discovery that exposes the depth of Range’s dishonesty.
One of the key allegations in the lawsuit is against Mick Sullivan, a former CAA employee who helped form Range. Sullivan is accused of emailing himself client rundowns, detailing every meeting the clients had taken and projects they were tracking. This resulted in at least one client leaving CAA to join Range.
Furthermore, Sullivan is alleged to have emailed himself hundreds of pages of meeting notes containing information on various projects and potential projects for CAA clients. He also reportedly pressured a CAA assistant to provide him with additional information about clients, including lists of scripts sent to them.
Other Range employees are also accused of stealing confidential information, including pressuring CAA employees who remained at the company. Paige Wandling, a former CAA assistant who joined Range as a manager, is accused of using a CAA mole to obtain hundreds of confidential documents.
According to the lawsuit, Wandling requested and received confidential information from the CAA mole numerous times, including internal emails, industry contacts, and information on meetings and business initiatives. She even offered to pay the mole for this information.
The complaint argues that CAA’s trade secrets are crucial to the functioning of the company and the industry as a whole. Agents gather information from various sources and compile it into a database for internal use. This includes sensitive information from clients such as financial details and career goals.
CAA’s initial lawsuit accused Range of unfair competition by allegedly bypassing California’s talent agency law. Range has tried to dismiss the suit, claiming it is legally flawed. The amended lawsuit maintains the initial claims while adding allegations of trade secret theft and unauthorized computer access.
Range’s legal representative, Orin Snyder, has denied the allegations, stating that CAA’s actions are driven by ego and vengeance. He asserts that Range did not steal any trade secrets from CAA and that the lawsuit is unfounded. Snyder emphasizes that Range is focused on collaborating with CAA to serve their shared clients and is confident they will prevail in the legal battle.
