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Hollywood dealmaker sues former lawyers
Film financier David Bergstein is suing his former lawyers for $100 million as part of on-going accusations of malpractice and disclosure of confidential information.
Litigation tussle in Tinseltown
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In the latest law suit, New York-based law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan and Los Angeles-headquartered Levene Neale Bender Yoo & Brill stand accused of professional malpractice, reports the National Law Journal.
Mr Bergstein, who was formally head of production and distribution companies ThinkFilm and Capitol Films, has already sued two other former lawyers – sole practitioners Susan Tregub and Teri Zimo -- who essentially served as general counsel to his companies.
Confidential information
In three separate suits, Mr Bergstein has accused all defendants of collaborating to use confidential information to ruin his reputation during his 2010 arrangement of Walt Disney’s $660 million sale of Miramax – one of the largest Hollywood deals in recent history.
‘Defendants, a collection of prominent members of the legal community, have engaged in conduct that does violence to the essence of legal ethics,’ wrote Mr Bergstein in the most recent suit. ‘Defendants have not merely abrogated their responsibilities as members of the legal profession; they have made a mockery of them.’
The disputes began when Ms Tregub allegedly disclosed Mr Bergstein’s confidential information to Aramid Entertainment Fund owner David Melner as part of a ‘litigation attack’. It is now suggested that Ms Tregub conspired with the lawyers in the latest law suit.
According to the National Law Journal, all the respondent lawyers to the claim declined to comment.
China bribery allegations
In other Hollywood news, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is reported to have written to five leading studios asking for information on the alleged bribery of Chinese film officials, according to The Times newspaper in the UK.
Walt Disney, DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox are among those that have been contacted following China’s decision to allow more foreign films to be shown in the country.
Hollywood is said to be desperate to take its films to emerging markets, and it appeared that a significant victory had been scored in China as the limit on the number of foreign films to be shown was increased from 20 to 34 in February.
However, the SEC has moved to investigate, asking the top studios to detail their relationships with specific Chinese officials.
Mr Bergstein, who was formally head of production and distribution companies ThinkFilm and Capitol Films, has already sued two other former lawyers – sole practitioners Susan Tregub and Teri Zimo -- who essentially served as general counsel to his companies.
Confidential information
In three separate suits, Mr Bergstein has accused all defendants of collaborating to use confidential information to ruin his reputation during his 2010 arrangement of Walt Disney’s $660 million sale of Miramax – one of the largest Hollywood deals in recent history.
‘Defendants, a collection of prominent members of the legal community, have engaged in conduct that does violence to the essence of legal ethics,’ wrote Mr Bergstein in the most recent suit. ‘Defendants have not merely abrogated their responsibilities as members of the legal profession; they have made a mockery of them.’
The disputes began when Ms Tregub allegedly disclosed Mr Bergstein’s confidential information to Aramid Entertainment Fund owner David Melner as part of a ‘litigation attack’. It is now suggested that Ms Tregub conspired with the lawyers in the latest law suit.
According to the National Law Journal, all the respondent lawyers to the claim declined to comment.
China bribery allegations
In other Hollywood news, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is reported to have written to five leading studios asking for information on the alleged bribery of Chinese film officials, according to The Times newspaper in the UK.
Walt Disney, DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox are among those that have been contacted following China’s decision to allow more foreign films to be shown in the country.
Hollywood is said to be desperate to take its films to emerging markets, and it appeared that a significant victory had been scored in China as the limit on the number of foreign films to be shown was increased from 20 to 34 in February.
However, the SEC has moved to investigate, asking the top studios to detail their relationships with specific Chinese officials.
