The latest development in the battle between UTA and former MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan is a defamation lawsuit filed by Kassan against UTA attorney Bryan Freedman.
Cassin Friedman has been charged with libel and defamation over a statement the lawyer made earlier this week to Deadline magazine, a sister publication of diverse Under Penske Media Corp. Kassan and Utah broke up earlier this month amid a flurry of lawsuits, arbitration and heated accusations from both sides. Kassan’s lawsuit against Friedman centers on the attorney’s statement to Deadline magazine that “Michael Kassan is a pathological liar,” which was published on March 25.
“The complaint represents Michael Kassan’s intent to hold Mr. Friedman accountable for his malicious and strategically defamatory commentary,” Kassan’s attorney, Sanford Michelman, said in a statement. “Making a statement like this illustrates the fact that all Mr. Friedman and Utah are doing is trying to prevent Mr. Kassan from competing by victimizing him in the press as alleged in Mr. Kassan’s request for arbitration.”
In its claims against Kasan, UTA asserts that the longtime advertising industry executive was lavish in his spending and misused company funds for his personal expenses. Kassan accused UTA of violating agreements made when the talent agency acquired MediaLink for $125 million in late 2021. Kassan’s lawsuit against Friedman seeks $125 million in damages.
“This statement was made as if it was conveying a fact,” the lawsuit states. “This statement by Friedman was malicious and intentional. Stated another way, non-compete is defamation. Friedman didn’t just say this to a few people, he said it to countless people via the Deadline article so he could do as much damage as possible. Friedman Not only is he a sophisticated attorney and knew what he was doing was illegal but he had also been party to a lawsuit in the past and understands what this strategy can do to a person’s reputation.Friedman violated the law by defaming Kasan, and as an agent for his clients, they did as well.
More is coming