CAA has made the anticipated next legal move in the mass defection of agents to rival agency UTA, seeking arbitration for breach of contract over three of the agents, TheWrap has learned and reported Thursday would occur.
Nick Nuciforo was under contract until Oct. 17, 2015, while Jason Heyman and Martin Lesak were under contract until June 23, 2016. Each of their contracts had arbitration provisions.
The three were part of a group including agents Greg Cavic and Gregory McKnight, against whom CAA filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday along with UTA for “a lawless, midnight raid” that resulted in unnamed damages to the talent agency.
The group brought along top clients Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell and Melissa McCarthy with them from CAA, which likely lost tens of millions in future commissions.
CAA believes Cavic and McKnight and UTA began talks with Heyman, Lesak and Nuciforo back in January and tried to get CAA clients to sign agreements with UTA during the Sundance Film Festival.