The firm has litigated numerous cases in the state and federal courts in New York, Connecticut, California, Texas, Illinois, Louisiana, Alabama, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, and many places in between, involving allegations of defamation, invasion of privacy, copyright infringement, and a variety of other claims arising from the gathering and publication of news and information.
Our current cases include:
- Representing two defendants in a lawsuit brought by the subject of the Netflix documentary The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker.
- Representing G/O Media in a lawsuit against a native advertising platform for failing to pay the full amount owed for advertisements placed on G/O Media’s website.
- Representing Newsweek in a defamation case brought by Olivet University arising from two articles about legal challenges to the university’s finances and labor practices.
- Representing Newsweek in a defamation case brought The Satanic Temple arising from an article about the church’s controversial practices.
Our prior cases include:
- Representing Big Fish Entertainment in a defamation case brought by a man who was arrested during an episode of “Live PD,” and claims he is innocent of the charges against him.
- Representing the daughter of a murder victim in a defamation case against her aunt, who has wrongly accused the daughter of involvement in her mother’s murder.
- Representing 3BMG and Viacom in a wrongful death action brought by the estate of a man who was shot and killed at a bar after it was the subject of an episode of “Bar Rescue.”
- Representing Big Fish Entertainment and A+E Television Networks in an invasion of privacy lawsuit defamation and privacy lawsuit arising from an episode of “Live Rescue.”
- Representing the producers of The Last Narc in a lawsuit brought by a former DEA supervisor who claimed he was defamed when he was accused of involvement in the kidnapping and murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena. After the court granted defendants’ motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction, plaintiff voluntarily dismissed his claims.
- Representing Viacom, Al Roker, Jennifer Lopez, and others in a misappropriation and breach of contract lawsuit filed by Everette Draughn in New York arising from his appearance in the television series “Big Easy Justice,” which was dismissed when first filed in Louisiana, and then dismissed in New York and affirmed on appeal.
- Representing the producers of “Free Meek,” a docuseries about the rapper Meek Mill, brought by the attorney representing the judge who had been criticized for how she handled the rapper’s case. The attorney alleged he was unlawfully wiretapped making disparaging comments about the judge after he believed the cameras were turned off. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss, which the court granted, and an appellate court subsequently threw out the original charges against Meek Mill.
- A lawsuit against Oxygen and Brian Graden Media in a case brought by Beth Holloway, Natalee Holloway’s mother, arising from the television series “The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway.”
- A lawsuit against A&E and Big Fish Entertainment arising from the plaintiff’s appearance in the television series “Live PD.”
- A lawsuit in California brought by Richard Simmons who claimed he was defamed by articles published by Radar Online and the National Enquirer that reported he was transitioning to a woman named Fiona. In a decision of first impression, the district court granted defendants’ anti-SLAPP motion and held it was not defamatory – even if false – to report that a person was transitioning gender.
- A lawsuit in Connecticut brought by Alexander Bradley, the former friend of NFL player, Aaron Hernandez, who claimed his privacy was invaded when CNN published photos of injuries he suffered when Hernandez shot him.
- A lawsuit in Utah against ConsumerAffairs.com, a consumer review website, for defamation, RICO, and unfair competition arising from reviews it published about Nordic Track and other brands owned by Icon Health & Fitness.
- A lawsuit brought by a participant in the hit television series Dog the Bounty Hunter against the network and the producers of the series, who claimed he was owed “millions” for his appearances in the program. The district court held that his claims were barred by releases he signed. The case was subsequently affirmed on appeal by the Second Circuit.
- A lawsuit brought by Bill Cosby who claimed the National Enquirer breached a 2006 settlement agreement when it reported allegations made against him by numerous women. Cosby eventually voluntarily dropped the case. Read about it here.
- A lawsuit brought by comedian Brando Murphy against the National Enquirer and other defendants, arising from reports that called plaintiff an “imposter” posing as Eddie Murphy’s son. The case was dismissed under California’s “anti-SLAPP” statute.
- A fraud case arising out of the television program, Catch a Contractor. Plaintiffs, whose home was featured on the program, argued that defendants violated various construction statutes and committed fraud during the renovation of their home. The court held, however, that defendants’ acts were “in furtherance of free speech rights” and dismissed the case.
- A lawsuit against a national cable company and media entity brought by a family who claimed they were defamed when defendants incorrectly identified their house as the home of the Putnam County District Attorney, whose live-in trainer had been arrested on child rape charges. The case was dismissed when the court agreed with defendants that the report was not “of and concerning” the plaintiffs. Read more about the controversy here.
- A lawsuit brought by the man who found actor Philip Seymour Hoffman after he died of an overdose, who claimed he was defamed when the National Enquirer falsely reported the nature of his relationship with Katz.
- A lawsuit brought by a woman who claimed that true stories about her arrest for possession of drugs became false when her arrest record was expunged pursuant to Connecticut’s Criminal Records Erasure Statute. In a case of first impression, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a grant of summary judgment and held that the statute could not be read to alter the historical fact of plaintiff’s arrest or require publishers to remove stories about the arrest from their websites.
- A lawsuit brought by an attorney who claimed he represented a class of consumers who were defrauded into purchasing the National Enquirer based on misleading headlines about the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The court dismissed all of plaintiff’s claims under California’s “anti-SLAPP” statute, and awarded defendant its legal fees.
- A lawsuit brought by a participant on a reality television program who claimed he was assaulted and battered while participating in the program, and then lied to by the show’s producers in order to induce him to continue participating.