ANDREW BAUM - State Bar No
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Electronically FILED by Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles on 09/23/2020 10:50 AM Sherri R. Carter, Executive Officer/Clerk of Court, by N. Alvarez,Deputy Clerk 20STCV36391 Assigned for all purposes to: Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Judicial Officer: Monica Bachner 1 ANDREW BAUM - State Bar No. 190397 [email protected] 2 JESSE B. LEVIN - State Bar No. 268047 [email protected] 3 GLASER WEIL FINK HOWARD AVCHEN & SHAPIRO LLP 4 10250 Constellation Boulevard, 19th Floor Los Angeles, California 90067 5 Telephone: (310) 553-3000 Facsimile: (310) 556-2920 6 Attorneys for Plaintiff 7 Bryan Callen 8 SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA 9 FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES 10 11 Deadline BRYAN CALLEN, an Individual, Case No. 12 Plaintiff, Unlimited Jurisdiction 13 v. COMPLAINT FOR INTENTIONAL 14 INTERFERENCE WITH GABRIEL TIGERMAN, an Individual, and CONTRACTUAL RELATIONS 15 DOES 1-10, DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL 16 Defendants. 17 18 19 20 Plaintiff Bryan Callen alleges as follows: 21 NATURE OF THE ACTION 22 1. This lawsuit arises from Defendant Gabriel Tigerman’s ongoing campaign to destroy 23 the livelihood of actor and stand-up comic Bryan Callen through threats, harassment, and 24 intimidation of third parties that dare contract with him. Driven by the false allegation that 25 Mr. Callen assaulted his wife over 20 years ago, Mr. Tigerman has sent and continues to send 26 Mr. Callen’s representatives and others direct demands that they cease doing business with him, or 27 else be falsely branded as supporters of sexual assault. 28 1 COMPLAINT FOR INTENTIONAL INTERFERENCE WITH CONTRACTUAL RELATIONS 1901384 1 2. As a direct result of Mr. Tigerman’s vengeful interference, Mr. Callen’s agents 2 dropped him and comedy clubs have cancelled contracts to perform. This is illegal, wrong, and 3 without regard for due process. 4 3. By this Complaint, Mr. Callen simply seeks to preserve his ability to work and earn a 5 living. 6 PARTIES 7 4. Plaintiff Bryan Callen is an entertainer who makes his living as a film and television 8 actor, writer, podcaster, and a stand-up comic. He resides in the County of Los Angeles. 9 5. Upon information and belief, Plaintiff alleges that Defendant Gabriel Tigerman is an 10 individual residing in the County of Los Angeles. 11 6. UponDeadline information and belief, Plaintiff alleges that each of the fictitiously named Doe 12 Defendants is responsible in some manner for the occurrences herein alleged, and that Callen’s 13 damages as herein alleged were actually and proximately caused by their conduct. 14 7. Upon information and belief, Plaintiff alleges that at all material times, each 15 Defendant was the agent, servant, authorized representative, predecessor, successor, co-conspirator, 16 employer and/or employee of each other, and in doing the things and acts alleged in this Complaint, 17 was acting within the course and scope of said relationship(s); and further, that each Defendant has 18 authorized, approved, ratified and/or endorsed the acts of each remaining Defendant. Further, each 19 of the Defendants was a partner, or was engaged in a joint venture with one or more of the remaining 20 Defendants, and was acting within the scope and purpose of said partnership or joint venture. Each 21 Defendant has ratified each and every act of each other Cross-Defendant pertinent to said partnership 22 or joint venture. 23 JURISDICTION AND VENUE 24 8. The events or occurrences giving rise to the claims alleged in the Complaint took 25 place in the County of Los Angeles. 26 9. Pursuant to Article VI, Section 10 of the California Constitution and § 410.10 of the 27 Code of Civil Procedure, subject matter jurisdiction is proper in the Superior Court of California for 28 the County of Los Angeles. 2 COMPLAINT FOR INTENTIONAL INTERFERENCE WITH CONTRACTUAL RELATIONS 1901384 1 10. Pursuant to § 395 of the Code of Civil Procedure, venue is proper in the Superior 2 Court for the County of Los Angeles. 3 FACTS COMMON TO ALL CAUSES OF ACTION 4 11. Plaintiff Bryan Callen is a well-known actor and comedian, who got his first break as 5 part of original cast of the hit late-night show, MADtv in 1995. In the years since, he has regularly 6 appeared in film and television and toured as a stand-up comic. 7 12. To perform as a stand-up comic, Plaintiff Bryan Callen contracts with various comedy 8 club venues and live theater chains across the country. The identity of these venues is public 9 knowledge because Mr. Callen publishes his tour schedule on his website, BryanCallen.com. 10 13. To procure work as a stand-up comic, Mr. Callen contracted with Creative Artists 11 Agency (“CAA”). Deadline 12 14. To procure acting roles, Mr. Callen contracted with Innovative Artists Talent and 13 Literary Agency, Inc. (“Innovative Artists”). 14 15. At all relevant times, Mr. Callen’s representation was public knowledge. Anyone, 15 including Defendant, could find his agents’ contact information at CAA and Innovative Artists on 16 numerous websites via a simple Google search. 17 16. On July 31, 2020, the Los Angeles Times published an article wherein Katherine Fiore 18 Tigerman accused Mr. Callen of raping her 21 years ago. Defendant Gabriel Tigerman is married to 19 Katherine Fiore Tigerman. 20 17. Mr. Callen never assaulted Mrs. Tigerman. All of the allegations of Mr. Callen’s 21 misconduct published in the LA Times are false. And Mr. Callen has publicly denied them. 22 18. Moreover, Mr. Callen has never been charged with nor convicted of sexual assault. 23 19. Twenty days after the publication of LA Times article, Defendant Gabriel Tigerman 24 sent Mr. Callen’s representatives a demand that they drop Mr. Callen as a client. In particular, on 25 August 20, 2020, Mr. Tigerman sent an email to CAA stating: 26 “My name is Gabriel Tigerman. I am sure you are aware of the heavily vetted rape and sexual assault allegations against your client, Bryan Callen, detailed on the front 27 page of the LA Times a few weeks ago. Four women came forward for this article. My wife, Katherine Fiore Tigerman, is one of them. Bryan Callen raped her twenty 28 years ago. I know CAA dropped Bryan’s close friend and partner, Chris D’Elia, when 3 COMPLAINT FOR INTENTIONAL INTERFERENCE WITH CONTRACTUAL RELATIONS 1901384 1 the LA Times reported of his sexual predation. I can only assume his representatives knew that, by continuing to represent D’Elia, they would be standing with abusers 2 and would be sending the message to victims that this behavior is okay. I am 3 writing to find out what the status is with Callen at CAA. Do you and CAA still represent this serial sexual predator? I hope the answer is no. 4 (Emphasis added). 5 20. Upon information and belief, Plaintiff alleges that Gabriel Tigerman sent this email 6 or one like it to Innovative Artists on or around the same day. 7 21. As a result, one day after receiving Mr. Tigerman’s email, both CAA and Innovative 8 Artists quit representing Mr. Callen, and refused to continue to procure him acting and comedy work 9 pursuant to contract. 10 22. The loss of Mr. Callen’s representation contracts forecloses the possibility of future 11 acting and performanceDeadline jobs that only a licensed talent agency can procure on his behalf. The 12 resulting loss of future earnings to Mr. Callen is immense. 13 23. Gabriel Tigerman continues to communicate similar harassing and threatening 14 messages to other parties with whom Mr. Callen has contracted or has a business relationship. 15 24. For instance, in September 2020, Mr. Tigerman called and wrote various comedy 16 venues with whom Mr. Callen was contracted to perform in October and November, including 17 Bricktown Comedy Club in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Skyline Comedy Club in Appleton, 18 Wisconsin. Mr. Tigerman told these venues that by not cancelling their contracts with Mr. Callen, 19 they were sending the message that they support sexual abusers and do not believe victims of sexual 20 assault. 21 25. Following Mr. Tigerman’s communications, the Bricktown Comedy Club and 22 Skyline Comedy Club cancelled Mr. Callen’s contracts to perform at their venues. 23 26. In sum, Mr. Tigerman has engaged in a relentless campaign of economic interference 24 against Mr. Callen as revenge for something Mr. Callen did not do. Mr. Tigerman’s apparent 25 objective is to have Mr. Callen blacklisted, destitute, never to work again. 26 27. The direct impact has been nothing short of devastating to Mr. Callen personally and 27 financially. 28 28. Mr. Callen’s growing damages are well in excess of the jurisdictional requirement of 4 COMPLAINT FOR INTENTIONAL INTERFERENCE WITH CONTRACTUAL RELATIONS 1901384 1 this Court. 2 29. By this Complaint, Mr. Callen seeks to halt Mr. Tigerman’s misconduct and be made 3 whole for the undue harm it has inflicted on his entertainment career. 4 CAUSE OF ACTION 5 (Intentional Interference with Contractual Relations) 6 (Against All Defendants) 7 30. Plaintiff Bryan Callen refers to and incorporates by reference all of the allegations in 8 Paragraphs 1 through 29, as if fully restated herein. 9 31. There were contracts between Mr. Callen and the following entities: 10 a. Creative Arts Agency; 11 b. InnovativeDeadline Artists Talent and Literary Agency, Inc.; 12 c. Bricktown Comedy Club; and 13 d. Skyline Comedy Club. 14 32. Defendants knew of these contracts. 15 33. Defendants’ conduct prevented performance or made performance more difficult for 16 each of these contracts.