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RIAG and Co-Counsel File Oppositions to Netflix’s Motions to Dismiss and to Transfer obo Rachel Williams
December 11th, 2022On December 9, 2022, RIAG and its co-counsel for Rachel Williams, Rodney Smolla and Brian Farnan, filed its oppositions in Rachel Williams v Netflix to Netflix’s motions to dismiss and to transfer: 23. Opposition to Motion to Dismiss 24. ARI Decl. re Motion to Dismiss 24.1 Chart 25. Opposition to Motion to Transfer 26. ARI Decl re Motion to Transfer 26.1 Netflix 10K 26.2 Location Chart
Netflix’s reply briefs are due by December 23, 2022.
Insider Magazine did an article about the filings: https://www.insider.com/shonda-rhimes-could-be-deposed-as-part-of-inventing-anna-lawsuit-2022-12
Alexander Rufus-Isaacs is Interviewed about the Rachel Williams v Netflix Lawsuit
September 4th, 2022Here is a link to Alexander’s interview on Law & Crime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=sdKPjr-p3qc
RIAG files Defamation Lawsuit Against Netflix For Defaming Rachel Williams in Inventing Anna.
August 29th, 2022Here’s the complaint: D.I. 1 – Complaint
RIAG files defamation suit against Sumner Redstone’s granddaughter
August 25th, 2022Here is the complaint that we filed in LA Superior Court: Redstone Complaint CF
Alexander Rufus-Isaacs Is Quoted In Hollywood Report article on the Jerry West Claim
May 27th, 2022On April 25, 2022, The Hollywood Reporter published an article by Winston Cho entitled “If Jerry West Sued ‘Winning Time,’ Legal Case May Face Uphill Battle” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/if-jerry-west-sued-winning-time-legal-case-may-face-uphill-battle-1235134802/. It analyzed the claim made by legendary Lakers’ coach Jerry West against HBO for libel as a result of the unfavorable depiction of him in the series, Winning Time. RIAG’s Alexander Rufus-Isaacs was quoted in the article.
Gaprindashvili v Netflix – Netflix’s anti-SLAPP Is Denied
January 27th, 2022
On December 3, 2021, we filed Nona Gaprindashvili’s opposition to Netflix’s anti-SLAPP motion. Here it is, along with the declarations and exhibits 1-3:
On January 27, 2022, the court issued its ruling denying the motion without oral argument.
JASON ZELIN JOINS RIAG
December 6th, 2021Rufus-Isaacs Acland & Grantham LLP is delighted to announce that Jason Zelin has accepted an invitation to become Of Counsel to the firm. Jason has extensive experience in many facets of the entertainment industry, from both legal and business perspectives. In addition to working at private law firms, he has worked inhouse for Warner Bros. Television, Lorimar Entertainment, The Completion Bond Company, Village Roadshow Pictures, Miramax Films and others.
Jason has negotiated talent deals, network licensing agreements, literary acquisitions as well as scripted and unscripted television development and production. Working outside film studios, he bonded more than $100 million in budgeted new films, and served as a primary liaison with studios. When working as part of film studios, Jason also gained experience supervising all legal and business aspects of multi-national productions, and as COO of a production company he developed film projects at Paramount and Dreamworks with such notables as Ridley and Tony Scott, Will Smith, and Janet Yang.
RIAG managing partner Alexander Rufus-Isaacs says, “Jason and I have worked together in the past and become good friends. He is a superb lawyer whom I admire and like very much. I could not be happier that he has joined us, and he will be a great asset.”
For more information about Jason, see https://www.rufuslaw.com/jason-zelin/
Defamation Suit Against Netflix Re The Queen’s Gambit – Court Denies Netflix’s Anti-SLAPP motion
September 16th, 2021On September 17, 2021, we filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Netfix for defaming our client, Nona Gaprindashvili, in the TV series, The Queen’s Gambit.
Netflix filed a Motion to Strike under the California anti-SLAPP statute and to Dismiss under FRCP 12(b)(6), which we opposed. On January 27, 2022, the Court denied Netflix’s motion. Here is the Order: 37. Order Denying SLAPP and 12b6 motions
Important Appellate Win Against The Hollywood Reporter
July 3rd, 2020In 2017, we filed a libel case in Chicago against Prometheus Global Media, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter, on behalf of a client called Nicole Basile. In a disgraceful example of reckless journalism, THR published an article which clearly implied that Nicole was responsible for the Sony hack-attack. This was false, but the article devastated Nicole’s career.
After we beat all 4 of Prometheus anti-SLAPP and jurisdictional motions in the trial court, Prometheus appealed. On JUne 30, 2020, the Illinois Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s decisions, establishing some important issues. https://courts.illinois.gov/R23_Orders/AppellateCourt/2020/1stDistrict/1190602_R23.pdf
The case will now proceed to trial. The main facts are not in dispute – the disagreement is over whether the statements in the THR article are defamatory, and the appellate court found that they certainly are, e.g., ¶58: “the article clearly and unmistakably conveyed that plaintiff was the ex Sony-employee responsible for the cyber attack. Thus, the article is defamatory on its face.” It doesn’t come clearer than that.
Kudos to our co-counsel, Rod Smolla (author of Smolla on Defamation), for great work.