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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.
RIAG Receives Media Litigation Awards
June 7th, 2018RIAG is pleased and proud to have received several awards this year for its media litigation practice.
CorporateINTL’s Media Sector Litigation Law Firm of the Year in California, US
AI’s Best Entertainment & Media Law Firm 2018 – California
International Advisory Experts’ Media Litigation award winner within California
Corporate LiveWire’s Media Sector Litigation Law Firm of the Year – California
RIAG Files Lawsuit against BBC and Sugar Films For Infringing Copyrights In The Cosby Show
November 6th, 2017On Friday November 2, we filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against BBC and Sugar Films for using copyrighted video clips and music cues from The Cosby Show in a program entitled Bill Cosby – Fall of an American Icon, which was produced by Sugar Films and broadcast by the BBC in June-July 2017.
RIAG Files Defamation Lawsuit Against The Hollywood Reporter
November 18th, 2015Together with co-counsel Ian Brenson and Rodney Smolla (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_A._Smolla), we filed a defamation lawsuit in federal court in Chicago against The Hollywood Reporter arising out of an article about the Sony cyberattack last December. See complaint: https://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/thr-sony-hack-defamation-lawsuit.pdf. Our client, Nicole Basile, is a freelance payroll administrator who has been working on major film productions for the last several years. The Hollywood Reporter article singled out Nicole and falsely communicated, explicitly and by undisguised implication, that she was one of the hackers responsible for the cyberattack. Since the article came out, she has not been offered a single job commensurate with her experience. It has, in short, destroyed her career.
Trademarks 101 at the Beverly Hills Bar Association with Speaker Paul D. Supnik
July 22nd, 2015Rufus-Isaacs, Acland & Grantham, LLP’s Paul D. Supnik will be the speaker at the August 6, 2015 Beverly Hills Bar Association luncheon program “Trademarks 101 – Selection and Protection Basics for the Business Attorney.” See the attached flyer for details.
Gordon Judge Solicitors & Rufus-Isaacs, Acland & Grantham, LLP Announce Collaboration
July 16th, 2015From Deadline.com: ‘The Blob’ Remake
March 20th, 2015RIAG partner Bill Grantham’s client Richard Saperstein is producing the remake of ‘The Blob’ with Brian Witten. See report at Deadline.com: http://deadline.com/2015/01/simon-west-to-direct-the-blob-remake-efm-goldcrest-1201355327/
RIAG Profile in the Los Angeles Daily Journal
August 10th, 2014A Rufus-Isaacs, Acland & Grantham LLP firm profile was recently featured in the Daily Journal.
RIAG Files “Libel In Fiction” Lawsuit
April 21st, 2014RIAG and our co-counsel, Neville Johnson of Johnson & Johnson, and Prof. Rodney Smolla (author of the leading treatise, Law of Defamation), have filed a lawsuit on behalf of Ronee Sue Blakley – singer, musician and Oscar-nominated actress (Nashville). Read more
Court of Appeal Affirms Denial
March 27th, 2014Our client, Dave Williams, was falsely accused on ABC’S 20-20 of being a conman and an internet predator. We sued ABC and his ex-girlfriend, Kelly Cahill, on his behalf. Read more