LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – United Talent Agency (UTA) has made amendments to its lawsuit against former MediaLink chief Michael Kassan, shifting its initial claims to arbitration. The lawsuit now includes new details of allegations of financial mismanagement against Kassan, who has denounced the litigation as a “smear” effort. UTA claims that Kassan blurred the lines between personal and business expenses during his time with the company, which acquired MediaLink for $125 million in December 2021. Although several claims have been dropped, UTA still accuses Kassan of threatening to breach the noncompete clause in his contract.
Kassan has responded by highlighting UTA’s alleged “broken promises” during his tenure and its attempt to tarnish his reputation through the lawsuit. According to him, resigning from MediaLink was a difficult decision, prompted by UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer’s increased pricing on clients and attempts to cut employee compensation. Kassan sees the dismissal of every claim against him as confirmation of UTA’s motive to smear him.
Following the amendments to the complaint, Kassan’s attorney threatened to seek sanctions against UTA for filing a frivolous lawsuit. UTA’s amended complaint seeks a restraining order against Kassan to prevent him from competing. However, Kassan’s attorney maintains that he has the right to compete and had paid $10,000,000 for that privilege, referring to a severance package with noncompete clauses offered by UTA. UTA disputes the existence of this offer and asserts that Kassan was fired for mismanagement of company funds.
The initial complaint, filed on March 12 in Los Angeles Superior Court, accused Kassan of using company funds for personal expenses and excessive spending on luxury travel. The amended complaint provides further details of alleged improper use of UTA funds, including paying for an apartment for his driver and a credit card for his wife. It also claims that Kassan diverted MediaLink funds to his personal corporation. The breakdown in the business relationship was largely due to disagreements over spending, particularly on luxury travel, gifts, and perks.
Kassan’s team argues that he had a contractual discretionary fund within the MediaLink budget for such expenditures. They also claim that UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer was a passenger on some of the private jet rides. As the legal battle intensifies, both parties are now pursuing injunctive relief and damages, with UTA opting for private arbitration. The ongoing dispute sheds light on the high stakes involved in the advertising industry and the potential fallout from major acquisitions.
(Pictured: Michael Kassan, Jeremy Zimmer)