UTA, FORMER AGENT SPAR OVER EXIT

The Hollywood Docket
Entertainment & Media Litigation Filings

United Talent Agency and Chris Coelen, formerly one of its top agents, have traded lawsuits stemming from Coelen’s decision to form a new personal management company with financial backing from former UTA client RDF Media.

UTA fired first, suing Coelen in Los Angeles Superior Court for allegedly breaching his employment agreement with the agency by abruptly leaving UTA also sued former employee Karrie Wolfe in a separate action for allegedly disclosing via e-mail hundreds of pages of confidential documents while employed by the agency.

Coelen responded a week later by countersuing his former employer for declaratory relief, seeking to invalidate the noncompete clause in his employment agreement that would bar him from working in the talent industry for two years.

UTA alleges that, in advance of Coelen’s Feb. 17 resignation, he secretly agreed to reduce the amount of commissions RDF paid to UTA and gave the company access to UTA’s proprietary and confidential information. Coelen denies the allegations and argues in his suit that because he never finalized a proposed deal to give him an ownership interest in UTA, he can not be forced under California law to abide by a non-compete agreement.

UTA is represented by Bryan Freedman of Freedman & Taitelman in Los Angeles. Michelle Lee Flores of Greenberg Traurig in Los Angeles represents Coelen.

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