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CAA Sues Range Media for Alleged Info Theft
October3
Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of the worlds largest booking agencies, has filed a lawsuit agai
Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of the worlds largest booking agencies, has filed a lawsuit against management firm Range Media Partners, accusing it of "stealing confidential information" prior to Range`s launch in 2020.
The lawsuit, submitted to Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, September 30, also alleges that Range is "an unlicensed talent agency built on deceit."
It further claims that Range’s founder, former CAA agent Peter Micelli (pictured), along with four other ex-CAA agents—Jack Whigham, David Bugliari, Michael Cooper, and Mick Sullivan—carried out a scheme to give Range an unfair competitive advantage. The former CAA agents are accused of pretending to be loyal employees while secretly working to benefit Range at CAA’s expense.
Micelli left CAA in 2018 after nearly 20 years with the company and launched Range Media Partners in 2020. The company, which manages talent across various industries including music, film, sports, and television, represents high-profile stars such as Bradley Cooper, Keira Knightley, Tom Hardy, and Rita Ora.
CAA claims in the lawsuit that Micelli and his co-founders stole confidential information from CAA in the months leading up to Range`s public launch in August 2020.
In the lawsuit CAA alleges that the agents spent months sending volumes of CAA data — including clients’ ongoing and future projects, their branding strategies and business plans — to their personal email accounts and cell phones.
The agents also downloaded Telegram, a private messaging app, to avoid being detected by CAA, the suit alleges.
The lawsuit also alleges that they persuaded other CAA employees to steal confidential data and cover their tracks by using encrypted messaging apps and sending information to personal email accounts.
CAA accuses Range of operating as an unlicensed talent agency in violation of California law, which requires agencies to be licensed by the California Labor Commissioner. The lawsuit claims Range exploited the "gray area" between talent agents and managers to avoid industry regulations, while the former CAA agents continued benefiting from CAA profits despite working against the company.
CAA is seeking an injunction to prevent Range from using or disclosing confidential information, soliciting CAA clients and employees unlawfully, and representing Writers Guild of America members without proper authorization. The agency is also requesting damages and a jury trial.
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