Resigned! Fired!: Michael Kassan & UTA Scorch Each Other With Competing Suits Of Fraud, Breach Of Contract & Jeremy Zimmer’s Role In Agency Partner’s Exit

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: Amidst allegations of financial impropriety and corporate skullduggery, the collapse of the relationship between UTA and MediaLink founder Michael Kassan now sees the parties battling it out with competing legal actions  and lots of finger pointing – even by Hollywood standards.

Having resigned on March 6 from the agency that bought his strategic company just over two years ago, Kassam took UTA to court first at the start of business Tuesday with a $25 million action demanding arbitration.

The filing in LA Superior Court this morning from NYC-based attorney Sanford Michelman on Kassam’s behalf not only names UTA as a defendant, but also points the finger of responsibility directly at  UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer, who is named as a defendant too. “This case is a result of Kassan resigning from MediaLink due to Zimmer’s breach of contract and repeated broken promises, and Kassan electing to waive his nearly $10,000,000 severance payment to compete with MediaLink as permitted in his Partner Services Agreement,” the 16-page breach of contract and fraud filing says.

UTA sees it very differently and insist they fired Kassan on March 7 for cause and having his paws deep in the corporate cookie jar.