The CAA has been sued by scope in the poaching dispute

Exclusive: “Range did not seek this fight,” asserts an informal counter-complaint against CAA filed by the company founded by Pete Micheli Monday night in Los Angeles Superior Court. “However, CAA’s ongoing misconduct, California law, and basic fairness leave it no choice but to respond.”

Yes, Happy Thanksgiving to you too.

Roughly a year and two months after the Brian Lord-run CAA took the so-called “illegal” Range Media Partners to open court for poaching staff, talent and intelligence for its creation in 2020, as well as being an agency masquerading as an administrative enterprise, a Rebel Alliance of sorts is taking a sharp stab at the Death Star – while using some of the same language against it.

“CAA orchestrated a deliberate and unlawful campaign to stifle Range’s growth – using illegal non-compete agreements to intimidate and punish employees considering joining Range,” the joint complaint alleges violations of the Unfair Competition and Tortious Interference Act. “This conduct is not only retaliatory, it is a direct attack on employee mobility and fair competition – the very public policies that California’s century-old ban on non-competes was enacted to protect.”

Today begins the jury trial with Range’s attorneys Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher pulling their big blades.

“Full aware that such non-compete provisions are invalid, the CAA uses them anyway, threatening employees with the loss of their hard-earned stock if they even consider moving to Range on their own: Agents who leave for other management companies keep every dollar of their vested stock; only potential Range employees target this threat,” says the 15-page presentation from Elissa Samplin, Orrin Snyder, Jillian London and Daniel Nowicki.

“This is not the behavior of a respected industry leader, but the behavior of a company that abuses its power and clings to control that it no longer lawfully possesses. After years of escalating retaliation, Ring is filing this cross-complaint because CAA’s bullying and blatant violation of California law must finally end.”

Fairly blunt, but you understand why.

A number of directors here are already embroiled in a closed arbitration instigated in 2022 by former CAAers and current Range mobsters David Bugliari, Michael Cooper, Michael Sullivan and Jack Whigham over “tens of millions of dollars in vested shares of former agents” The CAA appears to have denied the quartet back in pandemic times. Add to that, a September 30, 2024, breach of fiduciary duty and tortious interference lawsuit from Star Street-based Uber and its attorney, Paul Hastings, and it’s no surprise that things quickly got uglier and then bloodier.

Over the months, former colleagues in the agency’s arms have been bashing each other, with CAA’s tales of secret moles of sorts on the job, rants about being caught on camera and other sub-claims for concealing illegal conduct, and talent kidnapping, with Ring hoping for dismissal over interference with arbitration. In addition, Judge Mark Young in August invalidated large parts of the Civil Aviation Authority’s allegations. Since then, with the judge granting the CAA the right to make another decision and refile, complaints and protective orders have been amended and, in the past day alone, a variety of filings.

There’s also the fact that Range and CAA work deeply together.

As both point out at various times in this public legal action and in the arbitration, the companies share approximately 150 clients including Michael Shannon, Luca Godagnino, Emilia Clarke, Stefan James, Shailene Woodley, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Josh Gad, Chabuzzi and Dan Levy.

Still, with all of this sounding very personal no matter your point of view, Ring and her lawyers want to talk Türkiye.

For one thing, Monday’s filing seeking an injunction and more than $1 million in damages claims that “media reports” say the torn JAMS arbitration actually went in Range’s favor and that CAA’s side “crumbled.” In addition, they assert that “the arbitrators have already ruled, from a legal standpoint, that the non-competition by the Civil Aviation Authority is invalid and illegal.”

While non-competes are still legal in places like New York State, although less so just a few years ago, they have long been banned on the West Coast — where the CAA and the Range are headquartered. So, regardless of where the secret (but much leaked) arbitration between the CAA and Range Four took place, and what was or was not decided, there are some actual laws on the books regarding non-competes.

To reinforce the point, because some employers are still trying to put these clauses into contracts and agreements or trying to formally ratify the contract in another jurisdiction, Golden State law decided a few years ago to kill it – along with the lure of “damages, injunctive relief, and reasonable attorneys’ fees.” (Sound familiar?)

“Effective January 1, 2024, Senate Bill (SB) 699 makes it generally illegal for employers to enter into noncompete agreements with California employees,” noted California Attorney General and potential 2026 gubernatorial contender, Rob Bonta. In October 2024. “This applies to agreements signed both inside and outside of California. Employers who enter into or attempt to enforce void agreements will be committing a civil violation.”

Of course, like much of this issue, it’s all a matter of perspective and personal perspective. To that, Ring, their defense, and now their attack team saved what might be the best rotten meat for last.

“Range recently learned that a CAA agent left CAA to join another management company (and retained his shares) because CAA threatened to void his shares if he joined Range,” tonight’s filing claims.

“After a Range employee asked the former agent why he did not come to Range as a director, the former agent said that CAA threatened to cancel his shares if he did so,” the filing continues. “These unlawful threats caused real harm to Range. But for CAA’s intimidation and threats to cancel the shares of these CAA agents, these agents-turned-managers were going to join Range, bringing with them their experience, clients and revenue.”

Long lawsuit, short countersuit: Give us our money.

The Civil Aviation Authority did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment on the counterclaim before its publication. If that happens, we will update this article.