Entertainment Law

Over the past decade, Horvitz & Levy LLP has been involved in numerous entertainment law appeals, and has been lead counsel in several high profile appeals involving disputes between studios and artists.

Notable among the firm's recent victories is Coppola v. Warner Bros. (March 20, 2001, B126903) (nonpub. opn.), in which the Court of Appeal reversed an $80 million judgment in favor of Francis Ford Coppola against Warner Bros., Inc. The case involved whether Warner Bros. illegally interfered with Coppola's ability to make a new film version of "Pinocchio" when the studio acted to protect its own deal with Coppola to make the same film. In reversing the judgment and directing that judgment instead be entered in favor of Warner Bros., the Court of Appeal ruled that Warner's conduct was privileged. The National Law Journal described the ruling as "the latest in a series of stunning wins for Encino, Calif., appellate boutique Horvitz & Levy LLP."

Other representative cases include (1) Lyle v. Warner Bros. Televisions Productions (No. S125171), a pending California Supreme Court case in which the firm filed an amicus brief addressing First Amendment limits on the liability that can be imposed against a studio for sexually explicit comments made by the writers of the show "Friends"; (2) Kidron v. Franklin (August 21, 1997, B087729, B087767, B087799, B088259 and B088265) (nonpub. opn.), in which the firm obtained the reversal of a $41 million judgment against Sony arising out of the studio's dispute with Adam Kidron, who originated the concept for "Catwalk," a television show that aired on MTV; (3) Agency for the Performing Arts, Inc. v. The Walt Disney Company, et al. (July 27, 2001, B138373) (nonpub. opn.), in which the firm successfully overturned a summary judgment against its client, APA, in a commissions dispute arising from the successful "Home Improvement" television program; (4) Cardoza v. 20th Century Fox (May 5, 2005, D044489) (nonpub. opn.), in which the firm successfully moved to dismiss an appeal filed by a former extra on the Mexican film set of "Titanic," who had filed a similar claim in Mexico; and (5) Gunnell v. Metrocolor Laboratories, Inc. (2001) 92 Cal.App.4th 710, in which the Court of Appeal ruled that worker’s compensation was the plaintiff’s exclusive remedy for injuries that resulted from his exposure to dangerous chemicals in a film processing lab.

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