Recent filings show at least part of the cost of the long-running dispute between former Foundry partners Yfat Reiss Gendell and Peter McGuigan: Following a court order that Foundry “advance attorneys’ fees and expenses to Gendell” to defend against the suit brought by McGuigan and Foundry, Gendell’s attorneys at Sher Tremonte submitted bills for “$157,181.49 in fees and expenses through our firm in connection with the defense of this action.” They contend “we have been conservative in identifying the fees for which we are seeking advancement,” omitting “work associated with defendants’ counterclaims [and] their opposition to plaintiffs’ motion to dismiss.” […]
Agency News
Initiatives: Tobias Literary Agency to Include Screenwriters
The Tobias Literary Agency will expand to include screenwriters under the header of Tobias Literary Management. Theatre producer and manager Eric C. Jones will head up the new endeavor, which will represent “traditionally disenfranchised voices,” along with J.R. Ficarra, who previously worked at equity firm Hill Path Capitol and production company Matador Content. “In order to tip the scales of widespread discrimination in the industry we have to support and lift up works that promote diversity and equity by writers from all marginalized communities,” Jones said. Tobias Literary Agency president Lane Heymont said, “This feels like a natural progression as […]
Judge Allows Most of Gendell’s Counterclaims to Proceed
New York State Supreme Court Judge Joel Cohen ruled on Wednesday that all but one of agent Yfat Reiss Gendell’s counterclaims against agent Peter McGuigan can move forward, rejecting McGuigan’s motion to dismiss. Most significantly, the judge ordered what is left of Foundry to “advance attorneys’ fees and expenses to Gendell.” The original counterclaim suggested that amount was already at least $150,000, which will be yet another strain on the resources of Foundry. Judge Cohen found sufficient grounds to let stand the counterclaims of defamation, tortious interference and breach of contract, dismissing only the claim of prima facie tort (which “courts […]
Legal: Judge Denies Foundry Receiver
Following oral arguments, Judge Joel Cohen denied as moot, without prejudice, the motion to appoint a temporary receiver for Foundry Literary.
Initiatives: S&S Submissions Guide
Simon & Schuster launched a Submission Selector, a database of S&S editors searchable by category and imprint. In an email to agents, ceo Jonathan Karp wrote, “The idea for this site came out of a conversation that our publishers were having related to remote work and how to make certain that agents ‘know’ all of our editors…. Our hope is that this database will simplify the submission process for you at Simon & Schuster as you quickly and easily find the perfect match for your projects.”
Legal
A lawsuit in the UK has revealed that Neil Blair at The Blair Partnership paid his former employer Christopher Little £10 million as a settlement fee in January 2012. The payment came after Blair set up his own agency in 2011 and took over representation of JK Rowling. The filing also indicates that Blair borrowed the money for the lump sum payment from Rowling. The only previous report of the settlement was a Daily Mail account in February 2012, with a statement from statement from reputation and crisis-management firm Project Associates indicating that Rowling and Little “have reached an amicable agreement […]