The Hollywood Reporter Quotes Lauren Leyden on Hollywood Trial over Executive Hiring
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The Hollywood Reporter has quoted Akin Gump labor and employment partner Lauren Leyden in “Netflix Heads to Court: How Fox’s Poaching Trial Could Reshape Hollywood.” The article looks at a legal fight between Fox and Netflix over the enforceability of fixed-term executive contracts.
The case in question involves a former Fox executive who resigned in 2016 for a position at Netflix. After giving notice, the article reports, Fox sent a cease and desist letter to Netflix warning against taking Fox employees. When Netflix failed to back down, Fox sued.
Leyden said the case is significant. “We are in a time of change in the entertainment industry in terms of how consumers consume content,” she noted. “It opens the door to the accompanying question of how companies retain creative talent.”
The article points out that, for Hollywood employees in middle-management, cases like this are occurring with greater frequency—something Leyden attributes to the employees themselves.
“Why is this happening now?” she asked. “It’s because we’ve gotten there, not just legally but also because of the way people work.”
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