21st Century Fox Sues Netflix Over Executive Poaching (latimes.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Los Angeles Times: 21st Century Fox on Friday filed a lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the streaming video giant of illegally recruiting two of its executives who were under contract. The suit, which was filed Friday in California Superior Court in Los Angeles, says Netflix engaged in a "brazen campaign to unlawfully target, recruit, and poach valuable Fox executives by illegally inducing them to break their employment contracts with Fox to work at Netflix." The lawsuit was sparked following the exits of two Fox executives: Marcos Waltenberg, who made the jump to Netflix earlier this year, previously worked as a marketing executive at Twentieth Century Fox Film; Tara Flynn, who made the move to Netflix just last week, had been the vice president of creative affairs at Fox 21 TV Studios. Fox alleges that Netflix pursued and hired the executives even though it knew they each had employment contracts that were still in effect, according to the complaint. The Century City-based studio is seeking an injunction to prevent Netflix from interfering with its employment contracts, as well as compensatory and punitive damages. A Netflix spokesperson said in a statement: "We intend to defend this lawsuit vigorously. We do not believe Fox's use of fixed term employment contracts in this manner are enforceable. We believe in employee mobility and will fight for the right to hire great colleagues no matter where they work."

Comments

SInking SHip

[ISoldat53]

The rats are leaving the sinking ship.

Let me see if I understand

[Anonymous Coward]

Two people have contracts with Fox that, presumably, say they can't work for someone else. Neflix, who has no contract with Fox, hires those people. Fox sues Netfix and not their former employees.

How the fuck is this not a SLAPP-like bullshit case that gets thrown out teh second a judge sees it? How can you sue someone for breaking a contract they aren't party too?

Re:Let me see if I understand

[whoever57]

if Netflix did indeed incite these execs to breach their contracts, they have a case to answer.

You can't breach a clause in a contract if state law says that clause is null and void. Non-compete clauses are not valid in California.

What's the travesty here is

[future assassin]

the new guard is bringing in the old guard into the new system.

Re: This is in California.

[sexconker]

No. Executives are different. Depending on corporate structure and charter, executives might or might not be employees at all. They might be stakeholders or shareholders with distinct contracts that are not beholden to employment laws.

You're a retard.

Not only are they employees they're bound by law. Even if courts allowed the ridiculous slavery contracts in question, Netflix is not a party to those agreements and Fox can't sue Netflix for trying to hire someone who was bound by such an agreement.