Ex-Verve boss Bill Weinstein sues agency in effort to reverse his ‘surprise ouster’
The former chief executive of Verve has sued the talent agency for breach of contract, alleging that his co-founders wrongfully plotted his termination.
Bill Weinstein, who founded Verve alongside Adam Levine and Bryan Besser in 2010, filed the complaint Thursday in Los Angeles. He departed Verve earlier this month and is seeking to reverse his dismissal.
The 14-page complaint alleges that Levine and Besser “conspired with one another to oust Weinstein from the Los Angeles-based company ... without any notice, reason, cause, or an opportunity to cure,” referring to Weinstein’s exit as a “surprise ouster.”
A boutique talent agency has broken ranks and sided with Hollywood writers in their ongoing dispute with agencies.
“With Weinstein now conveniently out of their way, Levine and Besser are looking to sell Verve without Weinstein’s participation or cutting him in on the sales proceeds, giving further clarity to the nefarious motives behind the timing and abruptness of Levine and Besser’s ouster of Weinstein,” the lawsuit reads.
“This misguided coup attempt by Levine and Besser violated multiple provisions of the Operating Agreement, including the required dispute resolution procedures, which Mr. Weinstein seeks to enforce through this action for injunctive relief.”
Levine and Besser’s attorney, Julie Gerchik, has denied the allegations and insisted there is “no plan to sell Verve.”
Verve is the first Hollywood entity to publicly recognize issues affecting its assistants and to respond with concrete measures.
“This is clearly an attempt by Mr. Weinstein to cover up the conduct that led to his termination for cause,” Gerchik said Thursday in a statement.
“His demand to be reinstated at Verve is perplexing in light of his efforts, as reported in the press, to try to start a small agency of his own. Ironically, Mr. Weinstein’s filing of a lawsuit will now necessitate a response from Verve that will publicly air the conduct that the company viewed as so toxic in the first place. This is just another example of Mr. Weinstein promoting himself at the expense of the employees and clients of Verve.”
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