Related to intellectual property claims are other business torts such as unfair competition and interference with prospective economic advantage. We offer sound counsel on the various ways that businesses may act unfairly, if not illegally, towards competitors and the best strategies to address those actions.
And, unfortunately, businesses and controlling interests in them often act unfairly, if not illegally, towards minority owners and others to whom they owe fiduciary duties. Fiduciary duties law imposes legal obligations on certain individuals, known as fiduciaries, to act in the best interests of others, known as beneficiaries or principals. Those duties include duties of loyalty, duties of care, duties of good faith and fair dealing, duties to maintain certain confidences, and duties to avoid conflicts of interest.
Doniger / Burroughs has successfully handled many business tort and breach of fiduciary duties claims for its clients including:
- Webb v. Do Lab, Inc.: When plaintiff Webb (aka Dream Rockwell) sued Do Lab and its owners alleging that she was an initial founder and was wrongfully deprived of her interest in the company by partners who owed her a fiduciary duty, Doniger / Burroughs was brought in to defend the Do Lab and establish that she was fully advised regarding the business formation and the Defendants had done nothing wrong. Following discovery an amicable resolution was reached.
- Musero v. Creative Artist Agency, Inc.: Writer John Musero (“The Newsroom” Season 3) hired Doniger Burroughs after his agent worked with him to pitch and option Musero’s “Main Justice” television show but then worked with a longer-term client and good friend to pitch and sell a similar show called “Main Justice” to Bruckheimer Studios who filmed a pilot episode for CBS. Musero’s suit for breach of fiduciary duties against his agent has survived anti-SLAPP and summary judgment and is awaiting trial as of this writing.
- Ou v. Li: Ou alleged, and Li denied, that they had worked together as producing partners on a show entitled Bling Dynesty in 2014 and 2015, after Li was initially hired as a cast member for that show in October of 2013. Then, later in 2015 Li took the show idea, format, potential cast members, and other information and started to work with other producing partners without Mr. Ou’s knowledge. She and another producer sold the show to Netflix, where it aired for 3 seasons. On September 16, 2024, following a 5-day trial, a unanimous jury found Kelli Mi Li liable to Doniger / Burroughs client Alan Ou for breaching her fiduciary duties as a producing partner to him and awarded $343,750 in compensatory damages plus another $200k in punitive damages.