Diverse Talent Group Inc. v. Durzi et al.,

Hollywood talent agency Diverse Talent Group, Inc. sued three of its former agents who left for a competitor, but not before allegedly stealing confidential information to poach clients. In the suit, filed August 23, 2011 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Diverse alleged misappropriation of trade secrets, intentional interference, breaches of duty and contract, conversion, and slander. The agency also sought a temporary restraining order prohibiting the disclosure or use of proprietary information. According to its website, Diverse represents actors and directors from TV shows like “Mad Men” and “Lost.”

The complaint alleges that former Diverse employees Isam Durzi, Ehab Durzi and Wendy Morrison left Diverse to join Function Talent Group (also named as a defendant) and diverted business to their new employer by using confidential client information misappropriated from Diverse and by falsely claiming their former agency was closing. The three supposedly used the confidential materials, such as customer lists and the personal and financial information of clients, to poach those clients for Function. “Defendants have taken the confidential information without the permission of Diverse and have used it for their own financial gain and business purposes,” the suit said. “Despite demands to cease and desist from using this information, defendants continue to use the confidential information.” Diverse demanded that the files be returned, but the employees refused, according to the complaint.

Diverse claims that the Durzis and Morrison agreed as a condition of their employment that the agency’s client list and other customer information were property of the agency. According to the complaint, the three accepted positions at Function earlier this year, but before they started their new jobs, the employees sent letters to Diverse customers soliciting them to take their business to Function. The letters made “false, defamatory and damaging statements,” including that Diverse was going out of business, according to the complaint. The complaint goes on to say that they had some success, causing the termination of some of the plaintiff’s client representations.

The complaint also asserts that the employees “hacked into Diverse’s computer system and changed the agency’s contact information,” and sent messages to clients instructing them to contact Ehab Durzi using the newly-diverted number.

The suit seeks unspecified damages, an injunction barring the employees from disclosing Diverse’s confidential information and an order compelling them to arbitrate the dispute. According to the complaint, Diverse expects the dispute to be headed to arbitration as a result of employment agreements with the three former agents, but the company says it was forced to seek provisional remedies to deter the diversion of its clients.

The talent agency says on its website that its “highly valued clientele” includes “Academy Award winners, top sitcom actors, one-hour drama directors, editors and producers.” The site states that the agency’s clients have worked on shows including “The Big Bang Theory” and “Battlestar Galactica” and movies including “Transformers” and “Good Night and Good Luck.”

The parties are scheduled to appear before Judge Meiers for a case-management conference on January 10, 2012.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.