Debbee Klein and Paradigm Agree to Settle Dispute in Arbitration
Debbee Klein has agreed to go to arbitration to resolve her bombshell lawsuit against Paradigm Talent Agency, her former employer.
Klein filed the suit in April, alleging that the agency had reneged on her agreement when she was laid off, and owed her the $2 million remaining on her contract.
She also unloaded on Paradigm CEO Sam Gores, accusing him of “repugnant and outdated sexism,” and of using company funds to hire prostitutes. She also accused Gores of lying about the reasons that a merger with UTA fell through.
Paradigm fired back a week later, denying the prostitution allegations and calling Klein an “abusive, brazen and repugnant person” who herself had once been accused of sexual harassment by a male employee.
Paradigm also sought to force Klein into arbitration, and filed a separate arbitration action against her for “several million dollars” for breaching the confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions of her contract.
In a stipulation filed on Thursday, both sides said they have agreed to put the case to Richard A. Stone, a retired Los Angeles Superior Court judge who now works for Signature Resolution.
“We want the process to be as quick as possible, and to obtain justice as quick as possible,” said Bryan J. Freedman, Klein’s attorney. “The way to do that in today’s COVID court system is by going to an arbitrator.”
Dale Kinsella, who represents Paradigm, said that Klein had no choice.
“Ms. Klein’s case was frivolously filed in state court for the sole purpose of getting salacious press coverage,” he said. “She really had no choice as the court would have unquestionably sent her overblown and fictional claims to arbitration within weeks. Sam Gores looks forward to presenting the facts to a neutral arbitrator.”
Klein was a high powered agent at Paradigm, representing Marc Cherry, the creator of “Desperate Housewives”; Eric Tuchman, the executive producer of “The Handmaid’s Tale”; and Shane Brennan, the creator of “NCIS: Los Angeles.”
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