Steven Tyler’s Lawyer Wins ‘American Idol’ Suit With Singer’s Former Managers

A Superior Court judge today formally dismissed most of an $8 million lawsuit against Steven Tyler’s lawyer by the former American Idol judge’s former managers. Kovac Media Group/Tenth Street Entertainment had claimed in their suit filed back in October that attorney Dina LaPolt has played both sides and had messed up Tyler’s contract renegotiations with the Fox show in 2011. Judge Joseph Kalin this morning in a conference case management hearing declared that the defense’s invoking of anti-SLAPP statutes and the First Amendment did protect the lawyer. Kovac alleged LaPolt’s mishandling of their “hot commodity” cost Tyler a $6 million to $8 million raise in his Idol contract for a second season on the show. Tyler announced he was leaving Idol in July 2012. Today’s ruling was not unexpected as the Judge has previously staked out the position in a tentative ruling. That doesn’t mean it’s completely over. Judge Kalin has allowed a portion of the case to go forward with Kovac pursing claims that they are owed money from Tyler’s touring revenue as the lead singer of Aerosmith. That could get nasty too, as Tyler himself took the offense soon after the initial lawsuit was filed to slam Kovac Media Group/Tenth Street Entertainment. The singer declared that he “very much wanted to end the relationship” with the ex-managers who were now suing his lawyer. Attorneys for LaPolt say that they plan to seek legal fees from the plaintiffs for the case. Christine LePera, Bradley Mullins and Christina Djordjevich of the NYC offices of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp as well as LA’s Eric German represented LaPolt in the case.

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