Venable Defeats Talent Agency Claims on Behalf of Multiplatinum Vocal Group Il Divo

Venable represented multiplatinum international singing group Il Divo and its current talent agent, as they defended against claims in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, brought by a former business associate who sought to enforce an alleged contract to provide agency services, among other things. Plaintiff claimed millions in commissions and other compensation, including commissions arising from “a major record label deal.” Venable filed a motion to dismiss the case under Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure on the grounds that, among other things, plaintiff’s claims were barred by the statute of frauds, New York law requires contracts for talent agency services to be in writing, and plaintiff was not a licensed talent agent. On April 17, 2020, District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald granted the motion to dismiss in its entirety, with prejudice, resulting in the dismissal of all claims against defendants. The Venable team was led by David Fink in Los Angeles, and included Thomas Welling, Jr. and Gary Dunn in New York.