Vivendi Hits Back at USA Lawsuit

By Richard Verrier

April 18, 2003 12 AM PT

Vivendi Universal returned fire at Barry Diller’s USA Interactive, saying its lawsuit was “without merit” and a negotiating ploy.

USA Interactive accused Vivendi on Tuesday of reneging on a commitment to cover approximately $620 million in taxes arising from its interest in Vivendi Universal Entertainment, created last year when USA sold its movie and television properties to Vivendi for about $11 billion.

The company, which is seeking buyers for its U.S. holdings to slash debt, added that the lawsuit will “not interfere with our asset disposal program.” Vivendi also labeled the suit a ploy to “gain leverage in the negotiations.”

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Entertainment & Arts

Richard Verrier

Richard Verrier is investigations editor for Arts and Entertainment at the Los Angeles Times. He has been with The Times since 2001 and has run our Company Town since 2016. After stints at the St. Petersburg Times and the Orlando Sentinel in Florida, Verrier joined the paper as a reporter, and for many years covered all aspects of the entertainment industry before turning to editing. He oversees the Company Town coverage while working to guide and edit investigative and enterprise reporting across the entertainment team, collaborating with writers and editors from all departments. He is a native of Montreal and a graduate from the University of Toronto and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Vivendi Hits Back at USA Lawsuit

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