UTA and MediaLink founder end legal fight over acquisition
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United Talent Agency and MediaLink founder Michael Kassan agreed to drop their lawsuits against each other, after battling over problems related to a 2021 acquisition.
“UTA and Michael Kassan have agreed to amicably end their dispute. The parties are not at liberty to comment further,” representatives for UTA and Kassan said in a joint statement on Thursday.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
UTA partner Michael Kassan, who joined the firm in 2021, filed legal action against the talent agency this week. UTA hit back with its own lawsuit, alleging that Kassan fraudulently wasted millions of dollars to fund his lavish lifestyle.
UTA in 2021 agreed to buy Kassan’s strategic advisory firm MediaLink in a $125-million deal. The Beverly Hills-based talent agency had hoped the acquisition would help expand its branding business.
But problems arose, with both sides accusing each other of breaching a contract. UTA alleged that Kassan’s spending was out of control and accused him of “wasting millions of UTA’s dollars on his lavish personal lifestyle.”
Kassan said that UTA was well aware of his spending habits and that his firm has continued to be profitable during its tenure within UTA. He alleged that UTA did not follow the terms of the deal, such as a promise that UTA‘s marketing group would report to him. Kassan’s attorney alleged that while UTA was benefiting from MediaLink by getting free media consulting and introductions, MediaLink was not benefiting from the relationship.
UTA, in legal filings and public statements, denied Kassan’s allegations.
A judge dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by former United Talent Agency partner Michael Kassan against the agency’s legal counsel, Bryan Freedman.
In 2024, Kassan filed a defamation lawsuit against UTA’s legal counsel that a judge later dismissed.
Kassan launched L.A. consulting firm 3C Ventures in 2024.
