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Briefcase

ENTERTAINMENT, MEDIA & SPORTS

Our attorneys serve the interdisciplinary legal needs of artists, business owners and established companies in the entertainment and sports industries. In media, the firm works with both the traditional and new media facets of this dynamic industry.

  • Represented a national media conglomerate and one of its regional newspapers in a libel action filed by a Pennsylvania businessman alleging $54 million in damages relating to Indian casinos in California.
  • We have represented media clients across the nation in grievances under collective bargaining agreements, decertification petitions and National Labor Relations Board proceedings.
  • Served as lead counsel for a consortium of media outlets, we obtained emergency review by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which issued an opinion requiring state-court pretrial criminal proceedings to be open to the media, expanding Pennsylvania law beyond federal constitutional requirements.
  • Represented a major national magazine when a Pennsylvania physician filed a multimillion-dollar libel action in connection with an article about physicians with troubled pasts.
  • Represented a national newspaper when a former prison counselor sued over a story about a major sports figure's alleged sexual relations with a fellow staff member.
  • Represented a best-selling police author and his nationally renowned publishers in libel, copyright and civil rights claims filed by a former death-row inmate. The case reached the United States Supreme Court.
  • Represented a television station when a police officer charged with civil rights violations sued for defamation after being mentioned in a newscast.
  • We were lead counsel for a consortium of Pittsburgh media seeking to obtain the police videotape of the arrest and beating of a motorist. We secured the videotape over the objection of the District Attorney, enabling our client to "scoop" its competitors by broadcasting the videotape before they were able to obtain a copy.
  • We recently represented a national news wire service in successfully seeking access to documents filed under seal in a high-profile asbestos-related bankruptcy case.
  • Represented a national publisher when sued by a source in reporting a story about a nationally known sports broadcaster.
  • We have represented a television station in connection with the repeated attempt by a District Attorney's office to obtain reporters' work product by police search warrant. After negotiation and threatened litigation, the prosecutors have discontinued the practice of using search warrants.
  • Represented a national newspaper when a former police inspector sued over an article on the investigation of threats on the life of a United States Senator.
  • Represented two television stations and a reporter in a lawsuit over a story about criminal proceedings in which a former county detective claimed that a news story wrongly stated he was undergoing a "psychiatric evaluation."
  • Defended a national book publisher and author in an action brought by celebrity death-row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal who sought to enjoin publication of a book about his murder trial and appeals.