Harassment lawsuit - 'Glass House' Producers Sue CBS

Three executives behind the failed ABC reality show accuse the rival "Big Brother" network of a "litigation equivalent of war."

The legal skirmish began in June when CBS sued ABC over the alleged copycat reality show about strangers living together. A federal judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order against ABC's Glass House because CBS hadn't demonstrated a likelihood of success on claims that copyrighted expression had been stolen.

Now, Glass House executive producer Kenny Rosen, ABC vp of alternative programming Corie Henson, and Glass House producer Michael O'Sullivan are striking back at CBS' arbitration claims. All three formerly worked on Big Brother and are upset with CBS, claiming in a new lawsuit that the network is using the "litigation equivalent of war" and has brought arbitration against them "as part of its campaign to prevent, or at the very least, disrupt and harass, the production of a new reality show 'The Glass House...'"
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a CBS rep says, “We believe this is simply an attempt to delay the inevitable arbitration proceeding. We are very confident in our position that there has been a violation of signed, written confidentiality agreements, and we will look forward to a determination of that matter by the arbitration panel.”

According to the new lawsuit, CBS allegedly sent arbitration demands seeking $1 million in liquidated and punitive damages. The arbitration was based on provisions of the non-disclosure agreements signed by the three TV executives.

But the three point out that CBS first brought the lawsuit in federal court, which they say amounts to forum-shopping.

"CBS's arbitration demand involves exactly the same claims and same facts upon which CBS sought to build a case in federal court," say the three executives, being represented by Glenn Pomerantz and Carolyn Hoecker Luedtke. "Moreover, the arbitration demand refers expressly to discovery CBS obtained during the court action."

Read More: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/glass-house-producers-sue-cbs-391363