Warner Bros. said Amazon was riding on the ‘coattails of other well-established Hollywood mainstays.’
Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing it of “inducing contracted employees to breach their employment agreements.” In its complaint, the company said Amazon “openly embarked upon an unlawful course” and hurriedly tried to “pirate away a number of contracted employees” across its subsidiaries. But what seemed to have compelled Warner Bros. to sue Amazon was the poaching of Pia Barlow, the former EVP for originals marketing at HBO Max.
Barlow’s contract wasn’t set to expire until October 31, 2027, the lawsuit reads, and the company said she committed to stay with Warner Bros. until it ended. Amazon, which was apparently aware of her contract, offer her a higher pay package that she then accepted. Barlow left HBO Max 16 months before her contract was slated to end and is expected to start working at Amazon on August 3. Warner Bros. has also accused Amazon of promising to pay for Barlow’s legal representation if she was ever sued for breach of contract.
The complaint also mentions how Amazon allegedly tried to induce another Warner Bros. employee to breach their term of agreement before it was set to expire in December 2027. In that case, though, Amazon was ultimately unsuccessful. According to Deadline, the other employee was most likely Francesca Orsi, the EVP for HBO Programming and head of HBO Drama Series and Films. Amazon reportedly tried to get her to lead its Drama and Comedy department. When she didn’t sign on, the company instead named three different heads for Drama, Comedy and Young Adult.
To be exact, Warner Bros. Discover is suing Amazon for intentional interference with contractual relations, inducing breach of contract, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and unfair competition. It’s now asking the court for a preliminary and permanent injunction preventing Amazon from inducing breach of contract with its employees, as well as for an unspecified amount of monetary compensation for damages.
