Four MSK Partners Named to Variety's 2024 "Legal Impact Report"
MSK partners Christine Lepera, Adam Levin, and Seth Pierce were named to Variety's 2024 "Legal Impact Report" published on April 17, 2024. The annual list recognizes Hollywood’s top entertainment dealmakers and litigators. Variety also recognized partner Gabriella Ismaj on the report's "Up Next" list, which features emerging dealmakers and litigators who have made an impact in the entertainment industry over the past year.
From the article...
Music litigators like to say, “Have a hit, gonna get a writ,” and the truth of the adage is borne out by Lepera’s busy practice, which in recent months has seen her winning a dismissal with prejudice of a copyright infringement case against Dua Lipa and Warner Music Group for the song “Levitating” and favorably resolving music producer Dr. Luke’s nine-year legal battle with singer Kesha.
Levin is an entertainment labor litigator who works on behalf of major studios and media conglomerates, often defending their right employ who they please on First Amendment grounds. In recent months, he’s handled discrimination cases against CNN, Warner Bros. and ViacomCBS brought by a news producer fired for plagiarism, a makeup artist fired for bringing unlawful drugs onto company premises and a camera operator who claimed he was fired for being white, respectively.
Pierce litigates complex and often politically sensitive labor issues for clients including Disney, Electronic Arts, Fox Corp. and NBCUniversal. In recent months, he resolved several proposed class actions, including multiple wage and hour violation suits against companies including WB Studios Enterprises and Showtime Development.
Ismaj started at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp as a summer associate in 2013 while still a student at UCLA Law School, and was elevated to partner last year. In recent months, she’s been a member of the teams that handled copyright infringement claims for both defendants (Dua Lipa and other songwriters of “Levitating”) and plaintiffs (Universal Music and songwriter John Engelberg vs. athleisure wear company Vuori) and favorably resolved music producer Dr. Luke’s nine-year legal battle with singer Kesha.