Stanton "Larry" Stein - Russ August & Kabat
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Stanton “Larry” Stein
Los Angeles
lstein@raklaw.com
310.826.7474
PRACTICE AREAS Stanton (“Larry”) Stein is a partner and the head of Russ August & Kabat’s
Media & Entertainment group. Larry’s clients include actors, writers,
Litigation & Trial directors, producers, musicians, high-net-worth individuals, entertainment
guilds, talent agencies, personal and business management companies,
Media & Entertainment
independent production companies, and interactive gaming companies.
Apparel & Fashion Larry is widely known in the entertainment industry for his work taking
on Hollywood studios. Throughout the last decades, Larry created legal
theories for challenging the film and television accounting practices of
vertically integrated studios and media conglomerates through litigation.
EDUCATION He is literally the father of vertical integration accounting lawsuits.
His efforts have changed the face of talent and rights holders’ contract
University of Southern negotiations with studios, networks, and their affiliated production
California (J.D., 1969, Editor companies, seeking to more evenly allocate revenue to profit participants
of The Law Review, Winner
including actors, directors, writers and producers. Larry has brought
of Moot Court Competition,
and recipient of an academic countless lawsuits on behalf of his clients against companies that were
scholarship) self-dealing on licensing fees and a variety of other revenue streams. In
addition to his groundbreaking litigation in the profit participation space,
University of Southern Larry has also fought to establish copyright protection for formats in reality
California (B.A. with Honors,
1966, Phi Beta Kappa
television, bringing the seminal lawsuit in that area of law.
and recipient of a debate
scholarship) Larry also has a long history of bringing defamation, right of privacy, and
right of publicity actions against publications and private individuals while
dealing with the media and governmental agencies. He has secured dozens
of confidential settlements and retractions.
Larry is a frequent author and lecturer in the field of entertainment law.
He is an adjunct Professor at USC Gould School of Law, where he teaches
Entertainment Law. He has also taught a class at Stanford Law School and
12424 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor | Los Angeles, California 90025
Telephone 310.826.7474 | www.raklaw.comlectured at Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, and the University of
California’s Boalt Hall School of Law.
Regularly called on by journalists and legal scholars for comment regarding
legal issues facing the entertainment industry, he has been quoted in such
publications as: The Hollywood Reporter, Buzzfeed News, Law360, IPWatchdog,
USA Today, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Deadline, Variety, Billboard, and many
more.
Throughout his career, Larry has been recognized by leading legal, business,
and entertainment industry publications and organizations for the successes
he has achieved on behalf of his clients. He is ranked as a “Top Media and
Entertainment Litigator” by Chambers USA, regularly recognized as a “Power
Lawyer” by The Hollywood Reporter and recently recognized as a Legal
Legend, named to Billboard’s “Top Music Lawyers” in 2020 and 2021, rated
AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, and has been named a “Southern
California Super Lawyer” from 2004-2009 and 2011-2021 by the publishers
of Los Angeles Magazine. In 2019, Larry was recognized as a Southern
California Top 100 Super Lawyer. The Daily Journal named Larry one of the
“100 Most Influential Lawyers in California,” while the Los Angeles Business
Journal profiled him in “Who’s Who in LA Law,” and California Lawyer
featured him as a top five “A-list Entertainment Lawyers.” Nationally, Larry
has been recognized as a “Best Lawyer” by The Best Lawyers in America and
in “Lawdragon 500: Leading Lawyers in America.” Larry has received the
“Entertainment Lawyer of the Year” awards from both the Beverly Hills and
Century City Bar Associations, as well as the ACLU Foundation’s “Pro Bono
Civil Liberties Award.”
RECENT MATTERS
The following is just a sample of Larry’s ongoing and recently concluded
matters:
Defamation, Privacy, and Rights of Publicity Litigation:
• Larry is currently representing many high-profile individuals in #metoo
related disputes.
• Larry defended Fred Savage in litigation against a wardrobe stylist
claiming gender-related misconduct.
• Larry is defending Brian Graden and his production company, Brian
12424 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor | Los Angeles, California 90025
Telephone 310.826.7474 | www.raklaw.comGraden Media, in litigation brought by Rovier Carrington, a man
claiming, among other things, sexual misconduct and theft of ideas
against Graden, the late Bray Grey, Paramount and Viacom. Stein’s
defense helped discover that the explosive allegations were likely
supported by fabricated evidence, leading SDNY judge Katherine
Failla to grant preliminary discovery on the authenticity of plaintiff’s
evidence before allowing the case to move forward.
• Larry is defending comedian Iliza Shlesinger in a class action suit
brought by men for allegedly being turned away from Shlesinger’s
interactive Girls Night In show that occurred in LA in late 2017.
• Larry represented reality television Camille Grammer in defense
of a defamation and malicious prosecution lawsuit filed by her ex-
boyfriend after she reported that he assaulted her in 2013. A jury
issued a unanimous verdict for Ms. Grammer, completely denying
Mr. Charalambopoulos’s claims, rejecting his request for more than
$25 million in damages, and awarding Ms. Grammer damages on her
counterclaims.
• Larry successfully represented and advised Gossip Girl actor Ed
Westwick through criminal investigation of claims of sexual misconduct
brought by several women. When the DA’s office decided not to
prosecute Westwick, Stein guided Westwick’s return back to work in
Hollywood.
• Larry represented Blake Shelton in his defamation action against Bauer
Publishing in connection with In Touch magazine’s publication of the
false and defamatory cover story “REHAB For Blake.” Shelton defeated
Bauer’s anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss and the matter was resolved.
• On behalf of Drake, Larry secured the anti-SLAPP dismissal of a trade
libel case against him regarding various statements he made on Twitter
about a theatrically released documentary.
• Larry represented NCIS actress Pauley Perrett in connection with her
criminal and civil litigation against her ex-husband involving violation
of a restraining order and use of the Internet to harass.
• Civil Code Section 3344 (Right of Publicity): Larry successfully
represented rapper William Roberts p/k/a Rick Ross in a suit brought by
“Freeway” Ricky Ross, a former Los Angeles drug kingpin, who alleged
Mr. Ross misappropriated his name and persona. Mr. Roberts’ use of the
name “Rick Ross” was held to be creative expression protected by the
First Amendment. This ruling was a significant victory not only for Mr.
Ross but for all those involved in the industry, as it reaffirmed the First
Amendment’s protection of creativity.
12424 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor | Los Angeles, California 90025
Telephone 310.826.7474 | www.raklaw.comBreach of Contract:
• Larry is representing film maker Sharad Patel in a contract claim
against the Estate of Michael Jackson regarding the making of a
documentary motion picture about Jackson’s life and life story.
• Larry defended Kylin Pictures in a breach of contract action brought
by actor Kevin Costner in connection with the motion picture
Shanghai Sojourners.
• Larry successfully concluded a matter for NASCAR Sprint Cup
Champion Kurt Busch, who sued Luke Burrett and his clothing
companies for breach of contract and fraud in connection with a
dispute related to Mr. Busch’s investment in Mr. Burrett’s companies.
• Larry successfully represented film producers Dan Lin, Roy Lee and
Doug Davison in their dispute against Legendary Pictures regarding
credit and compensation in connection with the feature film Godzilla.
Intellectual Property Protection and Litigation:
• Larry is representing Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest
and Michael McKean, creators of the iconic “mockumentary” film This
Is Spinal Tap, in a federal action against Vivendi and its subsidiaries
StudioCanal and Universal Music Group, regarding the creators’
revenue share and ownership interests in the film and associated music.
The case involves claims concerning defendants’ accountings, as well as
cutting-edge legal issues regarding the co-creators’ rights to terminate
their copyright grants and regain ownership of the trademarks and
other intellectual property rights in connection with This is Spinal Tap.
• Larry represents the Trustees of The Carroll Hall Shelby Trust in a
number of litigation matters against a trust beneficiary. The iconic
race car driver and designer of the Cobra and Shelby Mustang 350 and
500 developed a wide range of businesses, and Larry is also assisting
the Trustees with an array of matters that pertain to protecting Shelby
intellectual property and continuing Mr. Shelby’s legacy.
• Larry represented Tokyo Broadcasting System in a dispute with
American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. and Endemol USA, alleging
that their program Wipeout infringed format copyrights in six Tokyo
Broadcasting System programs (Takeshi’s Castle, MXC, Sasuke, Kunoichi,
Ninja Warrior and Women of Ninja Warrior), and that ABC improperly
promoted Wipeout by trading on consumer goodwill associated with
Tokyo Broadcasting System’s shows to divert viewers to Wipeout.
12424 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor | Los Angeles, California 90025
Telephone 310.826.7474 | www.raklaw.comProfit Participation and Vertical Integration Litigation:
• Larry brought the first vertical integration suit on behalf of the
showrunners of Home Improvement against ABC, which he quickly
followed with suits for Alan Alda on M.A.S.H. and for David Duchovny
on The X-Files.
• As the first attorney to bring vertical integration lawsuits, Larry is
currently reviewing, on a confidential basis, numerous audits of
television shows and films involving vertical integration issues.
• Larry is assisting the Maloof family with its efforts to advise a
well-known record producer and artist on profit participation and
contractual issues concerning that producer/artist’s record label.
• Larry represented Little Star Films in connection with its profit
participation in the hit motion picture Mamma Mia.
Television Series Negotiations:
• Larry represented Harry Shearer in the negotiations leading to his
return to The Simpsons. Although the terms are confidential, the
negotiations involved complicated issues concerning Shearer’s services
and compensation in connection with the series.
• Larry has been instrumental in negotiating for the rights of participants
in reality television shows and in revising their contractual obligations.
For example, Larry represents Camille Grammer and Adrienne Maloof,
the former stars of the reality television show The Real Housewives of
Beverly Hills.
Recording Industry:
• Larry represented the Frank Zappa Family Trust in litigation against
Rykodisc, Inc. (a subsidiary of Warner Music) over the scope of grant of
rights that the trust made to Rykodisc to release certain classic Frank
Zappa albums. One of the main issues in dispute was whether Rykodisc
was transferred rights to exploit the Frank Zappa recordings by
releasing them in mp3 format on iTunes. Also at issue were Rykodisc’s
royalty accountings. The case was resolved, with the Zappa Family Trust
reacquiring the catalog.
• On behalf of rapper Chief Keef, Larry defended a claim alleging
12424 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor | Los Angeles, California 90025
Telephone 310.826.7474 | www.raklaw.comthat Chief Keef breached a contract to perform at a venue. Larry
successfully argued that Chief Keef was a minor when he entered the
contract and should be dismissed from the case. Larry also brought a
jurisdictional challenge with regard to allegedly related entities and
the matter settled before hearing on the jurisdiction issue.
• Larry represented record producer and executive Jolene Cherry and
her label The Cherry Party in cases against artist Judith Hill and
Prince for, respectively, breach of contract and interference with
contract. The Cherry Party alleged that Prince interfered with its
recording agreement with Hill by recording and releasing Hill’s music
to the public as a free download.
12424 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor | Los Angeles, California 90025
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