CAA To Appeal Range’s Arbitration Win In Equity Battle

As elements of a decision in the supposedly confidential arbitration between CAA and Range Media Partners brass have tongues wagging around town, it might also be worth noting this battle royal is far from over.

First of all, the stern and behind-closed-doors ruling in favor of ex-CAAers Dave Bugliari, Michael Cooper, Mick Sullivan and Jack Whigham that came down about a month ago is an interim award. As much of a chill as this has, and it has, descended on the Century City-based uber-agency, nothing is set in stone for the Range quartet as of yet.

Though Bugliari, Cooper, Sullivan and Whigham have said in public court documents they should receive “tens of millions of dollars of the former agents’ vested equity” that they allege CAA illegitimately pulled the plug on when its four agents jumped to Range in 2020, no damages have been handed out in the arbitration. In fact, with CAA still steadfast, sources say, that the four violated their duty of loyalty obligations and contracts in the matter and methods by which they left for Range, no financial parameters have been determined by JAMS arbitrators.

What has been determined is that CAA will appeal the arbitration decision, I hear. That objection could come fairly soon.

So, it will be months and months, if not into 2027, before the final chapter in the arbitration that the Range foursome started in 2022 is written.

Also, let’s be honest, if you’d been paying attention, the arbitrators’ decision was more than hinted at in Range’s pre-Thanksgiving countersuit in the ongoing, 2024-launched parallel public court case with CAA as we reported at the time.

Aiming for an injunction and more than $1 million in damages, the pushback from the the Pete Micelli-founded Range claimed that “media reports” asserted the arbitration has been decided in Range’s favor and CAA’s side has “collapsed.” Not leaving much to the imagination in what was supposed to be kept out of public view and leaving CAA basically unable to respond, Range’s November 24 filing added, “the arbitrators have already ruled as a matter of law, that CAA’s noncompetes are invalid and illegal.”

Of course, to the letter of the law, CAA declined comment today on what’s going on with the arbitration. Lawyers for Range also rightly said they could say nothing.

At the same time, CAA’s poaching and trade-secrets lawsuit against what the Bryan Lourd-run agency calls the “unlawful” Range, and by inference its money man (and New York Mets owner) Steven Cohen, saw some movement of sorts in Santa Monica. An 8:30 a.m. PT case-management hearing today that was also set to address “the Motion to Seal Motion To Seal Plaintiff’s Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Uphold Confidentiality Designations, and Supporting Documents” was postponed to next week by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark A. Young.

Based mainly on CAA’s contention that Range is an agency masquerading as a management venture, the sometimes absurd, sometimes hard-knocking and sometimes noir-ish public case ain’t ending anytime soon. There’s no trial start date on the books, but hearings are already set for this summer to argue motions and the cross-complaint, meaning means it could be some time before a jury is picked.

Amidst all this, the reality is, as parties on both sides love to point out, CAA and Range do a lot of business together and with each other. The legal foes have about 150 mutual clients including Michael Shannon, Luca Guadagnino, Emilia Clarke, Stephan James, Shailene Woodley, Kingsley Bin Adir, Josh Gad, Shaboozey and Dan Levy.