Apr. 21, 2016
G. Jill Basinger
See more on G. Jill BasingerGlaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro LLP | Los Angeles
The marquee Mayweather-Pacquiao fight last May was all due to a Hollywood waiter who claims he told CBS chief Les Moonves he could set up the match, according to a complaint Basinger is fielding for client Freddie Roach who is Manny Pacquiao's trainer and a defendant in the waiter's breach of oral contract lawsuit.
The waiter, Gabriel Salvador, claims in a complaint filed Feb. 24 in Los Angeles County Superior Court that he gave Roach's phone number to Moonves and that makes him eligible for a finder's fee equaling two percent of the fight's $600 million gross proceeds.
That's just one of the high profile matters Basinger's dealing with, and she doesn't give the claim much of a chance. "It's as if I told George Lucas there should be another Star Wars movie and then asked for a fee," Basinger said. "The allegations are outrageous -- this guy didn't do anything, and now he wants millions for in essence handing over a phone number."
Also on Basinger's docket: The showdown between bond king William H. Gross, Glaser Weil's client, and Pacific Investment Management Company, LLC that he started only to be fired from in 2014. Gross is suing for at least $200 million for breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. "Pimco's demurrer was overruled," Basinger said of the latest development in the case. She's looking forward to the discovery process. "Now they'll have to produce the documents they've tried to keep close to the vest."
Then there's the mounting scandal over the exotic dancer who claims she was venture capitalist Michael Goguen's sex slave. Basinger and her boss, Patricia Glaser, represent the dancer, Amber Laurel Baptiste in her breach of contract suit. Goguen has countersued, claiming Baptiste is trying to extort him for $40 million. "Men with unlimited money believe everything is their right," Basinger said. She said it looks suspicious that Goguen left his company, Menlo Park-based Sequoia Capital, on the day the accusations hit the headlines. "Smoke, fire?" Basinger said. "What other skeletons are in Sequoia's closet? It's terrible what happened to this young woman. In my opinion, it's another manifestation of Silicon Valley's misogynistic culture."
John Roemer
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