Carlos Pelz v. Bell-Phillip Television Productions, Ron Weaver; CBS Broadcasting, Inc.; Jody Lawrence-Miller
Published: Sep. 29, 2012 | Result Date: Aug. 15, 2012 | Filing Date: Jan. 1, 1900 |Case number: BC456491 Bench Decision – Dismissal
Court
L.A. Superior Central
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Defendant
Aaron C. Liskin
(Kinsella, Weitzman, Iser, Kump & Aldisert LLP)
Facts
Caros Pelz was a hairstylist that worked on the set of CBS Television's Bold and the Beautiful. He sued CBS Broadcasting Inc., the producer of the show, Bell-Philip Television Productions Inc. and his supervisors, Ron Weaver and Jody Lawrence-Miller, for defamation after a memo surfaced critical of his work. The internal memo stated that Pelz was "lazy, ambivalent, produced poor-quality work, was incompetent and was unfit to continue as 'key' hairstylist for the show." Pelz claimed that the motivation for the memo was to avoid having to pay him during the show's hiatus. Defendants, however, filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that the alleged defamatory statements were privileged communications and were made without malice.
Result
The court dismissed Pelz's claims on summary judgment.
For reprint rights or to order a copy of your photo:
Email
jeremy@reprintpros.com
for prices.
Direct dial: 949-702-5390