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US Actors’ Union Asks Judge To Dismiss Antitrust Suit

By  |  January 12, 2023

The Actors’ Equity Association has asked a US judge to dismiss as “baseless” an antitrust lawsuit from a veteran theater producer who is tangled up in a labor dispute over his production of the “Paradise Square” musical that had a short run on Broadway.

In a court filing, lawyers for the union of more than 50,000 live-theater actors and stage managers said it was immune under federal law from producer Garth Drabinsky’s antitrust claims. The union’s attorneys at law firms Winston & Strawn and Cohen, Weiss and Simon asked U.S. District Judge Lorna Schofield to throw out the case.

Drabinsky alleged last month that the union, known as Equity, and its members unlawfully agreed to add him to its “Do Not Work” list, a boycott that he said has reduced competition in violation of U.S. antitrust law.

The “Paradise Square” cast in July asked Equity to put Drabinsky’s name on the list amid claims of unpaid wages and health and retirement benefits.