Ex-Label Exec Charlie Walk Sues His Former Attorney For Mishandling #MeToo Allegations

Charlie Walk

Three years after being placed on leave by UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP in the wake of "#MeToo" allegations against him, former UMG/REPUBLIC RECORDS executive CHARLIE WALK is suing his former attorney, MARC KASOWITZ, alleging that KASOWITZ negotiated a settlement deal that he says left him unable to defend his reputation, according to a report in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

At the time WALK was placed on leave in 2018, UMG hired law firm COLLAZO, FLORENTINO & KEIL to investigate the allegations. The results of the investigation were never released to the public, but WALK's lawsuit, filed on THURSDAY (3/25) in NEW YORK state court against KASOWITZ and seeking $60 million in damages, alleges that the attorney "botched" his representation, undermined his ability to clear his name, and as such ultimately led to his ouster from REPUBLIC and the TV music competition show "THE FOUR," on which he served as a judge.

While UMG is not a defendant in the lawsuit, the filing by attorney BRYAN FREEDMAN characterizes the label as having "kneecapped" WALK to fire him and make him "unhireable" by other labels, and that KASOWITZ, who also represented former President TRUMP in several matters, "passively cooperated with UMG" and pressured WALK into signing a one-sided settlement with the label. FREEDMAN released an additional statement asserting that WALK was "the target of a carefully orchestrated campaign” and the victim of "a reckless and damaging rush to judgment without due process, which should have been remedied by this former lawyer. The evidence in CHARLIE’s favor is overwhelming, and he deserved the right to clear his name. This lawsuit will do just that.”

WALK's suit claims that during his 20 years at SONY, “He had never been the subject of any complaints of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior towards a single woman." He also said he did not receive an HR official complaint during his five-year tenure at REPUBLIC and that UMG failed to make any effort to substantiate the claims, but that the settlement agreement left him bound to a non-disclosure agreement that left him unable to defend his reputation.

KASOWITZ responded to the suit by calling it "a false and defamatory piece of work which Mr. WALK and his attorneys should be ashamed of and will regret," adding that his firm gave WALK "litigation and non-litigation options and, based on his consultation with the firm and other advisors, he chose a non-litigation course, which resulted in settlement." The suit, KASOWITZ claimed, is "patently frivolous" and added, "We are confident the case will dismissed, at which point we will pursue appropriate remedies against Mr. WALK and the law firms that have filed this egregiously false pleading."

At the time of the public accusations by three women, WALK was reportedly negotiating a new five-year contract extension worth $20 million, according to the suit. The suit also reveals WALK's earnings plummeted to just $19,000 in 2019. This FEBRUARY, his newly launched distribution and A&R company, MUSIC MASTERY, partnered with livestreaming platform LIVEXLIVE.MEDIA.

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