The 9th Circuit of Appeals Court has upheld the federal district court's earlier decision to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit that a Norwegian entertainment reporter filed against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the Golden Globe Awards.
Appeals court finds no evidence to support claims by two journalists that the group behind the Golden Globes violated federal and state antitrust laws.
HFPA Rejects $2.5 Million Settlement Offer From 2 Journalists Who Were Denied Membership
Kjersti Flaa and Rosa Gamazo Robbins sued the Golden Globes organization last year
Beatrice Verhoeven | May 18, 2021 @ 4:05 PM
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has rejected the $2.5 million settlement offer from Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa and Spaniard Rosa Gamazo Robbins, who sued the Golden Globes group last year after being denied membership.
TheWrap exclusively reported last week that Flaa sought $1.6 million in damages and Gamazo Robbins demanded $700,000 plus $200,000 in legal fees, all payable over three years.
“The Board and the individual defendants unanimously rejected this proposal,” Robert J. Ellison of Latham & Watkins said in a letter to members last week. “We believe the settlement offer speaks volumes about Ms. Flaa’s and Ms. Robbins’ true intentions.”
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Over its nearly eight-decade history, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., the tiny, 86-member group of foreign journalists that doles out the Golden Globes, has weathered a series of embarrassing scandals and lawsuits and has been mercilessly mocked even from the stage of its own awards show. Still, the group has never faced as grave a threat to its very existence as it does today.
In the wake of a Feb. 21 Times investigation that highlighted allegations of ethical lapses by the group as well as the lack of any Black members in the organization, the HFPA has faced blistering criticism inside Hollywood and beyond. Viewer ratings for this year’s Golden Globes show, which was held under a cloud of controversy, plummeted more than 60% from last year, placing the group in deeper peril.