Thursday, April 10, 2008

LEGAL SCOOP: NBC SUES PROJECT RUNWAY



One of my favorite reality shows, "Project Runway" is moving from Bravo to Lifetime....but not without a fight from NBC, who owns Bravo.

Owner Harvey Weinstein signed the deal with Lifetime on Feb. 7, according to a person familiar with the situation, but the suit alleges Weinstein subsequently continued to negotiate with NBC. NBC prepared its lawsuit after it received a letter Friday from Lifetime about the deal, another person close to the situation said.

NBC's suit also alleges that Weinstein Co.'s Harvey Weinstein agreed to honor an NBC right of first refusal at a January 2007 lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills with Jeff Zucker, chief executive of NBC Universal, saying words to the effect of: "You can only have in your life five true friends and I consider you one of my five friends. And I'm telling you, I will not embarrass you."

Mr. Boies, however, says that the statement by Mr. Weinstein, and another the suit cites from a Weinstein agent in a postlunch email, didn't relate to a right of first refusal.

No comments: