HOLLYWOOD—Actress Zooey Deschanel, 36, filed a complaint in her lawsuit against her former management firm, Seven Summits, claiming her manager, Sarah Jackson, brought strangers in her dressing room while she was changing clothes.
Deschanel said the incident happened while she was on tour with her musical group She & Him.
“Jackson brought the two strangers in the dressing room to help further [the manager’s] career and to potentially generate revenue for [the firm],” Deschanel states in her cross-complaint filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court.
This stems from a lawsuit that Seven Summits originally filed in December 2015. The agency said it represented Deschanel from 1996 to 2013 and wanted 10 percent of her earnings for selling her Hello Giggle website, a positive online community of women. Reports say the website was sold for $20 million.
“[It’s] completely absurd and meritless and was filed in retaliation,” Deschanel said. She claimed Seven Summits had no right to seek commission from her because the website was not related to her acting career.
Deschanel also reportedly refused to pay post-termination commission for other work throughout her career, including Fox’s hit-show “New Girl.”
The Hollywood Reporter states Deschanel first challenged Seven Summits claim by filing a petition with the California Labor Commissioner and Seven Summits and Sarah Jackson were acting as unlicensed talent agents, but the petition was dropped.
In addition to the alleged incident in her dressing room, Deschanel and her attorney, Marty Singer, are also claiming Seven Summit doesn’t have a written agreement and the agency has breached their fiduciary duties.
“The document upon which Cross-Defendants rely does not appear to contain [her] signature,” Deschanel’s cross compliant states.
Deschanel added Seven Summits attempted to exploit and take advantage of her personal relationship with Creative Artists Agency by requesting a meeting with an actor Seven Summits wanted to mange.
The undisclosed actor did not sign with Seven Summits. Deschanel says Seven Summits retaliated against CAA by encouraging Deschanel to switch to UTA .
“[Seven Summits] knew CAA and the agents representing [Deschanel] were (at the time) the agency and agents most well-suited for [her] entertainment career and that changing to UTA was not in [her] best professional interests,” said Deschanel
Sevens Summits attorney Kenneth Freundlich responded to Deschanel’s cross complaints saying, “This is just another attempt by Ms. Deschanel to muddy the waters and not to pay the commissions owed.”
