Sage Steele sues CAA for breach of fiduciary duties

After suing ESPN for allegedly suspending her in retaliation for comments she made on a podcast regarding the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, former ESPN host Sage Steele has filed a lawsuit against the CAA and its agents for their handling of the impasse.

Steele, in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses the agency of breach of fiduciary duty for failing to properly advocate for his interests. She points to statements by her agent Matthew Kramer, CAA co-head of sports media, in which he neglected to demand that Steele not be forced to apologize for criticizing Disney's vaccination policy and lied to the former ESPN anchor that the “head of CAA legal” is reviewing his contract regarding the retainer, instead sending the document to a junior lawyer.

In a podcast with NFL quarterback Jay Cutler, Steele expressed skepticism in 2021 about private companies requiring their employees to get vaccinated. She said the mandate was “sick” and “scared me in many ways,” indicating she was complying only to keep her job. ESPN and Disney demanded she publicly apologize and suspended her.

After settling the lawsuit last year, Steele left ESPN.

According to the complaint filed Tuesday, CAA had a conflict of interest stemming from its representation of Adam Schefter and Adrian Wojnarowski, both of whom benefited from lucrative extensions announced in 2022. Steele also points the finger at a number of other employees of EPSN, including on-air talent. and managers, represented by the agency.

“Too often and at every opportunity to profit, it is not CAA's customers and their best interests that come first, it is CAA's bottom line and lucrative relationships that drive the motivation of its agents , even when doing so is at the expense of its own customers,” the complaint states. “This case illustrates the morally corrupt manner in which the CAA routinely engages in self-dealing, blatant conflicts of interest and intentional misconduct. »

The lawsuit alleges that Kramer made “no attempt” to defend Steele's “repeatedly and clearly expressed desire not to apologize for his comments.”

When asked if he called anyone at Disney to make the request, Kramer said he “didn't tell anyone that she shouldn't have to apologize directly,” it says. the trial.

Steele also disputes that the CAA failed to provide legal advice that the comments that led to his suspension were “well within his rights”. She says the agency insisted she comply with ESPN's requirements

Other controversial comments Steele has been reprimanded for include that it was “fascinating” that former President Barack Obama chose to identify as black despite being raised by his white mother and grandmother and that he suggested that women who wear provocative clothing bear some responsibility for sexism. and sexual harassment.

The filing follows Terrence Howard's lawsuit against CAA last year over an alleged conflict of interest in the agency's negotiations regarding his compensation on Empire. He alleged that his agents who made the deal with Fox prioritized their interests and those of the show's producers, whom she also represented, by pressuring him to accept below-market salaries over the course of his six seasons on the series. The CAA declined to comment.