Actors’ Union Wins as 2nd Cir. Affirms Producer Suit Dismissal

The Actors’ Equity Association prevailed in a suit accusing the labor union of boycotting and defaming a Broadway producer, after the 2nd Circuit affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of the case.

A US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit panel upheld a district court’s ruling that antitrust claims brought by producer Garth Drabinsky were barred by the statutory labor exemption derived from the Clayton Antitrust Act.

The case illustrates the tension that can exist between antitrust and labor laws, especially with unions involved in the entertainment industry. Labor unions such as Equity are exempt from scrutiny under federal antitrust ...