Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against Amazon for “hurriedly seeking to pirate away a number of contracted employees,” citing the recent hiring of Pia Barlow as a “better example of Amazon’s lawless employee shopping spree.”
Warner Bros. alleges intentional interference with contractual relations, breach of contract, intentional interference with prospective economic advance and unfair competition against Amazon in the suit that was filed on Tuesday. In using Barlow, HBO Max’s former EVP originals marketing, as an example, the company notes that her contract was not set to expire until Oct. 31, 2027. Barlow was announced as Amazon MGM Studios‘ new head of original series marketing on Friday, when most outlets began reporting on the suit.
“Though it was aware of Barlow’s ongoing contractual commitment to WMS, of which WBD is a beneficiary, Amazon has brazenly and deliberately induced Barlow to breach the employment agreement by packing up and decamping to Amazon more than 16 months before its expiration,” the suit reads.
Warner Bros. also alleges in the filing that “Barlow is not the first (nor, apparently, the last) WBD employee that Amazon has targeted or will target in the future.” The suit alleges that “a few weeks before Amazon’s interference with Barlow’s term employment contract with WMS, Amazon similarly endeavored to tortiously induce another WBD employee to breach their term employment agreement, which was not set to expire until December 2027.”
“Fortunately, in that instance, Amazon ultimately was unsuccessful in its efforts to raid WBD’s workforce as to that particular executive,” the suit continues.
Warner Bros. is seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages and injunctive relief.
