LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) – The group that gives out Golden Globes discriminates against members of foreign press outlets, a new antitrust lawsuit says.
Khersti Flaa’s Aug. 3 lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court complains that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association fails to provide a benefit to the workers it purports to represent.
“Instead, the HFPA engages in very substantial and shocking discrimination against them for the benefit of its members,” the lawsuit says.
Among the allegations are that the HFPA:
-Allocates foreign markets among its members;
-Requires applicants to pledge not to offer to write for any publication or its rival claimed by a member;
-Won’t admit qualified applicants who might compete in a market against an existing member;
-Pays travel expenses for members but not non-members to attend film festivals and press junkets; and
-Leverages its status created by the Golden Globes to monopolize interview slots for popular directors and actors.
“The NFPA is so focused on protecting its monopoly position and tax-free benefits that it has adopted bylaw provisions that exclude from membership all objectively qualified applicants who might possibly compete with an existing member,” the suit says.
Flaa, of Norway, has been denied membership to the HFPA.