The Hollywood Creative Alliance has ended its defamation lawsuit against the Critics Choice Association. Both sides announced on Friday that they had reached an “amicable agreement.” In a joint statement, CCA CEO Joey Berlin and HCA CEO Scott Menzel shared that the Critics Choice Association will allow its members to also be part of the Hollywood Creative Alliance once again.
Berlin has also joined HCA’s advisory committee to give advice on the best ways to run awards shows and manage non-profit organizations. The HCA, in return, will help the CCA with “best accessibility practices” at its events.
In January, the Hollywood Creative Alliance, previously known as the Hollywood Critics Association, sued the Critics Choice Association. This happened after the CCA told its members they had to leave the HCA to stay in the CCA.
“The reason CCA has taken this action is that we have evidence that a representative of the HCA has improperly suggested to at least one studio (and we suspect more) that it could influence Critics Choice Awards voting in a way that led that studio to reach out to CCA and request that action be taken to protect the integrity of our awards,” the Critics Choice Association explained. “Of course, that HCA threat was empty, but CCA cannot ignore this.”
The HCA responded to this move with a defamation lawsuit. They claimed that the CCA had defamed the organization in an “attempt to boycott and steal members of the HCA” and sought “preliminary and permanent injunctive relief” along with “appropriate compensatory remedies and fees and costs” because of the organization’s actions.
As part of the settlement, “both organizations acknowledge and respect that they are a part of the entertainment industry ecosystem that seeks to support and lift the finest accomplishments in film and television,” they said in their statement.
“An unfortunate misunderstanding has been straightened out, and we are happy to be moving forward in our journey to serve our members, audiences, and the entertainment community,” Berlin said.
Menzel added, “We are grateful to have settled this matter amongst ourselves and look forward to productively working together. We know that both organizations can positively impact the entertainment industry.”
