In a motion filed on June 9th, 2021, MyChannel asked the Court in California to require Kanye West to sit down for an in-person deposition after Mr. West “insulted and abused” the company’s attorney in a video deposition that only lasted 15 minutes before West stormed out. MyChannel also urged the judge to punish the artist for “thumbing his nose” at the court’s authority and skipping out early on what was a “profanity-laced” deposition.
In August 2020, MyChannel filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, accusing Kanye West of stealing its technology for his “Sunday Service” video and platform. MyChannel is a company that uses new technology and artificial intelligence to incorporate e-commerce in video content. According to the tech company, its partnership with West and his brand started in early 2018 when MyChannel’s technology improved the user experience for Yeezy’s website.
According to the complaint, the rapper and his brand “Yeezy” violated a nondisclosure agreement between the two parties. MyChannel claims it contributed everything it was required to contribute to the partnership with West, but rather than adopting the MyChannel platform for Yeezy’s website, West allegedly stole it and used it for his Sunday Service platform, launched in 2019, without MyChannel’s participation or consent.
On or about August 25th, 2020, West’s deposition was taken. A deposition is a process by which attorneys gather information for a case. The deponent (witness) is placed under oath and asked questions by the attorneys in the case, while a “court reporter” takes down everything said on the record.
According to the motion, at the deposition, the rapper called MyChannel’s counsel “boy” several times and refused to answer even the most basic questions during his “profanity-laced tirade.” West also claimed that his “mental genius-ness” required him to use his phone while being deposed.
Further, West covered his face with a hood bearing Jesus Christ’s image throughout the entire deposition; that is until he abruptly ended the deposition by turning off his Zoom camera and refusing to continue.
Although U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Chooljian rejected MyChannel’s initial application for West’s deposition to be held in person because virtual meetings were still preferred over face-to-face earlier this month, MyChannel is asking that when West’s deposition reconvenes, it takes place in person.
The company is also seeking $62,725 in sanctions against both West and his attorneys, noting that attorneys for West “didn’t flinch or raise a peep in watching their client conduct himself in bad faith.”
MyChannel is represented by Ben J. Meiselas and Curtis R. Sarian of Geragos & Geragos APC and Michael S. Popok of Zumpano Patricios & Popok PLLC.
West and Yeezy are represented by Nina D. Boyajian and Layal Bishara of Greenberg Traurig LLP.
The case is MyChannel Inc. v. Kanye Omari West et al., case number 2:20-cv-07732, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
* Lowe & Associates (“The Firm”) is an entertainment and business law firm located in Beverly Hills, California. The Firm has extensive experience handling cases involving entertainment law, providing top-quality legal services to its clients since 1991. The Firm is recognized for its many achievements, including successfully litigating many high-profile cases.
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