A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has denied Disney’s request for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against former distribution executive Justin Connolly, who left to take an executive role as YouTube’s global head of sports last month.
On Sunday, Awful Announcing first reported that Disney had requested a temporary restraining order (TRO) and injunction, citing a “competitive disadvantage” against YouTube regarding the two companies’ upcoming distribution negotiations. Disney claims that Connolly, a 25-year veteran of Disney and ESPN, possesses insider knowledge that can harm the company as it enters negotiations with YouTube.
In their initial filing requesting the TRO, Disney claimed that “Connolly’s departure would leave Disney exposed to the competitive disadvantage of having a key executive switch sides mid-deal with inside information” and that “Disney would incur those disadvantages despite having secured Connolly’s exclusive services until March 2027, at considerable expense, in a recently signed and binding fixed-term employment agreement.”
After the complaint, YouTube issued its own filing, suggesting that Connolly would not be part of the two companies’ forthcoming negotiations and that all nondisclosure agreements the executive had signed while at Disney would still be in effect.
Awful Announcing has learned that Judge James C. Chalfant has sided with YouTube in the matter, and Disney will not be granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) or a preliminary injunction. Per the decision, issued in court on Wednesday, Judge Chalfant said that Disney’s application was denied for “lack of showing of emergency” and that the company had not “demonstrated a probability of success on the merits,” two elements typically required for an injunction.
Now, the trial will move forward as scheduled, with the next hearing set for July 15. In the meantime, Connolly will be able to serve in his new role at YouTube as planned, although it is supposedly unrelated to the company’s upcoming renewal with Disney.
Disney’s current distribution deal with YouTube expires in October.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.