Warner Bros. Sues Amazon for Allegedly Poaching HBO Employees

Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the tech giant illegally attempted to poach its employees by inducing them to violate their employment agreements. In its complaint, Warner Bros. stated that Amazon "openly embarked upon an unlawful course" and hastily tried to "pirate away a number of contracted employees" across its subsidiaries.

The lawsuit centers on Pia Barlow, the former executive vice president for originals marketing at HBO Max. According to the complaint, Barlow's contract was not set to expire until October 31, 2027, and she had committed to stay with Warner Bros. until its end. However, Amazon, which was allegedly aware of her contract, offered her a higher compensation package, which she accepted. Barlow left HBO Max 16 months before her contract was due to expire and is expected to start work at Amazon on August 3.

Warner Bros. also claims that Amazon promised to pay for Barlow's legal representation if she were sued for breach of contract. Additionally, the complaint mentions that Amazon attempted to induce another Warner Bros. employee to breach their agreement, which was set to expire in December 2027. According to Deadline, that employee was likely Francesca Orsi, the EVP for HBO Programming and head of HBO Drama Series and Films. Amazon reportedly tried to hire her to lead its Drama and Comedy department, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

Warner Bros. Discovery is suing Amazon for intentional interference with contractual relations, inducing breach of contract, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and unfair competition. The company is seeking a preliminary and permanent injunction to prevent Amazon from inducing breaches of contract, as well as an unspecified amount of monetary damages.