The trial in the battle between the Writers Guild of America and the two largest talent agencies will be postponed to August 2021 due to the pandemic.
The packaging fee trial was originally set to start on March 23, 2021, but will be moved to Aug. 24, 2021, according to a stipulation filed on Wednesday by attorneys on both sides.
Assuming the trial goes forward, it will determine whether the WGA violated antitrust laws when it directed its members to fire their agents in April 2019, after the agencies refused to give up on packaging and affiliate production.
The WGA is also pursuing its own claims accusing WME and CAA of price fixing and breaching their fiduciary duty.
The trial is expected to last 20 to 30 days. According to the stipulation, the parties are seeking the delay due to the pandemic and due to disputes over discovery obligations.
UTA dropped out of the litigation in July and agreed to sign the guild’s Code of Conduct.
Variety's Gene Maddaus contributed to this post.
