The Hollywood Foreign Press Association filed a 113-page antitrust lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court alleging that Jay Penske, Penske Media Corporation, and Todd Boehly orchestrated a fraudulent scheme to acquire the Golden Globe Awards and monopolize Hollywood trade and awards markets.
What was framed as a necessary corporate rescue of a troubled organization was actually a sham process tainted by fraud
, according to a bombshell lawsuit filed Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The action brings the bitter fallout from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association antitrust lawsuit against Jay Penske directly into federal court, seeking at least $150 million in damages and an order to cancel the dissolution of the 80-year-old institution.
Inside the Alleged Scheme to Devalue and Acquire the Globes
The complaint asserts that the defendants engaged in a clandestine scheme to fraudulently acquire the glitzy opening event of Hollywood’s awards season. Years before Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge completed the purchase in 2023, the HFPA faced an existential crisis. Following a February 2021 Variety exposing that the group had no Black members, publicists launched a fierce boycott, Netflix and WarnerMedia cut ties, and NBC dropped the 2022 telecast.
Rather than letting the scandal play out naturally, the lawsuit claims that Todd Boehly and Jay Penske surreptitiously instigated a boycott of the HFPA, utilizing Penske’s entertainment trade publications to devalue the organization. Boehly then stepped in as interim CEO of the HFPA, positioning himself on both sides of the negotiating table to fast-track the acquisition while concealing Penske’s ultimate involvement from the board.
Monopoly Claims Across Trades and Awards Advertising
Beyond the acquisition itself, the litigation targets an alleged broader conspiracy to exert monopolistic control over Hollywood trades, secondary awards markets, and For Your Consideration
advertising. Penske Media Corporation’s stable of assets includes industry staples such as Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Dick Clark Productions, which produces major events like the American Music Awards.
The complaint argues that acquiring the Golden Globes solidifies a vertical and horizontal monopoly on the awards circuit.
Broken Promises and Disputed Charity Assets
Friction also centers on what happened to members and charitable funds after the deal closed. The lawsuit alleges that HFPA members approved the restructuring under assurances they would retain lifetime voting rights and lifetime show tickets, only for Penske to attach unworkable conditions that restricted voting to those who accepted direct employment with the new for-profit entity, Globes LLC.
Furthermore, the complaint accuses former general counsel and Golden Globe Foundation CEO Gregory Goeckner of conspiring to transfer $4 million from association reserves and misusing the successor foundation’s assets.
“Today’s lawsuit continues the absurdity and irrationality that the industry has come to expect from the defunct organization formerly known as the HFPA.”
Spokesperson for Penske Media and the Golden Globes, via Associated Press
Sharp Retaliation From Current Globes Leadership
Representatives for the current corporate owners did not mince words in responding to the litigation.
As the federal court weighs the antitrust claims, the bitter dispute ensures that the Golden Globes’ turbulent transition into the modern era remains tied to its contentious past.
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