The fact that Big Screen caught CEO doing something embarrassing is ...say lawyers on if Astronomer former CEO Andy Byron can sue Coldplay after resignation
Former Astronomer CEO
Andy Byron
was embarrassed publicly after the 'Kiss Cam' scandal which happened at the recent Coldplay concert in Boston. During the recent Coldplay concert in former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR chief Kristin Cabot were seen cuddling in a now viral 'Kiss Cam' moment. The couple after being captured by the camera looked startled, with Cabot turning away and Byron ducking. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin also said jokingly, 'Either they're having an affair, or they're just very shy.' Now legal experts suggest that Byron has no viable grounds to sue the band. As reported by The Mirror, lawyers suggest that being caught on a big screen doing something embarrassing in public does not constitute a legal claim against the performers or venue.
Lawyers weigh in: No legal case
After the whole viral controversy there were speculations that Byron may sue Coldplay for the public humiliation. However, the legal experts claim that Byron would be dead on arrival and has no grounds to sue the brand or the venue. Employment lawyer Ron Zambrano told The Mirror that any lawsuit would be 'dead on arrival,' noting that Coldplay's use of the Kiss Cam is protected as artistic expression. 'They just got caught,' he said bluntly.
Entertainment attorney Tre Lovell added that Byron has no expectation of privacy at a public event. 'The fact that the big screen caught the CEO doing something embarrassing or immoral in public is on him,' Lovell said.
He clarified that while it is illegal to use someone's image for commercial purposes without permission or to defame them with false portrayals, the "Kiss Cam" incident did neither.
Astronomer announces Andy Byron resignation as CEO
Announcing Andy Byron's resignation, Astronomer said in a statement, "Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted. The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.'
The resignation came less than 24 hours after Astronomer announced Byron and Cabot had been put on leave and that a formal investigation was pending. "Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy is currently serving as interim CEO given Andy Byron has been placed on leave. We will share more details as appropriate in the coming days," said the company.
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Andy Byron may sue Coldplay for viral video creating 'emotional distress', Chris Martin has THIS reaction
Andy Byron is thinking of suing Coldplay for breaching his privacy, a report claimed. The Coldplay drama has not died down and it is likely to play out on a different level as Andy Byron, the former CEO of Astronomer, may sue Coldplay for showing him embracing Kristin Cabot, the HR chief of Astronomer. Rob Shuter's #ShuterScoop exclusively reported citing insiders that Andy Byron is blaming Chris Martin for the hot water he found himself in after the kiss cam video went viral. The report claimed that Andy Byron is exploring legal action against the band and also the event organizers citing "emotional distress" and "invasion of privacy". 'He didn't consent to being filmed or publicly humiliated,' a source close to Byron insists. 'He thinks Coldplay made him a meme.' The report also included an unofficial reaction from Chrsi Martin. He apparently laughed out loud at the idea of being sued over a kiss cam. According to legal experts, if Andy Byron sues Coldplat, it will be a long shot as it looks more like an attempt to shift blame. 'At a public concert with cameras and 70,000 people, your expectation of privacy is near zero,' one attorney said. 'It sounds like he's trying to shift blame.' Andy Byron attended the Coldplay event in Boston with Kristin Cabot and their viral moment cost him his job. Astronomer announced an investigation into his conduct but he resigned from the CEO post after agreeing to a fat exit package. His personal life is also believed to be in shambles as his wife Megan Kerrigan moved out of their family home and is residing somewhere else. Astronomer has moved on from the scandal though the scandal made them a household name. Neither Andy Byron nor Cabot issued any statement explaining their relationship. Their respective partners too did not make any comment. Meanwhile, many videos of Andy Byron and Cabot emerged on social media, courtesy Coldplay fans who discovered the canoodling couple after they went viral. They were hugging and kissing each other throughout the concert and many social media users wondered that if they had sat down, they would not have been discovered amid such a huge audience.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Golden ticket: How Indian fans are travelling abroad for sold-out concerts
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Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron to sue Coldplay after viral ‘Kiss Cam' moment with Kristin Cabot? Here's what we know
Ex-Astronomer CEO Andy Byron may file a lawsuit against Coldplay following the controversy from his kiss cam fiasco with his former colleague Kristin Cabot, a legal expert confirms, but he'd have to get really 'creative.' 'If we are getting creative, a possible claim would be for defamation, specifically as it relates to Chris Martin characterising the two as having an 'affair,'' attorney Camron Dowlatshahi from MSD Lawyers exclusively told Page Six. According to Cornell Law, defamation is a statement, either written or verbal, that hampers somebody's reputation. Byron and Cabot tried to hide their faces after they were caught hugging at Coldplay's concert last week when Chris Martin said, 'Either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' Dowlatshahi says that to prove Martin made a defamatory statement, Byron would need to demonstrate 'that there wasn't an affair". This seems unlikely, as neither Byron nor Cabot has publicly denied the claim, and it has been shown that both have spouses. Additionally, the former CEO will have to prove in court that Martin 'knew or should have known' that he was not cheating 'but made the statement anyway with malice.' 'None of those elements will be met, so any claim against Coldplay would be frivolous,' Dowlatshahi said. 'I also very much doubt that Mr. Byron would want further public scrutiny by bringing a borderline frivolous suit against the event organisers and/or Coldplay," he added. Ray Seilie, attorney at Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP told PageSix, 'The only thing a lawsuit by Byron would accomplish is that it would keep his indiscretion in the news for much longer,' adding that it is 'extremely unlikely that Byron has a valid claim against Coldplay.' Seilie added, 'He has no expectation of privacy in a public arena and my guess is that he accepted an even broader release of privacy-related claims when he purchased his ticket." Dowlatshahi further confirmed, 'Typically, the terms and conditions of purchasing a ticket will include a provision granting the event organisers a license to use photos and videos of people in the audience, so the two-party consent state law doesn't apply. If Coldplay is not defined as part of the event organisers in the terms and conditions, the band isn't commercialising Mr. Byron's name, image and likeness outside of the context of the live performance at that time, so there's no claim there.' Dowlatshahi suggests that Byron might try to sue based on those grounds, but he 'won't be successful.'
