Oksana Baiul sues William Morris Endeavor Agency (threads merged)

[overedge]

Manager dude is her boyfriend



http://www.northjersey.com/community....html?page=all

That's even worse. ((Oksana))

[Alex Forrest]

That's even worse. ((Oksana))

Sometimes it's worse, other times it's good to be that close to your manager and $$$. It's difficult to know who to trust but I for one would rather keep it in the family so to speak. Tough situation.

[victoriaheidi]

I think Oksana's problems now are a reflection of the lack of support she had way back when. It's a shame that everyone wanted a piece of her and no one taught her the skills to make it on her own. She can spot what went wrong last time, but if she can't identify it off the top, she'll wind up in the same situation over and over again.

[overedge]

Sometimes it's worse, other times it's good to be that close to your manager and $$$. It's difficult to know who to trust but I for one would rather keep it in the family so to speak. Tough situation.

If the business part of it goes sideways, it's even more difficult to sort out if you're personally involved with the manager. And you never know when the business part might fall apart.

[skatesindreams]

I think Oksana's problems now are a reflection of the lack of support she had way back when. It's a shame that everyone wanted a piece of her and no one taught her the skills to make it on her own. She can spot what went wrong last time, but if she can't identify it off the top, she'll wind up in the same situation over and over again.

She doesn't seem to have the knowledge/skills to keep it from happening over and over again.

[AragornElessar]

This is just so sad and criminal on so many levels, I don't know where to start. Due to that, I'll just say I've always liked Oksana and have always been pulling for her and her happiness that she deserves after all she's been through in her life.

[aliceanne]

What happened to her husband(s). The first one seemed down to earth and had his own career. He told her skating was what she did not who she was, in an attempt to get her to develop some other interests. I wonder if he turned out to be no good or she is just too damaged to trust anyone.

[AxelAnnie]

Just for the sake of the other side..... I don't know what standard agent fees are......but Galina took her in, supported her, and all (IIRC) without any financial help. I don't think it is horrid that she received a portion of Oksana's earnings. And, if Galina was her guardian, was not that relationship sanctioned in the US - in which case, as a minor, Oksana's arrangements would have (I think) been overseen by a family court judge (but maybe that is just for young actors).

What a drama her life has been.

[my little pony]

doesnt galina still have her OGM? if yes, i think that says a lot about her.

[jenniferlyon]

I will try to restrain myself. Galina, her "coach" and "mother surrogate" took 30%, then Oksana's agent's/PR took another 30%. OFF THE TOP. Before taxes. She made very little. I thought she was with Lipinski's agent Mike Burg at the time?

Burg wasn't Oksana's agent, but she did do a series of shows/pro comps for him. Her agent after she won the Olympics was a man named Michael Carlisle, who was with William Morris at the time. Before then, Oksana's agent was Michael Rosenberg, who handled many of the Tom Collins tour skaters. (Yeah, that's a lot of agents named Michael. And no, I didn't remember all this off the top of my head; I had to go look some of it up.)

I think it is horrible that a 16 y/o depended on Galina and the ones she was paying a percentage when she's in a new country, can't even speak the language. But I guess that's how business is in the USA. Her DWI wasn't a help, but I never thought she ever had help. Christ she was a 12 y/o orphan for all she knew. All she knew was the ice rink.. I'm glad she won Oly gold. Her life is a story about survival. 100% in her corner.

True, the DWI didn't help, but Oksana had already been exploited for years before that happened.

[Coco]

I think Ari Zakarian was her agent at some point. He was in the car with her when she got the dui, iirc.

[GoGreen]

I think Ari Zakarian was her agent at some point. He was in the car with her when she got the dui, iirc.

I don't think Ari Zakarian was ever her agent, more like a friend. Zakarian mentioned that Baiul called him for help after the accident.

[halfloopy]

At one point it was pretty common for Russian coaches to be paid a percentage of the skater's earnings instead of fee for coaching. I beleive some coaches still work that way in Russia. Now whetehr a percentage of 30% is fair, and for how long the skater should be on the hook are seperate questions.

[Willowway]

Michael Carlisle, who IIRC speaks Russian, was her agent at Wm. Morris for a while. He subsequently left Wm. Morris, opened his own very successful literary agency. He is an up and up guy and Wm. Morris which is huge and reps (and has since time immemorial) extremely successful and high earning (many millions) folks, doesn't need and didn't need to "exploit" a minor to make a few extra bucks. Ilia followed Oksana to Wm. Morris and Michael very successfully.

I doubt if Galina took anything that wasn't customary and earned (but Oksana isn't suing Galina and probably won't because Wm. Morris is a much deeper pocket to go after), so I don't know if payments to Galina are really in question in the suit. Galina helped Oksana to a medal that should have guaranteed her future. If that money was not managed well over the last 20 years Galina had little or nothing to do with that.

The good news here is that large agencies like Wm. Morris keep very careful books and records. I am sure the numbers are quite transparent and if OB thinks she can make something out of them, she certainly has the freedom to sue. She's not going to get a penny from them unless it is really owed. So we'll see if it is really owed as this plays out.

[Iceman]

A global tour sounds much too ambitious and would be quite costly. I think it is doomed to fail. Sounds like something come up with during a manic episode. I hope this man doesn't lead her into complete financial ruin the way Dorothy Hamilton's husband did her. Her early years are very unfortunate, but she had the resources to get imo much needed therapy and to educate herself.

[Coco]

I don't think Ari Zakarian was ever her agent, more like a friend. Zakarian mentioned that Baiul called him for help after the accident.

You're right, he wasn't her agent. He was the passenger that night, though. According to people he broke his finger in the accident.

http://www.people.com/people/archive...143429,00.html

[Vash01]

She was only 16 years old, in a foreign country, with a completely different culture. It is possible that they took advantage of her, but is a 16 year old allowed to sign a contract without an adult/guardian's signature?

About 30% to Galina- I don't see that as outrageous, as long as Oksana knew about it and agreed to it. If not for Galina, where would Oksana be today? Galina took her into her home, coached her, Viktor bought her skates and dresses. IMO she owes these two a lot more than she admits. Whatever personal problems they may have had later does not erase the fact that she became an Olympic champion because of their help. Otherwise she would be a nobody today.

[Willowway]

It would be nice if we had a contract lawyer here to comment. I'm not one of those but I did a minute of research just looking to confirm that a minor cannot enter into a contract in New York state. They can't (and I don't believe could at the time we're referencing here). The judicial review of contracts with minors is interesting:

New York also authorizes judicial approval of minor entertainers' contracts. Like
California, such approval applies to contracts by performing artists and professional
athletes. However, under New York law, a judge may refuse to approve the contract
until the parents (if entitled to the minor's earnings) or the minor (if entitled to the minor's
own earnings) agrees to set aside a portion of the earnings to be placed under the
control of a guardian. The court generally will determine the amount of earnings to be
set aside by considering the following:
• The parents' financial circumstances
• The needs of the minor's family and parents' other children, if any
• Whether the minor is married
Finally, under New York law, most terms of the minor's employment contract may not
exceed three years from the date of approval.

I think the point here is that although there is always opportunity for abuse of the contract if a party chooses to do that, there are some checks in place when it comes to a contract entered into on behalf of a minor. Is it clear from the filing who was OB's legal guardian or representative for these purposes at the time? Who signed for her?

Edited to add - this suit was filed in California but CA has similar rules about contracting with a minor.

[euterpe]

What happened to her husband(s). The first one seemed down to earth and had his own career. He told her skating was what she did not who she was, in an attempt to get her to develop some other interests. I wonder if he turned out to be no good or she is just too damaged to trust anyone.

I don't think Oksana ever got married. She has had a string of fiances, but didn't marry any of them.

[Sasha'sSpins]

Agents take 10%. 30% is outrageous. And another 30% to Galina? She got screwed. How crummy that a 16-year-old orphan without English language skills had no one advocating for her.

ITA. I hope Oksana wins this one. If she has indeed run out of money as someone here suggested-it doesn't make it okay if she was taken advantage of as a minor. I don't know what her situation is of course but if she owns an estate in Pennsylvania-she must be at least okay for now.