HFPA Lashes Out At “Shake Down” Of Antitrust Lawsuit By Norwegian Journo Denied Membership – Update - Deadline

Flaa’s ongoing attempts to shake down the HFPA, demanding that the HFPA pay her off and immediately admit her prior to the conclusion of the usual annual election process applied to every other HFPA applicant,” the HFPA said in a statement tonight after Norwegian entertainment journalist Kjersti Flaa took the Golden Globes organizing group to court Monday in a scathing antitrust lawsuit.

Along with the over 70-year old non-profit HFPA itself, current president Lorenzo Soria, past president Meher Tatna and other high placed members are named as defendants in unsuccessful membership applicant Flaa’s jury trial demanding action.

“The HFPA is so focused on protecting its monopoly position and tax-free benefits that it has adopted Bylaw provisions that exclude from membership all objectively qualified applicants who might possibly compete with an existing members,” reads a revealing antitrust lawsuit filed Monday in federal court by unsuccessful membership applicant Kjersti Flaa of Norway against the often-furtive 87-member organization.

Essentially claiming that the Lorenzo Soria-led HFPA is a private club that is “unwilling to share the enormous economic benefits membership provides,” the five-claim filing also seeks “preliminary and permanent relief prohibiting the HFPA and its members from unlawfully competing with non-HFPA-member foreign entertainment journalists residing in Southern California or denying them the benefits of HFPA membership.”.

“Because the HFPA’s members will not admit anyone who might possibly compete with an existing member, either by selling to the same publications or to competing publications, the average age of HFPA members has steadily increased,” today’s 42-page filing states.

It also claims spicy nuggets like how territories are protectively carved up, strong-arming within the organization, offers of high end freebies by Disney, and how the HFPA supposedly “pays one of its members more than $20,000 annually merely to assign the seating at the Golden Globes awards ceremony.” Oh yeah, among other claims of “corrupt and unlawful practices” by the ethically questioned HFPA, the organization apparently has almost $60 million in the bank!

“Only half the HFPA’s members are considered truly ‘active’; the remaining half either do the bare minimum required to maintain their ‘active’ status or are relieved from having to meet minimum requirements by virtue of their longevity with the organization,” according to the unorthodox application of sorts from Flaa, who was rejected for HFPA membership in 2018 and again in 2019.