Main Line Pictures v. Basinger

No. B077509, 1994 WL 814244 (1994)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Main Line Pictures v. Basinger

California Court of Appeal
No. B077509, 1994 WL 814244 (1994)

Facts

Kim Basinger (defendant) was a successful actress who had starred in several box-office films. Basinger loaned out her acting services as an employee to Mighty Wind, Inc. (defendant). In late 1990, Basinger was approached by Main Line Pictures, Inc. (plaintiff) about starring in the film Boxing Helena. In January 1991, Basinger’s and Mighty Wind’s attorneys met with the attorney for Main Line to negotiate the contractual terms of the film. In February 1991, a deal memo, i.e., an unsigned document used in the film industry to summarize contractual terms, was sent to the attorneys for Basinger and Mighty Wind. A formal acting-services contract between Main Line and Mighty Wind on behalf of Basinger was drafted but never signed. During that time, production began for the film and costs were expended to promote Basinger’s involvement with the film. In June 1991, after many conversations about reservations with the film, Basinger backed out of starring in Boxing Helena. Main Line filed suit against Basinger individually and Mighty Wind, alleging breach of contract. Main Line explicitly declined to plead any theory that Mighty Wind was the alter ego of Basinger. At trial, the jury was given the special verdict asking, “Did Kim Basinger and/or Mighty Wind enter into an oral contract with Main Line for Ms. Basinger to perform acting services?” The jury returned the verdict in favor of Main Line and assessed $8 million in damages against Basinger and Mighty Wind. Basinger and Mighty Wind moved for a new trial and for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. The trial court denied each, and Basinger and Mighty Wind appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Grignon, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 802,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials
  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 802,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 802,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership