Sports and Entertainment

With the rise of the #MeToo movement and a deeper focus on the national dialogue around race over the past few years, the sports and entertainment industries are being held to higher standards. Collectively, both those inside and outside of these industries have called for justice and reform.

Additionally, the demographics of sports “workplaces” are changing dramatically. In the past few years alone, the first woman officiated a Super Bowl, three Black coordinators helped an NFL team reach the Super Bowl, transgender athletes have sought to compete among those they identify with, and more.

At Van Dermyden Makus, we have experience working in both the sports and entertainment industries. If a claim is made against an organization, employee, performer, or athlete, our trained investigators bring an unbiased, third-party presence to the case, ensuring the facts can rise to the surface so that things can be made right.

Sports Investigations

 

High-profile investigations in professional sports are on the rise. Recent sports investigations have involved scouts and team employees accused of sexual harassment, organizations facing misconduct allegations, and executives charged with making racially-charged comments.

Van Dermyden Makus has handled workplace investigations for various major league sports organizations, including the Sacramento Kings basketball team.

Entertainment Investigations

 

On October 5, 2017, the New York Times published an article that read “Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades”. From April 2017 to October 2018, over 400 high-profile executives and employees were accused of sexual harassment. Many faced serious repercussions at work: 190 of them were fired or forced to resign, and 122 were placed on leave, suspended, or were the subject of an internal investigation.

Incidents like this empowered employees who experienced or observed divisive patterns of sexual harassment and discrimination to raise their complaints and be heard. Van Dermyden Makus has deep experience conducting thorough, impartial investigations involving high-profile individuals facing significant complaints of harassment and discrimination.

How We Work

 

At Van Dermyden Makus, we are skilled investigators. Here are some of the skills we bring to all of our investigative work, including sports and entertainment investigations:

  • We strategize when and how to conduct non-employee witness interviews and help put third-party witnesses at ease.

  • We know how to address non-employee participation, how to memorialize interviews, confidentiality, and other potential issues.

  • We have experience building rapport with ownership, management, staff, players, and contractors.

  • We obtain clear direction regarding media inquiries, establish a clear message, and stay consistent with that message.

  • We maintain neutrality.

  • We maintain a consistent strategy throughout the investigation to protect its integrity.

  • We employ transparent and consistent credibility analyses.

  • We give the respondent the opportunity to respond to each and every claim.

  • We are flexible and adaptable.

  • We deliver clear, neutral, and well-reasoned findings that allow organizations to make sound decisions.