Ariel Legassa Fights Back Against NESN Fraud Allegations In Pleading By Law Office Of E Peter Parker

BOSTON, Feb. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Ariel Legassa denied allegations of fraud made by New England Sports Network "NESN."

NESN claimed that Legassa created and secretly controlled a straw vendor, caused NESN to make payments to the vendor, and used the funds to pay personal expenses.

A pleading filed by Legassa's lawyer E. Peter Parker states: "NESN was not defrauded or deceived. Through its CEO Sean McGrail and CFO Ray Guilbault, NESN agreed to, approved, and knew in advance … that Legassa would establish a vendor company through which he would receive payments for developing direct to consumer ("DTC") digital capabilities. NESN knew that Legassa would control the vendor and that NESN's payments to the vendor would actually go to Legassa. NESN then approved each invoice submitted by the vendor and issued payments."

The pleading states: "this unorthodox arrangement, approved by McGrail and Guilbault, was the only way that NESN would be able to develop and launch a DTC product on the timetable that NESN's owners had set" and adds that "on-time launch was critical to the success of NESN DTC."

The pleading states that NESN's lawsuit is "an excuse to drive Legassa out of the company right before the launch of the DTC technology. McGrail and Guilbault can now claim credit for and profit from the work Legassa did." They have "wrongfully deprived Legassa of profiting from a technology that NESN never could have developed without Legassa at the helm."

The pleading states that Legassa "regularly reported to NESN's owners his progress on the NESN DTC project, as well as a companion so-called "white label" DTC technology that could be used not only by NESN, but by any regional sports network or professional team." Legassa was part of a NESN team that pitched "the white label technology Legassa was developing to other regional sports giants, MSG Network and YES Network, which air games for nearly all of New York's professional sports teams."

The pleading states: "NESN and its owners knew that he could deliver. NESN had recruited Legassa from NBC Sports, where he had led creative operations for the NBC Sports Group suite of digital products." At NESN, Legassa "achieved a major overhaul of NESN's digital world," establishing NESN's first digital product team, and developing new digital products."

Complete pleading online at Pacer:

https://ecf.mad.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/ShowIndex.pl 
NESN v. Ariel Legassa, et al., Civil No. 22-10024-ADB
Docket No. 26.

Media Contact: Peter Parker, [email protected]

SOURCE Law Office Of E Peter Parker