Pilot won Over Travolta Disclosure Case
Douglas Gotterba, a former pilot of Alto, was allowed by a court in California to disclose the intimate relationship he had with his former employer, John Travolta, for a book that he plans to write.
According to Who magazine, the pilot has decided "to tell the story of his life and those involved in it."
Martin Singer, Travolta's attorney, then sent Gotterba letters claiming that he was breaching a confidentiality agreement on his termination papers.
The pilot then rebuttal claiming to The Independent, that despite the fact that he did sign a three-page termination agreement, it did not have any clause that prohibits him to reveal information about his employer.
He also said that the documents are inauthentic, claiming that the paperwork was just a draft of the agreement.
Travolta's lawyer then responded with an anti-SLAPP motion asserting his rights to petition and question Gotteba's lawsuit.
They would want to know if the case was based on the letter alone or the confidentially agreement.
Arthur Gilbert, the Presiding Judge of the case, ruled in favour of Gotterba on July 22, stating that the lawsuit was based on "the validity of the asserted termination agreements."
He clarified that the basis of the complaint was not the letter sent by Singer, even though he admits, it did trigger the pilot's complaint and may serve as an evidence to support the complaint.
"If Travolta would have won, it would lead to the absurd result that a person receiving a demand letter threatening legal action for breach of contract would be precluded from seeking declaratory relief to determine the validity of the contract," stated the judge to Who Magazine.
"Declaratory relief would be limited to situations where the parties have not communicated their disagreement."
Despite the win, Travolta's lawyers stated that even though the court should have Gotterba's lawsuit at the outset, ultimately he will not prevail on his claim.