Kevin Hart Loses Bid to Move Ex-Employees’ Podcast Lawsuit to Private Arbitration

A Los Angeles court has dealt a setback to Kevin Hart’s media company, Hartbeat, after rejecting its attempt to move a legal dispute with two former employees out of the courtroom and into private arbitration.

A judge at the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled against Hartbeat’s request, allowing the lawsuit involving former staff members Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam to continue in court instead of behind closed doors.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Hartbeat alleges that Eddings, who joined the company in 2022, and Gwam, hired in 2023, gained access to confidential information related to the company’s podcast division during their employment.

The company claims the pair later used that knowledge to establish their own podcast venture. Hartbeat further alleges that the former employees relied on the confidential information to develop a pitch deck aimed at raising millions of dollars for their new business.

As part of the lawsuit, Hartbeat is seeking an injunction that would prevent Eddings and Gwam from launching their podcast company while the case is being resolved.

However, the court ruled that although both former employees had signed agreements containing arbitration clauses, they successfully argued that those provisions were unconscionable and therefore could not be enforced. Based on that finding, the judge denied Hartbeat’s request to compel private arbitration.

Eddings and Gwam have denied Hartbeat’s allegations, insisting they did not use confidential company information to build their business. They also argued that both had significant experience in the podcast and media industry before joining Hartbeat.

The ruling means the legal battle will remain in the public court system, where both sides are expected to continue presenting their arguments as the case progresses.