‘Dawson’s Creek’ star James Van Der Beek has lost his suit against Sirius XM over a podcast deal.
According to new legal documents obtained by The Blast, Stitcher Media, LLC and Sirius XM Radio, Inc. have won the lawsuit filed by James Van Der Beek, who claimed the deal they made was a “lucrative business opportunity.”
As you may know, last year, Van Der Beek sued Sirius XM as he claimed the podcast company promised him a massive deal for a guaranteed $700,000 for 40 episodes of a podcast, but, per the lawsuit, they pulled the plug before it got started.
In 2021, Van Der Beek “began to pursue an opportunity for creating a podcast based on his longstanding acting career, onscreen characters, and life as a husband and father of six,” the initial filing stated.
“He would serve as the podcast’s host, conduct interviews, provide commentary and behind-the-scenes insight on past work, and share the kind of unique perspective as an artist, seeker, and public figure that has become the hallmark of his social media presence,” the filing added.
Sirius XM Radio Wins Lawsuit Filed By James Van Der Beek
Van Der Beek asked a judge to order Stitcher Media, LLC and Sirius XM Radio, Inc. to pay him a minimum of $700,000 plus damages, however, new documents state the judge ruled otherwise.
Per the documents obtained by The Blast, the court grants Stitcher Media, LLC, and Sirius XM Radio, Inc.’s motion for summary judgment on James Van Der Beek’s lawsuit.
The ‘Dawson’s Creek’ actor “has not met his burden to show that a triable issue of material fact exists,” meaning the judge says Van Der Beek has not shown enough evidence to prove the deal was “a lucrative business opportunity.”
James Van Der Beek Claims Sirius XM Deal Caused Harm To Other Opportunities
The actor also claimed the falling out with Sirius XM has caused harm to any future business deals as “he stopped negotiating with other buyers and affirmatively rejected those other offers (as well as other acting opportunities) in order to devote his full time and attention to creating the podcast with Defendants,” per the suit.
“The agreed-upon deal even provided [SiriusXM] with a first look so that [Van Der Beek] could not work on any other podcasts. Yet, after the project was green lit and several subsequent actions had been taken by [SiriusXM] to set the podcast up, Sirius and Stitcher reneged on the agreement and told [Van Der Beek] that they would not perform,” the lawsuit filed by Van Der Beek said.
Van Der Beek is currently married to his wife, Kimberly Brook, and a father to six children, daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia and Gwendolyn, and sons Joshua and Jeremiah.
“I think fatherhood changes you from the inside out,” Van Der Beek told PEOPLE in 2013, which his wife followed up by adding, “Now, date nights are on the couch ordering in and snuggling up.”
The ruling by the Judge is essentially a huge blow to Van Der Beek’s case.
