HFPA Files Antitrust Suit Over Golden Globes Takeover

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has filed an antitrust lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The complaint, filed on July 28, 2026, names Jay Penske, Penske Media Corporation, the Golden Globe Foundation, and Gregory Goeckner. It says the defendants used trade publications and a boycott, starting around 2021, to lower the value of the Golden Globe Awards and force a sale. Although the HFPA had agreed to transfer assets in 2023, the complaint alleges the buyers concealed key facts and pressured HFPA leaders.

The HFPA seeks more than $150 million, treble damages, and to rescind the allegedly unlawful agreements. It also asks for injunctive relief to stop what it calls anticompetitive practices. The lawsuit claims that control of many awards shows and trade magazines gave the defendants unfair market power, while the Golden Globe Foundation received funds that the HFPA says were diverted. It also alleges roughly $4 million was moved from the HFPA to the Foundation, which the complaint says was meant to deprive the HFPA of funds. If the HFPA prevails, it seeks court orders to return funds and block further consolidation of awards and media assets.