Biglaw, In-House Counsel

Former Biglaw Partner Gets Fired From His General Counsel Role After Arrest On Sex Abuse Charge

His former employer says the alleged behavior is "shocking and intolerable."

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Steven Fabrizio is out as the General Counsel of the Motion Picture Association of America. The move comes after he was arrested on charges of second degree sexual abuse and blackmail in Washington D.C.

As reported by Variety, Fabrizio is accused of blackmailing a woman he met on a website for sugar daddies. After they’d consensually had sex once, Fabrizio allegedly coerced the victim into other sexual encounters, threatening to expose her sexual proclivities to her job, landlord and family:

According to a police affidavit, Fabrizio is accused of threatening a woman he met on a “sugar daddy” dating site. The police allege that Fabrizio and the woman had consensual sex once on Aug. 19, after which he paid her $400. After that, she did not want to see him again. According to the affidavit, Fabrizio sent numerous texts insisting on a second meeting, and threatening to expose her if she did not comply.
“I know where you live,” he allegedly wrote. “I know where you work. Don’t think — Hospital would be happy to know that it’s young nurses are having sexual for money / Same for your landlord.”

In a statement an MPAA spokesperson expressed the proper amount of outrage over the arrest, “These charges, if true, are both shocking and intolerable to the association. We had no prior knowledge of this behavior before these charges were publicly filed.”

Prior to this dip into infamy, Fabrizio had quite the prominent legal career. Before working for the MPAA, he worked at the Recording Industry Association of America and took the lead in-house counsel role in the A&M Records v. Napster case, which ended the original Napster’s bid to disrupt the music industry. He also reportedly spent a decade at Jenner & Block as a partner and founder of the content, media and entertainment practice. His other Biglaw experience includes stints at both Cravath and Proskauer Rose as an associate. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1988.

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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