In the past few days, people have been talking about the possible consequences of now-former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and HR Executive Kristen Cabot, who were seen wrapped in each other’s arms at a Coldplay concert on July 16.
A video of them went viral
The pair’s intimate moment made the rounds on the internet after a video of their brief but awkward few seconds on the Coldplay jumbotron
Byron has since resigned from his position as CEO of Astronomer. The tech firm shared online, “As stated previously, Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding.”
“Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met.”The statement continued, “Andy Byron has tendered his resignation, and the Board of Directors has accepted.”
“The Board will begin a search for our next Chief Executive as Cofounder and Chief Product Officer Pete DeJoy continues to serve as interim CEO.”Since the whole ordeal and the announcement of Byron’s resignation, people have been wondering if he has grounds to sue Coldplay.
Ron Zambrano of the Los Angeles-based West Coast Employment Lawyers weighed in on this, telling The Mirror, “Any legal claims from Byron would be dead on arrival. He has no grounds to sue.”Explaining this stance, Zambrano said, “First, it would immediately be struck down as a restriction on creative speech and Coldplay’s ability to be artistic during their performances.”
“Second, Byron and Cabot waived their right to privacy when they decided to attend a public event, so their public display of affection is on them, not on Coldplay. They just got caught.”Tre Lovell, a civil and entertainment attorney of the Lovell Firm, gave a similar explanation as to why there are no grounds for Byron to sue.
“When you are out in public, you have no right to privacy for your actions,” he explained. “People are free to photograph you and video you.”Lovell went on, “What people cannot do is use the video or photographs to violate your right to publicity in terms of using your image for commercial purposes or defame you and depict you in a manner that is false or untruthful.”
So it seems Byron has no grounds to sue Coldplay for the mishap.