March 7 (Reuters) - A music executive has filed a legal

malpractice lawsuit against U.S. law firm Greenberg Traurig and

Joel Katz, a former shareholder at the firm and longtime

recording industry adviser, accusing them of botching contract

negotiations for a job with Warner Music Group ( WMG ).

Michael Flynn, a former music executive for Sony Music's

Epic Records and Universal Music's Capitol Records, said Katz

and current Greenberg Traurig shareholder Duane Sitar "actively

used their positions of trust to benefit Warner, themselves, and

others" while he was their client.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Fulton County, Georgia,

Superior Court, said Katz and Sitar helped Warner "devise a

pretext for breaking its promise of employment" to Flynn.

Warner was trying to avoid legal action from a competitor,

which stood to lose one of its key executives who wanted to join

Warner and work with Flynn, the lawsuit said.

A spokesperson for Greenberg Traurig and Sitar said

Flynn's lawsuit is "an old, previously dismissed claim which we

consider meritless and will be contesting."

Katz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Flynn separately sued Warner and some of its leaders in Los

Angeles County Superior Court in February 2020, accusing them of

breaking an oral contract for a senior vice president role that

would have paid Flynn $500,000 a year, plus bonuses. The case

settled in January 2023, according to Flynn's lawyer Elizabeth

Graddy, who did not disclose the terms.

An earlier case Flynn brought against Greenberg and Katz in

Georgia state court was previously dismissed. Graddy had no

comment on Flynn's new lawsuit against Greenberg Traurig, Katz

and Sitar.

Katz founded Greenberg Traurig's global entertainment and

media practice as well as its Atlanta office. He previously

served as the general counsel to the National Academy of

Recording Arts and Sciences.

Deborah Dugan, the Academy's former president and CEO,

accused Katz in a 2020 complaint with the Equal Employment

Opportunity Commission of making inappropriate comments and

attempting to kiss her following a dinner. Dugan also alleged

the Academy's board was plagued by conflicts of interest.

Katz "categorically and emphatically" denied Dugan's

allegations through his lawyer at the time. He resigned from

Greenberg Traurig in 2021 and joined Barnes & Thornburg as a

senior counsel.

A lawyer for Dugan said her claims "were all resolved a

couple of years ago, and nothing is ongoing."