A California Superior Courtroom decide rejected Disney‘s request for a brief restraining order that sought to forestall Justin Connolly from working at YouTube.

Final month, after Connolly left Disney to hitch YouTube as international VP of media and sports activities partnerships, Disney sued YouTube and Connolly, alleging breach of contract, tortious interference in a contractual relationship and unfair competitors.

Decide James C. Chalfant issued a ruling Wednesday denying Disney’s movement for an injunction after a listening to within the matter earlier within the day. The decide cited three causes for the choice: Disney’s “Lack of exhibiting of emergency”; that the “Stability of harms works in favor or Mr. Connolly”; and that Disney “has not demonstrated a likelihood of success on the deserves.”

Requested for remark, a Disney spokesperson mentioned, “We’re dissatisfied in immediately’s ruling, however will proceed to pursue our authorized treatments.” YouTube declined to remark.

Connolly, who spent twenty years at Disney and ESPN, was most not too long ago president of Disney Platform Distribution. In that capability, he oversaw all third-party media gross sales efforts for distribution, affiliate marketing online and affiliate-related enterprise operations — together with with YouTube.

In its lawsuit, Disney mentioned the corporate’s deal for YouTube TV is because of expire quickly and that it “could be extraordinarily prejudicial to Disney for Connolly to breach the contract which he negotiated only a few months in the past and change groups when Disney is engaged on a brand new licensing cope with the corporate that’s making an attempt to poach him.”

YouTube, in its June 2 objection to Disney’s swimsuit, mentioned “Google/YouTube has made it clear to Disney that Mr. Connolly is not going to be concerned in any capability with YouTube’s license settlement negotiations with Disney.” In early April 2025, Google and Disney exchanged communications concerning Google’s need to rent Connolly for the YouTube position, in line with YouTube’s submitting. Disney requested for its renewal negotiations with YouTube — which might usually not start till round August 2025 — to be “prioritized” by YouTube, in line with the web firm.

Relatively than invoking Connolly’s contract that purportedly prevented him from exiting Disney to hitch YouTube, in line with YouTube, “Disney made clear that it intends to make use of Mr. Connolly as a pawn to advance the renegotiation of its license renewal with YouTube.”

In the meantime, in line with Disney’s lawsuit, Connolly had signed a three-year contract in November 2024, which his transfer to YouTube allegedly violated. However in line with YouTube, Disney truly employed Connolly on an at-will foundation and that an order requiring Connolly to give up his new place at YouTube could be “expressly prohibited by statute and different controlling California legislation.”

YouTube additionally challenged Disney’s request for “emergency aid,” arguing in its June 2 submitting that “Disney has identified for over six weeks that Mr. Connolly meant to go away Disney and be a part of YouTube.”