- Hartbeat filed a lawsuit earlier this year against former staff members Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam, who worked in the company’s podcast and audio department.
- Eric Eddings reportedly joined the business in 2022, while Lesley Gwam became part of the team in 2023.
- Hartbeat says that within days of discovering the pitch deck, Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam lost their jobs on January 30, 202
Kevin Hart is facing fresh drama as his entertainment company, Hartbeat, is involved in a legal battle with two former employees. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Hartbeat filed a lawsuit earlier this year against former staff members Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam, who worked in the company's podcast and audio department.
Eddings reportedly joined the business in 2022, while Gwam became part of the team in 2023.
The two former employees are now fighting back against the lawsuit and claim the legal action is unfair. They argue that the case is being used to limit their future job opportunities and stop them from continuing work in the same industry.
According to the lawsuit, Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam had access to important private company information while working at Hartbeat, including financial details, partnership plans and business strategies connected to the podcast division. The company claims the two secretly began creating their own competing podcast company “while still employed at Hartbeat.”
The company also alleges that they prepared and shared a presentation for investors in an attempt to raise $2 million for the new business venture, saying “We've built this before. Now we're building it for ourselves.”
Hartbeat says that within days of discovering the pitch deck, Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam lost their jobs on January 30, 2026. Soon after that, the company reportedly sent them a legal warning asking them not to use or share any private company information.
The company alleged that their employees' actions caused a “ripple effect of decreasing overall revenue in our podcast and audio division, and as a result, Hartbeat was forced to downsize the division.”
Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam have now rejected Hartbeat's request for a legal order against them. They believe the company's actions are unfair and say the lawsuit is really an attempt to block them from continuing their careers and building a new business. The two former employees also argue that there is no proof they stole or misused any private company information. According to them, Hartbeat is wrongly trying to interfere with their future work and business plans.