What was filed
Litvinov v. Classical Arts Entertainment, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-14559 (D.N.J.), is a nine-page complaint filed November 10, 2026. The case is assigned to Judge Esther Salas and Magistrate Judge Jose R. Almonte. The plaintiff, Andrei Litvinov, is described as a ballet master and choreographer and a resident and citizen of Moldova. The defendant, Classical Arts Entertainment, Inc., is described as a New York corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that presents ballet productions across the United States and Canada.
The choreography
The complaint alleges that from approximately 2019 to 2024 Litvinov worked with an opera and ballet theater in Dnipro, Ukraine, as its chief ballet master and principal choreographer, and that during that time he developed and staged original choreography for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 2019 and Cinderella in 2021. It cites Registration Nos. PA 2-573-239 and PA 2-575-535. The Copyright Office public record for PA0002573239 is titled “Ballet Snow White and seven dwarfs.”, a choreography registration dated September 8, 2025, with a first publication date of November 9, 2019. The record for PA0002575535 is titled “Ballet Cinderella.”, a choreography registration dated September 11, 2025, with a first publication date of February 26, 2021. Both list Andrei Litvinov as author and claimant, and the author entry on the Snow White record also includes the statement “employer for hire.”
What the complaint alleges
The complaint alleges that between 2021 and 2024 the Ukrainian theater collaborated with Classical Arts Entertainment to present the two ballets in the United States and Canada, that Litvinov created the choreography and staging before that collaboration began, and that he was never an employee of the company. It alleges that his working relationship with the theater and the company ended in or about November 2024, and that he then told company representatives that any further use of his choreography was not permitted.
According to the complaint, the company began another North American tour in early October 2026 that includes both ballets. It alleges, on information and belief, that the company produced Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at a performing arts center in Rahway, New Jersey, on October 15, 2026, that it is scheduled to produce Cinderella at a performing arts center in Newark, New Jersey, on January 17, 2027, and that its recent productions included Litvinov's choreography and will continue to do so throughout the tour. The complaint says recent social media posts by the company and the performers show that the current performances incorporate his choreography and have not been materially changed since November 2024. It alleges that after counsel's notice on or about October 9, 2026, the company disputed his ownership of the choreography.
The claims and the prayer
Count I, Copyright Infringement (17 U.S.C. § 501), alleges that the company publicly performed the copyrighted works in recent productions without permission or a valid license, infringing Litvinov's exclusive rights under Section 106 of the Copyright Act. It alleges, on information and belief, that the infringement began after the September 2025 registrations and that the company's conduct was willful, intentional, and/or at least reckless, and it alleges damages exceeding $150,000. Count II, Request for Declaratory Judgment, asks the court to declare that the company's recent and scheduled future public performances of the choreography have infringed and will infringe Litvinov's copyrights. The prayer seeks a permanent injunction against further copying, publicly performing, promoting, or otherwise exploiting the works; all allowable damages under the Copyright Act, including statutory damages under § 504(c) or, in the alternative, actual damages and attributable profits under § 504(b), as Litvinov elects; taxable costs, attorneys' fees, interest, and other amounts authorized by law; and other relief the court deems just and proper.