Celebrities

Led Zeppelin denies most allegations in ‘Stairway to Heaven’ suit, but admits ‘exceptional talent’

Led Zeppelin denied liability last week in its answer to a federal copyright infringement lawsuit that challenges the authorship of the group’s iconic “Stairway to Heaven” song. But a few basic facts are undisputed, TheWrap.com reports. “Answering paragraph 11 of the first amended complaint, including the first amended complaint’s footnote…

May 26, 2015 11:15 AM CDT

10 Questions: Meet the legal force behind some of the biggest brands in the fashion industry

In fashion, it's been said that you're either in or you're out. Except when you're Douglas Hand. Then you're always in fashion. Hand, a founding principal of Hand, Baldachin & Amburgey in New York City, represents some of the hautest brands in the business, such as Rag & Bone, Public…

May 1, 2015 6:25 AM CDT

Will Floyd Mayweather post Suge Knight’s $10M bail if he wins Saturday’s fight?

Updated: Charged with murder and attempted murder after allegedly running over two men intentionally in a Compton, California, fast-food restaurant parking lot earlier this year, former rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight has been behind bars since his arrest. At one point, his bail was $25 million, since reduced to $10…

Apr 30, 2015 2:50 PM CDT

Rapped for photo taken with Snoop Dogg, state trooper files whistleblower suit against department

While working an off-duty security job last year at an Austin music festival, a Texas state trooper allowed rapper Snoop Dogg to be photographed standing next to him with his forearm resting on the lawman’s shoulder. The rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broaddus, posted the photo online over the…

Apr 30, 2015 9:30 AM CDT

Sons charged with stealing from best-selling true-crime author Ann Rule

For decades, author Ann Rule has written one best-selling true-crime novel after another about people victimized by those they loved. Now it appears that Rule may have become a crime victim herself. King County prosecutors have filed theft charges against two of her sons, Andrew and Michael Rule, 54 and…

Apr 22, 2015 2:45 PM CDT

Clothier settles with Eagles singer over ‘Don a Henley and Take It Easy’ ad

An outdoor clothing retailer known for its irreverent approach has apologized to Eagles singer Don Henley and made a charitable donation to resolve a California lawsuit over its use of his name for an upscale T-shirt. An advertisement featuring the slogan “Don a Henley and Take It Easy,” riffing on…

Apr 17, 2015 11:50 AM CDT

Process server buys 2 pairs of sneakers at Tyga signing event, then hands him a summons

Whatever the outcome of a pending lawsuit against Tyga may be, it appears unlikely that he will be able to challenge the validity of service. After waiting two hours in line at a Los Angeles signing event with two boxes of the rapper’s new L.A. Gear sneakers, a process server…

Apr 2, 2015 9:30 AM CDT

Who gets items from Robin Williams estate? Court has to decide between his widow and his children

There’s no dispute about the colorful suspenders Robin Williams famously wore on his Mork & Mindy television series more than 30 years ago. They belong to his children. But other items of memorabilia are at the center of a contentious legal battle between his widow, Susan Schneider Williams, and his…

Mar 30, 2015 11:30 AM CDT

Judge OKs guitar collector’s copyright suit over Toyota ad featuring B.B. King

Guitar collector Eric Dahl made a spectacular find when he purchased at a pawn shop in 2009 a prototype Gibson Lucille that he later discovered had been stolen from B.B. King. Rewarded in person by the blues legend with an autographed Gibson Lucille when he returned King’s own instrument, Dahl…

Mar 13, 2015 11:35 AM CDT

Manslaughter case video shows actor Wyatt Russell running for life as train hurtles toward movie set

The movie was never completed. But a video clip showing actor Wyatt Russell and crew members, who had been filming Midnight Rider, running for their lives down a train trestle high above a Georgia river in real life, as a whistle-blowing train barreled down on them at 55 mph, became…

Mar 11, 2015 11:00 AM CDT

Sentencing for David Cassidy drunken-driving case is delayed again

A day at the Saratoga racecourse put onetime teen heartthrob David Cassidy crossways with a judge in a New York drunken-driving case, and it appears that the actor may still be paying the price. After learning from a tweet by track officials last year that Cassidy, who had asked not…

Mar 4, 2015 1:05 PM CST

Why lead guitarist of Blind Melon left music for labor and employment law

As the guitarist for alternative rock band Blind Melon, Rogers Stevens spent years headlining venues and festivals around the world, recording albums and living his childhood dream.

Mar 1, 2015 6:19 AM CST

NBC staffers are told to review news policy manual after Brian Williams is put on leave

An NBC announcement this week that the network is suspending Nightly News anchor Brian Williams without pay for six months for embellishing an account of his Iraq war coverage in 2003 isn’t just having an impact on viewers. Fellow NBC News employees have been given until Friday to confirm in…

Feb 11, 2015 3:00 PM CST

Should Lindsay Lohan be able to call greeting fans community service? Prosecutor questions

Up against a final deadline to complete 240 hours of community service for a 2012 reckless driving conviction, did actress Lindsay Lohan cut some corners? Celebrity attorney Shawn Holley represents Lohan and submitted proof Wednesday to a Los Angeles County judge that the community service has been completed, Bay Area…

Jan 28, 2015 4:10 PM CST

American Idol winner Phillip Phillips seeks to void ‘oppressive’ management deals with show producer

Phillip Phillips, the singer who won the American Idol competition in 2012, is seeking to void the contracts he signed with the show’s producer in order to compete. Phillips has filed a petition with the California Labor Commissioner that clams the deals violate the state’s Talent Agencies Act, which says…

Jan 27, 2015 11:10 AM CST