Celebrities

‘Octomom’ charged with welfare fraud

A California woman famous for being the mother of octuplets is facing a felony welfare fraud case, accused of failing to report $30,000 in income last year from personal appearances and residual payments for videos. “Octomom” Natalie Denise “Nadya” Suleman, 38, was charged by the Los Angeles district attorney’s office…

Jan 13, 2014 9:05 PM CST

Night nurse for reclusive heiress seeks piece of $300 million estate

Nurse Geraldine Coffey was paid $130,000 a year to take care of reclusive copper heiress Huguette Clark every night for 20 years. She also received more than $1 million in gifts from Clark prior to her death in 2011. But Coffey, who was left out of Clark’s will, is now…

Jan 10, 2014 9:00 PM CST

Petition calls for prosecutor to drop charges against bullied transgendered teen

A California prosecutor is taking a lot of heat for his decision to charge a bullied transgendered teen with battery. Jewlyes Gutierrez, 16, was charged with battery after a fight with classmates in November at Hercules High School in Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa Times reports. Gutierrez, who says…

Jan 10, 2014 7:30 PM CST

Jury service links singer Chris Brown, Justice Kagan and Wis. Gov. Scott Walker

Wisconsin’s governor was dismissed Wednesday from a jury hearing a Milwaukee personal injury case, but there was no word on whether another prominent individual—U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan—was even selected to hear a case after reporting for jury duty in the nation’s capital. Gov. Scott Walker was dismissed shortly…

Jan 9, 2014 12:10 AM CST

Sotomayor to launch New Year’s Eve ball-drop countdown at Times Square

Following in the footsteps of Lady Gaga, the Rockettes, Colin Powell and Muhammad Ali, one of the U.S. Supreme Court’s best-known judges will push the ceremonial button on New Year’s Eve to launch the ball-drop countdown to midnight in New York City’s Times Square. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a native of…

Dec 31, 2013 2:55 PM CST

How an ordinary attorney got hired as general counsel to Marlon Brando

When David Seeley was working as a deputy prosecutor for Clark County, Wash., he happened to handle a number of cases against the son of a woman who said she knew Marlon Brando. He didn’t believe her when she said the famous actor was interested in her son’s cases. And…

Dec 30, 2013 9:19 PM CST

Reporter vows to pursue defamation suit against Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale is vowing to follow through on his threat to sue Mayor Rob Ford for suggesting in a television interview that Dale is a pedophile. Dale said Tuesday that he would proceed with a defamation suit against Ford after rejecting the mayor’s attempt at an apology,…

Dec 18, 2013 10:14 PM CST

Four Michael Jackson wrongful-death jurors were ‘stunned’ by impact of verdict form

Lawyers for the family of Michael Jackson are submitting affidavits by four disillusioned jurors in a bid for a new trial in their unsuccessful wrongful-death case against the pop star’s concert promoter. The jurors described their reactions as “stunned,” “upset” and “shocked” when they learned their answer to a question…

Dec 13, 2013 1:46 PM CST

Former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner is fined, placed on house arrest

Ex-San Diego mayor and congressman Bob Filner has been sentenced to 90 days on house arrest followed by three years or probation and fined $1,500 for kissing or grabbing three women without their consent at campaign events or City Hall. Filner, 71, apologized to his family, his supporters, his former…

Dec 9, 2013 9:15 PM CST

GoldieBlox retreats from fight over Beastie Boys song

Toy maker GoldieBlox has removed its rewritten version of the Beastie Boys song “Girls” from a viral video promoting girls’ capabilities. GoldieBlox had filed a declaratory judgment suit that claimed its use of the song was a parody that constituted fair use. But the company removed the Beastie Boys song…

Dec 2, 2013 5:44 PM CST

Judge calls evidence against OJ Simpson ‘overwhelming,’ denies bid for new trial in robbery case

Calling the evidence against O.J. Simpson in a Las Vegas casino hotel robbery case “overwhelming,” a Nevada judge on Tuesday denied the former football star’s bid for a new trial. Rejecting Simpson’s arguments that his trial and appellate counsel were ineffective and prejudiced his case, Clark County District Judge Linda…

Nov 27, 2013 3:30 PM CST

Olympic skier’s custody case becomes battle on rights of pregnant women to relocate

A custody battle between an Olympic skier and his one-time girlfriend has attracted notice from women’s rights activists who say the case is about the rights of pregnant women to relocate and make decisions about their future. The New York Times and the New York Law Journal report on the…

Nov 26, 2013 2:28 PM CST

Mistrial granted in Rick Springfield concert injury case over observer’s comment on news site

A comment by a potential witness posted Tuesday on a CNYcentral.com news site led to a mistrial the next day in a personal injury case against 1980s rock star Rick Springfield. Plaintiff Vicki Calcagno, 43, says she was injured in 2004 when Springfield slipped during a concert and bumped into…

Nov 22, 2013 8:35 PM CST

Casey Kasem doesn’t need a conservator, judge rules; wife says she’s not a wicked stepmom

A Los Angeles judge has refused a bid to appoint a temporary conservator for radio personality Casey Kasem. Judge Lesley Green said on Tuesday that 81-year-old Kasem is receiving “good to excellent” medical care and he doesn’t need a conservator, report the Associated Press, CBSLA.com and People magazine. Kasem is…

Nov 21, 2013 4:45 PM CST

Rehab says Chris Brown threw rock at mom’s car after joint counseling session; he gets 3 months more

Joint counseling for anger management apparently didn’t work well for singer Chris Brown. An unidentified rehabilitation center said he threw a rock through the window of his mother’s car after a counseling session with her. Its account of the incident, which was included in a report to a Los Angeles…

Nov 21, 2013 12:00 AM CST