Celebrities

Gandolfini’s will is a tax ‘catastrophe,’ estates lawyer says

The will of the late Sopranos star James Gandolfini is a “disaster,” a “catastrophe” and “a nightmare from a tax standpoint,” according to an estates lawyer who reviewed the document. Lawyer William Zabel reviewed Gandolfini’s will for the New York Daily News. Gandolfini left 80 percent of his estimated $70…

Jul 8, 2013 6:38 PM CDT

Even if ex-NFL player Hernandez didn’t fire gun, prosecutors will deal with others, lawyer predicts

An “interesting choice of words” by a prosecutor during a Massachusetts court hearing last week suggests that authorities may believe someone other than Aaron Hernandez actually fired the five shots that killed Odin Lloyd. But whether or not the government thinks the former New England Patriots tight end was the…

Jul 3, 2013 5:52 PM CDT

Lawyer for shot man suing ex-NFL player Aaron Hernandez: ‘You can’t make this stuff up’

When New York attorney David Jaroslawicz filed a federal civil suit June 13 against a New England Patriots football player, it might have seemed like an uphill battle to persuade authorities that Aaron Hernandez and two other men had left his client for dead, as Jaroslawicz says he now believes…

Jul 1, 2013 5:55 PM CDT

Lawyer defends tweet about ‘doing Paula Deen in a strongly metaphorical sense’

One of the lawyers suing Paula Deen and her brother is defending a tweet in which he said he is “doing Paula Deen in a strongly metaphorical sense.” Lawyers for the defendants are appealing a magistrate judge’s refusal to disqualify the tweeting lawyer, Matthew Billips of Atlanta, report WSBTV.com and…

Jun 26, 2013 12:17 PM CDT

Lawyer in Paula Deen case says white plaintiff had no standing to pursue race claims

A rule 11 motion filed by a lawyer in the Paula Deen case raises standing issues that suggest the celebrity chef’s controversial deposition in which she admitted having used the N-word may have delved into a subject that should have been off limits. The motion (PDF) by lawyer Tom Withers…

Jun 24, 2013 1:11 PM CDT

In deposition, Paula Deen says ‘of course’ she has used the N-word, but it was long ago

Celebrity chef Paula Deen admitted using the N-word, but said it was long ago, according to a deposition transcript filed in federal court on Monday. Deen is facing a suit by a former employee, Lisa Jackson, who claims she was sexually harassed and worked in a hostile environment that included…

Jun 20, 2013 1:04 PM CDT

Kobe Bryant’s parents apologize, get OK to auction some boyhood sports items

Litigation between basketball star Kobe Bryant and an auction house that reportedly gave his parents a $450,000 upfront payment to auction sports memorabilia from his youth has been settled. His parents, Joe and Pamela Bryant, have apologized and will be allowed to sell a small fraction of the items that…

Jun 11, 2013 4:28 PM CDT

After ex-NFL star pats his lawyer’s backside, judge nixes his no-jail plea deal

Playfully swatting a teammate on the backside is a common move on the football field. But when former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson patted his lawyer, Adam Swickle, on the posterior Monday, in response to a question from the judge about whether he was satisfied with his attorney, the gesture…

Jun 10, 2013 4:55 PM CDT

Two men wrongly identified as possible suspects in Boston Marathon bombing sue newspaper

Two man who say they were wrongly identified as possible suspects in an article on the Boston Marathon bombing have sued the newspaper that published it for libel. The suit, filed Wednesday in Suffolk County, Mass., Superior Court, names the New York Post, five individual reporters and an unidentified headline…

Jun 7, 2013 5:45 PM CDT

Wrongful-death defendant’s lawyer called Michael Jackson ‘the freak’ in email shown to jurors

Jurors in the Michael Jackson wrongful-death action Wednesday were shown an email from the defendant’s top in-house lawyer, referring to the late performer as “the freak.” According to the Los Angeles Times, the email was written by Ted Fikre, chief legal and development officer with Anschutz Entertainment Group. The company…

May 23, 2013 5:45 PM CDT

Girls Gone Wild founder says jury that convicted him should be ‘lined up and shot’

Updated: After being convicted of false imprisonment, Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis told the Hollywood Reporter that his jury was “retarded,” and should be killed. “I want that jury to know that each and every one of you are mentally f–ing retarded and you should be euthanized because, as…

May 22, 2013 7:34 PM CDT

Candy issue at Michael Jackson trial is resolved

Candy is dandy, but only if it isn’t apparent to the jurors who brought it to court. After peppermints were handed out to jurors this week at the Los Angeles trial of a civil case over alleged liability of a concert promoter for Michael Jackson’s death, a lawyer for the…

May 22, 2013 5:25 PM CDT

OJ Simpson: I gave $500K to lead lawyer for costs; he was supposed to defend me for free

Testifying this week at a hearing in which he hopes to win a new armed robbery trial, O.J. Simpson said he gave $500,000 to his lead defense lawyer, Yale Galanter. But that was for expert witnesses and other costs, Simpson contended—Galanter was supposed to defend the former football great for…

May 16, 2013 7:33 PM CDT

Judge scolds Donald Trump and opposing lawyer: ‘This is not a boxing ring!’

A federal judge in Chicago scolded Donald Trump and an opposing lawyer on Wednesday after the two clashed repeatedly during a trial in a suit claiming the billionaire developer failed to deliver promised incentives to condo buyers. The Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune and NBC Chicago have stories on the…

May 16, 2013 4:34 PM CDT

OJ Simpson is allowed to have one hand free as he argues for new armed robbery trial

In an effort to curtail the prison term he is serving for the armed robbery of sports memorabilia from a Las Vegas casino hotel, former football great O.J. Simpson is arguing for a new trial in a Nevada courtroom. His lead counsel, Yale Galanter, is being portrayed as cavalier about…

May 15, 2013 3:50 PM CDT