Celebrities

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

OJ Simpson was ‘somewhat intimidated’ by his lawyer, witness says in new trial bid

Former football great O.J. Simpson was back in a Las Vegas courtroom Monday in a quest for a new trial based on alleged bad advice by the lawyer who represented him on charges he robbed two sports memorabilia dealers in a casino hotel room. Simpson wore a blue prison jumpsuit…

May 13, 2013 6:53 PM CDT

The life and lovers of legendary Hollywood lawyer (podcast)

“He was the only person I ever knew in Hollywood who was a star without being in a movie,” says Robert Wagner in the foreword of "The Man Who Seduced Hollywood: The Life and Loves of Greg Bautzer, Tinseltown's Most Powerful Lawyer." ABA Journal reporter Rachel Zahorsky speaks with Gladstone about Bautzer's life and legal achievements, including his representation of famous recluse Howard Hughes.

May 13, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

Kobe Bryant battles mom for ownership of sports memorabilia from his youth in 2 federal courts

Not one but two federal courts have been asked to weigh in on the issue of whether Kobe Bryant’s mom had a right to clear out his boyhood bedroom and sell at auction the sports memorabilia she found there. Initially, the Philadelphia-area auction house to which Pamela Bryant consigned the…

May 10, 2013 5:50 PM CDT

Did Kobe Bryant’s mom get OK to auction items left in his boyhood bedroom? Federal judge grants TRO

Just in time for Mother’s Day, basketball great Kobe Bryant is involved in a federal lawsuit against his own mother, who he says cleared out his former boyhood bedroom without his permission to obtain sports memorabilia for an unauthorized auction. After a dispute developed, a New Jersey auction house filed…

May 9, 2013 6:43 PM CDT

Author Harper Lee sues, says agent tricked her into signing over ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ royalties

At 87, the author of one of the most famous trial novels ever written has failing eyesight and hearing. And in 2007 author Harper Lee was recovering from a stroke when she signed away her royalties from her 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, to her literary agent, Samuel Pinkus,…

May 7, 2013 7:57 PM CDT

Big-bucks jury question: Did concert promoter select or supervise Michael Jackson’s personal doctor?

Opening arguments began Monday in a small Los Angeles courtroom in a wrongful death case that could involve millions, or perhaps even billions, of dollars in damages. At issue is whether concert promoter AEG Live had a role in hiring or supervising Dr. Conrad Murray, who served as Michael Jackson’s…

Apr 29, 2013 9:05 PM CDT

Insurer offers crisis management coverage, taps former Clinton lawyer for strategic counsel

A company called IronPro is touting its new crisis management insurance and the two lawyers who will provide services to policy holders needing help. The lawyers are President Clinton’s former special counsel Lanny Davis and Gordon Rees managing partner Mercedes Colwin, according to a press release. The Washington Post has…

Apr 24, 2013 1:49 PM CDT

‘Legally Blonde’ actress Reese Witherspoon arrested, ‘deeply embarrassed’ by behavior

Legally Blonde star Reese Witherspoon was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after her husband was pulled over for suspected DUI. The Los Angeles Times and Variety reports that Witherspoon tried to play her celebrity card during the incident in Atlanta early Friday. The incident reportedly began when Atlanta police…

Apr 22, 2013 2:10 PM CDT

Actress loses suit against website that revealed her real age

A federal jury in Seattle has rejected claims by an actress who sued the website IMDb for revealing her real age. Jurors rejected allegations by Huong Hoang, who goes by the stage name Junie Hoang, that the website violated its user agreement by using her account information to obtain her…

Apr 12, 2013 1:37 PM CDT

Turow: SCOTUS decision and digital advances devalue copyrights, putting literary discourse at risk

Legal-thriller author Scott Turow is blasting last month’s U.S. Supreme Court decision against a publisher fighting the resale of books purchased cheaply overseas. The ruling will allow a surge of cheap imports, Turow writes in an op-ed for the New York Times, and the authors won’t get royalties for the…

Apr 10, 2013 11:30 AM CDT