Celebrities

Judge in Clemens Perjury Case Is Concerned About Social Media Criticism of Witnesses

A federal judge imposed a gag order to prevent participants in the perjury trial of baseball pitcher Roger Clemens from talking about the Washington, D.C., case. But that doesn’t preclude audience members from using social networking media to say what they think about witnesses, to the dismay of U.S. District…

Jul 12, 2011 11:45 PM CDT

UCLA to Pay Feds $865K to Settle Celebrity Medical Records Snooping Probe

The UCLA Health System has agreed to pay $856,500 to federal regulators as part of a settlement of a probe of snooping into celebrities’ medical records by hospital employees between 2005 and 2009. Employees at all three of its hospitals allegedly accessed celebrities’ medical records, in violation of their privacy,…

Jul 8, 2011 1:29 PM CDT

Jilted Dallas Cowboys Receiver Sues His Would-Be Bride, Says Beauty Queen Didn’t Return a $76K Ring

Add another well-known name to a small but growing list of jilted would-be spouses filing suit to recoup alleged financial losses as a result of derailed wedding plans. Wide receiver Roy Williams of the Dallas Cowboys says in an affidavit that former Miss Texas USA Brooke Daniels rejected the recorded…

Jul 7, 2011 10:44 PM CDT

Judge Rejects Willie Nelson Plea Deal That Included $500 Fine, Says Singer Got Favorable Treatment

A judge in West Texas has rejected a plea deal in which country singer Willie Nelson would have been fined $500 in exchange for his guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. Instead, Hudspeth County Judge Becky Dean-Walker told the Associated Press, Nelson should be charged…

Jul 6, 2011 8:19 PM CDT

Why Roger Clemens’ Defense Lawyer Is Greeted with Shouts of ‘Screw You, Rusty’

The lead lawyer who will be defending Roger Clemens on charges of lying about steroid use has a record of victories in high-profile cases. Jury selection begins today in Clemens’ trial in Washington, D.C., the Washington Post reports. The baseball great is accused of lying to a congressional committee when…

Jul 6, 2011 4:53 PM CDT

Racketeering Suit Filed Against Lady Gaga Over Charity Wristbands

Lawyers from Michigan-based 1-800-LAW-FIRM have filed a federal racketeering suit against international sensation Lady Gaga, claiming the entertainer improperly profited from “We Pray for Japan” charity wristbands sold on her website. Gaga began selling the $5 wristbands on her site shortly after a tsunami struck Japan in March, promising fans…

Jun 27, 2011 10:59 PM CDT

UK Socialite Who Won $1 Billion Divorce Settlement Files for Bankruptcy

Once dubbed the wealthiest divorcée in history, Patricia Kluge, a British socialite, vintner and former adult-film actress, filed for bankruptcy with her third husband. Although Kluge received the 23,500-square-foot Albermarle House and 3,000 acres of rural Virginia land when she divorced billionaire media mogul John W. Kluge in 1990, the…

Jun 24, 2011 6:18 PM CDT

Rapper Diddy Settles Decade-Old Shooting Suits for Millions

Sean “Diddy” Combs has settled with three parties shot by his former protégé Jamal “Shyne” Barrow at a New York City club in 1999. While the exact settlement terms are unknown, former Club New York owner Michael Bergos said the most seriously injured victim, Natania Reuben, who took bullet fragments…

Jun 24, 2011 5:49 PM CDT

Lindsay Lohan Showed ‘Extremely Poor Judgment,’ Can’t Party During House Arrest, Judge Rules

Accused of partying during her house arrest for shoplifting a necklace from a California store, actress Lindsay Lohan showed “extremely poor judgment” by apparently drinking and hosting a social event on the roof deck of her beachfront home earlier this month, a state court judge said yesterday. But Los Angeles…

Jun 24, 2011 10:49 AM CDT

DLA Piper Ordered to Turn Over MLB Material to Roger Clemens Despite Asserted Work Product Privilege

Despite an asserted work product privilege, DLA Piper has been ordered by a federal judge to turn over to famed pitcher Roger Clemens some of its investigative material from a probe about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball, reports Bloomberg. Law firm notes and memos about statements…

Jun 23, 2011 5:18 PM CDT

Chief Justice Quotes Dickens in Ruling Against Anna Nicole Smith Heirs

The heirs of Anna Nicole Smith won’t be able to collect on a tort judgment won against the son of her late billionaire husband because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the authority of bankruptcy judges. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Smith’s estate in a 5-4 decision (PDF)…

Jun 23, 2011 4:18 PM CDT

Arbitrator Controls $100M Dispute Over Hit Charlie Sheen TV Show; Will Ruling Cut Likely Settlement?

Actor Charlie Sheen may have to arbitrate his $100 million contract dispute with Warner Bros. Television over being axed as the star of Two and a Half Men, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled today. Under a clause in Sheen’s contract for television’s No. 1 comedy, ruled Los Angeles…

Jun 15, 2011 9:19 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Suit Against Kardashian Sisters over Withdrawn Credit Card Endorsement

A California judge has ruled for the Kardashian sisters in a suit that contended they breached a contract to endorse a prepaid debit card. Judge Jeffrey Hamilton ruled for sisters Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian last week, report the Hollywood Reporter’s Hollywood Esq., the Associated Press and the Fresno Bee.…

Jun 14, 2011 3:23 PM CDT

Mel Gibson’s Ex Seeks to Ax His Counsel, Says She Consulted with Partner re Another Actor’s Child

An ex-girlfriend of actor Mel Gibson is seeking to disqualify his counsel in a hard-fought child-custody case, contending that she earlier consulted a partner in the law firm representing him about a paternity matter involving another actor. Oksana Grigorieva wants the California 2nd District Court of Appeal to intervene and…

Jun 9, 2011 3:45 AM CDT

Former Tax Lawyer at Gucci Claims Racism and Cites Rihanna Incident as an Example

A former tax lawyer at Gucci America Inc. claims she was fired after complaining about racist and sexual harassment at the company, and cites an alleged incident involving pop star Rihanna as an example of the problems. The plaintiff is Josephine Robinson, a West Indian woman who formerly worked at…

Jun 8, 2011 3:25 PM CDT