Celebrities

Court Gives Green Light to Stephen Baldwin Suit Against Kevin Costner Over Oil Spill Cleanup Machine

In happier days, actor Kevin Costner was winning acclaim for his reported efforts, with the help of a trial attorney, to develop a vaccum-cleaner-like machine to clean up oil spills threatening to do serious environmental damage. But news that BP was putting over $50 million into the project after the…

Jun 7, 2011 8:34 PM CDT

Lloyd’s of London Sues to Void $17.5M Insurance Policy for Michael Jackson Concerts

Contending that a required medical exam was never conducted and that a concert promoter withheld information about Michael Jackson’s drug abuse, insurer Lloyd’s of London is seeking a court ruling voiding a $17.5 million insurance policy. It provided coverage for the pop singer’s non-appearance or cancellation of concerts in which…

Jun 7, 2011 1:03 AM CDT

Supremes Refuse to Hear Wesley Snipes Appeal in Criminal Tax Case; He Had Sought Venue Hearing

Actor Wesley Snipes will stay in jail, where he is serving a three-year sentence for failing to file federal tax returns for several years, after the U.S. Supreme Court today refused to hear his appeal of his conviction on venue grounds. Snipes argued that the feds should have brought the…

Jun 6, 2011 8:26 PM CDT

Oracle CEO Settles Suit Against Neighbors over Tree Dispute

Updated: Oracle CEO and billionaire Larry Ellison has settled a civil suit against his neighbors that had been scheduled for trial next week. The dispute centered on the neighbors’ trees that have grown so tall that they are blocking Ellison’s views of San Francisco Bay, the Wall Street Journal reports.…

Jun 1, 2011 10:29 AM CDT

UK Law Firm Ex-Partner Probed re 7-Figure Sum

For the second time in less than two weeks, a prominent London lawyer is in the news concerning a seven-figure sum. This time it’s a former partner of Ince & Co., Andrew Iyer. He’s being investigated by multiple agencies concerning what a spokesman for the law firm describes as “irregular…

May 27, 2011 11:06 PM CDT

Former Lawyers for Courtney Love Claim She Libeled Them in a Tweet

Courtney Love is facing a second libel lawsuit over a tweet. This time the suit was filed by former lawyers for the rocker, report the Wrap and the Hollywood Reporter’s Hollywood, Esq. Lawyers Frederic Gordon and Rhonda Holmes of San Diego say they had been hired to represent Love to…

May 27, 2011 11:36 AM CDT

Officials Sing ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ to James Taylor, at Drug Court for Backup Singer’s Graduation

James Taylor didn’t sing. But he attended a drug court graduation in Pinellas County, Fla., yesterday to support a longtime backup singer he’d helped get through rehab. And officials attending the event essentially sang to him, covering his signature tune “You’ve Got a Friend,” the St. Petersburg Times reports. “I’m…

May 26, 2011 9:56 PM CDT

Tom Hanks Loses Contractor Dispute Before Arbitration Panel

The actor who starred in a movie about slow-moving contractors and a crumbling house has lost his own real-life battle over home defects. Tom Hanks, who starred in The Money Pit, lost a bid for $3 million in damages before a three-member arbitration panel, report the Associated Press and the…

May 26, 2011 1:23 PM CDT

Maria Shriver Retains Laura Wasser; Reports Say Potential Schwarzenegger Split Could Involve $400M

Although she hasn’t filed for divorce, Maria Shriver reportedly has retained celebrity attorney Laura Wasser. And she apparently has plenty of money to cover even the heftiest legal bill. Observers speculate that a potential legal split from actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger could involve up to $400 million…

May 23, 2011 7:14 PM CDT

Meet Martin Singer, Charlie Sheen’s Lawyer and a ‘Pit Bull’ for Celebrities

When Charlie Sheen filed a lawsuit over his firing from Two and a Half Men, he turned to Los Angeles lawyer Martin Singer, a litigator who relishes a fight for Hollywood stars who feel they’ve been wronged. Singer, 59, has a big roster of celebrity clients, including Sylvester Stallone, Jeremy…

May 23, 2011 11:00 AM CDT

Marlon Brando Estate Sues Harley-Davidson over Boot Name

The Marlon Brando estate claims in a lawsuit that Harley-Davidson Motor Co. misappropriated the late actor’s likeness with its line of “Brando” boots. The Harley boots look similar to a pair worn by Brando in the 1953 movie The Wild One, the lawsuit says. Hollywood, Esq. and the Associated Press…

May 19, 2011 1:15 PM CDT

In Familiar Problem for Mark Zuckerberg, Attorney at Law, Facebook Disables His Account

It’s not always easy being Mark Zuckerberg. Especially if you’re Mark Zuckerberg the Indiana bankruptcy attorney, not Mark Zuckerberg the famous founder of Facebook. The not-so-well-known Zuckerberg has recently had his personal Facebook page taken down, perhaps because someone at the social networking site mistakenly thought he was trying to…

May 11, 2011 8:40 PM CDT

Lindsay Lohan Pleads No Contest in Necklace-Theft Case, Gets No Additional Time

Actress Lindsay Lohan today pleaded no contest in Los Angeles Superior Court in a much-publicized necklace-theft case. Although she got 120 days in jail for violation of her probation on an earlier driving-under-the-influence case, she was given no additional jail time for the theft, according to the L.A. Now blog…

May 11, 2011 6:33 PM CDT

‘Beverly Hillbillies’ Actress Files Suit Against Mattel Over ‘Elly May Barbie’

Actress Donna Douglas, who played buxom, none-too-bright Elly May Clampett on the 1960s television hit The Beverly Hillbillies, has filed a federal lawsuit against Mattel Inc., over the toymaker’s new “Elly May Barbie” doll. Although she never gave permission, the packaging for the doll uses a photo of her in…

May 5, 2011 10:35 PM CDT

Lawyer for Mel Gibson’s Ex Reverses Plan re Custody Case; Judge and Actor’s Lawyer ‘Visibly Shocked’

Both the judge and a lawyer for Mel Gibson were “visibly shocked” today when an attorney for the actor’s former girlfriend announced during a court hearing that she would no longer seek to have his alleged domestic violence considered concerning the custody of the celebrity couple’s child, TMZ reports. Sources…

May 4, 2011 10:01 PM CDT