Celebrities

Sean Penn Charged in Misdemeanor Case Over Alleged Attack on Photographer

Award-winning actor and director Sean Penn has been charged with battery and vandalism for allegedly attacking a photographer and breaking his camera. The October incident was captured in footage that was posted by the TMZ celebrity website, the L.A. Now blog of the Los Angeles Times reports. “We are alleging…

Feb 19, 2010 8:13 PM CST

‘Harry Potter’ Author Accused of Plagiarism in ‘Billion-Dollar Case’

The estate of the deceased author of a children’s book has accused the author of the stunningly successful “Harry Potter” books of plagiarizing concepts and themes from Adrian Jacobs’ The Adventures of Willy the Wizard: No 1 Livid Land, which was published in 1987. J.K. Rowling, who became the world’s…

Feb 19, 2010 1:04 AM CST

Radio Host in Contempt Case Urges Fans to E-Mail Court; Federal Judge Is Not Pleased

Updated: Facing a new ruling from U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman, after a federal appeals court instructed him to reconsider an earlier $37.6 million contempt sanction, infomercial pitchman Kevin Trudeau apparently thought the judge might take note of praise from his fans for his books. And Gettleman clearly did. Finding…

Feb 12, 2010 1:15 AM CST

Hockey Star’s Winning DUI Argument: Knee Surgeries Caused Field Sobriety Test Glitch

Saying that a videotape of field sobriety tests didn’t establish probable cause to arrest hockey star Chris Chelios for driving under the influence, an Illinois judge yesterday cleared the way for the expected dismissal of the DuPage County case against the former Chicago Blackhawks star. Attorney Terry Ekl, who represented…

Feb 11, 2010 6:26 PM CST

Frank Sinatra Song Blamed for Lethal Karaoke Bar Violence

Booze and karaoke has proven to be a lethal combination, in the United States and elsewhere, when a singer belts out an unpopular tune. But one Frank Sinatra song is viewed as so dangerous in karaoke bars in the Philippines that the rules of etiquette prohibit its performance, for fear…

Feb 10, 2010 11:51 PM CST

Hong Kong Lawyer Known for Lavish Lifestyle and Golden Toilet Has Died

Chau Kai-bong, a lawyer and flamboyant Hong Kong socialite known for owning a golden toilet and who was often seen traveling with his wife Brenda in their pink Rolls Royce has died of cancer. He was 75. Chau, who earned his law degree at Cambridge before starting his law practice…

Feb 10, 2010 3:35 PM CST

Ex-Edwards Aide Turns Over Claimed Sex Tape, as Lawyers Argue On in Privacy Case

After legal wrangling over whether Andrew Young would be accompanied by a security officer, the onetime aide to ex-presidential candidate John Edwards has retrieved his original copy of a purported sex tape of Edwards and his former mistress from a bank safe deposit box and turned it over to a…

Feb 10, 2010 12:41 AM CST

Doc is Charged in Michael Jackson’s Death

Updated: As predicted by his own lawyer, Dr. Conrad Murray, who served as personal physician to Michael Jackson, was charged today with involuntary manslaughter in the pop singer’s death last year. If convicted, he could get as much as four years in prison, reports ABC News. Murray, 56, a Houston…

Feb 8, 2010 9:10 PM CST

Ex-John Edwards Aide Turns Over Copy of Sex Tape, Is Held in Contempt in Privacy Case

A former aide to onetime Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has been held in contempt of court for turning over a copy, but not the original, of a claimed sex tape of his boss and Edwards’ then-mistress, reports the Politico. The existence of the tape, which reportedly shows the former…

Feb 6, 2010 1:27 AM CST

Michael Jackson Doc to Plead Innocent in Likely Involuntary Manslaughter Case

Dr. Conrad Murray, who served as Michael Jackson’s personal physician prior to the famous pop singer’s death last year, will plead not guilty tomorrow to an expected charge of involuntary manslaughter by Los Angeles authorities, his lawyer, Michael Flanagan, tells People. Jackson died at his home in Los Angeles last…

Feb 4, 2010 5:59 PM CST

A Sometimes Homeless Sly Stone Sues Ex-Manager, Claims IP Theft

Sly Stone has sued his former manager for $50 million, claiming the businessman kept up to $30 million in royalties and leveraged Stone’s intellectual property. The suit says Stone, whose real name is Sylvester Stewart, has been homeless at times and lives on Social Security, the Associated Press reports. The…

Jan 29, 2010 12:35 PM CST

After Guilty Pleas in Gun Cases, NBA Suspends 2 Wizards Guards for Season

After an alleged locker-room confrontation in December over a gambling debt in which apparently unloaded guns were reportedly displayed, two Washington Wizards guards have now been suspended by the National Basketball Association for the rest of the season. The action announced today by commissioner David Stern followed guilty pleas earlier…

Jan 27, 2010 10:24 PM CST

Rush to Court & Wrong Jacket Led to Rock Singer’s Heroin Arrest, His Lawyer Says

Rushing to appear in court in a traffic case last month, Pete Doherty of Babyshambles grabbed the wrong jacket. And then he failed to check the pockets. That led to the rock singer’s arrest for dropping a bag containing heroin when he walked out of court after his traffic hearing,…

Jan 27, 2010 6:21 PM CST

Nancy Grace Fights Taping of Her Deposition in Wrongful Death Suit

HLN talk show host Nancy Grace has asked a judge to ban the taping of her deposition in a wrongful death suit. If the videotape is not barred, Grace’s lawyers say, it should not be released, the Associated Press reports. TMZ says the judge granted the second half of the…

Jan 27, 2010 12:13 PM CST

Martin Luther King Jr.‘s Dream Is Not Yet a Reality

Martin Luther King Jr. famously had a dream. The nation he foresaw, in which fairness and equality had triumphed and no one was judged by the color of his or her skin, is not yet a reality. But significant progress has been made towards the goals the slain civil rights…

Jan 19, 2010 10:19 PM CST