Celebrities

After Court Win, Lawyer Calls Suit Against Seinfeld’s Wife a Publicity Stunt

A federal judge has ruled that a cookbook written by Jerry Seinfeld’s wife didn’t copy another author’s book. Both cookbooks encouraged healthy eating by sneaking vegetables into children’s recipes. Plaintiff Missy Chase Lapine had claimed the cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld employs “brazen plagiarism.” U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain disagreed,…

Sep 11, 2009 12:23 PM CDT

Co. Files Suit over Actual Light Fixture Based on Animated Pixar Lamp Persona

Seeing a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company create an animated desk-lamp character on the silver screen that apparently was based on its own actual lamp design didn’t bother a Norwegian manufacturer. But after learning that there allegedly are plans afoot to sell an actual lamp that is a miniature…

Sep 8, 2009 11:24 PM CDT

Paris Hilton Allowed to Sue Hallmark Over ‘That’s Hot’ Phrase

A federal appeals court has ruled Paris Hilton may sue Hallmark for using her photograph and her trademarked catchphrase, “That’s hot.” The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the card was not sufficiently transformative to merit protection from Hilton’s right of publicity claim, Reuters reports. The opinion…

Sep 1, 2009 12:23 PM CDT

Authorities to Reinvestigate 1969 Death of Rolling Stones Guitarist

The 1969 drowning death of Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones was ruled an accident. But rumors that he was murdered have swirled for decades. Now, British authorities are reinvestigating, after a freelance journalist turned over documents collected during a four-year private probe to police, reports the Daily Mail. The earlier…

Aug 31, 2009 9:49 PM CDT

Fed Chief Bernanke Was ID Theft Victim

Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, was the victim of identity theft after his wife’s purse was stolen from the back of her chair at a Starbucks coffee shop in the District of Columbia last August. Although his wife lost only $5 in cash, her purse contained a…

Aug 27, 2009 11:22 PM CDT

Brown Gets Probation and ‘Labor’ in Rihanna Case, Reportedly Goes Clubbing

Just hours after a Los Angeles judge yesterday sentenced Chris Brown to five years of probation for assaulting his ex-girlfriend and fellow pop star, Rihanna, the 20-year-old singer was reportedly enjoying himself at a local club. In addition to the probation term, Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg also sentenced Brown…

Aug 26, 2009 11:16 PM CDT

Masry Estate Disputes Help Drive ‘Erin Brockovich’ Firm Into Chapter 11

A slew of expensive estate litigation following the death of founding partner Ed Masry in 2005 has helped drive the law firm that made its former paralegal, Erin Brockovich, a household name into voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. A dozen lawsuits concerning Masry & Vititoe arose after Masry’s death from…

Aug 26, 2009 6:54 PM CDT

Finding Work After Prison Is Easier for Michael Vick Than Most Ex-Cons

Despite a highly publicized conviction concerning a dogfighting operation that elicited much public criticism, football star Michael Vick soon found another job with the Philadelphia Eagles after his release from prison. But for most of the 200,000 or so ex-cons in Philly, finding work is a much harder gig, Bloomberg…

Aug 25, 2009 5:40 PM CDT

Outed Over Online Rants, Blogger Threatens to Sue Google for IDing Her

After someone started ranting online against Liskula Cohen, the model complained of defamation and managed to get a court order requiring Google to identify the once-anonymous blogger. Allegedly, the individual who had described the 37-year-old on a Blogger site as a “skank” and a “psychotic, lying whore,” as well as…

Aug 24, 2009 10:50 PM CDT

Michael Jackson’s Death a Homicide

After weeks of speculation and media reports based on leaked information, it’s now official: Michael Jackson’s death on June 25 was a homicide, caused by a lethal amount of the intravenous anesthetic propofol, reports the Los Angeles Times. However, the Associated Press, citing an unidentified source, says the Los Angeles…

Aug 24, 2009 8:50 PM CDT

Jackson Doc Releases Video; Fox Says Charge Looming

Updated: Michael Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray, the target of a manslaughter investigation into the pop star’s death, has released a YouTube video in which he tells friends and supporters he has been truthful. The video represents the first public statement by Murray since Jackson died on June 25, the Los…

Aug 19, 2009 2:30 PM CDT

Actor Is a 1L at Southwestern Law School

Actor Jerry O’Connell has enrolled at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, where at least one fellow student is posting Twitter accounts of the celebrity’s appearance at an orientation and a mixer. Southwestern’s assistant dean of public affairs, Leslie Steinberg, told Usmagazine.com that O’Connell chose the school because he is…

Aug 14, 2009 1:48 PM CDT

Homosexuality Claim About Lawyer Is Not Defamation Per Se, Judge Rules

A judge has ruled that that the author of a book about the former lawyer for Anna Nicole Smith is not automatically liable for a claim of homosexuality. U.S. District Judge Denny Chin of Manhattan ruled (PDF posted by the New York Law Journal) that calling someone gay is not…

Aug 13, 2009 3:03 PM CDT

La. Judge Rejects Guilty Verdict in A.M., But Jury Gives 2nd ‘C-Murder’ Rap in P.M.

After getting a guilty verdict this morning from a jury hearing a second-degree murder case against rapper Corey “C-Murder” Miller, a Louisiana judge told the panel in the Jefferson Parish case to try again. 24th District Court Judge Hans Liljeberg ruled the verdict invalid, saying he believed one member of…

Aug 11, 2009 5:53 PM CDT

Judge to Appoint Guardian Ad Litem for Jackson’s 3 Children

Following news of a $60 million deal to make a feature-length film of hundreds of hours of Michael Jackson concert rehearsal footage, a Los Angeles judge said today that he will appoint a guardian ad litem to oversee the financial affairs of the deceased pop singer’s three children. Superior Court…

Aug 11, 2009 12:02 AM CDT