Celebrities

Justice Thomas urges Supreme Court to reconsider landmark libel decision

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said Tuesday that the high court should reconsider a landmark libel decision that required defamation plaintiffs who are public figures to show actual malice to recover damages. The First Amendment case, New York Times v. Sullivan, had defined the actual-malice standard to require the…

Feb 19, 2019 2:24 PM CST

Love hurts: 13 famous prenups (gallery)

Valentine’s Day is here, and our love for the law is stronger than ever. In our version of a romantic gesture, the ABA Journal is honoring the legal contract of love—the prenuptial agreement. Prenups are used to divide assets in cases of divorce or death, as a way to avoid…

Feb 14, 2019 7:30 AM CST

Rap mogul’s ex-lawyer arrested for allegedly depositing a stolen tax refund check worth over $1M

A Los Angeles lawyer who once represented rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight was arrested Monday for allegedly depositing a stolen tax refund check for more than $1 million. Thaddeus Julian Culpepper, 44, was charged with bank fraud in a criminal complaint, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s…

Oct 2, 2018 11:00 AM CDT

Bill Cosby is sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, denied bail pending appeal

A Pennsylvania judge declared Bill Cosby a sexually violent predator on Tuesday and sentenced him to three to 10 years in prison. Judge Steven O’Neill sentenced the 81-year-old Cosby for the sexual assault of Andrea Constand, a Temple University employee who said actor and comedian had drugged her before the…

Sep 25, 2018 2:30 PM CDT

Judge rules Johnny Depp can void unwritten contract with lawyer; is ‘handshake culture’ at risk?

A Los Angeles judge ruled on Tuesday that actor Johnny Depp can void an oral contract with his former lawyer because California law requires contingency agreements to be put in writing. Judge Terry Green said Depp’s 1999 oral agreement with lawyer Jacob Bloom is a voidable contingency-fee agreement because it…

Aug 30, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Judge rejects Harvey Weinstein’s dinner-and a-movie hypothetical, allows civil sex-trafficking suit

A federal judge in Manhattan has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a British actress who sued producer Harvey Weinstein for an alleged violation of the federal sex-trafficking law. U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet allowed the suit by Kadian Noble in an opinion released Tuesday, report the Wall Street…

Aug 15, 2018 4:24 PM CDT

Celebrity attorneys face challenges, ethical pitfalls

Attorneys who have been in the limelight say it’s important to be aware of the challenges that come with representing celebrities and how missteps can impact their reputation and yours.

Aug 1, 2018 2:20 AM CDT

Assessment board says Bill Cosby is a sexually violent predator; DA asks judge to decide

A district attorney in Pennsylvania has asked the judge who presided at Bill Cosby’s sexual assault trial to decide whether the comedian is a “sexually violent predator.” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele made the request Tuesday after the Pennsylvania Sexual Offenders Assessment Board evaluated Cosby and determined he is…

Jul 25, 2018 9:52 AM CDT

Milwaukee Bucks player sues over stun-gun arrest after parking violation, cites cop’s Facebook posts

Milwaukee Bucks rookie guard Sterling Brown filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on Tuesday that alleges Milwaukee police used excessive force when they shocked him with a stun gun and then unlawfully arrested him for parking across two handicapped parking spaces. The suit says Brown was “unlawfully tackled, tased, and…

Jun 19, 2018 3:40 PM CDT

Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault in retrial with additional witnesses

Bill Cosby has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a Temple University employee at his home in 2004. Jurors in Norristown, Pennsylvania, found Cosby guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault on Thursday, report the New York Times and the Washington Post. It was the second trial for the…

Apr 26, 2018 1:19 PM CDT

LeBron James hit with trademark suit over his barbershop-based web series

LeBron James and his multimedia platform, Uninterrupted, were sued by a Detroit barbershop that claims trademark infringement over the NBA star’s web series.

Apr 20, 2018 1:40 PM CDT

LeBron James issues infringement letter to the University of Alabama over web series

Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James and his multimedia platform, Uninterrupted, sent a notice of copyright infringement to the University of Alabama earlier this month.

Apr 16, 2018 1:47 PM CDT

Model testifies that Bill Cosby gave her a pill that immobilized her before he raped her

A model testifying in Bill Cosby’s criminal trial on Thursday said the comedian invited her to Lake Tahoe to discuss her career in 1982, then gave her a blue pill and raped her in his hotel room. Model Janice Dickinson was the fourth woman allowed to testify to establish prior…

Apr 12, 2018 4:46 PM CDT

Bill Cosby has a new lawyer and additional witnesses in retrial for alleged sexual assault

Jurors will hear from new witnesses when Bill Cosby’s retrial for an alleged sexual assault begins Monday in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Cosby’s new lead defense counsel is Tom Mesereau Jr., the lawyer who helped win an acquittal for Michael Jackson in his 2005 child molestation trial, the New York Times reports.…

Apr 9, 2018 12:26 PM CDT

Cosby’s lawyers seek to replace judge because of his wife’s advocacy for sex assault victims

Bill Cosby’s lawyers contend the Pennsylvania judge who is presiding in the comedian’s retrial on charges of aggravated indecent assault should recuse himself because the judge’s wife is an advocate for sexual assault victims. Lawyers for Cosby said in a motion filed on Thursday that Judge Steven O’Neill had shown…

Mar 23, 2018 3:39 PM CDT