Celebrities

Judge allows suit claiming Conan O’Brien and his team stole comedy writer’s jokes

A federal judge in San Diego has refused to dismiss a copyright infringement suit filed by a comedy writer who claims talk-show host Conan O’Brien and his writing team stole his jokes. U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino allowed freelance comedy writer Robert “Alex” Kaseberg to pursue claims over three of…

May 16, 2017 2:26 PM CDT

Bill Cosby explains why he doesn’t plan to testify in sex assault trial

Bill Cosby says he doesn’t plan to testify in his upcoming sexual assault trial because he doesn’t want to open “a can of something that my lawyers are scrambling.” Cosby, 79, gave a sometimes rambling interview to SiriusXM radio host Michael Smerconish in advance of jury selection on Monday in…

May 16, 2017 11:36 AM CDT

Richard Simmons sues over tabloids’ sex change stories

Richard Simmons says he supports transgender rights, but he is entitled to truthful reporting on his personal life. The fitness guru on Monday sued the National Enquirer and Radar Online for reporting that he had undergone “shocking sex surgery” and was “now living as a gal named Fiona,” report the…

May 9, 2017 1:08 PM CDT

Lawyers for radio host Alex Jones argue in child custody case that his persona is an act

In a child custody case in Austin, Texas family court, lawyers for conservative radio host Alex Jones and his ex-wife, Kelly Jones, are arguing over whether his radio persona is who he really is, the Austin American-Statesman reported Sunday. Alex Jones is best known as the radio personality behind The…

Apr 18, 2017 5:57 PM CDT

Lawsuit says email from Eli Manning incriminates him in memorabilia case

A lawyer in an ongoing lawsuit against the New York Giants and their starting quarterback, Eli Manning, revealed an email that he says bolsters his case against Manning and the Giants for providing fraudulent memorabilia to collectors. On Thursday, the New York Post reported that a court filing by lawyers…

Apr 14, 2017 5:00 PM CDT

10 Questions: For rap and hip-hop artists, LA lawyer Julian Petty represents

As a college intern at Def Jam Records, Julian K. Petty saw firsthand how poorly artists were represented, and he vowed that someday, he’d do something about it. Fast-forward 20 years, and Petty now is a top entertainment lawyer who represents some of the biggest names in rap and hip-hop…

Apr 1, 2017 3:50 AM CDT

Judge allows one prior accuser to testify in Cosby sexual assault trial

A judge in Norristown, Pennsylvania, ruled on Friday that just one prior accuser may testify in Bill Cosby’s criminal trial for the alleged sexual assault of a former Temple University employee. Prosecutors had sought testimony from 13 women about prior “bad acts” in a bid to establish a common scheme…

Feb 24, 2017 11:12 AM CST

Cops violated rights of alleged Sandra Bullock stalker, appeals court says; gun evidence is tossed

A California appeals court has upheld a trial judge’s decision to toss evidence found when police searched the home of an alleged stalker arrested while inside Sandra Bullock’s home. The court ruled (PDF) the search wasn’t valid because the written consent by Joshua James Corbett was given after he invoked…

Feb 16, 2017 9:00 AM CST

50 Cent files complaint against Reed Smith seeking $32M for alleged mishandling of sex tape case

The rapper 50 Cent has responded to Reed Smith’s bankruptcy claim for $609,000 in unpaid fees with an adversary complaint seeking $32 million from the law firm for allegedly mishandling pretrial preparations in a sex tape lawsuit. The rapper, whose actual name is Curtis James Jackson III, is seeking to…

Feb 1, 2017 3:11 PM CST

Paul McCartney suit seeks to regain copyright interest in early songs

Paul McCartney is seeking a declaratory judgment that he is entitled to reclaim copyright interest in his early songs under termination provisions of the Copyright Act. McCartney filed the suit in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, report the New York Times, the Hollywood Reporter and the National Law Journal (sub.…

Jan 20, 2017 7:00 AM CST

IMDb seeks halt to law allowing actors to shield disclosure of their ages

The film and TV website IMDb is seeking to halt enforcement of a new California law that gives actors the power to remove information about their ages from their online profiles. IMDb filed a First Amendment challenge to the law in November, and followed up on Thursday with a motion…

Jan 6, 2017 4:28 PM CST

Lawyer who sued Gawker for Hulk Hogan now represents Melania Trump and claimed email inventor

The California lawyer who represented Hulk Hogan in his successful privacy suit against Gawker is now filing libel suits on behalf of Melania Trump and the man who claims he invented email. The latest suit filed by lawyer Charles Harder claims TechDirt libeled proclaimed email inventor Shiva Ayyadurai in articles…

Jan 6, 2017 9:47 AM CST

Lawyer will have to ID dead Twitter user sued by James Woods, judge rules

Actor James Woods will learn the name of the person who called him a “cocaine addict” in a tweet, even though the Twitter user is no longer alive. In a decision on Tuesday, a Los Angeles judge ruled that the lawyer for the deceased Twitter user will have to reveal…

Jan 4, 2017 4:28 PM CST

Judge in Cosby case tells shouting lawyers that deputies will be called if they can’t be civil

A Pennsylvania judge issued a warning on Tuesday to the prosecutor and defense lawyer in Bill Cosby’s sexual assault case: If you can’t be civil, sheriff’s deputies will be called in. The lawyers’ outbursts occurred during a hearing on whether prosecutors can introduce testimony from 13 other accusers in Cosby’s…

Dec 14, 2016 9:39 AM CST

DA’s office flip flops on whether Justin Timberlake is being investigated for ballot selfie

The District Attorney’s office in Shelby County, Tennessee, says Justin Timberlake is not under criminal investigation for violating the state’s law against ballot selfies. A contrary statement by a spokesperson for the office was incorrect, according to District Attorney General Amy Weirich. “No one in our office is currently investigating…

Oct 26, 2016 10:10 AM CDT