Entertainment & Sports Law

Girls’ Hoops to Get Equal Prime-Time Play in Southeast Indiana; 7th Circuit Refused to Toss Case

Girls who play basketball at 10 high schools in Southeast Indiana will play as many “prime-time” games as the boys because of a consent decree in a Title IX lawsuit. Lawyer William Groth, who represented plaintiff Amber Parker, says the case sets a precedent because of a ruling (PDF) earlier…

Oct 18, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Citing First Amendment, Federal Judge Tosses Bias Suit over ‘Bachelor’ Casting

ABC and the producers of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have a First Amendment right to make casting decisions, a federal judge has ruled. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger of Nashville dismissed a suit claiming racial discrimination by the shows, report the Los Angeles Times, Hollywood Esq. and…

Oct 16, 2012 11:59 AM CDT

Self-Help Guru Who Authored ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ Hit with $24M Judgment, But Still Worth a Bundle

A self-help guru who became well known as the author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and went on to make a mint from his numerous books and speaking engagements, is about $24 million lighter in the wallet after a jury verdict earlier this year in federal court in Manhattan against…

Oct 10, 2012 7:15 PM CDT

NBA Defines ‘Flopping,’ Sets Far Heftier Fine Schedule Than for Technical Fouls

In an expected move, the National Basketball Association on Wednesday announced that it had banned the practice of dramatizing purported fouls by “flopping” and established a hefty schedule of fines for players determined in a video review to have committed a “flop.” What exactly is prohibited? The NBA defines flopping…

Oct 3, 2012 8:39 PM CDT

Sandusky Accuser McQueary Sues Penn State over Firing, Legal Fees

The former Penn State graduate assistant coach who said he witnessed Jerry Sandusky molest a boy in the shower has filed a lawsuit against the school. Mike McQueary, who was earning $140,000 before his firing, seeks $4 million for lost future earnings, report the Legal Intelligencer and the Wall Street…

Oct 3, 2012 2:17 PM CDT

Depo Diaries: How Lil Wayne Introduced Litigator Pete Ross to Rap World

In what TMZ dubbed possibly “the most entertaining legal proceeding” ever, the rap world was introduced to lawyer Pete Ross, whose current claim to fame is being the calm off-camera voice in a deposition of Lil Wayne. Videos from the June deposition were posted by the celebrity news site this…

Sep 27, 2012 2:06 PM CDT

Insane Clown Posse Sues FBI Over Juggalos Gang Classification

Saying the FBI never responded to public records requests, the Detroit rap group Insane Clown Posse has filed suit against the federal law enforcement agency over its classification of its fans as a gang. Insane Clown Posse rappers announced in August that they’d hired a lawyer and began seeking reports…

Sep 27, 2012 10:44 AM CDT

Actress in Anti-Muslim Film Says She Was Duped, Sues Producer and YouTube

An actress who appeared in the anti-Muslim film sparking protests across the globe has sued the producer for fraud and YouTube in a bid to get the video removed. Cindy Lee Garcia says she has received “credible death threats” since starring in Innocence of Muslims, has been fired from her…

Sep 20, 2012 11:32 AM CDT

Attorneys Wage Scorched-Earth Legal Battle Over $11K Share of ‘Millionaire’ Show Winnings

A hard-fought legal battle between two former friends who are both lawyers has resulted in an $11,376 award, multiple fines and legal ethics complaints and an ongoing appeal. It all began with an email in which Kevin Hirsch offered to help 20 friends with an automated phone quiz that could…

Sep 17, 2012 7:37 PM CDT

Stephen Baldwin Sues Kevin Costner’s Lawyer for $10M After Losing at Oil Spill Cleanup Machine Trial

Stephen Baldwin. s_bukley / Shutterstock.com Kevin Costner. s_bukley / Shutterstock.com After losing a legal battle over a premature decision to sell his stake in an oil spill cleanup machine company just before a major oil company placed a $52 million order, actor Stephen Baldwin hasn’t yet given up his war…

Sep 11, 2012 9:42 PM CDT

8th Circuit OKs $222K Award But Avoids Ruling on Key Issue in Historic RIAA File-Sharing Case

After three jury trials, it appears that the legal saga of the first individual to fight a Recording Industry Association of America demand for payment for illegal downloading of copyrighted music still hasn’t come to an end. In a procedurally complex decision Tuesday, a federal appeals court panel held that…

Sep 11, 2012 8:52 PM CDT

New York Court of Appeals Considers Whether Lap Dancing Is Art, and Tax Exempt

Is lap dancing tax-exempt under New York law? That’s the question the state’s highest court considered Wednesday. Nite Moves, a suburban Albany strip club, maintains that admission fees and dances should be covered by the New York law that exempts “dramatic or musical art performances” from taxes, the Associated Press…

Sep 6, 2012 5:04 PM CDT

Judge in Unshuffled Cards Case Tells Casino to Ante Up $1M to Cash Players’ Chips; Appeal Planned

In a Friday ruling that provoked an angry outburst from the general counsel for an Atlantic City casino and a complaint from another lawyer of a “rigged game,” the Golden Nugget was ordered by a New Jersey judge to ante up nearly $1 million to pay gamblers for the chips…

Sep 4, 2012 4:22 PM CDT

Boy Hit By Line Drive From Metal Bat During Little League Game Gets $14.5M Settlement

A $14.5 million settlement has been reached in a tort case over a Little League game that left a young pitcher brain-injured after he was struck by a line drive hit from a metal bat. As a trial was looming in the Passaic County, N.J., case, the defendants, including the…

Aug 22, 2012 5:40 PM CDT

Federal Judge Finds Poker Is More a Game of Skill and Tosses Prosecution

A federal judge in New York has reversed a federal conviction against a man accused of running an illegal underground poker club in a ruling declaring that poker is more a game of skill than chance. U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein ruled Congress did not intend to make poker a…

Aug 22, 2012 11:38 AM CDT