Entertainment & Sports Law

6th Circuit Rejects Sentence Delay for Woman Convicted in Rick Pitino Extortion Attempt

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an effort to force the recusal of a federal judge who presided over the attempted extortion trial of a woman who sought to obtain millions from University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino in exchange for her silence about what she called…

Feb 14, 2011 7:01 PM CST

NFL Sweetens Offer to Jilted Super Bowl Fans as Lawyer Sues and Lawsuit Websites Proliferate

The National Football League is sweetening its offer to the 400 fans who bought tickets to the Super Bowl but didn’t get a seat, even as a lawsuit was filed on behalf of those fans and others who were disappointed in their seats. The NFL is giving the 400 jilted…

Feb 9, 2011 2:28 PM CST

Lindsay Lohan to Face Felony Grand Theft Charge re Necklace Taken from Jeweler, Prosecutor Says

Lindsay Lohan will be arraigned tomorrow on a felony grand theft charge for allegedly stealing a gold necklace from a California jeweler last month, a prosecutor says. Although a representative for the 24-year-old actress reportedly returned the necklace to Los Angeles police as a search warrant was being sought for…

Feb 8, 2011 11:43 PM CST

As LA Dodgers Owner Hires Sullivan & Cromwell, His Ex-Counsel Bingham McCutchen Hires Gibson Dunn

After testimony in a high-profile divorce case last year suggested that Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt could lose control of the team due to an apparent error by his legal counsel in drafting a postnuptial marital property agreement signed by his ex-wife, Jamie McCourt, he and his then-counsel, Bingham…

Feb 8, 2011 5:02 PM CST

Madoff Trustee Is Seeking $300M From NY Mets Owners, Per Lawsuit Made Public Today

It wasn’t merely $48 million that a bankruptcy trustee winding up the affairs of convicted swindler Bernard Madoff was seeking in a lawsuit filed in December against the owners of the New York Mets. It was $300 million, say news reports today. That amount represents the “fictitious profits” allegedly reaped…

Feb 4, 2011 6:50 PM CST

Depicted with Horns and Facial Hair, Redskins Owner Plans to Sue Newspaper, Seeks Reporter’s Firing

Angered by what he and his counsel describe as an unfair and defamatory cover story in an alternative Washington, D.C., newspaper, the owner of the Redskins is seeking the dismissal of the reporter who authored it and threatening to sue. Depicted in a photo with pen-scribbled horns and fake facial…

Feb 2, 2011 8:45 PM CST

Courtney Love’s ‘Boudoir Queen’ Tweets Leave Lawyers Arguing: Is Case Settled or Not?

An eagerly awaited trial over Courtney Love’s twitter rants against a Texas fashion designer known as the “Boudoir Queen” may not be upcoming after all. Although lawyers for both sides disagree about the status of the Los Angeles Superior Court case, Love’s counsel says a settlement is essentially a done…

Jan 31, 2011 7:15 PM CST

Madoff Swindle Could Force Partial Sale of NY Mets, as Trustee Seeks Perhaps $48M Clawback

Faced with a lawsuit over a “profit” of nearly $48 million purportedly earned on a $523 million investment with record-breaking Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff, the owners of the New York Mets are considering selling a minority share in the team. Fortunately, the market for selling fractional interests in sports franchises…

Jan 28, 2011 9:13 PM CST

Oops. Law Firm’s Confidential Notes re Gilbert Arenas are Filed in Unrelated LA Court Matter

Detailed information about former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas’ household finances is now public knowledge after a law firm apparently inadvertently filed in Los Angeles Superior Court typewritten notes of an interview with his long-term girlfriend. Trope and Trope, which was consulted by Laura Govan, 31, declined to comment. But…

Jan 27, 2011 9:50 PM CST

NFL’s Top Lawyer Will Give Up Multimillion-Dollar Paycheck in Event of Lockout

The NFL’s chief lawyer made about $4.9 million in 2009, but he will kiss his multimillion-dollar paycheck goodbye if there is a lockout. Jeff Pash, the league’s general counsel and chief labor negotiator, has joined Commissioner Roger Goodell in pledging to take a $1 annual salary if there is a…

Jan 27, 2011 12:35 PM CST

Stanford Can’t Assist in Own Defense

Onetime billionaire R. Allen Stanford has been found incompetent to stand trial. Either because of a head injury he suffered while in custody or because of over-medication, Stanford is unable to assist in his own defense, Reuters reports. The Associated Press says Stanford, who is accused of operating a $7…

Jan 27, 2011 12:09 AM CST

Suit: ‘Fatally Flawed’ Buyout Pact and Bad Advice from King & Spalding Cost Thrashers Owner $194M

A “fatally flawed” buyout agreement drafted by King & Spalding for the majority owner of the Atlanta Thrashers hockey team cost $194 million in lost franchise value, operating costs and legal defense expenses, contends a Georgia lawsuit (PDF). The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported on the suit, which was filed today…

Jan 21, 2011 11:20 PM CST

MTV Changes Racy Content in New Show ‘Skins’ Because It Feared a Criminal Violation

MTV executives have ordered changes in a new show called Skins because of fears that some explicit scenes could violate child pornography laws. MTV execs were particularly concerned about an episode airing Jan. 31 that originally showed a naked 17-year-old actor from behind as he ran down the street, the…

Jan 20, 2011 12:38 PM CST

Arent Fox Sends Report on BCS Exclusions to US Justice Department

Is the Bowl Championship Series unfairly excluding teams that don’t play in the right conferences in violation of the antitrust laws? A report by Arent Fox forwarded to the Justice Department this past week contends the answer is yes, reports Washington Post sports columnist Sally Jenkins. According to Jenkins, the…

Jan 12, 2011 12:56 PM CST

2nd Circuit Tosses FCC Fine for Female Nudity on ‘NYPD Blue’

ABC television stations won’t have to pay a combined $1.21 million penalty for broadcasting an NYPD Blue episode with a shot of a female character’s nude buttocks. A New York-based federal appeals court ruled (PDF) on Tuesday that the nudity policy created by the Federal Communications Commission is unconstitutionally vague,…

Jan 5, 2011 5:15 PM CST