Entertainment & Sports Law

Embattled Judge Defends Court Audience Chant, But Apologizes for Calling Staffers ‘Vegetables’

Accused of running her courtroom one day last year in a manner intended to maximize her calendar’s appeal to the producers of a potential Judge Judy-like show, a California jurist has provided a 75-page response justifying and explaining her conduct in response to legal ethics charges. Until the Commission on…

Oct 12, 2010 5:15 PM CDT

At 81, Entertainment Lawyer Bert Fields Still Bills 3,000 Hours a Year

At 81 years of age, Hollywood lawyer Bert Fields still arrives at the office before 7 a.m. and manages to bill 3,000 hours a year. He has a roster of high-profile clients and is known for his street smarts along with his book smarts. According to a CNN Justice profile,…

Oct 8, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

‘Die Hard’ Director Gets 12 Months for Lying to Feds in Hollywood PI Wiretap Case

John McTiernan, who directed Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October, among other well-known movies, has been sentenced to 12 months for his peripheral role in a celebrity wiretap case that also brought down a private investigator and a California lawyer. McTiernan, 59, who is apparently appealing, was also…

Oct 4, 2010 7:41 PM CDT

Benched Coaches Shooting Back

More college coaches aren’t letting their dismissals become the last goal

Oct 1, 2010 8:00 AM CDT

Comedy Central Star Colbert Testifies Before Congress—In Character

In an unusual appearance today before a House Judiciary subcommittee, a well-known television satirist testified on immigration reform–in character. The “bloviating right-wing talk show host” persona that Stephen Colbert has honed on Comedy Central “resembled a surreal version of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, if Mr. Smith were a comedian…

Sep 25, 2010 12:04 AM CDT

Bingham Partner Admits Changing Key Word in Signed Dodgers Document

A partner at Bingham McCutchen testified Tuesday in the divorce trial of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt that he changed a key word in a postnup property agreement after the McCourts had signed it. Bingham partner Larry Silverstein changed the word “exclusive” to “inclusive” to indicate that Frank McCourt was sole…

Sep 22, 2010 1:42 PM CDT

Kim Kardashian’s Lawyers Send Cease-and-Desist Letter to Blow-Up Doll Company

A lawyer for Kim Kardashian has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a blow-up doll company, demanding that it stop producing its Kinky Kim Filthy Love Doll. Lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley wrote the letter to Pipedream Products Inc., according to TMZ.com and the San Francisco Chronicle blog the Daily Dish. A…

Sep 20, 2010 3:15 PM CDT

Differing Versions of Postnup in McCourt Divorce Put Focus on Bingham Lawyer

Frank and Jamie McCourt signed six copies of a postnup agreement before taking over the Dodgers, and three of them apparently give Frank control of the team. One word was changed in those three copies: “inclusive” became “exclusive,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Frank McCourt’s divorce lawyers contend that…

Sep 20, 2010 1:41 PM CDT

Law Student’s Blog Made Him ‘Go-To Guy’ for McCourt Divorce Analysis

A University of Minnesota law student hopes his new-found fame from blogging about the divorce between Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his wife, Jamie, will help him find a job after he graduates this spring. Joshua Fisher, 24, started his blog, Dodger Divorce, 11 months ago, chronicling the McCourts’ opulent…

Sep 20, 2010 1:04 PM CDT

New Pay Package Keeps Time Warner GC in Third Place

Time Warner’s general counsel has signed a new contract that pays him $1.25 million a year, plus a possible bonus of $2.5 million. The pay package puts Paul Cappaccio third on Corporate Counsel’s list of the top paid- general counsel, THR, Esq. reports. It also puts him ahead of his…

Sep 8, 2010 12:20 PM CDT

Sell Championship Ring to Pay $130K Legal Bill, Judge Tells Ex-Rams Player

Although he played professional football for more than a decade and earned a championship ring when the St. Louis Rams went to the Super Bowl in 2001, Chidi Ahanotu says his only income today is about $40,000 a year in disability income. But he could soon be getting free room…

Sep 2, 2010 11:00 PM CDT

Did Lawyer Who Scored $11M Libel Win Sue & Serve Wrong Website?

A $11 million libel victory scored by a schoolteacher who allegedly was falsely accused online of both an affair with a football player and having two venereal diseases may not be a done deal. It appears that Sarah Jones’ lawyer sued and served another website with a similar-sounding name, rather…

Sep 2, 2010 9:36 PM CDT

Lawyer Contends ‘Jersey Shore’ Is a Criminal Enterprise

New Jersey lawyer Eugene Lavergne has filed three separate lawsuits that contend the MTV show Jersey Shore has the characteristics of a criminal enterprise. Lavergne is becoming the go-to lawyer for those wanting to sue the show, the Hollywood Reporter says. One of Lavergne’s clients, Stephen Izzo Jr., claims he…

Sep 1, 2010 11:40 AM CDT

Hold That Tiger

After Woods scandal, more lawyers are teeing up ‘morals clauses’

Sep 1, 2010 7:50 AM CDT

Clemens’ Not-Guilty Plea is 1st Step in Expected Perjury Trial Saga

A not-guilty plea by famed baseball pitcher Roger Clemens yesterday is only the beginning of a long courtroom saga, predicts Sports Illustrated. The magazine’s lengthy article lays out the expected procedure in the high-profile perjury case against Clemens over his 2008 testimony before Congress on performance-enhancing substances. Although he is…

Aug 31, 2010 6:39 PM CDT