Entertainment & Sports Law

RIAA Reportedly Spent More than $17M in Legal Fees in 2008

The Recording Industry Association of America has long pursued aggressive litigation seeking damages for illegal downloading, but just how successful has it been? In monetary terms, the effort was a bust, according to the blogs Recording Industry vs The People and ITProPortal, relying on information unearthed by p2pnet.net. The blogs…

Jul 15, 2010 3:53 PM CDT

‘Dream Team’ Lawyer Robert Shapiro Takes Lindsay Lohan’s Case

Updated: Lindsay Lohan has found another lawyer in the nick of time—she’s scheduled to turn herself in Tuesday—to appeal her 90-day sentence for probation violation. TMZ reports that Lohan has hired Robert Shapiro, best known for being a part of O.J. Simpson’s criminal defense “dream team.” TMZ notes that Shapiro’s…

Jul 15, 2010 3:37 PM CDT

Naked Biker Was Wearing a Helmet, But Agrees to Say Otherwise and Pay a $50 Fine

Bike-riding in the nude has been found to be a form of constitutionally protected speech in Portland, Ore. But across the river in Vancouver, Wash., the courts apparently take a more minimalist view of the First Amendment. After a Clark County District Court jury deadlocked earlier this year on whether…

Jul 14, 2010 6:38 PM CDT

Gloria Allred: No How, No Way Would I Represent Mel Gibson

Under fire after his ex-girlfriend publicly released audio recordings in which Mel Gibson is accused of threatening her and uttering a number of racial slurs, the famous actor was also targeted by celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred today. Participating in a Q-and-A session in the Washington Post about the fallout for…

Jul 14, 2010 12:53 AM CDT

Record Labels Sue Porn Company, Want Their ‘Sexyback’

Several record labels claim in a lawsuit that an adult entertainment company is violating their copyrights by using their songs in porn videos. News writers are enjoying the spectacle. “Labels Try to Catch Porn Industry with Pants Down,” Reuters declares in its headline. “The struggling music industry may be aroused…

Jul 13, 2010 4:33 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Model’s $10M Suit Over Comedy’s ‘Lascivious Use’ of Her Photo

A Manhattan judge has dismissed a $10 million lawsuit filed by a model who objected to the “lascivious use of her photo” in the comedy movie Couples Retreat. The judge noted that model Irina Krupnik signed a contract waiving her rights to control the photo, report the Associated Press and…

Jul 12, 2010 1:06 PM CDT

Australian Band Ordered to Pay 5% of Royalties for Copying ‘Kookaburra’ in 1980s Hit

An Australian judge has ordered the band Men at Work to pay royalties to a music publisher for copying ”Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” in a hit song from the 1980s. Larrikin Music had sought 60 percent of the royalties from the song “Down Under,” but was awarded…

Jul 6, 2010 11:38 AM CDT

Bingham Partner Saves Dodgers Fan, Readies for Team Owner’s Divorce Battle

Bingham McCutchen partner Marshall Grossman saved the life of a Dodgers fan over the weekend, and now he will try a rescue of a different sort as he readies for a divorce battle between team owner Frank McCourt and his wife, Jamie. The outcome of the case, set for trial…

Jul 1, 2010 11:55 AM CDT

Scottie Pippen Scores $2M Verdict in Law Firm Malpractice Case

He was seeking $8 million. But a jury awarded former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen $2 million this week in his legal malpractice claim against a Windy City law firm, reports the National Law Journal in an article reprinted in New York Lawyer (reg. req.). “It was not all that…

Jun 30, 2010 7:28 PM CDT

‘Ungainly’ Phillie Phanatic Bumps into Lawsuits

The Phillie Phanatic’s Supreme Court connections haven’t spared the lovable baseball icon from becoming perhaps the most sued mascot in the majors. The Philadelphia Daily News calls the Phanatic a “big green litigation machine” and details the latest lawsuit, filed by a woman who claims the mascot injured her knees…

Jun 30, 2010 3:34 PM CDT

Ex-Wife of Michael Douglas Seeks Half of His Earnings from ‘Wall Street 2’

Is a sequel the same thing as a spinoff? That appears to be a central question in a looming legal battle by the ex-wife of actor Michael Douglas for half of the money he will make for his work on a sequel to the Wall Street movie directed by Oliver…

Jun 29, 2010 8:15 PM CDT

Charges Dropped Against Women Wearing Orange Minis at World Cup Game

Charges have been dropped against two Dutch women who had been accused of orchestrating a marketing campaign in which they and 34 other women wore to a World Cup soccer game short orange dresses provided by a beer maker in the Dutch national team’s trademark color. Barbara Castelein and Mirte…

Jun 22, 2010 7:33 PM CDT

Title IX Trial to Decide: Is Cheerleading a Sport?

In a trial being closely watched by the women’s sports community, a federal court in Bridgeport, Conn., today was to begin a bench trial on an overarching question: Is competitive cheerleading a sport equivalent to women’s volleyball for Title IX purposes? Quinnipiac University says the two programs are equivalent sports.…

Jun 22, 2010 12:26 AM CDT

Bullfighter Bolts From Ring, Is Arrested in Apparent Breach-of-Contract Case

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more. Gored by a bull in a previous match several months ago, Mexican bullfighter Christian Hernandez lost his nerve and bolted from the ring ahead of a charging bull on Sunday, dropping his cape along the way. The crowd hooted…

Jun 15, 2010 8:32 PM CDT

Ex-Bull Scottie Pippen Blames Law Firm for Bad Investments, Seeks $8M at Trial

A famous former basketball player for the Chicago Bulls says he lost money because an Illinois law firm didn’t do enough due diligence on the trusted adviser who allegedly cost him millions in bad investments. Scottie Pippen has already settled for $1.5 million with the bankrupt adviser, Robert Lunn. But…

Jun 9, 2010 11:34 PM CDT