Legal and Management
R. Kelly Trial: New Witness Testifies About ‘Punishments,’ STD Infection at 17
An invite from Kelly to audition for him as a singer followed. She met up with him a few days after the show, initially telling him she was 18 despite being 17. During the “audition,” Jane Doe # 5 says Kelly sexually pursued her, eventually coercing her into receiving oral sex, and promised to “take care of [her] for life.” After this initial one-on-one, Kelly’s assistant, Cheryl Mack, allegedly booked a number of plane tickets for Jane Doe #5, despite knowing her age, to visit Kelly throughout his tour stops. When they first had sex, it was without protection and the R&B singer did not disclose his STD. She soon began staying at his home in Atlanta, where he continued laying down rules, demanding she get permission from Kelly or assistant before...
H.E.R. Settles Copyright Lawsuit Over 2016 Song ‘Focus’
During an Instagram Live video, Camper (real name Darhyl Camper Jr.) said Sims’ song “Endless Minds” did inspire the melody of “Focus,” which he co-wrote with H.E.R. (real name Gabriella Wilson) and Love (real name Justin Anthony Barroso) and co-produced with H.E.R. Sims initially filed a $3 million lawsuit that accused the trio and the song’s distributor Sony of copyright infringement and requested injunctive and monetary relief. The original complaint alleged, “To write and record ‘Focus,’ and ultimately to produce, perform, distribute and otherwise exploit ‘Focus,’ Defendants [H.E.R., Camper, Love and Sony] copied ‘Endless Minds,’ to which they had prior access, resulting in the song ‘Focus,’ ...
‘Selena’ Producer Allowed to Move Forward With Suit Against Selena Quintanilla’s Family
Esparza alleges that the joint venture was to hold onto rights until the expiration of the copyright of the movie while Selena’s family has insisted that a contract amendment had rights reverting back to the family. There appears to be a dispute over whether Warner Bros. had to consent to the reversion. Interestingly, there’s some indication from the court filings that when Warner Bros. learned of the Netflix series, it objected and soon achieved a settlement. In any event, L.A. Superior Court judge Maurice Leiter has now ruled that Esparza’s contract claim against the Quintanilla family has sufficient merit to overcome a motion aimed at quickly defeating plaintiff’s claim. The judge also accepts claims of breach of fiduciary duty, breach of fair dealing, unjust enrichment, negligent misre...
Johnny Depp’s Libel Suit Against Amber Heard Will Proceed Despite U.K. Ruling
In the U.K., the actor sued over an article that had called him a “wife beater.” After a trial that lasted weeks, Judge Andrew Nicol found substantial truth to the article in The Sun, specifically with regards to 14 incidents that happened during the troubled marriage. The ruling, which Depp was unsuccessful in overturning on appeal, left him in the atypical position of arguing he didn’t get everything he wanted in the country, which has long been known for libel tourism since the burden of proof is on defendant and public figures needn’t show actual malice. In turn, Heard argued that the Virginia court should recognize the U.K. judgment, and since both actions centered on whether Depp was a domestic abuser, declare the matter already adjudicated. In an opinion on Tuesday, Fairfax County C...
50 Cent’s Branson Cognac Sued by Remy Martin Over Bottle Design
“They are afraid of me already,” Fif says in response to the lawsuit. 50 Cent is in hot water after famous French distiller Remy Martin sued the G-Unit rapper last week. Filed in a Manhattan federal court on Friday (Aug. 13), the lawsuit alleges that 50’s Branson cognac brand infringes on Remy’s trademark and patented “jewel-shaped glass cognac bottle design.” According to Reuters, the complaint made against Branson goes far enough to call their design a “blatant attempt” on Remy’s branding. The lawsuit also describes the bottle as having a “circular array of raised flat and angled quadrilateral facets,” which helped the company reach worldwide notoriety after 35 years. On the other hand, the complaint states that Branson...
Nicki Minaj & Husband Kenneth Petty Sued for Harassing His Attempted Rape Victim
The lawsuit, obtained by Billboard, details how on Sept. 16, 1994, when Hough and Petty were both 16 years old living in Jamaica, Queens, in New York, that she ran into him on her way to school when he later held her at knifepoint, led her into a nearby house and raped her. He was arrested that day for first-degree rape and later pleaded guilty to attempted rape. He was sentenced to 18 to 54 months in prison. He later pleaded guilty in an unrelated case to a manslaughter charge in 2006, spending seven years behind bars out of his 10-year sentence and let out in 2013 on supervised release. Petty was charged Feb. 25, 2020, for failing to register as a sex offender, which is a requirement under the 2006 Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). He was later added ...
In the Britney Spears Case, It’s Time to Negotiate
On July 14, the day that Britney got permission from L.A. County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny to hire Mathew Rosengart of Greenberg Traurig as her new counsel, a suggestion was publicly floated. “Does anybody really believe Mr. Spears’ continued involvement is in the best interest of Britney Spears?” Rosengart said in court. “If he loves his daughter, it is time to step aside.” A few weeks later, Rosengart made his first big move in the case. Notably, it wasn’t to actually end the conservatorship. It was a petition to remove Jamie. And what stuck out about this petition — at least for someone who regularly reads this stuff — was a reference to the criminal code (specifically, Title 18), talk of financial misconduct and a warning that should he oppose his removal, fees would have to co...
R. Kelly Trial Begins With Jury Selection: On the Scene at NYC Courthouse
After the potential jurors filed into the courtroom gallery, Judge Ann M. Donnelly addressed the group, emphasizing the anonymity of selected jurors. Donnelly explained that U.S. marshals would accompany jurors to and from the courthouse each day, in response to the onslaught of media attention and high-profile status of the case. In August 2020, charges were filed against associates of Kelly for witness tampering, another factor playing into the decision for a partially sequestered and anonymous jury. “Nobody knows what your names are,” Donnelly reassured. “I don’t want anyone…trying to get your take on [the trial].” Donnelly questioned potential jurors, inquiring about their hobbies, jobs, experiences with law enforcement and views on same-sex relation...
Jury Selection to Begin in R. Kelly Sex Trafficking Case
The Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling singer has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of leading an enterprise of managers, bodyguards and other employees who helped him recruit women and girls for sex. Federal prosecutors say the group selected victims at concerts and other venues and arranged for them to travel to see Kelly. Defense lawyers have said Kelly’s alleged victims were groupies who turned up at his shows and made it known they “were dying to be with him.” They only started accusing him of abuse years later when public sentiment shifted in the #MeToo era, they said. The trial had been expected to start earlier in the year. But opening statements were moved to Aug. 18 after Kelly fired his original defense team. Jurors are expect...
Britney Spears’ Father Says ‘No Grounds Whatsoever’ for Conservatorship Removal
James Spears’ filing came in response to court papers filed a day earlier by Britney Spears’ new attorney Matthew Rosengart, which requested an emergency hearing as soon as possible to suspend him from the conservatorship. James Spears said Rosengart “does not (and cannot) specify what the wrongdoing is” to prompt such a suspension. James Spears stepped aside from the part of the conservatorship that controls his daughter’s life decisions in 2019, with Montgomery taking over, though her official status remains temporary. The allegations made by Britney Spears at hearings in June and July that seem to have spurred Rosengart’s call for her father’s removal, including “serious allegations regarding forced medical treatment and therapy, improper medical care, and limitations on personal rights...
Major Labels Hit Charter Communications With Second Copyright Suit
“Charter has insisted on doing nothing — despite receiving thousands of notices that detailed the illegal activity of its subscribers, despite its clear legal obligation to address the widespread, illegal downloading of copyrighted works on its Internet services, and despite being sued previously by Plaintiffs for similar conduct,” the complaint maintains. The new lawsuit says the labels continued to “monitor and detect infringement” occurring on Charter’s network during the current claim period and sent over 150,000 additional notices identifying the illegal download, copying and distribution of their copyrighted music through BitTorrent and other digital file-sharing services. The notices allegedly flagged the unique IP addresses of what the labels claim are “tens of thousands” of ...
Bob Dylan Beats Lawsuit Over $300M Catalog Sale
New York Supreme Court Justice Barry Ostrager sides with Dylan. “For the reasons explained here, the Court determines that the plain meaning of the 1975 Agreement is that the Dylan Defendants owned all copyrights to the Compositions, as well as the absolute right to sell the Compositions and all associated rights, subject only to plaintiffs’ right to receive the compensation specified in the 1975 Agreement, which does not include any portion of the proceeds from Dylan’s sale of his own rights to the Universal Defendants,” he writes. Ostrager looks at how Levy attempted to establish joint authorship in the compositions, including witnesses to the relationship between the songwriters and affidavits from experts, but ultimately the judge sees the contract as unambiguous and precluding such a ...
