Legal and Management
R. Kelly Moved to Brooklyn Jail In Advance of Sex-Trafficking Trial
Federal prosecutors say the group selected victims at concerts and other venues and arranged for them to travel to see Kelly. The Grammy Award-winning singer denies ever abusing anyone. His trial is set for Aug. 9. The Chicago Sun-Times reported on June 7 that two Chicago-based defense lawyers for the disgraced singer who has been behind bars for more than two years, Steve Greenberg and Michael Leonard, asked to withdraw from the case. At the time, Billboard also confirmed that a third lawyer, New Jersey attorney Douglas Anton, is no longer an official part of the team for the New York case. Kelly is also slated to face trial in his native Chicago on accusations that he filmed himself having sex with underage girls and paying off potential witnesses at his 2008 child po...
Britney Spears Likens Conservatorship to Sex Trafficking at LA Court Hearing: ‘I Am Not Here to Be Anyone’s Slave’
Spears, who said she brought four pages of written notes for the hearing, had the harshest criticism for her father, Jamie Spears, who had power over her life choices from 2008-2019. He now sees to her financial affairs alongside estate management firm Bessemer Trust. Britney referred to Jamie as her “ignorant father,” whom she claims reveled in his control over his daughter after she cried on the phone to him for an hour. According to Britney, this is the first time she has spoken to the court in two years because she felt she was not listened to the last time she appeared. She says she didn’t think anyone would believe her if she came forward with her story of being “abused” by medical professionals and taken advantage of by those who were mak...
NFT Auction of Jay-Z’s ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Album Halted by Judge
An auction had been set for June 23-25, according to the complaint, but it was canceled after Roc-A-Fella sent a warning letter to SuperFarm. The label was concerned Dash might still pursue a sale, so it asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order. During a Tuesday morning hearing, U.S. District Court Judge John Cronan asked why monetary damages wouldn’t suffice. Alex Spiro, representing the record company, answered, “A lot of it has to do with the uniqueness added to the unique industry.” Dash and his lawyers didn’t show up for hearing, but Spiro said they were served papers and had previously responded to a cease and desist. Dash’s side has also commented about the dispute in the media where they said they really wanted to sell shares in Roc-A-Fella. Cronan said Jay-Z’s record...
Roc-A-Fella Records Sues Co-Founder Damon Dash Over ‘Reasonable Doubt’ NFT
Roc-A-Fella Records is seeking a ruling that states the label exclusively owns all rights to Reasonable Doubt. The label is also asking that Dash transfer ownership of “any NFT or other asset in his possession, custody, or control reflecting rights to Reasonable Doubt” to Roc-A-Fella Records Inc. Dash co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records alongside Jay-Z and Kareem Burke in 1995. It was officially incorporated in New York on Jan. 8, 1996, and became a division of Def Jam in 1997. The label became defunct in 2013. Dash disputed the claims to Rolling Stone on Monday (June 21), claiming the lawsuit is inaccurate. He says he was not attempting to sell an NFT of the album, but that he was trying to auction his stake in Roc-A-Fella Records after he claims the label attempted ...
Deborah Dugan’s Arbitration Could Be Delayed If Recording Academy Successfully Opposes Open Hearing
“We acknowledge your request for ‘transparency and accountability’ as set forth in your January 29, 2020 letter to the Executive Committee, and we wholeheartedly agree with your proposal to have the dispute between you and the Academy heard publicly — so that the ‘public and the music industry’ can hear what happened between you and the Academy,” wrote Mason to Dugan. “In short, we welcome a full public airing of your allegations against the Academy as well as the Academy’s many claims and defenses against you,” Mason was named the official president/CEO of the academy on May 13, following a protracted search. Now, the academy’s attorney, Anthony Oncidi of Proskauer Rose, has written the arbitrator, Sara Adler, asking that the hearing be private, according to the New York Times,...
Drake Bell Accused of Child Endangerment
Bell was charged by information, which typically indicates a plea agreement has been reached. He is scheduled to appear before a judge on June 23. Tyler Sinclair, spokesperson for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley, said the girl filed a complaint with Canadian police in October 2018. Police there contacted Cleveland police, prompting an investigation. The attempted endangering children charge relates to the concert, Sinclair said, where Bell “violated his duty of care” and created a risk of harm to the victim. He didn’t elaborate further. Bell and the girl had “developed a relationship” online several years prior to the concert, Sinclair said. The disseminating harmful material charge concerns Bell having sent the girl “inappropriate social media messages,” Sinclair said. Bell, a...
Drake, Shania Twain & More Petition to Change Canadian Copyright Law
The letter dated June 2 notes that early in their careers, artists and songwriters are often pressured into signing away some of their rights, “thus denying creators, their families and their children the opportunity to reap fair rewards from their creative works later in life.” It also notes that in the U.S., copyright law has been revised to let creators terminate and re-claim rights after 35 years from the date of transfer — a provision known as the right of reversion — while the EU is presently considering rules to ensure similar fairness. “We believe Canada should follow the EU and USA examples to ensure fair protection of Canadian creators,” the letter reads. “Rights reversion is a simple and essential tool which enhances creators ability to ...
Scooter Braun Hit With Fraud Lawsuit Over Scuttled Private Equity Fund
But in April 2018, according to Comisar, Braun repudiated financial commitments and stopped funding everything including Comisar’s salary. “Bolno, completely unrepentant, explained to Comisar that Braun never really believed he would have to perform and, brazenly, told him that ‘people in the entertainment industry do not honor their contractual agreements,'” states the complaint. “Bolno made clear that he and Braun believed that Braun was free to renege on his commitments with impunity and without consequences and would wreak havoc upon Comisar if he chose to pursue Braun on his commitments.” Comisar says he was threatened with a smear campaign that included falsely being fired from Goldman Sachs, dereliction of duties by devoting time to advisory servi...
D.C. Attorney General Accuses Amazon of Fixing Prices in New Antitrust Lawsuit
“We filed this antitrust lawsuit to put an end to Amazon’s illegal control of prices across the online retail market,” DC Attorney General Karl Racine said in a conference call with reporters. “We need a fair online marketplace that expands options available to (District of Columbia) residents and promotes competition, innovation and choice.” Racine said Amazon, the world’s biggest online retailer, controls 50% to 70% of online market sales. The suit seeks to end Amazon’s use of the allegedly illegal price agreements as well as unspecified damages and penalties. Amazon rejected the allegations, saying the relief Racine is seeking “would force Amazon to feature higher prices to customers, oddly going against core objectives of antitrust law.” “The DC attorney general has it exactly backward...
Inside Track: UMG’s Potential US Investor, FTC Knocks Back Ticketmaster Probe
Asking around, one name keeps popping up: Liberty Media, the majority owner of satellite radio provider SiriusXM — itself owner of music streamer Pandora — and 33% of concert promoter Live Nation. Liberty also owns 5% of terrestrial broadcaster iHeartMedia and tried to buy 40% while iHeartMedia was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. And despite concerns a larger stake would result in anticompetitive behavior, the Department of Justice approved Liberty’s request to increase its stake beyond 5% in July 2020. Liberty Media could take a piece of UMG and add intellectual property to a “full stack,” vertically-integrated media company. On paper at least, Universal could woo artists by offering exposure on Liberty-owned broadcasters and with concerts on Live Nation-run tours and festivals. It ...
Danny Wimmer Presents Files Counterclaim Against AEG in Festival Dispute
AEG’s attorneys claim that Wimmer and company chief executive Danny Hares “relied upon deceit and fraud to achieve its goal” to create duplicate events, saying the 2019 Epicenter festival at Rockingham Festival Grounds was a carbon copy of the Carolina Rebellion festival, while Sonic Temple at MAPRE stadium in Columbus was an alleged knock off of Rock on the Range which had taken place at the same facility. Both Epicenter and Sonic Temple lost money in their launch, and if AEG really believes they have ownership in the events, they should help cover the losses, DWP Attorney Johnny White beginning in 2015 that AEG refused to commit to the event more than a year in advance. But LA-based DWP says they launched the competing events after reaching an impasse with AEG...
Marilyn Manson Accused of Sexual Assault, Harassment by Former Assistant: Reports
Soon after they met, Manson overstepped boundaries, the document explains. Despite this, when the rocker reportedly implied he could further Walter’s creative career and offered twice what she was earning as an office coordinator for a production company, Walters accepted his invitation for work. According to published reports, Walters was hired as Manson’s PA in August 2010, and was subjected to a toxic working environment, in which she faced aggression, violence, threats and more before her departure the following year, which she details in the suit. Walters, now 37, also claims Manson made her work for 48 hours straight, and he invited his friends to sexually assault her. In one alleged incident, Manson pushed Walters onto the lap of an actor during an awards show in September 201...
