Legal news
Kanye West Hires Johnny Depp’s Lawyer Camille Vasquez Amidst Business Fallout
As business partners distant themselves following his latest public meltdown, Kanye West has reportedly hired Camille Vasquez, the lawyer who helped Johnny Depp win his defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard, to represent his interests. TMZ first reported that West hired Vasquez, a partner at the national law firm Brown Rudnick who became a sought-after rep for embattled celebrities after helping Depp win his case. The news comes after the rapper was dropped by Balenciaga following a slew of antisemitic comments he made on social media and in recently unearthed clips of his interview with Tucker Carlson. His comments — including a Tweet where he threatened to “Go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE” — have also cost him a relationship with JPMorgan Chase, and his relationship with adidas is curre...
Jury Rules Kevin Spacey Is Not Liable in Anthony Rapp Sexual Misconduct Case
A New York City jury has ruled that Kevin Spacey is liable for no damages at the conclusion of a contentious sexual misconduct lawsuit brought by Anthony Rapp, multiple outlets report. Rapp had sought $40 million. The jury took less than two hours to deliberate following closing arguments in the two-week trial. Rapp, who starred in Rent and Star Trek: Discovery, had said that when he was 14 years old, a 26-year-old Spacey made aggressive and unwanted sexual advances towards him. He alleged that Spacey physically lifted him in the air “like a groom picks up a bride,” and moved him to a bed in order to initiate sex. Rapp, now 50, took the stand during the trial, calling the encounter “incredibly upsetting” and the “most traumatic single event of my life.” Spacey...
Daycare Workers Facing Child Abuse Charges for Scaring Kids with Ghostface Mask
Earlier this month, a video went viral of a Mississippi daycare worker scaring kids in a classroom while wearing what appears to be a mask of Ghostface, the knife-wielding villain from the Scream film franchise. Now, after all being fired from the daycare, five former employees are facing child abuse charges for the incident. WTVA reports that Sierra McCandless, Oci-Anna Kilburn, Jennifer Newman, and Shyenne Shelton each face three counts of felony child abuse, and Traci Hutson faces failure to report abuse and simple assault against a minor, both misdemeanors. The charges follow investigations by the Mississippi State Department of Health and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. In the viral clip, which you can watch here, an unidentified daycare worker is seen wearing the Ghostface mask w...
The Legal Beat: Cardi B’s Bizarre Trial – Plus Gunna, Ed Sheeran & More
This is The Legal Beat, a weekly column about music law from Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings, and all the fun stuff in between. This week: Cardi B goes to trial in a weird case over a bawdy album cover, Gunna is again refused bond in Atlanta, Ed Sheeran warns that a copyright ruling might “strangle” future songwriters and much more. THE BIG STORY: Cardi Heads to Trial Over Bawdy Album Cover In one of the weirder cases you’ll ever hear about, Cardi B is headed to a federal courthouse today to defend against claims that the cover of her debut mixtape “humiliated” a man named Kevin Brophy, who alleges he was unwittingly photoshopped into the artwork to make it look like he was performing oral sex on the now-superstar. Yes, you read that r...
Ezra Miller Pleads Not Guilty to Felony Burglary, Faces Up to 26 Years in Prison
Ezra Miller appeared remotely in Vermont Superior Court on Monday, October 17th and pleaded not guilty to felony burglary charges, Deadline reports. If convicted, they will face up to 26 years in prison and fines of up to $2,000. The embattled star of The Flash was arrested in August for charges stemming from a May break-in in Stamford, Vermont. They were accused of entering the at-the-time unoccupied house of neighbor Isaac Winokur and stealing bottles of gin, vodka and rum. “As a result of an investigation that included surveillance videos and statements, probable cause was found to charge Ezra M. Miller with the offense of felony burglary into an unoccupied dwelling,” the police report noted. As a condition of their release, Miller was told to stay away from Winokur and a...
George Floyd’s Family Considering Lawsuit Against Kanye West for Defamation
The family of George Floyd is considering a defamation lawsuit against Kanye West over comments he made on the Drink Champs podcast. “While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death,” Lee Merritt, a lawyer for Floyd’s family, said in a statement posted to social media on Sunday. During the podcast, West asserted the false claim that Floyd died from fentanyl. “I watched the George Floyd documentary that Candace Owens put out… They hit him with the fentanyl. If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that,” West said. Advertisement Related Video While Floyd had a trace amount of fentanyl in his system, both a coroner and medical experts concluded that he died from a lack of oxygen c...
Jury Orders Alex Jones to Pay Nearly $1 Billion for Sandy Hook Lies
Alex Jones is a huckster, a conspiracy theorist, one of the worst people ever to work in media (and that’s saying something), and, perhaps soon, a negative billionaire. A Connecticut jury ruled on October 12th that the InfoWars founder must pay out $965 million for defamation after he spent a decade spreading lies about the 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. As reported by Reuters, CNN, Variety, and more, the case had 15 plaintiffs, including family members of eight victims of the shooting, plus a former FBI agent. Jones has repeatedly and falsely claimed that the shooting never happened — that 28 people, including 20 children didn’t die — and that anyone claiming otherwise was a paid actor for a government plot to unlawfully confiscate American’s guns. Jones called the ma...
Eric André Sues Atlanta Airport Police Over “Unethical” Drug Search Program
Eric André and fellow comedian Clayton English have filed a lawsuit against the police program at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport claiming they violate the constitutional rights of passengers — particularly Black passengers. According to The Associated Press, the suit filed Tuesday (October 11th) alleges that André and English were racially profiled and illegally stopped while boarding a flight, as part of the police program’s effort to combat drug trafficking. Their lawyers claim that Clayton County police officers and investigators from the county district attorney’s office selectively stop passengers in the jet bridges while boarding, interrogate them, inspect their boarding pass and ID, and sometimes search their luggage before allowing the passengers to board. André...
Bill Murray Paid $100,000 Settlement for “Inappropriate Behavior”: Report
Bill Murray paid a $100,000 settlement to a female staffer on the now-shelved movie, Being Mortal, according to a report in Puck. The news comes as Geena Davis’ new memoir alleges that Murray screamed at her on the set of their 1990 crime comedy, Quick Change. Being Mortal was set to be director Aziz Ansari’s feature film debut before it was shelved due to Murray’s “inappropriate behavior.” At the time, Murray said, “I had a difference of opinion with a woman I’m working with. I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way.” He added, “The world is different than it was when I was a little kid… What I always thought was funny as a little kid isn’t necessarily the same as what’s funny now. Things change and the times change, so it’s...
Rex Orange County Charged With 6 Counts of Sexual Assault in the U.K.
British singer-songwriter Rex Orange County has been charged with six counts of sexual assault in his native U.K., Billboard has confirmed. The charges stem from an accusation that the artist (born Alexander O’Connor) twice assaulted a woman in the West End on June 1. That was allegedly followed by four additional assaults against the same woman the following day: once in a taxi and three more times at his home in London’s Notting Hill district. On Monday (Oct. 10), O’Connor denied all counts during an appearance at Southwark Crown Court in London. He has been set free on unconditional bail ahead of a provisional trial date on Jan. 3. The news was first reported by The Sun. “Alex is shocked by the allegations which he denies and looks forward to clearing his name in court,” said a represen...
Elton John Group Sues Daily Mail for “Criminal Activity and Gross Breaches of Privacy”
Elton John is part of a group suing the publishers of the UK tabloid The Daily Mail for “abhorrent criminal activity and gross breaches of privacy,” Deadline reports. Prince Harry, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, activist Doreen Lawrence, and John’s partner David Furnish are also joining the suit. The Daily Mail is helmed by Associated Publishers, who also pub The Mail on Sunday and The Mail Online. In a statement, lawyers for the plaintiffs accused Associated Publishers of hiding listening devices in their cars and homes with the aid of private investigators. They allege that the publishers also obtained confidential information by paying cops “with corrupt links to private investigators,” as well as impersonating individuals to a...
Rust and Alec Baldwin Reach Settlement with Halyna Hutchins’ Family, Production to Resume
The family of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has reached a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit against producers of Rust including Alec Baldwin, Deadline reports. Production on the Western film is expected to resume in January with Matthew Hutchins, Halyna’s widower, now serving as executive producer. “We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC,” Matthew Hutchins said in a statement. “As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed.” He added, “The filming of Rust, which I will now executive produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023.” “I have no interest in engaging in re...
