Legal news
John Lydon Says Court Decision on Danny Boyle’s TV Series Will “Water Down” Sex Pistols’ Legacy
Last week, John Lydon officially lost a court case over the use of the Sex Pistols’ music in Pistol, an upcoming TV series about the group that’s directed by Danny Boyle. Now, the infamous musician has shared a written statement in which he claims the “majority rules” technicality that lost him the case will also “water down” Sex Pistols’ legacy in the years to come. As The Guardian notes, a press statement was published today on Lydon’s website suggesting Lydon was only made aware of Pistol hours before it was announced. It also claimed he still has not been told how the band will be portrayed in the series, adding that he feels there’s a good chance all of this will “distort the true history” of Sex Pistols. “For more than 23 years the Sex Pistols have operated on the basis of unanimous ...
R Kelly Keeps Asking People to Buy His Song Catalog But No One Wants It: Report
Before R Kelly was accused of being a serial sexual predator, he was known as the singer behind such hit songs as “Ignition (Remix),” “I Believe I Can Fly,” and “Bump N’ Grind.” Kelly isn’t making much money on that music these days — see: serial sexual predator — and in the desperate spirit of “sell low,” he’s now trying to pawn off his music catalog on anyone who’ll have it. The problem, as Billboard reports, is that nobody will have it. Having resided in a jail cell since 2019, Kelly is facing a crisis of cash. “His funds are depleted,” his lawyer Devereaux Cannick said earlier this month. And though his catalog continues to generate something like $1.7 million per year in the US, according to a Billboard estimate, next to nothing trickles down to Kelly. Because whil...
The Baby on Nirvana’s Nevermind Album Cover Sues Band for Child Sexual Exploitation
Spencer Elden, who was famously photographed as a baby for Nirvana’s iconic Nevermind album cover, is suing the band for child sexual exploitation. The lawsuit comes just a month shy of the landmark album’s 30th anniversary. One of the most famous album covers of all time, Nevermind depicts a then four-month-old Elden swimming naked underwater as he reaches for a dollar bill. As the story goes, Elden was the son of a friend of album photographer Kurt Weddle. Nirvana’s label, Geffen, initially objected to Elden’s penis being visible, but Kurt Cobain insisted it not be censored. The Nirvana frontman at one point said his only compromise would be a strategically placed sticker that read, “If you’re offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile.” According to TMZ, Elden has now filed a laws...
Nicholas Brendon Arrested for Prescription Drug Fraud
Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Nicholas Brendon has been arrested for prescription drug fraud after being found in possession of pill bottles prescribed to individuals other than himself. TMZ reports that Brendon, 50, was pulled over by Indiana police last week after he failed to signal and swerved into different lanes. According to an affidavit, officers say they observed Brendon sweating profusely and appearing “nervous due to a visibly racing pulse on his neck and shaking hands,” which prompted them to search his vehicle. Officers found several small plastic bags with “crystal/powder residue” as well as prescription drugs listed for “Nicholas Bender” and “Kelton Schultz.” Kelton Schultz is the name of Brendon’s twin brother, and Brendon initially identified himself as such to offi...
R Kelly Trial Day 1: Prosecutors Liken Singer to Crime Boss Who Blackmailed His Victims
Opening statements in the federal trial of R Kelly got underway in Brooklyn on Wednesday. The disgraced singer is charged with an array of sex crimes against six women and girls, including kidnapping, trafficking, and forced labor. According to The Daily Beast, in her opening statement Assistant United States Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez sought to portray Kelly as the leader of a criminal enterprise who knowingly facilitated his crimes. Cruz Melendez described Kelly as a “predator… who used his fame, popularity and the individuals at his disposal to target and groom girls, boys and young women for his sexual gratification.” Advertisement Related Video Prosecutors say they’ll present the jury with evidence including text messages between Kelly and his alleged victims, as well as video...
“Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” Rapper Silento Indicted on Murder Charges
I’s probably time we retire “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” for good. After being arrested for murdering his cousin earlier this year, Silento — the Atlanta rapper behind the viral hit — has now been indicted. Silento faces four felonies, including one count of malice murder and one count of felony murder, TMZ reports. He was also charged with aggravated assault and gun possession during the commission of a felony. Born Ricky Lamar Hawk, Silento was arrested by police in DeKalb County, Georgia on February 1st, after it was reported that his cousin, Frederick Roots, had been shot and killed on January 31st. “After a thorough investigation, DKPD detectives identified Hawk as Rooks’ cousin, and the person responsible for Rooks’ murder,” police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent said. Advertisement Relate...
Bob Dylan Denies Claim That He Sexually Abused a 12-Year-Old in 1965
A new lawsuit alleges that Bob Dylan groomed and sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in 1965. A spokesperson for Dylan tells Consequence, “The 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended.” According to court documents viewed by Page Six and TMZ, a 68-year-old woman identified as J.C. alleges that “Bob Dylan, over a six-week period between April and May of 1965 befriended and established an emotional connection with the plaintiff,” thereby “lower[ing] [J.C.’s] inhibitions with the object of sexually abusing her, which he did, coupled with the provision of drugs, alcohol and threats of physical violence, leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day.” The events allegedly took place at the Chelsea Hotel in New York. The “six-week period...
Johnny Depp Says He’s Being “Boycotted” from Hollywood
Very Famous Actor Johnny Depp has spoken out about being the subject of what he calls a “Hollywood boycott.” In a recent interview with the Sunday Times — his first since losing his libel suit against UK tabloid The Sun last November — Depp continued his attempt to scrub his reputation clean. The interview arrived conveniently in time for the release of his new film, Minamata, in which he plays the real-life tormented photographer W. Eugene Smith. “Some films touch people,” Depp said. “And this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things. And for anything… [pause] for Hollywood’s boycott of, erm, me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?” Advertisement Related Video He added that he’s now trying to “bring things to li...
Nicki Minaj and Husband Sued by His Attempted Rape Victim for Harassment and Witness Intimidation
The woman who was sexually assaulted by Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, has filed a lawsuit against both Minaj and Petty, accusing the couple of harassment and witness intimidation. TMZ reports that Jennifer Hough says Minaj and Petty “have directly and indirectly harassed her and threatened her to not speak about the incident.” The assault occurred in September 1994, when both Hough and Petty were 16 years old and living in South Jamaica, Queens. According to a complaint filed at the time, the victim had been walking to school when Petty came up behind her, pressing an object against her back and instructed her to “keep walking.” The two eventually arrived at Petty’s residence, where he allegedly forced her upstairs and began to rape her at knifepoint before she was able to strike h...
Horatio Sanz Accused of Sexually Assaulting Underage SNL Fan in New Lawsuit
Horatio Sanz is facing allegations in a new lawsuit that he once groomed an underage fan and sexually assaulted her during a Saturday Night Live afterparty. According to a report by TMZ, the unnamed plaintiff is accusing the comedian of not only groping her during the May 2002 party, but also digitally penetrating her while in the presence of numerous NBC employees. At the time, the woman was just 17 years old. The court filing goes on to allege that Sanz — who was featured on the late night sketch series from 1998 to 2006 — first met the anonymous plaintiff two years earlier when she ran an SNL fan site at 15. From there, the suit claims the Chilean-American actor began grooming the young Jane Doe, leading online conversations to sex and and being overly affectionate in person despite bei...
Jamie Spears Agrees to Step Down as Britney Spears’ Conservator
Jamie Spears has agreed to step down as Britney Spears’ conservator, a position which he has held since 2008. In legal documents filed by his attorney on Thursday, Jamie said that he “does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests,” according to TMZ. His attorney added that Jamie “intends to work with the Court and his daughter’s new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator.” Advertisement Related Video Even so, Jamie continues to maintain that there are “no actual grounds for suspending or removing Mr. Spears as the Conservator of the Estate… and it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears’ best interests.” In a statement, Britney’...
R Kelly Claims Herpes Isn’t an STI, Asks for Charges to Be Dropped
R Kelly has been charged with knowingly exposing partners to an STI, but he thinks prosecutors made a rash decision. As TMZ reports, lawyers for the singer are arguing that herpes doesn’t meet the definition of a sexually transmitted infection as laid out by the New York State Department of Health, and therefore charges should be dropped. It’s hard to know how seriously a judge would take this argument. He’s been charged under N.Y. Pub. Health Law § 2307, which reads, “Any person who, knowing himself or herself to be infected with an infectious venereal disease, has sexual intercourse with another shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.” Kelly is not arguing that he wasn’t aware of his infection, but rather that herpes doesn’t count. The law doesn’t expound on which diseases ...
