Legal news
A Room with a View Star Julian Sands Reported Missing After Hiking in San Bernardino
British actor Julian Sands is one of two hikers who went missing last week in San Bernardino County. Police told ABC 7 that Sands’ family reported him missing on Friday evening and rescue teams have launched a search for him. “His wife did report him missing,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Gloria Huerta told ABC 7. “From what I understand, he left sometime that day for a hike and when he did not return, his family reported him missing.” Sands’ car was still parked in the area when the search began. The ongoing investigation has been difficult, however; unusually severe weather in Southern California means the search has been exclusively handled by air crews, and air resources are limited. Advertisement Related Video “The conditions are too dangerous,” Huerta added. “In fact, even some of t...
Alec Baldwin Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter In Rust Shooting
Alec Baldwin will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021. “After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the Rust film crew,” New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced Thursday (via Deadline). “On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.” Like Baldwin, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is also charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter. Both could face up to $10,000 in fines and a total of over six years in jail. Dave Halls, the film’s first assistant director who handed Baldwin the loaded gun...
Young Thug Trial: Juror Who Left Country Forced to Write 30-Page Essay on Jury Duty
As Young Thug fights for his freedom against RICO charges that have been criticized for prosecutorial overreach, Chief Judge Ural Glanville has punished a prospective juror who left the country by assigning a 30-page essay on jury duty. Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Juror No. 64 explained in a January 12th appearance before the court that she had traveled to the Dominican Republic on a business trip. She said that she emailed a copy of her travel itinerary to jury services last week, believing she was in compliance with her duties. When No. 64 didn’t appear for jury duty on January 9th, Glanville sent Fulton County deputies to her home. “I didn’t really know I was in violation until the sheriff showed up,” she said. “I thought I was following directions.” Advertiseme...
‘Uptown Funk’ at Heart of New Royalties Lawsuit Against BMG
BMG Rights Management is facing a new lawsuit claiming the publisher has failed to pay royalties from Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars‘ smash hit “Uptown Funk” to the families of late members of the Gap Band who are credited as co-writers on the song. In a complaint filed Thursday in Manhattan federal court, the heirs of Robert and Ronnie Wilson claim that BMG breached a 2015 deal that was inked because “Uptown Funk” incorporated elements of the Gap Band’s 1979 song “I Don’t Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops Upside Your Head).” “Despite its obligations to account for and pay to plaintiffs their share of all income received from the Uptown Funk musical composition, BMG has refused and failed to provide either the funds due to plaintiffs or an accounting despite plaintiffs’ repeated deman...
Michael Bay Charged With Killing Pigeon on Italian Film Set
Michael Bay is in legal trouble in Italy, where a pigeon — a protected bird in the country — allegedly died on his film set. According to TheWrap, a homing pigeon was killed by a dolly during the filming of the 2019 Netflix film 6 Underground. An unnamed individual took a photo of the incident and reported it to the Italian authorities due to a national law that prohibits harming, capturing, or killing any wild bird. As the director of the film, Bay is being held responsible for the pigeon’s death. Italian authorities offered to allow Bay to pay a small fine and settle the case, but he has repeatedly declined the offer, maintaining his innocence in the incident. “I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist,” Bay told TheWrap. “No animal involved in the production was injured o...
Rick and Morty’s Justin Roiland Charged with Domestic Violence, False Imprisonment
Justin Roiland, lead actor and co-creator of Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites, has been charged with felony domestic violence and false imprisonment related to a 2020 incident, NBC News reports. Roiland appeared in court on January 12th as part of a pre-trial hearing. He was charged in 2020 and pleaded not guilty, though many of the court documents relating to the case remained sealed, and the information didn’t become public until now. Roiland faces one felony count of domestic battery with corporal injury and one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud and/or deceit. Advertisement Related Video On or about January 19th of 2020, Roiland was accused of initiating a violent incident with a Jane Doe whom he was dating at the time. He was charg...
Ezra Miller to Plead Guilty to Lesser Charges in Vermont Burglary Case
Ezra Miller has reached a deal after being accused of felony burglary in Vermont and is expected to plead guilty to lesser charges while the more serious counts are dropped. The embattled The Flash actor was alleged to have broken into a neighbor’s house in Stamford, Vermont on May 1st, 2022, and stolen several bottles of alcohol. They were initially charged with unlawful trespassing, petit larceny, and two charges of burglary in an unoccupied dwelling. The burglary charges alone could have brought a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. Miller initially pleaded not guilty, But as NBC News reports, prosecutors have agreed to drop the larceny and burglary counts as part of the new plea deal. Now, Miller will face a $500 fine, 89 to 90 days in a suspended sentence, and a...
Harry Styles Sues Over Fake Merch On the Internet, Says He Must Protect ‘Unknowing’ Fans
Harry Styles is on the legal offensive to combat fake merch on the internet. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Chicago federal court, the pop star sued a number of online sellers for allegedly violating his intellectual property rights by selling counterfeit merchandise to unsuspecting Harry fans. Arguing that the counterfeiters use misleading tactics to make it “difficult for consumers to distinguish such stores from an authorized retailer,” attorneys for Styles want a judge to issue a sweeping court order that would, among other things, force big web platforms like Amazon and Etsy (who are not named as defendants) to immediately shut down the listings. “Plaintiff is forced to file this action to combat defendants’ counterfeiting of its registered trademarks, as well as to protect unknowing c...
Marjorie Taylor Greene Locked Out of Twitter Because She Forgot About Dr. Dre(‘s Lawyers)
Marjorie Taylor Greene decided it was Fuck with Dre day and now everyone else is celebrating, as she tells TMZ she was locked out of her Twitter account for posting a video soundtracked by Dr. Dre’s music without permission. On Monday, January 9th, the part-time Congresswoman and full-time troll uploaded a long and repetitive video of her walking various places as the first chords of “Still D.R.E” played on a loop. “It’s time to begin,” she wrote, “and they can’t stop what’s coming.” But as it turns out, they can. Dr. Dre’s attorney Howard King sent MTJ a cease and desist letter, writing, “Mr. Young [Dre] has not, and will never, grant you permission to broadcast or disseminate any of his music,” and adding, “We’re writing because we think an actual lawmaker should be making...
Belarus Legalizes Piracy of Media From “Unfriendly” Nations
Belarus, which has faced sanctions from the United States for allying with Russia throughout the country’s invasion of Ukraine, has passed a law legalizing the piracy of media and intellectual property made in “unfriendly” nations. As Vice reports, the law legalizes the piracy of digital goods like computer software, movies, and music that were made by rights holders residing in “foreign states that commit unfriendly actions against Belarusian legal entities and (or) individuals.” It also allows for the import of physical goods without the consent of rights holders in order to avoid “a critical shortage in the domestic market of food and other products.” According to Vice, royalties from the use of sanctioned goods will be held by the patent authority, and if they aren’t collected by the r...
Cage the Elephant Singer Matt Shultz Arrested on Gun Charges
Cage the Elephant lead singer Matt Shultz was arrested in New York City on Thursday, January 5th and charged with felony gun possession, multiple outlets report. On Wednesday, January 4th, an employee at the Bowery Hotel where Shultz was staying allegedly saw him carry a handgun into a ground floor public bathroom. Police appeared at his hotel room on January 5th and Shultz admitted that he owned two .45 caliber guns, a Sig Sauer and a Smith & Wesson, though at the time he reportedly claimed to not remember if they were still in the hotel. Police took Shultz into custody and a judge issued a warrant which allowed law enforcement officials to search his hotel room. Both firearms were found to be loaded. Shultz did not have a license for the weapons. Advertisement Related Video Shul...
’90s Hip-Hop Duo Black Sheep Sues Universal Music Over an Alleged $750M in Unpaid Spotify Stock Royalties
A prominent ’90s hip-hop duo is suing Universal Music Group for withholding royalties tied to what they’re alleging is a “sweetheart” deal the label reached with Spotify in the late 2000s. Filed Wednesday (Jan. 4) in U.S. district court in New York by attorneys representing Andres Titus (Dres) and William McLean (Mista Lawnge), members of the hip-hop duo Black Sheep, the lawsuit claims UMG owes its artists approximately $750 million in royalties deriving from the company’s stock in Spotify. Under a licensing deal they claim UMG and the streaming giant reached in 2008, the label agreed to receive lower royalty payments in exchange for equity in the then-nascent streaming company. But Titus and McLean say the label breached their contract with Black Sheep and other artists by withholding wha...
