Legal
Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Wife of Music Legend Clarence Avant
A 30-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday (March 3) to the murder of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, the wife of legendary music executive Clarence Avant. Aariel Maynor pleaded guilty in the fatal shooting of Avant and the attempted murder of her security guard at her Beverly Hills home in December, Los Angeles County prosecutors said. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Maynor also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a felon and two counts of burglary. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 30 and could be sentenced to up to 170 years in prison, prosecutors said. “This crime continues to shock the conscience,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “Mrs. Avant’s death was a tragic loss felt by our entire community.” Gascón said Maynor will be ineligible fo...
Dua Lipa Accused of Stealing ‘Levitating’ From Florida Reggae Band in New Lawsuit
Dua Lipa was sued for copyright infringement Tuesday (March 1) by a Florida reggae band that claims the British pop star stole her smash hit song “Levitating” from a lesser-known 2017 track. In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court, the members of a band called Artikal Sound System claim that Lipa’s “Levitating” – which spent 68 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and was the No. 1 Hot 100 song of 2021 – was ripped off from the band’s “Live Your Life.” Explore Explore Dua Lipa See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The complaint was very short and contained mostly boilerplate claims of copyright infringement, with little detail about how or why Lipa allegedly copied the song. But it said that the two tracks were so similar that it was “highly un...
Kanye West Claims Kim Kardashian Can’t Prove He Wrote Social Media Posts Amid Divorce Battle: Report
Kanye West is once again pushing back on Kim Kardashian’s desire to end their marriage. The 44-year-old rapper and fashion mogul, who now goes by Ye, has reportedly filed legal documents claiming that his estranged wife can’t prove he wrote now-deleted social media posts bashing Kardashian’s parenting style and trashing her boyfriend Pete Davidson. The Donda rapper’s attorney argues that his client’s controversial posts are hearsay and should be inadmissible during an upcoming court hearing, according to legal docs obtained by TMZ. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Kim claims she read something online allegedly by Kanye and characterizes the posts in her declaration as misinformation,” the documents reportedly state. “Kim needed to offer the soc...
David Dormon Returns to Downtown Music Holdings as General Counsel
David Dormon is back in the fold at Downtown Music Holdings, where he’s appointed general counsel. Based in New York, Dormon returns to the music services provider following his departure last fall as vp, legal and business affairs, whereupon he joined international law firm Reed Smith LLP. At Downtown, Dormon succeeds current general counsel Peter Rosenthal, who is exiting to “pursue another opportunity,” according to a statement issued Friday morning (Feb. 25). “I know I speak for the entire company when I welcome David back into the Downtown family,” comments Andrew Bergman, CEO of Downtown Music Holdings. “David has a deep knowledge of all of our operations, keen negotiating skills, global M&A expertise and the respect of the entire industry. I am pleased to be able to offer him th...
Alok se apoiou em produtores fantasmas não pagos para criar seus hits de Brazilian Bass
Nota do Editor: A Billboard publicou anteriormente uma versão condensada deste artigo em português. Como uma cortesia aos nossos leitores brasileiros, a Billboard decidiu publicar a matéria original em inglês na íntegra em português. Inclui atualizações sobre o status de “Un Ratito”. RIO DE JANEIRO – Atrás de um complexo murado numa estrada de terra cercado por palmeiras e uma exuberante montanha verde, os produtores e DJs Sean e Kevin Brauer aprenderam a fazer música enquanto viviam na comunidade religiosa Meninos de Deus nas duas primeiras décadas de suas vidas. O objetivo, no entanto, não era o estrelato na dance-music — era produzir rock cristão e música folclórica para apoiar o movimento religioso. Os irmãos Brauer tiveram uma educação domiciliar, não tiveram acesso à internet e tiver...
Kanye West Files Legal Objections to Kim Kardashian’s Plan for a Quick Divorce
Attorneys for Kanye West are formally objecting to Kim Kardashian’s request to be declared legally single in March, saying the proposal creates a “risk of adverse consequences” that must be resolved. The objections are a response to Kardashian’s December request to split the divorce proceedings in two – a plan that would allow her to immediately be declared “single” before slower-moving proceedings, over child custody and assets, fully play out in court. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news That proposal is set for approval in early March, but in a filing on Wednesday (Feb. 16), West’s attorneys said he’d only consent to the plan if several pre-conditions are imposed. Among his stipulations are requirements that would be imposed on Kardashian’s abil...
Release of Bob Saget’s Autopsy Records Blocked by a Judge
A judge in Florida on Wednesday (Feb. 16) agreed with a request from the family of comedian Bob Saget and temporarily prohibited the release of any photos, video or other records related to the investigation into his death, saying that doing so would cause them irreparable harm. Explore Explore Bob Saget See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Saget’s wife, Kelly Rizzo, and his three daughters filed a lawsuit the previous day in Orlando, Florida, asking the state judge for a ruling that would prohibit the release of any records from the local medical examiner’s office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office involving the probe into Saget’s death. Circuit Judge Vincent Chiu issued the temporary injunction, saying that Saget’s family would suffer “severe men...
Young Dolph Shooting Suspects Plead Not Guilty in Memphis
“Memphis is already past ready for justice in this case,” Hagerman said. Both Johnson and Smith have prior felony convictions for violent crimes. Johnson, 23, was traveling on a highway in Indiana on Jan. 11 when he was stopped and arrested on a murder warrant outside of Terre Haute by the U.S. Marshals Service, authorities said. Smith, 32, was arrested in December on an auto-theft warrant involving the vehicle used in Young Dolph’s killing. Both defendants were being held without bond. Juni Ganguli, Johnson’s lawyer, said he spoke with his client after the hearing. “I don’t think anyone’s ever happy when they’re indicted for first-degree murder, so he’s sad and confused,” he said. Ganguli and Smith’s lawyer, Michael Scholl, are both well known in the Memphis legal world and both have work...
EOS Network Foundation reveals plans to pursue a $4.1B lawsuit against Block.one
In a new chapter of the EOS community versus creators saga, the EOS Network Foundation’s (ENF) founder and “community-elected CEO” Yves La Rose revealed that they are preparing for a legal “war” against EOS creators Block.one. According to La Rose, they are reviewing any potential legal action “to seek $4.1B in damages.” Currently, the EOS leader mentioned that a Canadian law firm is working with them to explore what legal action they can take against the original developers of EOS. As Founder of @EosNFoundation I share your frustrations! We are taking further steps to hold @B1 accountable for its past actions and broken promises against #EOS. Review of ALL possible legal recourse to seek $4.1B in damages underway. Let’s do this together! #4BillionDAO coming — Yves La Rose (@BigBeard...
Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s Widow Sues Over ‘At Least’ $1M in Unpaid Wu-Tang Clan Royalties
The widow of Ol’ Dirty Bastard is suing Wu-Tang Productions for breach of contract, alleging that the company has “willfully refused” to pay the late rapper’s estate at least $1 million in royalties. The complaint, filed in New York Supreme Court on Tuesday (Feb. 8) by attorney Brian Caplan of Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt on behalf of ODB’s widow Icelene Jones, claims that the company – which is owned and operated by ODB’s cousin/Wu-Tang bandmate RZA (born Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) – has made just one payment of $130,000 to the ODB estate over the last decade and has failed to provide detailed accounting statements during that time. The estate is seeking at least $1 million in damages plus interest, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs. “Despite its repeated efforts and requests, th...
Fat Joe’s Legal Battle Over ‘All the Way Up’ Isn’t Over Quite Yet
A man who unsuccessfully sued Fat Joe and Remy Ma over allegations that he helped create the 2016 hit “All the Way Up” is now heading to a federal appeals court in an effort to revive his lawsuit. Eric Elliott claims he co-authored the song and has been cheated out of proper compensation and ownership rights, but a federal judge ruled last month that there was “no dispute” that Fat Joe had already paid him for his alleged contributions to the song. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Friday, Elliott signaled that the battle isn’t over just yet. He filed a notice that he will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, a process that could take more than a year. His specific arguments are not yet available, but will be ...
Bill Cosby Likely to Avoid Testifying in Sex Assault Lawsuit
A Los Angeles judge on Friday (Feb. 4) appeared strongly inclined to allow Bill Cosby to invoke his Fifth Amendment privilege and avoid giving a deposition in the lawsuit of a woman who alleges he sexually abused her when she was 15 in the mid-1970s. At a hearing to argue the issue, Superior Court Judge Craig Karlan agreed with Cosby’s attorney that the 84-year-old has a reasonable fear of again facing criminal charges for one or more of the many sexual assault allegations that have been publicly aired against him, and has a right to avoid saying anything under oath that might lead to such charges. Explore Explore Bill Cosby See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “It does appear he has a reasonable fear of prosecution, and if new information came out, that co...
