Legal
Prince Heirs & Primary Wave Spar In Court Over How To Close Out Estate
Attorneys for Prince‘s heirs and Primary Wave wrangled Friday over how best to end six years of courtroom proceedings over the iconic artist’s estate, presenting alternate plans to a judge over how to start distributing his assets. At a hearing in Minnesota state court, attorneys for three of Prince’s siblings dueled over corporate structures with attorneys representing Primary Wave – which has acquired half the estate from three other siblings. Friday’s hearing came two weeks after the estate reached an agreement with the IRS to end a dispute over the proper tax valuation of the estate, setting the value at $156.4 million and avoiding a March trial against the feds. The tax settlement was the last major hurdle to closing out a messy case that has dragged on for nearly six years, since the...
NFT battles: Nike takes seller of unlicensed NFT sneakers to the court
Popular sneaker maker Nike has started the “licensed NFT” wars by taking an online reseller called StockX to court for trademark infringement or sale of unlicensed nonfungible token (NFT) sneakers. According to a Reuters report, Nike has filed a lawsuit against the reseller in the New York Federal court demanding an undisclosed amount in damages and a halt of sales on such virtual collectibles. StockX reportedly started selling Nike sneaker NFTs in January and promised buyers they can redeem the real-world version of the sneakers in the near future. Nike in its 50-page complaint claimed StockX has sold nearly 500 NFT sneakers with the Nike branding which has dented their reputation and legitimacy. The shoemaker brand also alleged the NFT sneakers were being sold at inflated pri...
Bill Cosby Asks Supreme Court Not to Revive Sexual Assault Case
A lawyer for Bill Cosby asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday (Jan. 31) to reject a bid by prosecutors to revive his criminal sex assault case. The 84-year-old actor and comedian has been free since June, when a Pennsylvania appeals court overturned his conviction and released him from prison after nearly three years. The state’s highest court found that Cosby believed he had a nonprosecution agreement with a former district attorney when he gave damaging testimony in the accuser’s 2005 lawsuit. That testimony later led to his arrest in 2015. Explore Explore Bill Cosby See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Cosby lawyer Jennifer Bonjean says the case rests on a narrow set of facts that should not interest the Supreme Court. “Notwithstanding the com...
Britney Spears Case Drives California to Limit Conservatorships
Disability rights activists and advocates for Britney Spears backed a California proposal Wednesday (Jan. 19) to provide more protections for those under court-ordered conservatorships, while promoting less-restrictive alternatives. Their move came as the volatile Spears case again boiled over in a Los Angeles County courtroom. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The hearing to settle lingering issues in the aftermath of Spears’ conservatorship, which was terminated in November, quickly descended into a series of angry accusations between attorneys for Spears and her father, and the case appears headed for a long trial to determine the truth of allegations of misconduct against him. The case is Exhibit #1 for groups including Disability Voices United, Disability Rights California, D...
Jay-Z Urges New York to Limit the Use of Rap Lyrics in Criminal Cases
Jay-Z, Meek Mill and other major musical artists are pressing New York lawmakers to pass legislation that would restrict when prosecutors can cite rap lyrics as evidence during criminal cases, saying such reform is “urgently needed.” Also signed by Killer Mike, Fat Joe, Robin Thicke and a slew of others, the new letter urged lawmakers to support Senate Bill S7527, known as “Rap Music on Trial,” which would limit the admissibility of someone’s music as evidence against them in a criminal trial. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The bill, introduced in November, is part of a broader legal debate over when prosecutors can or should cite rap lyrics – a practice that critics say offers little insight into an actual crime and can unfairly sway juries, ...
Judge Tosses Legal Malpractice Suit Filed By Ex-UMG Exec Charlie Walk
Prominent attorney Marc Kasowitz has defeated a legal malpractice lawsuit filed by former Universal Music Group executive Charlie Walk, who claimed the lawyer gave him terrible legal advice when Walk was hit with multiple accusations of sexual harassment. Walk, the former president of UMG’s Republic Records, claims that the attorney and his firm Kasowitz Benson Torres committed “catastrophic malpractice” by pressuring him to sign a “one-sided settlement” to exit the record label in 2018, but Justice Andrew Borrok dismissed those claims during a live hearing on Tuesday. As first reported by Law360, Borrok called Walk’s accusations against Kasowitz a “false narrative” and “absolutely outrageous.” Walk had argued that his attorney ignored key arguments in his favor, but Justice Borrok cited e...
Astroworld Attendees Asked to Upload Photos and Videos to FBI Website
The Houston Police Department is asking attendees of last year’s Astroworld festival to upload their photos and videos from the Nov. 5 event to a new FBI website. Concertgoers are invited to upload a maximum of four files and share their name and contact information. The Houston P.D. is specifically looking for photos and videos taken between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. in the festival’s “main venue area.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news “Houston Police Detectives have already viewed countless hours of video evidence as part of our ongoing investigation into the Astroworld event,” said the Houston Police Department in a statement Friday (Jan. 14). “To ensure that we have captured all possible evidence for a complete investigation, we have partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigatio...
Taylor Swift’s Accusers Say She Must Face ‘Shake It Off’ Trial, Even If She’s ‘Unhappy’
A pair of songwriters who say Taylor Swift stole the lyrics to “Shake It Off” have fired back at the superstar’s renewed efforts to escape the case, saying she’s not entitled to “rehash” old arguments simply because she’s “unhappy” that a judge sent the case to trial. Explore See latest videos, charts and news After a federal judge ruled in December that Swift would have to stand trial over claims that she lifted lyrics from the 2001 song “Playas Gon’ Play,” her attorneys quickly asked the judge to reconsider his own decision – a rare step that judges take only if they’ve clearly gotten something wrong. Swift’s attorneys say the ruling was “unprecedented” and potentially harmful to other artists, but in a response filed Friday (Jan. 14), attorneys for “Playas” songwriters Sean Hall and Nat...
Tiffany Haddish Charged With DUI in Georgia
Tiffany Haddish was arrested Friday (Jan. 14) and charged with driving under the influence, authorities said. The actor and comedian was detained after Peachtree City Police got a call about 2:30 a.m. regarding a driver asleep at the wheel on a highway, Assistant Police Chief Matt Myers said in a news release. An officer saw a vehicle matching the caller’s description and stopped Haddish as she pulled into the yard of a residence, Myers said. Haddish later posted $1,666 bond and was released from the Fayette County Jail, Myers said. He did not release any information about a possible court date. Explore See latest videos, charts and news A spokesman for Haddish did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Haddish was the breakout star of the smash comedy Girls Trip and ha...
‘Nevermind’ Baby Revives Child Porn Lawsuit Against Nirvana
The man who appeared as a nude baby on the cover of Nirvana’s album Nevermind has refiled his lawsuit claiming that the iconic image violated child pornography laws, less than two weeks after it was dismissed by a federal judge. Citing a blown deadline, the judge dismissed the case last week, but he gave Spencer Elden – the now-30-year-old man featured on the 1991 album cover – “one last opportunity” to refile his lawsuit “if plaintiff still wishes to pursue this action.” On Wednesday, attorneys for Elden did so, once again accusing the band of breaching federal child pornography laws by using “a lascivious exhibition of Spencer’s genitals” for commercial gain. “The focal point of the Nevermind album cover is Spencer’s genitals and pubic area,” Elden’s attorneys wrote in the new complaint,...
Tupac’s Sister Says Trustee ‘Embezzled Millions’ From Mother’s Estate
Tupac Shakur’s sister is suing the executor of their late mother’s estate, accusing him of having “embezzled millions” and refusing to hand over personal items with “tremendous sentimental value” that belonged to the hip-hop legend, including gold records. Explore See latest videos, charts and news In a lawsuit filed Monday (Jan 10) in Los Angeles court, Sekyiwa Shakur and The Tupac Shakur Foundation accused Tom Whalley of “blatant violations” of his duties as the executor of Afeni Shakur-Davis’s estate, including allegedly installing himself in a key management role despite a conflict of interest. “He has effectively embezzled millions of dollars for his own benefit,” Sekyiwa wrote. “Whalley has unreasonably enriched himself at the expense of the beneficiaries and in bad faith by taking e...
‘La La Land’ Composer Sues WME, Says Agency Cheated Him Out of Concert Profits
The Oscar-winning composer behind the music to La La Land is suing his former talent agency, William Morris Endeavor, for “cynically and systemically” defrauding him out of profits for live concerts of the movie’s score. In a blistering complaint filed Monday (Jan. 10) in Los Angeles court, attorneys for Justin Hurwitz accused his former agency of “deceiving” the composer with secret agreements and other “shocking conduct” in order to unfairly pocket the money from a series of so-called live-to-film performances. “Given WME’s underhanded actions and its unrepentant behavior subsequently, Hurwitz has no choice but to bring this lawsuit so that he can expose WME’s blatant conflict of interests,” wrote Hurtwitz’s attorneys, Bryan Freedman and Tamar Yeghiayan of the law firm Freedman + Taitelm...
