Legal
Nio Garcia Sues Management Company, Accuses Late Owner’s Mother of Sabotaging His Career
Urbano artist Nio Garcia has filed suit against his management company for “derailing” his career, according to court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Miami on Thursday (Sept. 8). In the 14-page complaint, filed by attorney Edwin Prado-Galarza, Garcia alleges that AH Entertainment’s current president Ilianes Ruiz is attempting to sabotage his career after illegally taking ownership of the company following the death of her son, AH founder and Garcia’s frequent collaborator Flow La Movie. He’s asking for damages of no less than $3 million and for a court order allowing him to release his own music, citing breach of contract by Ruiz. According to Garcia, Ruiz — now acting as AH Entertainment — has tried to stall his career by “arbitrarily” failing to release his new album and associ...
Ricky Martin Files $20M Lawsuit Against Nephew Who Accused Him of Harassment
Ricky Martin has filed a $20 million lawsuit against his nephew, claiming his younger relative tried to “assassinate” his reputation and integrity when he accused the singer of stalking and harassing him earlier this year. According to legal documents obtained by Billboard, Martin — who filed the complaint in San Juan, Puerto Rico — says he is being “persecuted, besieged, harassed, stalked and extorted by a maladjusted person whose interest is to obtain an economic benefit.” He claims his nephew, Dennis Yadiel Sanchez, has messaged him via Instagram demanding money and also made his phone number public on social media, among other allegations. Martin is asking the court to order Sanchez to “immediately refrain” from communicating with him and his family either in person, by phone or throug...
Music Writer Jim DeRogatis Fighting Subpoena to Testify at R. Kelly Chicago Trial
A music writer who spent decades raising awareness about sexual misconduct allegations against R. Kelly is fighting a bid to force him to testify at the R&B singer’s federal trial on child pornography and trial-fixing charges, according to a Tuesday court filing. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Lawyers for Jim DeRogatis, who in 2019 released his book Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly, invoked constitutional and other protections for the press in asking Judge Harry Leinenweber to rule that DeRogatis need not testify. DeRogatis was a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times in the early 2000s when he anonymously received a video that he gave to police that helped lead to Kelly’s child pornography trial in 2008 in state court.&nb...
Drake and LeBron James Sued Over Rights to ‘Black Ice’ Hockey Documentary
Drake and LeBron James are facing a new $10 million lawsuit over the underlying rights to an upcoming documentary they’re producing called Black Ice, about the history of Black players in professional ice hockey. In a complaint filed Monday in Manhattan court, longtime NBA players union exec Billy Hunter said he owns the exclusive film rights to a 2004 book that forms the basis for the soon-to-be-released documentary – but that he wasn’t involved in the production of the film. “While the defendants … are internationally known and renowned in their respective fields of basketball and music, it does not afford them the right to steal another’s intellectual property,” Hunter wrote. “Yet that is exactly what occurred.” Directed by Canadian filmmaker Hubert Davis, Black Ice is set to premiere t...
Nirvana Beats Lawsuit Claiming ‘Nevermind’ Baby Cover Was Child Porn
A federal judge on Friday (Sept. 2) sided with Nirvana and dismissed a child pornography lawsuit filed by the man who appeared as a nude baby on the cover of the band’s 1991 album Nevermind, ruling that the case was filed years too late. Spencer Elden, now in his 30s, claimed the album violated federal child pornography laws by displaying a sexualized image of a minor. But Judge Fernando M. Olguin ruled that the case was filed well past the statute of limitations for such cases. Federal child pornography laws have a 10-year time limit that starts from when a victim “reasonably discovers” either the crime or the injury caused by it. Under either time limit, Judge Olguin said Elden had clearly filed his case too late. “Because it is undisputed that plaintiff did not file his complaint within...
R. Kelly Says He Won’t Testify in Chicago Trial as Defense Calls First Witnesses
R. Kelly’s lawyers began mounting a defense Thursday in Chicago against federal charges of child pornography, enticement of minors for sex and fixing his 2008 state trial, with an initial witness contending the singer was himself a victim of blackmail. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The presentation to jurors won’t include Kelly taking the witness stand. Judge Harry Leinenweber asked Kelly directly on Thursday morning if he would testify, and the Grammy Award winner responded that he would not. The judge raised the issue minutes before attorneys for Kelly and two co-defendants began calling their first witnesses, endeavoring to counter two weeks of government testimony — including from four women who accused Kelly of sexual abuse. Co-d...
Prosecutors Rest in R. Kelly’s Federal Trial in Chicago
Prosecutors rested their case Tuesday (Aug. 30) at R. Kelly’s federal trial in Chicago after presenting two weeks of testimony, including from four Kelly accusers, in their bid to prove the singer enticed underage girls for sex, produced child pornography and successfully rigged his 2008 state trial. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Among the last prosecution witnesses was a 42-year-old woman who went by the pseudonym “Nia.” Taking the stand Tuesday morning, she was the fourth and final accuser to testify at the trial in Kelly’s hometown. A fifth accuser, who prosecutors had said during openings would testify, never did. They didn’t explain why. Through her testimony, Nia painted a picture of Kelly as a master manipulator who reeled...
Kesha Says Dr. Luke Has ‘Obstructed’ Defamation Case, Wants to ‘Get This Ordeal Behind Her’
Kesha told a New York judge Tuesday (Aug. 30) that Dr. Luke is at fault for delays that are threatening to derail their scheduled defamation trial in February, saying she wants to “get this ordeal behind her and move on with her life.” The singer said she’s “more than eager” to get to the February showdown and finally end a legal battle that’s been raging since 2014, but that Dr. Luke has delayed two key appeals that must be decided before the case heads to trial. “Kesha has … done everything in her power to try to ensure that trial will begin as scheduled, including by seeking to expedite proceedings in the Court of Appeals,” her lawyer Leah Godesky wrote in a letter to Judge Jennifer G. Schecter. “Dr. Luke has obstructed her efforts at every turn.” “Kesha has an overwhelming interest in ...
Mariah Carey & More Celebs Targeted by Atlanta Gang, According to New Indictment
A prosecutor on Monday (Aug. 29) announced a sprawling indictment targeting members of what she said is a violent street gang that has been targeting the Atlanta area homes of famous athletes, entertainers and others who flaunt expensive possessions on social media. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Singer Mariah Carey, Marlo Hampton of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Atlanta United soccer player Brad Guzan and Atlanta Falcons football player Calvin Ridley all had their homes broken into, the indictment says. The 220-count indictment was filed Aug. 22 and charges 26 people, most of whom are accused of violating Georgia’s anti-gang and racketeering laws. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said the crimes alleged in the indictment ...
Sony Lawsuit Claims Triller Hasn’t Paid in Months But Is Still Using Its Music Catalog
Sony Music Entertainment is suing Triller for breach of contract, claiming the video-sharing social networking app has failed to make payments for months and after being served a termination notice has also failed to pull the company’s catalog of music from the platform. According to Sony’s lawsuit filed Monday (Aug. 29) in New York, Triller has “historically failed to make payments in a timely manner” but those “failures” escalated in March 2022 when the company “failed to make any monthly payments required under the Agreement, totaling millions of dollars.” Since then, Triller has allegedly continued to fail to pay its outstanding fees, despite Sony’s requests (“and near-total radio silence in response,” the suit states). On July 22, Sony notified Triller that it was in material breach o...
George Lopez Sues Pandora Over ‘Brazen’ Failure to Pay Comedy Royalties
Comedian George Lopez has joined the chorus of comedians suing Pandora over its failure to pay royalties on spoken-word compositions, according to documents filed in California federal court on Tuesday (Aug. 23). In the copyright infringement suit, filed by attorney Richard Busch of King & Ballow, Lopez accuses Pandora of failing to obtain either public performance or mechanical reproduction licenses for – or pay royalties on – the spoken-word compositions for 37 works contained on his albums Right Now Right Now and Team Leader. “The end result is Pandora took the Works, gained listeners, subscribers and market share with full knowledge it did not have licenses and made no royalty payments for the Works,” the complaint reads. Lopez further alleges that Pandora exploited the works witho...
Megan Thee Stallion Demands $1M in 1501 Lawsuit, Implies Label Helped Leak ‘Traumazine’
Megan Thee Stallion is escalating her legal war against her record label 1501 Certified Entertainment, tacking on a demand for $1 million in damages and strongly implying the company played a role in the leak of her new album Traumazine. Stallion first sued in February, claiming 1501 was unfairly trying to keep her locked into her record deal by refusing to count her 2021 release Something for Thee Hotties as an “album.” The label has called the case “groundless” and says Thee Hotties clearly didn’t meet the legal definition of an album. In an updated version of the case filed Thursday, Stallion (real name Megan Pete) took things up a notch – including adding a demand for at least $1 million in damages after previously seeking only a legal declaration that Thee Hotties was an “album.” “150...
