Lawsuit
Seeing Green: Jennifer Hough Drops Harassment Lawsuit Against Nicki Minaj
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: WENN/Avalon / WENN It seems that Nicki Minaj can breathe a sigh of relief. Jennifer Hough has dropped the harassment lawsuit against her. As spotted on Complex the Queens, New York native got some good news regarding some potential legal troubles that originated with her husband Kenneth “Zoo” Petty. On Wednesday, January 12 Jennifer Hough’s lawyer confirmed that his client has dropped the “Super Bass” rapper from the suit. Related Stories “The case was voluntarily dismissed as to Nicki in NY,” Hough’s lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, told Complex. “The case against Kenneth is ongoing.” Back in September of 1994 Hugh accused Petty of raping her for which he served four years in prison. The attorney went on to claim that she is not in the clear just yet thoug...
Nirvana Seek to Dismiss Nevermind Baby Lawsuit: Spencer Elden “Spent Three Decades Profiting from His Celebrity”
Nirvana has filed a motion to dismiss the “Nevermind baby” lawsuit that accuses the band and other defendants of violating child pornography laws with the iconic album cover. Spencer Elden, now 30 years old, continues to allege that the cover image used as the cover of 1991’s Nevermind, which depicts a four-month-old Elden underwater with exposed genitals, was meant to be sexual in nature and “trigger a visceral sexual response from the viewer.” However, the Nirvana camp — including surviving band members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, as well as Kurt Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love — want the lawsuit thrown out, calling it “not serious” and stating that is was filed years too late in a motion to dismiss the lawsuit submitted on Wednesday (December 22nd). Advertisement Related Video It’s th...
Four Tet Gets Green Light From U.K. Judge to Proceed With Lawsuit Against Domino
Domino Recordings probably didn’t expect such a domino effect. Pat Treacy, Deputy Judge at the U.K. Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, has reportedly ruled that Four Tet‘s breach of contract suit against Domino will be able to proceed. The full trial is set to take place towards the beginning of 2022. Earlier this summer Four Tet sued Domino for a breach of contract, alleging the label had not paid out their agreed-upon streaming royalty rate of 50%. The label fired back and pointed to a separate clause in their contract, which was signed in 2001, that states they’re only obliged to pay 75% of their standard 18%: “In respect of records sold in new technology formats other than vinyl, Compact Discs and analogue tape cassettes the royalty rate...
Four Tet Alleges Domino Removed 3 of His Albums Amid Ongoing Lawsuit
Amid a bitter contract dispute, Four Tet has accused the Domino Recording Company of removing three of his albums from streaming platforms to prevent his lawsuit from progressing any further. “This is heartbreaking to me,” Four Tet tweeted. “People are reaching out asking why they can’t stream the music and I’m sad to have to say that it’s out of my control.” “I considered the people who ran Domino to be my friends and to be driven by trying to create a great musical community,” he added. “As a result Domino own 3 of my albums forever. Music I created that’s important to me and to many of you too.” Late this summer, Four Tet sued Domino for a massive discrepancy in their agreed-upon streaming roya...
Wrongful Death Suit Filed By Parents of Deceased Imagine Music Festival Attendee
A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Fernando Octavio Rodriguez, an Imagine Music Festival attendee who reportedly died near the event after an encounter with police. On September 20th, 2019, law enforcement were summoned to an intersection near the Atlanta Motor Speedway, where a naked man was reported wandering around, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Police confronted Rodriguez and stunned him at least 16 times when he refused to comply, according to the complaint. Though the results of Rodriguez’s toxicology report are not yet available, his attorneys believe he may have been under the influence to the point where he was unable to take direction from officers. The police then allegedly knelt on Rodriguez’s neck while apprehending him for a...
Astroworld Attendees Might Waive Their Rights To Sue If They Accept Refunds
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Rick Kern / Getty The aftermath behind the tragic events from the Astroworld festival continues. Lawyers have stated that anyone who is accepting refunds will essentially be waiving their rights to seek damages. As spotted on Hype Beast, anyone who went to Astroworld needs to read the fine print for anything related to the show. West Coast Trial Lawyers president and co-founder Neama Rahmani gave an expert opinion on the matter. Related Stories “Courts generally uphold those types of waivers,” Rahmani explained to Insider. “The classic case is arbitration agreements. Everyone kind of scrolls through. No one reads the fine print, and guess what, you’ve waived your right to a jury trial, waived your right to file a lawsuit, to demand arbitration.” John...
Lawsuits Filed Against Travis Scott, Drake & Live Nation Over Astroworld Tragedy
The first two lawsuits have been filed against Travis Scott, Live Nation, and other entities affiliated with Astroworld Festival in light of Friday night’s tragic events that left eight people dead and hundreds injured. In a lawsuit filed Saturday in Harris County District Court, an attendee named Manuel Souza, who was injured at Astroworld, said negligence on the part of Scott and Live Nation led to a “predictable and preventable tragedy.” “Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner,” said Souza’s attorney, Steve Kherkher of the law firm Kherkher Garcia LLP. “Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to concertgoers, and, in some cases actively encouraged and fomented dangerous behaviors.” Advertisement Related Video Souza’s lawsuit speci...
Jay-Z Calls Out Prosecutor For Using Word Trickery In Perfume Trial
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Rich Schultz / Getty Jay-Z is a great rapper but also very talented at avoiding being finessed. The Jigga Man handled himself like a champion while being cross-examined by a prosecutor during his cologne trial. As spotted on Complex the Brooklyn native took the stand to defend his good name in conjunction with the Jay-Z Gold cologne deal. On Monday, November 1 he fended questions from Parlux’s attorney Anthony Viola. The litigator asked the “Run This Town” rapper if he was familiar with the terms of the deal he signed with the smell goods brand back in 2013. According to Parlux, he failed to make several appearances to promote the release. When asked about it he shot back “I’m not a lawyer” suggesting that his legal team had reviewed the paperwork fo...
Song Cry: Jay-Z To Take The Stand During Cologne Deal Gone Bad Lawsuit
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty Jay-Z will have to defend his good name in a court of law. A smell goods company is accusing him of finessing them out of a check. As spotted on Page Six Hov is being sued for a deal that apparently turned sour for both parties. Back in 2013 he partnered with Parlux Fragrances to make his official entry into the beauty business with his Gold Jay-Z cologne. According to the documentation the expression performed well within the first 12 months of release but apparently started to tank afterwards. Related Stories The distributor attributes the underwhelming performance due to his lack of celebrity support. Parlux says he agreed to make a minimum of six appearances to promote the product but failed to make any which includin...
Diplo Could Face Criminal Charges Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Following the conclusion of an official police investigation into a 2020 complaint, Diplo may now face criminal charges for sexual misconduct in the city of Los Angeles. The city attorney’s office is reportedly considering two charges against the prolific DJ: one for invasion of privacy and another for intentionally giving someone a sexually transmitted infection, according to BuzzFeed News. Both are considered misdemeanors in the state of California and punishable by fines, jail time, or both. News first broke of the allegations last October, when a 25-year-old woman publicly accused Diplo of grooming, emotional abuse and intimidation. Her coinciding complaint with the LAPD detailed that the artist had recorded and distributed sexually explicit videos of her without conse...
DJ Envy Agrees to Drop Carchella Name Following Coachella Lawsuit
The organizers of Carchella, a touring music and celebrity exotic car showcase, have signed a temporary restraining order preventing them from hosting or promoting events under the Carchella brand. The legal measure was sought by Goldenvoice, parent company of Coachella, who alleged Carchella is causing confusion among consumers. They believe the commercial use of the name Carchella may cause attendees to believe the events to be affiliated in some capacity. According to the suit, Coachella noted that DJ Envy, Carchella’s primary organizer, is a well-known personality within hip-hop. Given the ancillary musical aspect of Carchella, Coachella felt inclined to step in and protect their intellectual property. Flyer promoting the Atlantic City edition of “Carchella.̶...
Dave Grohl Reacts to Nirvana Nevermind Baby Lawsuit: “I Have Many Ideas of How We Should Alter That Cover”
Dave Grohl has reacted to the recent lawsuit brought against Nirvana by Spencer Elden, who was photographed as the baby on the cover of the band’s iconic 1991 album, Nevermind. In a new interview, the onetime Nirvana drummer and current Foo Fighters frontman said he has “many ideas of how we should alter that cover.” Elden is suing multiple defendants — including Grohl, Krist Novoselic, the estate of Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love, Universal Music Group, and more — alleging 30 years later that the naked underwater image of him as a 4-month-old baby was child pornography and that using it as the album cover was child sexual exploitation. In addition to seeking monetary compensation, Elden is requesting that the cover artwork be changed for all future releases of Nevermind, including the recentl...
