Legal news
Johnny Depp’s Defamation Trial Against Amber Heard Begins with Explosive New Claims
The trial for Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard began on Tuesday, April 12th in Virginia. Deep sued Heard in 2019 for $50 million over her Washington Post op-ed in which she referred to prior allegations against her ex-husband, while also saying she had become “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Although Heard did not refer to Depp by name or go into any details of the abuse, Depp’s attorneys have accused her of fabricating the claims in order to derail his career and advance her own. That allegation led to Heard filing a $100 million countersuit of her own. And after losing a libel lawsuit against The Sun in November 2020, the trial represents a second opportunity for Depp to refute Heard’s allegations of abuse. Jurors in Fairfax, Virgin...
Man Accused of Shooting Lady Gaga’s Dog Walker Mistakenly Released from Jail
The man charged with shooting Lady Gaga’s dog walker during a brazen armed robbery in February 2021 was mistakenly released from custody on Wednesday. TMZ reports that James Howard Jackson, 19, was discharged from a Los Angeles county jail due to a “clerical error.” Citing law enforcement sources, NBC News reports that the mixup apparently occurred after Jackson’s initial charges were dismissed and replaced by a superseding grand jury indictment unsealed at a court hearing on Wednesday. However, the new charges were never updated in Jackson’s jail records, and he was “dismissed” from custody later that day. Jackson’s current whereabouts are unknown, and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is asking anyone with information to contact its office. Advertisement Related Video On February 24th...
Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Defamation Trial to Air on Court TV
Next week, Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard goes to trial in Fairfax County, Virginia. With expected witnesses including James Franco and Elon Musk, it will draw plenty of media attention on its own and now, Court TV has announced it will be providing the televised feed. The network will be the official pool feed provider for the lawsuit, promising in a press release to “provide viewers unobstructed and unbiased views of the proceedings.” Of course, Court TV will also air its own analysis of the trial. “Court cases that are as high-profile as this one often create a lot of noise, and it can be difficult for viewers to break through these distractions to have a clear picture of the facts, but that’s where we come in,” said Acting Head of Cour...
Chris Rock Declines to Press Charges Against Will Smith
It was the slap seen around the world, and yet Will Smith will walk away from the 2022 Oscars with an Academy Award trophy and no criminal charges. According to the Los Angeles Police Department (via Variety), Chris Rock has declined to file a police report against Smith, despite being slapped on stage by the actor. Prior to announcing the winner for documentary feature, Rock cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, prompting her husband Smith to walk up to Rock and strike him with his open hand. Advertisement Related Video The US broadcast quickly cut the sound, but the international feed captured the full interaction. Rock said, “Wow, Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me.” Smith returned to his seat, where he hollered, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” “Wow, d...
Judge Moves to Terminate Amanda Bynes’ Conservatorship
Amanda Bynes may be mere hours away from freedom. On March 21st, as TMZ reports, a judge ruled that the former child star’s conservatorship is “no longer required,” paving the way for the legal oversight to officially end at a hearing scheduled on March 22nd. Bynes lost control of her personal, medical, and financial affairs in 2013 after she set a neighbor’s driveway on fire. Her mother was named conservator, and since then the All That standout has struggled with drug addiction and bipolar disorder. In 2020, a judge ordered her into a psychiatric facility. After nine years, Bynes filed to end the conservatorship last month. Reportedly, her parents are supportive of the decision, which is one of the reasons that the often slow wheels of justice are moving so quick...
Jussie Smollett Released from Jail Pending Appeal
Less than a week after being sentenced to 150 days in jail for staging a hate crime and lying to police, a court ordered Jussie Smollett to be released from custody as his attorneys ready an appeal. On March 10th, a Chicago court sentenced Smollett to 150 days in jail and 30 months felony probation for falsely reporting to police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack. He was also fined $25,000 and ordered to pay $120,106 in restitution. Today (March 16th), a court agreed to stay last week’s sentence, or put it on hold. The actor will be freed on bond pending an appeal. In 2019, Smollett told Chicago police that two men approached him on the street at 2:00 in the morning, attacking him with a rope and bleach and hurling racial and homophobic slurs. After investigating the...
Jussie Smollett Sentenced to 150 Days in Jail and 30 Months Probation
A Chicago court has sentenced Jussie Smollett to 150 days in jail and 30 months felony probation. He was also fined him $25,000, and be required to pay $120,106.00 in restitution. Upon hearing the news, he began shouting, “I am not suicidal!” and “I am innocent!” The Empire actor was found guilty in December of five counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report after a 2019 incident in Chicago. These charges each carried a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a penalty of $25,000. He was acquitted on a sixth charge. In handing out the sentence, Cook County Judge James Linn said, “Let me tell you, Mr. Smollett, that there is nothing I can do here today that will come close to the damage that you have already done to your own life. You’ve turned y...
Dizzee Rascal Found Guilty of Assault, Smashes Journalist’s Camera: Report
Dizzee Rascal has been convicted of assaulting the mother of his two children. Following the jury’s guilty ruling Monday, March 7th, the British rapper smashed a press photographer’s camera outside the courthouse, ABC News reports. Back in August, Dizzee Rascal — born Dylan Kwabena Mills — was charged with assault following a June 2021 incident at a residential address in south London, which reportedly left his children’s mother, Cassandra Jones, with minor injuries. Prosecutors said Mills pressed his forehead against Jones’ and pushed her to the ground during a “chaotic” argument that broke out regarding custody arrangements. Neighbors called the police, to whom Mills reportedly said, “I’m the aggressor.” Later, Mills gave a prepared statement denying the allegations, claiming Jones ...
Snoop Dogg Facing Potential Lawsuit from Uber Eats Driver
Snoop Dogg could face a lawsuit for publicly putting an Uber Eats driver on blast. As CBS Los Angeles points out, the Super Bowl Halftime Show performer took to his Instagram story last month to complain about a delivery driver who failed to deliver his order. Snoop’s video included his message exchange with the driver, whose name is Sayd, and who said the rapper’s neighborhood was “not a safe place.” Now, Sayd says he might sue Snoop for posting his personal information in the video, including his first name, photo, and license plate number. “There’s my picture there and also there is my first name,” Sayd said of Snoop Dogg’s Instagram post. “After I saw the video, I’m kind of like, I have high anxiety and I fear for my family’s safety. I contacted the customer many times and I followed t...
Amanda Bynes Files to End Conservatorship
After nine years, former child star Amanda Bynes has filed to end her conservatorship, People and Page Six report. Her mother is currently serving as her conservator. The onetime Nickelodeon standout lost full control of her personal, medical, and financial affairs in 2013 after she set a neighbor’s driveway on fire, in the process accidentally soaking her own dog in gasoline (the dog survived). She has also struggled with drugs, saying she began abusing Adderall after hearing it described as a “skinny pill,” as well as receiving treatment for bipolar disorder. In 2020, a judge ordered her into a psychiatric facility. Bynes had became engaged to a man named Paul Michael, whom she had met while in recovery, and after her parents refused to allow her to marry, Bynes ...
Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Deal Won’t Include 2Pac and Dr. Dre Albums: Report
It looks like three of the most definitive albums released on Death Row Records won’t be part of Snoop Dogg’s pending acquisition of his former label. Per Billboard, 2Pac’s All Eyez on Me and The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory “are no longer on the label,” while Dr. Dre’s The Chronic is slated to leave the catalog as early as 2023. More than two weeks after announcing the deal, Snoop Dogg is still negotiating for the label’s catalog with MNRK Music and its parent company Blackstone. In April 2021, MNRK Music acquired the Death Row catalog from previous owner Hasbro, which in turn had purchased the infamous label as part of a deal for its parent company Entertainment One (eOne) two years prior. According to Billboard, neither All Eyez on Me nor The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory ...
Megan Thee Stallion Sues Label (Again) Over Definition of “Album”
Megan Thee Stallion (born Megan Pete) has sued her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, for the third time. In this go-around, the rapper is alleging that the label refuses to allow her to fulfill the terms of her contract by declaring that her last full-length, Something for Thee Hotties, doesn’t qualify as an album. In the lawsuit filed on Friday (February 18th), Megan claims 1501 informed her two months after the release of Something for Thee Hotties that it didn’t meet the definition of an “Album” (per her recording agreement) and thus didn’t satisfy the contract’s “Minimum Recording Commitment.” “1501’s new position, taken months after the album’s release, is clearly a ruse in an effort to try to take further advantage of Pete, at great expense and not in good faith,” Megan’s attorney...
