Legal news
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...
Brad Pitt Sues Angelina Jolie for Selling Winery Stake to Russian Oligarch
Brad Pitt is suing his ex-wife Angelina Jolie for selling her stake in their French winery to a Russian oligarch, multiple outlets report. The couple bought a controlling interest in Château Miraval in 2008, with Jolie putting in roughly 40% of the $28.4 million purchase price. The estate comprises a large house and a winery. They were married at Marival in 2014, and upon their divorce in 2019, Pitt claims they had a “mutual understanding” that neither could sell their share without the other’s permission. In January 2022, according to the suit, Jolie “informed Pitt in writing” that she had reached a “painful decision, with a heavy heart,” to sell her share to Tenute del Mondo, a subsidiary of the alcohol giant Stoli Group, which is owned by billionaire Yuri Shefler. Ad...
Halyna Hutchins’ Family Sues Alec Baldwin for Wrongful Death
The family of Halyna Hutchins, who was shot and killed on the set of the western Rust last year, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Alec Baldwin, his co-producers, and several crew members, Variety reports. On October 21st, during rehearsals at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico, a gun that had been inexplicably loaded with live ammunition went off. Baldwin was holding the gun, though he has claimed that he did not pull the trigger. The bullet penetrated through Hutchins’ torso and buried in the shoulder of the film’s director, Joel Souza. Hutchins died after being airlifted to an Albuquerque hospital. The suit has been filed on behalf of her husband Matthew Hutchins and their nine-year-old son. Brian Panish, who represents the Hutchins estate, said, “He...
Snoop Dogg Acquires Death Row Records
Snoop Dogg is going back to his roots with his latest business venture. Today, the rapper-entrepreneur announced that he’s acquired the brand of his former label, Death Row Records, from MNRK Music Group, an entity controlled by the private equity firm Blackstone. Variety reports that Snoop Dogg’s ownership of the Death Row brand will also likely extend to some of its music rights. The rapper addressed the deal in a statement, saying: “I am thrilled and appreciative of the opportunity to acquire the iconic and culturally significant Death Row Records brand, which has immense untapped future value. It feels good to have ownership of the label I was part of at the beginning of my career and as one of the founding members. This is an extremely meaningful moment for me. I would like to pe...
Former American Idol Finalist Charged with Felony DUI Following Fatal Crash
17-year-old Caleb Kennedy, who reached the top five of American Idol last year before withdrawing under a cloud of controversy, has been charged with a felony DUI resulting in death after his vehicle allegedly struck a building and killed a man inside. WYFF reports that Kennedy was driving a 2011 Ford pick-up truck around 12:40 in the afternoon in Spartanburg, South Carolina when he veered off the road and into a building. The 54-year-old victim, Larry Duane Parris, was pronounced dead at a local hospital three hours later. Kennedy was expected to appear in court for a hearing Wednesday morning. Last year, a then-16-year-old Kennedy made a deep run on American Idol Season 19. But after reaching the final five he abruptly left the competition after one of his old so...
World’s Worst Rapper Arrested in $4.5 Billion Crypto Crime
Heather Morgan, who has released some of history’s most jaw-droppingly bad rap music under the name Razzlekhan, was arrested on Tuesday alongside her husband Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein for stealing $4.5 billion in cryptocurrency. According to the federal criminal complaint, accounts linked to Lichtenstein allegedly hacked into a virtual currency exchange in 2016, initiating over 2,000 unauthorized transactions and making off with 119,754 in Bitcoin. Later, Razzlekhan and Lichtenstein purportedly laundered the funds through a series of crypto wallets. At the time of the theft it would have been worth about $71 million, but due to BTC’s soaring valuation, it could net them about $4.5 billion today. It’s unclear when the pair began dating, but they got engaged in 2019 and married last yea...
All Time Low File Libel Suit to Identify Anonymous Sexual Abuse Accusers
All Time Low have filed a libel lawsuit in an effort to combat the anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct made against guitarist Jack Barakat last year. According to the nine-page filing obtained by Rolling Stone, the pop punk quartet is seeking to learn the identities of the people behind three anonymous social media accounts that initially came forward in October with the accusations, which the bandmates have already labeled “absolutely and unequivocally false.” However, the posts quickly went viral on social media, with the first Jane Doe in the complaint coming forward in a now-deleted TikTok to infer that the band had invited her onto their tour bus when she was 13, offered her alcohol, and asked if they could keep her bra for their “nasty collection.” Advertisement Related Video ...
