Legal news
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 ...
Four Men Charged in Overdose Death of Michael K. Williams
Four men have been charged in connection with the overdose death of Michael K. Williams, accused of selling the actor heroin laced with fentanyl. Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the men were part of a drug trafficking crew that operated in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. According to video surveillance footage obtained by police detectives, Williams purchased heroin from the group on South 3rd Street in Williamsburg on September 5th, 2021. He was found dead inside of his Brooklyn apartment the following day. A coroner later determined that Williams died of an accidental overdose after ingesting a mix of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin, and cocaine. Irvin Cartagena, Hector Robles, Luis Cruz, and Carlos Macci are each charged with conspir...
Lady A and Lady A Settle Lawsuits over Shared Name
Blues veteran Lady A and country superstars Lady A (formerly Lady Antebellum) have agreed to settle a lawsuit over their shared name. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, they filed joint requests for dismissal on Monday. Details have not been made public, and it’s unclear if money changed hands or whether both parties will call themselves Lady A going forward. Lady Antebellum drastically shortened their name in 2020 following protests over George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis cop. At the time, they wrote of antebellum, “We are regretful and embarrassed to say that we did not take into account the associations that weigh down this word referring to the period of history before The Civil War, which includes slavery. We are deeply sorry for the hurt this has caused.” However, they al...
Drakeo the Ruler’s Family Filing $20 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Live Nation
The family of late rapper Drakeo the Ruler (born Darrell Caldwell) announced on Thursday (January 27th) they are filing a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit against Live Nation and other organizers of the Once Upon a Time in L.A. festival, where he was fatally stabbed backstage in December. The case will be filed next week. In a press conference, the family’s attorney James Bryant played a video that surfaced online of the backstage melee that led to Drakeo’s death. “Mr. Caldwell was essentially lynched by over 40 to 60 people, and as you also saw, Mr. Caldwell had no security,” Bryant said. “That video ran for a full minute and you didn’t see one security officer there. The video you saw was one of the last few moments of Darrell Caldwell’s life.” Bryant also cited Astroworld, Travis Scot...
