Legal news
#BritneyIsFree: Judge Terminates Britney Spears’ Conservatorship
At last, Britney Spears is a free woman. On Friday (November 12th), Judge Brenda Penny formally terminated the singer’s conservatorship, ending a 13-year period in which every aspect of Spears’ life and career was controlled by her father. “The court finds and determines that the conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is no longer required,” Los Angeles County Judge Penny said during the hearing. “Effective today… the conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is hereby terminated.” The decision came after her father, Jamie Spears, agreed to step down as conservator and petitioned the court to end his daughter’s conservatorship amid mounting pressure and public outcry. Judge Penny suspended Jamie as conservator during a hearing in late Septembe...
Nine-Year-Old Boy Injured at Astroworld Remains in Coma, Family Sues Festival
The family of a nine-year-old boy who was seriously injured at Astroworld Festival is the plaintiff in the latest lawsuit filed against Travis Scott and Live Nation. Ezra Blount was sitting on his father’s shoulders during Scott’s headlining set on Friday night when the two suddenly found themselves trapped in a crowd surge. During the chaos, Blount’s father passed out and his son fell to the ground, where he was “kicked, stepped on, and trampled, and nearly crushed to death,” according to the lawsuit. Blount sustained severe injuries to his liver, kidney, and brain, which caused him to go into cardiac arrest. Doctors put the boy into a coma to minimize brain and heart function so the swelling can go down. Advertisement Related Video Immediately following the festival, Blount’s whereabouts...
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...
Judge Tosses Out Restraining Order Requests Filed Against Josh Homme on Behalf of Sons
On Friday, a judge dismissed the pending restraining order petitions filed against Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme on behalf of his two young sons. Judge Lawrence Riff ruled that Homme’s ex-wife and the boys’ mother, Brody Dalle, had sought the restraining orders without the proper court authorization, according to Rolling Stone. The petitions previously failed to win emergency approval. A restraining order taken out against Homme by the former couple’s 15-year-old daughter remains in place. Advertisement Related Video Homme also took the stand on Friday to testify in a contempt hearing related to Dalle’s refusal to share custody with Homme during the times allotted he him in August and September of this year. Dalle has pleaded not guilty to the charge. The trial is set to begi...
Carole Baskin Sues Netflix for Using Footage of Her In Tiger King 2
Chances are that during the early weeks of the pandemic, you spent more time with Carole Baskin than your best friends. But the big cat rights activist, who rose to national fame last year with Netflix‘s Tiger King, isn’t so keen on returning to the small screen: Baskin and her husband, Harold, are suing the streaming giant for using footage of her in the forthcoming sequel, Tiger King 2. According to Variety, the colorful couple filed suit in their Tampa hometown Monday (November 1st) against both Netflix and the show’s production company, Royal Goode Productions. In the documents, Baskin alleges that Royal Goode breached contract by continuing to use footage of her in Tiger King 2, as they had only legally agreed to appear in the docuseries’ first season. The Baskins also added that they...
Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution in Connection to Mac Miller’s Death
One of the men charged in connection with providing Mac Miller the fentanyl that led to his untimely death has agreed to plead guilty. As TMZ reports, Stephen Andrew Walter will enter a guilty plea to federal charges of distribution of fentanyl. In exchange, another charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance was dropped, though Walter still faces up to 20 years in federal prison. According to the plea agreement, Walter “knowingly and intentionally directed Ryan Michael Reavis to distribute fentanyl in the form of counterfeit oxycodone pills, to Cameron James Pettit” on September 4th, 2018. Reavis was Walter’s runner, while Pettit was the drug dealer who eventually delivered those pills to Miller. Miller died from an overdose of fentanyl in combination with cocaine and alcoho...
Attorney: R Kelly Placed on Suicide Watch Following Guilty Verdict
R Kelly was placed on suicide watch after being found guilty of federal sex crimes last month. The revelation was made by the singer’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, during a hearing ahead of Kelly’s next federal trial in Chicago, according to Billboard. On September 27th, Kelly was found guilty of one count of racketeering rooted in alleged sexual exploitation of children, kidnapping, and forced labor, and eight counts of of violating the Mann Act, a law that criminalizes transporting someone across state lines “with intent that such individual engage in prostitution, or in any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.” His sentencing is set for May 4th, 2022, and he faces up to life in prison. A separate trial on child pornography and obstruction of justice...
Young Thug Sues Apartment Building for Giving 200 Unreleased Songs to Stranger
Not so much fun: Young Thug has filed a lawsuit against a luxury apartment building in Atlanta, claiming the concierge service handed out a bag of his personal belongings — including a hard drive containing over 200 unreleased songs — to a stranger. According to legal documents viewed by AllHipHop, the mixup happened at a complex called The Trace in midtown Atlanta. Thugger reportedly left a leather Louis Vuitton bag in the parking garage next to his black Lamborghini on November 1st, 2020. Another resident spotted the orphaned luggage and turned it into the concierge desk. The employee who received the bag then contacted Young Thug and left instructions that no one should give away the bag without approval. Soon afterwards, a different employee handed the bag to an unknown person, an...
Tyga Arrested for Felony Domestic Violence
Rapper Tyga (real name Michael Stevenson) was arrested for felony domestic violence on Tuesday (October 12th) after voluntarily turning himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department in Hollywood, according to local ABC affiliate KABC. According to TMZ, Tyga was arrested after an altercation with his ex-girlfriend Camaryn Swanson that took place early Monday morning. His bail was set at $50,000. The incident reportedly occurred after 3:00 a.m. when Swanson showed up at Tyga’s house and they got into an argument. Swanson claims that Tyga hit her and shared photo evidence of bruising on her face on Instagram with the caption, “I’m so embarrassed and ashamed it had to get to this but I have to stand up for myself.” Advertisement Related Video While posting a screenshot of a text me...
Diplo Under Criminal Investigation Following Allegations of Sexual Misconduct: Report
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office is investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against Thomas Wesley Pentz, also known by his stage name Diplo, according to a Buzzfeed News report. The city is mulling charges of invasion of privacy and intentionally spreading a sexually transmitted infection. The investigation is rooted in a 2020 complaint to the LAPD, in which a 25-year-old woman accused Diplo of knowingly giving her chlamydia, recording sexually explicit videos of her without her consent, and distributing at least one of those videos. Consequence has reached out to LA city attorney Mike Feur for comment. Both Diplo and the alleged victim have sought restraining orders against each other, and the woman also told police that the superstar DJ raped her after one of ...
Savatage Frontman Jon Oliva Arrested for Cocaine Possession and DUI
Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra frontman Jon Oliva was arrested this week and charged with driving under the influence and felony possession of cocaine. According to a Florida Highway Patrol arrest report, police and EMS responded to a single vehicle crash on US Highway 41 shortly before 1:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, September 30th, in Pasco County, Florida. Witnesses told police that Oliva’s pickup truck had swerved into the wrong lane before driving off the road and striking a tree. The force of the crash ripped off the truck’s passenger side door. Upon searching the vehicle, officers found empty vodka bottles and a clear bag of cocaine. A second bag of cocaine was found in a bag belonging to Oliva. Advertisement Related Video Oliva was treated at the scene by paramedics, but a...
Scarlett Johansson and Disney Settle Black Widow Lawsuit
Scarlett Johansson has struck a deal with Disney to settle her blockbuster lawsuit over her compensation for Black Widow. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but both Johansson and Disney issued statements confirming the settlement (via The Hollywood Reporter). “I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney,” stated Johansson. “I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come.” Advertisement Related Video “I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow,” added Disney Studios chairman Alan Bergman. “We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe an...
