Legal news
Bill Cosby Scraps Comedy Tour Due to Pending Sexual Assault Trial
Looks like Bill Cosby won’t be heading out on a comedy tour any time soon. The disgraced comedian first let the ill-advised plan of some sort of post-prison stand-up comedy tour slip back in July, but according to a new report by TMZ, he’s been talked out of the idea because of yet another sexual assault lawsuit. The case in question was filed by Judy Huth, who alleges Cosby sexually assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion back in the 1970s when was just 15 years old. Huth’s case isn’t exactly new either — it dates back to 2014, with Huth one of more than 60 women who have come forward over the years with allegations of rape, drug-induced sexual assault, sexual battery, and child sexual abuse towards the one-time icon. Advertisement Related Video However, the lawsuit was put on the back burne...
Jamie Spears Asks Court to End Britney Spears’ Conservatorship
Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, has acknowledged it’s time to #FreeBritney. According to NBC News, Jamie Spears has formally asked the Los Angeles Superior Court to end his daughter’s 13-year-long conservatorship. In a filing on Tuesday, Jamie said his 39-year-old daughter “is entitled to have this Court now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer required.” “Ms. Spears has told this Court that she wants control of her life back without the safety rails of a conservatorship,” the filing noted. “She wants to be able to make decisions regarding her own medical care, deciding when, where and how often to get therapy. She wants to control the money she has made from her career and spend it without supervision or oversight. She wants to be able to get married and have...
Britney Spears Cleared in Misdemeanor Assault Investigation
Britney Spears has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an incident involving her housekeeper. Last month, Spears’ housekeeper alleged that the singer slapped a phone out of her hand after the two got into an argument regarding the veterinary care of Spears’ dog. Ventura County Sheriff’s Office investigated Spears for misdemeanor domestic battery, but declined to file charges, citing insufficient evidence that a crime had occurred. Advertisement Related Video In a statement, Spears’ lawyer Mathew Rosengart described the allegations as “nothing more than sensationalized-tabloid fodder — an overblown ‘he said, she said’ regarding a cell phone.” “If this involved Jane Doe rather than Britney Spears it would not have been pursued or covered at all,” Rosengart added. Anyone can make an accusation ...
John Lydon Says Court Decision on Danny Boyle’s TV Series Will “Water Down” Sex Pistols’ Legacy
Last week, John Lydon officially lost a court case over the use of the Sex Pistols’ music in Pistol, an upcoming TV series about the group that’s directed by Danny Boyle. Now, the infamous musician has shared a written statement in which he claims the “majority rules” technicality that lost him the case will also “water down” Sex Pistols’ legacy in the years to come. As The Guardian notes, a press statement was published today on Lydon’s website suggesting Lydon was only made aware of Pistol hours before it was announced. It also claimed he still has not been told how the band will be portrayed in the series, adding that he feels there’s a good chance all of this will “distort the true history” of Sex Pistols. “For more than 23 years the Sex Pistols have operated on the basis of unanimous ...
R Kelly Keeps Asking People to Buy His Song Catalog But No One Wants It: Report
Before R Kelly was accused of being a serial sexual predator, he was known as the singer behind such hit songs as “Ignition (Remix),” “I Believe I Can Fly,” and “Bump N’ Grind.” Kelly isn’t making much money on that music these days — see: serial sexual predator — and in the desperate spirit of “sell low,” he’s now trying to pawn off his music catalog on anyone who’ll have it. The problem, as Billboard reports, is that nobody will have it. Having resided in a jail cell since 2019, Kelly is facing a crisis of cash. “His funds are depleted,” his lawyer Devereaux Cannick said earlier this month. And though his catalog continues to generate something like $1.7 million per year in the US, according to a Billboard estimate, next to nothing trickles down to Kelly. Because whil...
The Baby on Nirvana’s Nevermind Album Cover Sues Band for Child Sexual Exploitation
Spencer Elden, who was famously photographed as a baby for Nirvana’s iconic Nevermind album cover, is suing the band for child sexual exploitation. The lawsuit comes just a month shy of the landmark album’s 30th anniversary. One of the most famous album covers of all time, Nevermind depicts a then four-month-old Elden swimming naked underwater as he reaches for a dollar bill. As the story goes, Elden was the son of a friend of album photographer Kurt Weddle. Nirvana’s label, Geffen, initially objected to Elden’s penis being visible, but Kurt Cobain insisted it not be censored. The Nirvana frontman at one point said his only compromise would be a strategically placed sticker that read, “If you’re offended by this, you must be a closet pedophile.” According to TMZ, Elden has now filed a laws...
Nicholas Brendon Arrested for Prescription Drug Fraud
Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Nicholas Brendon has been arrested for prescription drug fraud after being found in possession of pill bottles prescribed to individuals other than himself. TMZ reports that Brendon, 50, was pulled over by Indiana police last week after he failed to signal and swerved into different lanes. According to an affidavit, officers say they observed Brendon sweating profusely and appearing “nervous due to a visibly racing pulse on his neck and shaking hands,” which prompted them to search his vehicle. Officers found several small plastic bags with “crystal/powder residue” as well as prescription drugs listed for “Nicholas Bender” and “Kelton Schultz.” Kelton Schultz is the name of Brendon’s twin brother, and Brendon initially identified himself as such to offi...
R Kelly Trial Day 1: Prosecutors Liken Singer to Crime Boss Who Blackmailed His Victims
Opening statements in the federal trial of R Kelly got underway in Brooklyn on Wednesday. The disgraced singer is charged with an array of sex crimes against six women and girls, including kidnapping, trafficking, and forced labor. According to The Daily Beast, in her opening statement Assistant United States Attorney Maria Cruz Melendez sought to portray Kelly as the leader of a criminal enterprise who knowingly facilitated his crimes. Cruz Melendez described Kelly as a “predator… who used his fame, popularity and the individuals at his disposal to target and groom girls, boys and young women for his sexual gratification.” Advertisement Related Video Prosecutors say they’ll present the jury with evidence including text messages between Kelly and his alleged victims, as well as video...
“Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” Rapper Silento Indicted on Murder Charges
I’s probably time we retire “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” for good. After being arrested for murdering his cousin earlier this year, Silento — the Atlanta rapper behind the viral hit — has now been indicted. Silento faces four felonies, including one count of malice murder and one count of felony murder, TMZ reports. He was also charged with aggravated assault and gun possession during the commission of a felony. Born Ricky Lamar Hawk, Silento was arrested by police in DeKalb County, Georgia on February 1st, after it was reported that his cousin, Frederick Roots, had been shot and killed on January 31st. “After a thorough investigation, DKPD detectives identified Hawk as Rooks’ cousin, and the person responsible for Rooks’ murder,” police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent said. Advertisement Relate...
Bob Dylan Denies Claim That He Sexually Abused a 12-Year-Old in 1965
A new lawsuit alleges that Bob Dylan groomed and sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in 1965. A spokesperson for Dylan tells Consequence, “The 56-year-old claim is untrue and will be vigorously defended.” According to court documents viewed by Page Six and TMZ, a 68-year-old woman identified as J.C. alleges that “Bob Dylan, over a six-week period between April and May of 1965 befriended and established an emotional connection with the plaintiff,” thereby “lower[ing] [J.C.’s] inhibitions with the object of sexually abusing her, which he did, coupled with the provision of drugs, alcohol and threats of physical violence, leaving her emotionally scarred and psychologically damaged to this day.” The events allegedly took place at the Chelsea Hotel in New York. The “six-week period...
Johnny Depp Says He’s Being “Boycotted” from Hollywood
Very Famous Actor Johnny Depp has spoken out about being the subject of what he calls a “Hollywood boycott.” In a recent interview with the Sunday Times — his first since losing his libel suit against UK tabloid The Sun last November — Depp continued his attempt to scrub his reputation clean. The interview arrived conveniently in time for the release of his new film, Minamata, in which he plays the real-life tormented photographer W. Eugene Smith. “Some films touch people,” Depp said. “And this affects those in Minamata and people who experience similar things. And for anything… [pause] for Hollywood’s boycott of, erm, me? One man, one actor in an unpleasant and messy situation, over the last number of years?” Advertisement Related Video He added that he’s now trying to “bring things to li...
Nicki Minaj and Husband Sued by His Attempted Rape Victim for Harassment and Witness Intimidation
The woman who was sexually assaulted by Nicki Minaj’s husband, Kenneth Petty, has filed a lawsuit against both Minaj and Petty, accusing the couple of harassment and witness intimidation. TMZ reports that Jennifer Hough says Minaj and Petty “have directly and indirectly harassed her and threatened her to not speak about the incident.” The assault occurred in September 1994, when both Hough and Petty were 16 years old and living in South Jamaica, Queens. According to a complaint filed at the time, the victim had been walking to school when Petty came up behind her, pressing an object against her back and instructed her to “keep walking.” The two eventually arrived at Petty’s residence, where he allegedly forced her upstairs and began to rape her at knifepoint before she was able to strike h...
