Tag: Legal Troubles (41-50 of 163)

Mar 1 2012 11:38 AM ET

Adam Lambert lawsuit settled; his early recordings will be released

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Fans looking forward to Adam Lambert’s forthcoming album Trespassing might have even more to look forward to (and we’re not just talking about Queen shows).

Thanks to a newly settled lawsuit, Colwel Platinum Entertainment has won the right to release the American Idol runner-up’s pre-Idol album Beg for Mercy – with or without Lambert’s approval.

The company claimed that Lambert made a false claim under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in order to have Amazon.com take the album off its digital shelves. But after taking the matter to court, Colwel prevailed; according to a new statement from the group:

“The Colwel Platinum Entertainment lawsuit against Adam Lambert has been resolved. Adam has withdrawn any objections to the release of Beg For Mercy and he has approved the use of his songs and performances in these pre-Idol recordings which are interpretations of his artistic vision at the time. Neither Colwel Platinum Entertainment, Inc. nor Malcolm Welsford ever stated that Adam was not eligible to participate in American Idol when he did so and regret that the lawsuit’s allegations were misinterpreted.”

So, there you have it: more Adam Lambert for all.

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Feb 28 2012 11:51 AM ET

Madonna vs. Joe Francis on 'Girl Gone Wild' -- title fight?

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Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Yesterday, Madonna unleashed the lyric video for “Girl Gone Wild,” the latest single from her forthcoming  MDNA.

And there is a boy, apparently, who is not so wild about it: Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis says he threatened legal action if the single was released with its original plural title.

He appears to have been satisfied, though it’s unclear how thoroughly. In a statement, Francis said that the shift from “Girls” to “Girl” was “an immediate solution for [Madonna's label Interscope] to thwart any injunctive relief.”

“Clearly her label was trying to avoid legal action surrounding the song,” he continues. “But this is still infringement as far as the law is concerned and we have been in touch with Madonna’s representatives in an effort to resolve this issue.”

However, according to longtime Madonna manager Guy Oseary, Francis is shoveling bull. READ FULL STORY »

Feb 21 2012 04:07 PM ET

Sugarland blame act of God, careless fans in Indiana stage collapse -- then release clarifying statement

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Image Credit: Stewart Volland

Sugarland’s response to a negligence suit filed against them following the fatal collapse of a stage at the Indiana State Fair last summer have caused an internet furor today.

According to documents obtained by local Indiana news station WRTV, the band (or more accurately, their legal team) placed responsibility for the seven deaths and more than 50 injuries on “gust of wind of unprecedented intensity” and “a true accident, or act of God.”

The civil suit claims that the concert’s promoters and the companies responsible for building the stage allowed it become overloaded, failed to take note of the dangerous weather conditions, and then failed to promptly and properly evacuate the venue once the 60 to 70 mph winds became dangerous. The band responded that “they had nothing to with the construction of the venue” or therefore its safety.

The statement that has garnered the band the most headlines today, however, is their claim that “some or all of the plaintiffs failed to exercise due care for their own safety” and further that “some or all of the plaintiffs knowingly and voluntarily assumed and/or incurred the risk of injury to themselves.” READ FULL STORY »

Feb 17 2012 05:22 PM ET

Robin Thicke arrested for marijuana possession

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Image Credit: Michael Caulfield/Getty Images

EW has confirmed that R&B singer Robin Thicke was arrested for criminal possession of marijuana in New York today. According to Reuters, he was observed smoking a joint in the passenger side of a parked Escalade.

Reuters also reports that authorities released Thicke after issuing him a ticket, but not before getting his autograph and snapping photographs with him.

The “Lost Without U” singer is the son of Growing Pains actor Alan Thicke and the husband of Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol star Paula Patton. A spokesman for the NYPD could not release the date of Thicke’s court appearance at this time.

Feb 10 2012 06:55 AM ET

Man who stalked Madonna escapes from institution, police on manhunt

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Credit: LA Police Department/AP

Police are asking for the public’s help in locating a man who was convicted of threatening to kill Madonna and walked away from a Los Angeles-area mental hospital last week.

Los Angeles police say Robert Dewey Hoskins left the state hospital Friday. He had been committed there last year.

Hoskins, 54, is “highly psychotic” and can be extremely violent and should not be approached by members of the public, police said in a news release Thursday. They urged anyone who sees him to call authorities immediately.

Hoskins served a 10-year prison sentence for stalking and threatening Madonna after being convicted by a jury in 1996. The singer reluctantly testified against the man, who was shot by her personal security after he jumped the fence of her Hollywood Hills home.

Court records show he was convicted of vandalism in July 2011.

Police say they have searched areas where Hoskins may try to go, including the city of Long Beach south of Los Angeles, but they have been unable to find him.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Charles Dempsey at (213) 996 1300.

Feb 7 2012 05:43 AM ET

Randy Travis apologizes for public intoxication arrest

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Country singer Randy Travis has apologized after being arrested on a charge of public intoxication outside a North Texas church.

Denton County sheriff’s spokesman Tom Reedy says police in the town of Sanger arrested Travis early Monday after spotting a vehicle parked in front of a church and finding an open bottle of wine and Travis smelling of alcohol.

Reedy says Travis, whose hits include “Forever and Ever, Amen,” was brought to the Denton County jail about 1:30 a.m. and released six hours later.

The singer, who lives in the small town of Tioga near Sanger, apologized in a statement to The Associated Press “for what resulted following an evening of celebrating the Super Bowl.”

Travis, who launches a concert tour Friday, says he’s “committed to being responsible and accountable.”

Feb 3 2012 06:44 PM ET

Drake sued by ex-girlfriend for including voicemail in 'Marvin's Room'

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Image Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic.com

What goes into the making of a good Drake song? Lots of things. Confessional lyrics, for example, a good beat, and probably an ample supply of cardigan sweaters.

Oh, and in the case of “Marvin’s Room,” an ex-girlfriend’s voicemail message.

That ex is now revealing herself to be Ericka Lee, and she’s suing the rapper to a bid to get partial songwriting credit (read: royalties).

According to the suit, Drizzy and Lee were creative partners, often co-writing songs and poems. “Plaintiff’s contribution is highly significant to the overall work,” the official complaint, filed in California, reads. One contribution they view as significant is her voice; the suit alleges that Drake in fact gave Lee vocal credit in the form of “Syren Lyric Muse.” The audio is now registered by the parties in the U.S. Copyright Office.

The suit also claims that Drake sent Lee texts saying things like ”U basically made that song” and “It’s s–t without you.” And in another one of these messages, Drake apparently said he’d give the ex 2% of the publishing royalties? Which sounds like a pretty weird thing to discuss via text, but Drake’s a weird dude, so who knows.

It’s a strange situation all around, and it’ll be interesting to see how it develops. Really, though, it was a long time coming; given how often the guy calls out his exes by name on his albums, you’d imagine at least a few of them would be pretty peeved.

Anyway, until all of this gets sorted out, give the track another listen to hear exactly what Lee’s demanding compensation for:

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Jan 26 2012 05:30 PM ET

Did Disney inadvertently spark a possible Joy Division reunion?

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Getting members from defunct bands to reassemble can be a tricky business, but Disney may have found “A Means to an End.”

It began when the company riffed off of Joy Division’s 1979 classic Unknown Pleasures for a new t-shirt, altering the black-and-white pattern from the album’s iconic cover art to resemble Mickey Mouse’s distinctly shaped head.

After garnering much attention online, the shirt was discontinued by Disney, and now the ones in circulation fetch hundreds of dollars on eBay.

But the fracas may also inspire a 3/4ths reunion for the beloved post-punk band.

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Jan 20 2012 02:39 PM ET

MegaUpload indictment: File-sharing site still shut down by the Justice Dept., but so-called 'CEO' Swizz Beatz appears to be in the clear

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Image Credit: Jerritt Clark/Getty Images

When the federal government shut down popular file-sharing site Megaupload on Thursday, the war over Internet piracy seemed to sweep its first famous casualty into the line of fire.

In a widely circulated report, Kasseem Dean (known better to the world as either Swizz Beatz or Mr. Alicia Keys) was referred to as the company’s CEO, and there were expectations that he would be one of the targets of the case.

But according to the 75-page now-unsealed indictment, Dean is not involved with the suit, and his name does not appear anywhere in the document. There are seven targets, four of which have already been apprehended, including owner Kim Dotcom. None of them are Dean.

And though there were rumors that Dean had been some sort of “silent partner” in the business, Megaupload’s lawyers said that the hip-hop mogul’s involvement in the company had been greatly exaggerated. “He was in conversations to be named CEO,” attorney Ira P. Rothken told the New York Daily News. “His involvement in the company was highly attenuated. There were discussions and he was involved in a promotional video and in brainstorming future projects, but not much else.”

In fact, Rothken told the Washington Post, “My understanding is that there wasn’t actually a CEO of the company.” And Forbes noted, “If [Dean] was involved, it wasn’t on the books.” READ FULL STORY »

Jan 18 2012 03:16 PM ET

Bruno Mars cleared of cocaine-possession case

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Image Credit: Michael Caulfield/AMA2011/Getty Images

Pop star Bruno Mars was cleared of a felony cocaine-possession case in Las Vegas on Wednesday, after his attorneys told a state court judge the Grammy-winning pop star stayed out of trouble, performed community service, and met other conditions of a plea deal reached almost a year ago.

Mars, whose real name is Peter Gene Hernandez, didn’t appear in person for the brief hearing at which Clark County District Court Judge Jessie Walsh dismissed the case. The 26-year-old singer-songwriter of hits including “Just the Way You Are,” ”It Will Rain,” and “Grenade” pleaded guilty on Feb. 16 to cocaine possession, but the judge postponed accepting the plea.

Mars didn’t get formal probation, but the judge fined him $2,000 and ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service and 8 hours of drug counseling.

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