Manhattan Federal Jury Says Wall Street Wey Must Pay

After deliberating for just four hours, a federal jury in the Southern District of New York awarded former New York Global Group intern Hanna Bouveng $2,000,001 in compensatory damages. This comes after a 10-day trial in which Bouveng accused New York Global Group CEO Benjamin Wey of assault, battery, defamation, sexual harassment, and wrongfully retaliating against her by firing her after she cut off their sexual relationship. Wey denied Bouveng’s claims, instead alleging that she was fired for poor performance.

The jury was shown, …

March 24, 2015 Defamation / Doping / MLB

Clemens’ Defamation Lawsuit Reaches Settlement

On Wednesday March 18, the defamation-based legal dispute between Roger Clemens and his former trainer, Brian McNamee, arising from allegations that the long-time MLB pitcher used performance enhancing drugs, has finally settled.

The dispute began over 7 years ago with the publication of the now infamous Mitchell Report. In the report, pitching trainer, Brian McNamee, accused both Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens of taking performance enhancing drugs banned by the MLB. Though Pettitte quickly admitted to his use, Clemens denied, and continues to deny, …

March 6, 2015 Defamation / NHL / TV

TSN Broadcasts Inappropriate Trade Deadline Tweet Sparking Legal Controversy

On Monday March 2, TSN mistakenly rebroadcast a distasteful tweet about Toronto Maple Leafs players Joffrey Lupul, Dion Phaneuf, and Pheneuf’s wife – actress Elisha Cutherbert. Now, the rebroadcast could cost TSN and the tweet’s author a “significant amount.”

TSN is a Canadian sports television network, widely known for its coverage of hockey and the NHL. On Monday, the network was broadcasting live coverage of the NHL’s trade deadline on a segment called TradeCentre. It encouraged viewers to live tweet their thoughts and comments using …

February 13, 2015 Defamation / NCAA

NCAA to Disclose Documents Related to Former USC Coach’s Defamation Action

A California appeals court denied on Friday the NCAA’s attempt to seal hundreds of documents in connection with a defamation suit brought by a former University of Southern California (USC) assistant football coach Todd McNair who was sanctioned for his part in the Reggie Bush scandal.

Previously, the trial court blocked the NCAA’s bid to seal hundreds of pages of internal emails and other documents in the lawsuit where McNair asserted breach of contract and defamation claims among others.

Although the NCAA argued disclosing the …

November 13, 2014 Defamation / TV

Nancy Grace’s False Accusations Land Her in Court

On Monday, November 10, a lawsuit was filed in Denver against television commentator, Nancy Grace, for defamation. Known for her aggressive on-air antics, Grace could be facing more than just one complaint.

The lawsuit filed this week stems from a false crime report out of Denver back in January. A woman, after putting her children to bed at night, saw a man’s photo on her cell phone and called the cops. She told the police she thought he broke into her home, took a selfie …

October 17, 2014 Defamation

‘Birdman’ Production Company Under Attack by Former CEO & Founder

Worldview Entertainment’s much anticipated black comedy, ‘Birdman’ opens in theaters this Friday amid great legal turmoil. Former CEO and founder, Chris Woodrow, fired back at the production company that fired him with a lawsuit claiming defamation.

Earlier this month, Woodrow’s business partner at Worldview Entertainment, Maria Cestone, brought a lawsuit against the founder claiming misappropriation of funds. Cestone accused Woodrow and his wife of embezzling more than $700,000 to pay for personal trips to Halifax and Lake Placid and to pay for …

August 7, 2014 Defamation

The Donald Salvages Trump Name with Lawsuit

On Tuesday, August 5, Donald Trump filed an action in the New Jersey Superior Court against Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc. to get his name off two of their Atlantic City Casinos. The Donald seems to think the poor state of conditions of these Casinos is causing harm to the prestigious reputation of the Donald Trump brand.

The lawsuit seeks to have the name “Trump” removed from the Trump Plaza and the Trump Taj Mahal as they are being operated in breach of a …

July 16, 2014 Defamation / NFL

Former NFL Punter to Sue the Vikings for Discrimination

On Tuesday July 15, former Minnesota Vikings punter, Chris Kluwe, stated he intends to sue his former team, claiming religious discrimination, sexual-orientation discrimination, defamation, and tortious interference with contractual relations for his release from the team in 2013.

Kluwe spoke out this past January in a Deadspin.com article about his unexpected release. The article posits his support of same-sex marriage and other social issues as being central to his dismissal from the Vikings and claims that special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer (who has since admitted to …

June 27, 2014 Defamation

Girls Gone Wild Founder Loses Appeal

Infamous “Girls Gone Wild” founder, Joe Francis, is once again on the losing end of the docket. The California 2^nd District Court of Appeals ruled against Francis in his appeal of a recent $19 million judgment.

In 2012, casino mogul Steve Wynn, took Francis to court claiming slander. The dispute arose from Francis’ statements on “Good Morning America,” where he claimed Wynn threatened to hit him in the head with a shovel and have him buried over a past debt. Wynn argued that Francis’ …

June 10, 2014 Defamation / TV

Former American Idol Contestant Loses Libel Lawsuit against MTV

Corey Clark, the former-American Idol participant who gained notoriety for alleging he had an affair with then-judge Paula Abdul, recently saw his $40 million defamation suit against MTV dismissed. The ex-contestant was originally disqualified and removed from the show after concealing the fact that he had been arrested for assaulting his sister.

Clark responded by filing the libel lawsuit back in July 2012 after an MTV reporter published various pieces concerning Clark’s disqualification, including statements characterizing the assault as a “hairy domestic dispute,” and asserting …