Kevin Turner Releases Statement Before Fairness Hearing Tomorrow, Nov 19

Just before the fairness hearing before the U.S. District Court Judge Anita Brody in Pennsylvania about the NFL Concussion Settlement, Kevin Turner, a former running back for the Philadelphia Eagles, released a statement urging the retired player plaintiffs and families to agree to the settlement offer.

Stressing that “what matters now is time,” Turner expressed that he was “personally comforted by the knowledge that the compensation program is uncapped and guaranteed to be there for all retired players, especially for those who do not know …

November 24, 2014 Copyright / Music

Sampling Not Palpable in “Run This Town” According to Judge

On Thursday, November 13, Jay-Z’s copyright infringement litigation load lightened up as District Judge Kaplan for the Southern District of New York filed an Order seemingly favoring Jay-Z.

This good news comes just over a week after yet another federal lawsuit was filed against Jay-Z for allegedly stealing a song, “Made in America.” In this dispute, Jay-Z is being accused of sampling the song “Hook & Sling Part 1” in his 2009 hit “Run this Town.” The Judge’s order states that after several listens, the …

November 18, 2014 Litigation / NFL

DEA’s Surprise NFL Inspections for Painkiller Misuse

On Sunday, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration conducted surprise inspections of various NFL teams, including the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawk, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The inspections were sparked by allegations asserted in a class-action lawsuit filed in May 2014 by several of the high-profile named players like Richard Dent, Keith Van Horne, and Jim McMahon.

The lawsuit alleged that team doctors and trainers routinely distributed addictive narcotics such as Percocet and Percodan and sleeping pills such as Ambien to players in …

November 16, 2014 Litigation / TV

Keyshia Cole Back in Court for Late Night Melee

Platinum recording artist and reality television star, Keyshia Cole, was summoned to court on Wednesday, November 12, for battery and negligence allegations arising out of a 5 a.m. fisticuffs back in September.

The Grammy nominated artist went to see Cash Money CEO Birdman, who she is dating, around 5 AM at his West L.A. penthouse. Inside, she found him with long-time friend and employee Sabrina Mercadel. While the complaint states Birdman and Mercadel share a “plutonic [sic] relationship,” Ms. Cole was enraged and proceeded to …

November 15, 2014 Insurance / Music

Rolling Stones in Legal Battle Against Insurance Underwriters over $12.7M

The Rolling Stones are taking a group of insurance underwriters to court over an insurance claim that was denied. Before their 2014 tour of Asia and Australia, the Rolling Stones took out a $23.9 million insurance policy to cover cancellations resulting from the death of family members and others named in the policy.

The insurance policy was triggered when the group cancelled the Australia and New Zealand concert dates because Mick Jagger’s girlfriend L’Wren Scott committed suicide in her New York apartment on March 17. …

November 14, 2014 Contract / TV

Bravo Sued for Conspiracy by Creators of “Real Housewives”

Last week, two original creators of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” sued their one-time partner and the television network, Bravo, for fraud, civil conspiracy, and breach of contract.

The plaintiffs, Kevin Kaufman and Patrick Moses, claim to have developed the original idea for the first “Real Housewives” series with producer Scott Dunlop. The three sold the show to Bravo in 2005 and created the production company, Ventana, in 2006 to produce the show. The complaint alleges that after the show aired, Dunlop and …

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 …

November 12, 2014 Litigation

EX- Navy SEAL Sued His Former Lawyer over His Book about Mission to Kill Bin Laden

Mark Owen, a retired Navy Seal and author of a 2012 bestseller titled “No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden,” filed a malpractice suit against his former lawyer Kevin Podlaski.

According to the complaint, the lawyer advised Owen that he had “no obligation to submit the Book to the Department of Defense or any other agency for a pre-publication review.” Owen also alleged Podlaski claimed to have special expertise in dealing with military law and special operations issues.” …

November 10, 2014 Contract

Jay Z: You Like It, You Own It

Often seen with his choice of drink, a glass of Armand de Brignac, Jay Z announced his purchase of the champagne brand for an undisclosed amount from Sovereign Brands, a New York-based wine and spirits company.

Jay Z’s interest in the champagne has been well known. When he and his wife Beyonce hosted a fund-raiser for President Obama in 2012, he included a tower of 350 bottles of Armand de Brignac Champagne. The champagne even featured in Jay Z’s 2006 music video for “Show Me …

November 9, 2014 Doping / MLB

A-Rod Admitted Doping to Federal Agents

On Wednesday, any doubt that Alex Rodriguez had taken performance enhancing drugs was put to rest by the release of a synopsis of the Yankees 3d Baseman’s January meeting with federal prosecutors and DEA agents. A-Rod admitted to using steroids.

Alex Rodriguez missed the entire 2014 season serving a one year suspension from the MLB for using performance enhancing substances. However, he never failed a drug test. Since he was originally targeted for doping after admitting to using performance enhancers in the early 2000’s, …

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