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Power Lawyers 2023: Hollywood's Top 100 Attorneys
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Business
Comedian Bobby Lee Sues Wondery Over Canceled ‘TigerBelly’ Podcast Contract
The complaint alleges that the Amazon-owned podcast company terminated their contract in response to a market slowdown.
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News
Judge Plans to Dismiss $500M Suit From 1968 ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Stars
The court found the nude scene, which showed an actor's buttocks and an actresses' bare breasts, isn't "sufficiently sexually suggestive." A lawyer for the actors said he'll appeal the ruling.
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Business
Actors Settle Case On Inclusive Hair and Makeup Styling On Film and TV Sets In Canada
ACTRA, the nation’s actors union, settled in arbitration with indie producers for more inclusive sets where stylists and makeup artists are trained to work with natural hair textures and skin tones for performers of color.
Megadeth Settles Suit Over ‘The Sick, the Dying … and the Dead!’ Cover Art
A lawsuit over the cover of Megadeth’s latest album, The Sick, the Dying … and the Dead! has ended in a draw. New York-based illustrator and designer Brent Elliott White in February sued the band, Universal Music Group and others alleging that he hadn’t been paid for hundreds of hours of work — and that because they’d never […]
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Endemol Shine Sues eOne Over ‘Hell On Wheels’ Profit Participation
Ahead of an expected sale, Entertainment One is being sued for allegedly shortchanging Endemol Shine North America out of its share of profits for Hell on Wheels. The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, alleges that eOne failed to report millions of dollars in tax credits it received from producing the series […]
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Bob Iger on Ron DeSantis’ Legal Battle With Disney: Does Florida “Want Us to Invest More … or Not?”
Disney CEO Bob Iger alluded to potentially withdrawing some investment in Florida amid an ongoing battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who continues to retaliate against company. He said he’s “closely evaluating where it makes sense to direct future investments” in Disney’s theme park business. “We certainly never expected to be in the position of defending […]
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Marilyn Manson Loses Bid to Keep Defamation Claims Against Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood will not have to face defamation claims from Marilyn Manson accusing her of manufacturing a conspiracy to portray him as a serial abuser who has sexually assaulted several women. At the center of the dispute were allegations that Wood and her friend Illma Gore lied to prospective accusers to encourage them to […]
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“We Have No Choice”: Disney and Florida Are Now Locked in a High-Stakes Legal Fight
Disney and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hand-picked oversight board will trade blows in different courts in a legal battle for control of the district that oversees development around the company’s theme parks. The lawsuit, filed May 1 in the state court covering Florida’s Orange and Osceola counties, accuses the entertainment giant of covertly cobbling together […]
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Meta Fends Off Legal Salvo Claiming It “Buys or Buries” Companies
A federal appeals court has rejected a bid to revive an antitrust lawsuit brought by nearly every U.S. state, led by New York, challenging Meta’s acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram in a blow to bipartisan efforts to unwind the transactions. In a unanimous decision affirming dismissal, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for […]
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Guest Column: Lisa Marie Presley’s Estate Battle Gets Messier
Lisa Marie Presley’s tragic, untimely death continues to take sad twists and turns. As a “legacy celebrity,” there is heightened public interest in her death, and in the four months since her passing, countless articles have been written about her estate, and rampant speculation continues to surround her affairs. When I wrote a THR guest […]
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Disney Sues Ron DeSantis Over Florida Special District
In an escalation of the standoff between The Walt Disney Co. and Ron DeSantis, the entertainment giant has filed a lawsuit in Florida claiming the Republican governor’s hand-picked oversight board illegally voided an agreement that allegedly transferred certain powers of the company’s now-dissolved special district back to Disney. Disney is asking a court to rule […]
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Who Counts as a Subscriber? A Judge Explains in Data Privacy Suit Involving Facebook Tracking Tool
Scripps Network will not have to face a class action lawsuit accusing it of sharing subscribers’ personal viewing history with Facebook as part of its advertising business. A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the suit, finding that consumers who subscribed to HGTV.com’s newsletter aren’t covered by a video privacy law that bars companies from disclosing […]
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Alec Baldwin Manslaughter Charges Dropped in ‘Rust’ Shooting
Involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin in the 2021 fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins have been dropped, but New Mexico prosecutors said the decision doesn’t absolve the actor of criminal liability and that there will be further investigation that could lead to new charges. The decision is the latest setback for the prosecution in […]
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Paramount to Receive $167.5M to Settle Shareholder Suit Tied to CBS-Viacom Merger
Another lawsuit connected to the 2019 merger of CBS and Viacom has been settled. According to a securities filing Friday, the company will be paid $167.5 million to settle the suit. It is separate from another settlement revealed in March, in which former Viacom shareholders received $122.5 million from the company. In the latest settlement, […]
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‘South Park’ Standoff: Paramount Global Fires Back in Warner Bros. Discovery Dispute
When Warner Bros. Discovery won the big-ticket bidding war for the streaming rights to the South Park library, it didn’t get everything it wanted. At least that’s what Paramount Global is arguing in its counterclaim in an escalating fight over licensing rights to the long-running and lucrative animated series. WBD in February sued Paramount, South […]
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After Dominion, Fox News Is Fighting At Least Four Other Notable Lawsuits
Fox Corp. may have settled the defamation suit brought by Dominion Voting Systems, but it still faces sprawling litigation related to its claims of election fraud. Even after paying $787.5 million to end the case, Fox has to deal with a second defamation suit brought by another election technology company, Smartmatic, which seeks $2.7 billion. […]
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Dominion v. Fox News: What Just Happened?
It was over before it started. A freshly empaneled jury — and throngs of reporters — broke for lunch anticipating six weeks of trial, only to discover the parties had reached a settlement. The price tag? A staggering $787.5 million. The deal ends a legal fight that began in March 2021 when Dominion sued Fox […]
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Fox Corp., Dominion Settle Defamation Case for $787M
The media defamation case of the century has settled before the opening arguments. Fox Corp. has settled the high-profile defamation case brought against it by Dominion Voting Systems, effectively putting an end to the suit. Judge Eric Davis announced the resolution in court Tuesday, after the start of the trial was delayed by two hours. […]
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Netflix Sued for Defamation After Using Photo of Man in True Crime Documentary
A Kentucky man is taking Netflix to court for defamation over the streamer distributing a documentary that allegedly falsely implied he was involved in a murder. In the 2023 true crime documentary The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker, a photo of Taylor Hazlewood is shown alongside a convicted murderer under audio saying “stone-cold killer” and captions stating, […]
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