U.S.District: Last News

A woman who 'vanished' for three weeks while out on a run has pleaded guilty to faking her own abduction.

Zack Sharf Ryan Michael Reavis, one of the three drug dealers charged in the fentanyl overdose that killed rapper Mac Miller, has been sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison (via Rolling Stone). U.S. District Judge Otis D.

R. Kelly has had a bid to delay sentencing for his sex trafficking and racketeering convictions rejected by a court in Brooklyn this week (April 5).The singer stood trial last September for racketeering, bribery and violating the Mann Act, which criminalises the transportation of any woman or girl across state lines for “immoral” purposes, such as illegal sexual activity.Kelly was found guilty of all the charges against him and was jailed ahead of formal sentencing on May 4, 2022.Kelly wanted a delay to the sentencing in the case until after an upcoming Chicago trial on separate changes for child pornography and obstructed justice.His lawyers argued in court that the date should be pushed back because statements in that hearing “might be used against him” when proceedings begin on August 1 (via Billboard).However, U.S.

David St. George, the 75-year-old former artistic advisor to the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of possession of child pornography. St. George, who was arrested and charged in 2018, is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 16 by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Sterns. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

Woody Harrelson is known for some major films in Hollywood, like his star-making turn in White Men Can’t Jump and subsequent hits like Zombieland and Natural Born Killers. What fans of the famous actor may not know is his father has an extremely checkered past, with participation in drug rings and charges for murder.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorA Nevada federal judge has ordered the owners of Las Vegas’ KAOS nightclub to pay DJ-artist Kaskade nearly $8 million after the venue cancelled his his $300,000 per night residency.The U.S. District Court in Nevada made its decision Friday following a bench trial in November, and ruled in favor of and awarded $7,950,000 to Kaskade (real name: Ryan Raddon) and Big City Dynasty Corp.

Lizzo‘s ‘Truth Hurts’, after attorneys from both sides stated the parties reached a settlement on Friday (March 17).Each side will be required to pay their own legal fees, according to Rolling Stone, although no details have been shared. The attorneys asked for “dismissal of the entire action without prejudice.”Released in September 2017, the song became a subject of controversy two years later when the ‘Juice’ star was accused of lifting the “melody, lyrics and chords” from a demo titled ‘Healthy’, including one of its most famous lines: “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that bitch”.Lizzo denied the allegations and sued the three songwriters in question — brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen, and Justin “Yves” Rothman — in October 2019, seeking “a judicial declaration” that the Raisens and Rothman “did not co-author ‘Truth Hurts,’ and have no right to co-own that work or to share in its profits.” In 2020, Lizzo was herself countersued by the musicians.U.S.

Attorneys representing Jussie Smollett in his fake hate crime case have filed a malicious prosecution complaint in response to a defamation suit filed by Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo — two brothers who testified that they had participated in the elaborate hoax — claiming that one lawyer on the defense team defamed the pair when she suggested they had been wearing "whiteface" while carrying out of the ordeal. Tina Glandian made comments on NBC's "Today" show in March 2019, shortly after the Cook County State's Attorney announced it was dropping charges accusing Smollett of lying to police about the incident two months earlier, and in those remarks, Glandian alleged that the Osundairo brothers, who hail from Nigeria and are Black, might have "put makeup on" to disguise their color.

A federal judge has tossed out a defamation lawsuit filed by Project Veritas against CNN, concluding that an on air statement made about the conservative group did not rise to the level of an actionable claim.

A federal appeals court on Thursday said the pop superstar Katy Perry and her team were not liable to a hip-hop artist who claimed they copied her No. 1 hit Dark Horse from his Christian rap song.In a 3-0 decision, the 9th U.S.

Before the jury rendered its verdict in favor of the New York Times in Sarah Palin’s libel trial, some of its members say that they were tipped to the judge’s plan to dismiss the case.

A jury found that New York Times and one of its top editors were not liable in Sarah Palin’s defamation lawsuit, affirming a judge’s earlier announcement that he would dismiss the case irregardless of their decision.

UPDATED with sentencing: Zachary Horwitz, the Hollywood actor who pleaded guilty last fall for operating a Ponzi scheme that bilked $650 million from investors who thought their money would be used to acquire licensing rights to films, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday.

A federal judge said on Monday that he will dismiss Sarah Palin’s libel case against The New York Times, concluding that Palin’s lawyers had failed to meet a very high burden of showing actual malice.

Attorneys for Sarah Palin and The New York Times wrapped up their case on Friday with lengthy closing arguments, leaving it to jurors to decide whether a faulty 2017 editorial that linked the former governor’s political action committee to a mass shooting was merely “a mess up” or actual malice.

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Josh Duggar's four sisters filed against officials who released records that concluded the former reality television star fondled them. U.S. District Judge Timothy L.

With another battle over the U.S. Supreme Court underway after the announced retirement of U.S. Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, progressives have a chance to make an imprint on the judiciary with the nomination of the first Black woman as promised by President Biden — and their past actions and statements on LGBTQ issues may factor into the confirmation process.

R. Kelly has tested positive for COVID-19 while in a Brooklyn federal jail.The singer stood trial last September for racketeering, bribery and violating the Mann Act, which criminalises the transportation of any woman or girl across state lines for “immoral” purposes, such as illegal sexual activity. Kelly was found guilty of all the charges against him and has been in jail ever since, ahead of sentencing on May 4, 2022.Kelly could face life behind bars for his crimes, and will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.He initially had until today (February 3) to appeal the convictions, but because of his positive coronavirus test, U.S.

Netflix’s stock is rising again after a very rough week, but the streamer took a hit today in court over The Queen’s Gambit.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA judge on Thursday refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Russian chess master who alleged that she was defamed in an episode of the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit.”Nona Gaprindashvili, who rose to prominence as a chess player in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, sued Netflix in federal court in September. She took issue with a line in the series in which a character stated — falsely — that Gaprindashvili had “never faced men.” Gaprindashvili argued that the line was “grossly sexist and belittling,” noting that she had in fact faced 59 male competitors by 1968, the year in which the series was set.Netflix sought to have the suit dismissed, arguing that the show is a work of fiction, and that the First Amendment gives show creators broad artistic license.

The jury selection and trial in Sarah Palin’s libel lawsuit against The New York Times had been set to start on Monday, but there is an unexpected twist: The former Alaska governor tested positive for Covid.