PROOF in Brief

January 2020

• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit their jobs as royals. They will no longer use their titles nor receive public funds for their work. This decision was made  in response to the intense pressure and scrutiny the couple felt their small family was under, especially by an unrelenting press.
• Harvey Weinstein rape trial in full swing. The disgraced producer faces 5 felony counts of sexual misconduct. Defense arguing all sex was consensual; prosecution says it was rape. Will the prosecution prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt? Verdict likely in February.
• Writer, E Jean Carroll’s defamation suit against Donald Trump will go forward.  Carroll alleged Trump raped her in NYC department store dressing room in the 1990s.
• Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth divorce decree entered–they’re both single, legally speaking. But both seemed to have moved on with other partners and are doing just fine.
• President Trump’s impeachment trial has commenced.  The fighting has been bitter and Chief Justice Roberts, who is presiding over the matter, had to reprimand some of the players. The chance of Trump being removed from office is very low as that requires 2/3 majority of the Senate, which is primarily Republican.

December 2019

• Harvey Weinstein trial going forward! Jury selection set to begin January 7 and is expected to take about 2 weeks. The whole trial? About 6-8 weeks.  Stay tuned for updates. Learn more
• Los Angeles DA’s office has sent Weinstein sexual assault charges to a grand jury. These claims are separate and apart from the charges he is facing in New York.  This is not good news for the former Hollywood heavy hitter who faces life in prison on predatory rape charges in New York.
• And in even more Weinstein news, a tentative settlement has been allegedly reached in some of the civil suits the disgraced producer is named in. Note that the money to resolve these mostly sexual harassment based suits will not be coming from Harvey’s pockets but rather from that of his insurance company. Learn more
• Former NFL players charged with defrauding the League by submitting fake medical equipment claims to the NFL health plan. Former greats such as Clinton Portis and Robert McCune among those indicted. Learn more
• Cardi B back in a Queens, NY courtroom in connection with her strip club brawl. And although she was super dressed up for the occasion, of course, not much happened–just another court date set for January 2020. The singer maintains her innocence. Learn more
• The break up was pretty ugly but working out the divorce details seem to be quite smooth between Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth. Apparently they had a solid prenup, neither is seeking spousal support, Miley keeps the pets, and each will retain their own individual earnings. Both are very ready to move on after a decade of a reported tumultuous relationship. Learn more

November 2019

• Tatum Channing and ex Jenna Dewan are officially divorced but issues surrounding custody remain. The former couple seem not to be on the same regarding such issues as taking their six year old daughter out of school to Facetime calls.  Pretty sure this will all be worked out fine–they’re both good parents and clearly want the best for their daughter.
• Did one of R. Kelly’s “girlfriends” have a change of heart? Allegedly Jocelyn Savage has spoken out on a paid website about some pretty disgusting, and criminal, things R. Kelly has done to her but many question if the person posting really is Jocelyn. Either way, R. Kelly remains behind bars awaiting trial in both Illinois and New York on very serious federal charges.
• Country singer, Sam Hunt, has been arrested for DUI. And, it seems as if the crooner was seriously loaded at the time. According to the police report, when cops asked Hunt for his license the singer produced a credit card and a passport. Hunt was stopped after driving the wrong way on a street; he blew twice the legal limit.
• Tekashi6ix9ine is still sitting in jail despite singing like a canary to prosecutors about other gang members and while this should help in sentencing in his own case there is one case, albeit a small one, that he no longer needs to worry about at all–his 2018 Texas assault case has been dismissed.  As you might recall the rapper and the alleged victim made nice and took photos together and all apparently was forgotten and forgiven. Prosecutors could have continued the case but sure would have been hard to prove if the main witness was not willing to testify. 
• Two prison guards who were on duty when Jeffrey Epstein died have been indicated on charges of falsifying records.  Both have plead not guilty. The investigation surrounding his death continues.
• Jane Fonda’s Fire Drill Fridays are still going strong with even more celebs standing by Fonda, risking arrest and sometimes getting arrested. Most of the arrests are pretty simple write ups and releases but allegedly Fonda has spent at least one night in a DC jail in her quest to get the government to take climate change seriously. You go, Jane!

October 2019

• Johnny Depp loses a round in his defamation lawsuit against Amber Heard. A Virginia judge ordered Depp to hand over medical records and other material related to his alcohol and drug use. This order was in response to a document request from Heard’s team that Depp was fighting–meaning he was refusing to turn over the requested documents. Certainly there’s going to be lots of interesting and relevant information in these records; and even more certain is that it will be info Depp likely doesn’t want out there.
• Robert DeNiro has been sued by his former female assistant for gender discrimination (he also left her the nastiest, most unprofessional email–not necessarily illegal-but definitely not cool). The assistant’s lawsuit follows one DeNiro filed against her in August for embezzlement. It’s rumored that was filed in only in response to her threat of suing him.
• Cuba Gooding, Jr. has been very busy going to court appearances.  He now stands accused of groping 3 different woman in 3 different cases.
  The actor has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer described him as friendly and frisky. Ok… trial will be in 2020.
• Gotta love Jane Fonda. She moved to Washington to protest climate change and now has been arrested four times for such protests. Famous friends such as Sam Waterston, Ted Danson, Catherine Keener and Rosanna Arquette have joined her rallying cry. Fonda, who is 81, says she will continue protesting and risking arrest until she returns to LA to film the next season of her hit Netflix show, Grace and Frankie.
• Lori Loughlin continues to maintain her innocence in the college admissions scandal (she is accused of paying $500k to get her daughter into USC as a crew recruit-he daughter has never picked up an oar) but no one would be surprised to learn the actress might be having some trouble sleeping right now as the DOJ (Department of Justice) has announced that Loughlin has been indicted on even more counts of bribery. This is no joke because because if she is convicted of all of the counts, her sentence could be quite substantial.

September 2019

• Weinstein rape trial has been pushed to January 2020 in light of new indictment. And, despite requests by his legal team, the venue will not be changed–trial will still be held in Manhattan.
• Robert DeNiro has been sued by his former female assistant for gender discrimination (he also left her the nastiest, most unprofessional email–not necessarily illegal-but definitely not cool). The assistant’s lawsuit follows one DeNiro filed against her in August for embezzlement. It’s rumored that was filed in only in response to her threat of suing him.
• Tekashi 6ix9ine took the stand in criminal court in a case where he is not charged and rats out many gang members. He even testified that Cardi B used to be a Blood (not really big news as she already admitted this in a GQ interview last year). Despite forking over all the info, the rapper remains behind bars. Clearly he made a deal with with prosecutors but the terms have not yet been publicly revealed. There have been whispers of him being in the witness protection program upon release. With those face tattoos, really?
• Operation Varsity Blues (the annoying name given to the college admissions scandal) is moving along. Felicity Huffman, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 2 weeks in jail. Naturally prosecutors wanted more but, among other things, the judge said basically the college admission system was broken long before Huffman’s illegal actions.  Aunt Becky (Lori Loughlin) still maintains her innocence. Not so sure about that strategy. Huffman’s remorse went a long way in terms of her sentencing.
• Former NFL player, Antonio Brown, has been sued for sexual assault. He was then  pretty swiftly terminated from the Patriots–he  only played one game for them  he did score a touch down though). Prior to the Patriots, he played several years for the Steelers and in 2019 was traded to the Raiders. That relationship went sour pretty fast;  Brown never even played one game for them.  To date, no criminal charges have been brought against Brown nor has this one-time highest paid receiver in the League been picked up by another team.

August 2019

• A$AP Rocky free pending verdict in assault trial in Sweden. The decision is expected on or about August 14, 2019.
• R. Kelly was transported from Illinois to New York to be formally charged with federal crimes involving sex with minors.  To no one’s surprise, he pleaded not guilty. As in Illinois, the New York court has denied the singer bail.
• Katy Perry, Capitol Records, and others in the music industry have lost a big copyright suit-$2.8 million verdict- to a Christian rapper over Perry’s song, “Dark Horse.” Capitol Records will pay $1.3 million of the verdict. Perry will pay $550,000, and others involved in the song’s creation and production will pay the remaining amount. Note, Dr. Luke (aka Ke$ha’s arch enemy) is part of that group and will be coughing up cash as well.
• Janice Dickinson has settled her defamation case against disgraced comedian, Bill Cosby. The terms of the settlement have not been released. Cosby, though behind bars, was not happy about the settlement as the decision to settle was not his but rather that of his insurance company, AIG. Yes, sounds odd, but his insurance company is paying for this –the money isn’t coming from Cosby’s pocket at all. Still, a victory.
• In February 2019, Woody Allen sued Amazon for $68 million alleging that they acted improperly in cancelled a huge multi-project contract with the famed director. After the explosion of the #metoo movement, Amazon ended the contract due to the old allegations against Allen of child sexual abuse. Bottom line: they didn’t think given the current climate that they could promote his films. The case is still alive but a federal judge just dealt a blow to Allen’s side, ruling that Allen cannot contend that Amazon breached the contract as to all the films but must prove that each film contract was improperly cancelled.

July 2019

• R. Kelly hit with two (one in NY and one in IL) federal felony indictments for obstruction of justice, racketeering, and sex crimes involving minors, among other things. A Chicago federal judge denied the singer bail and R. Kelly now sits in jail awaiting trial. R. Kelly faces state charges in Illinois on similar crimes.  Learn more
• Prosecutors in Massachusetts drop sexual assault case against Kevin Spacey. He was accused of groping an 18 year old man in a Nantucket bar. The victim had potential evidence on his phone but when he invoked his 5th Amendment rights regarding that evidence the government’s  case was severely curtailed and prosecutors dismissed the matter. Learn more
• Judge denies bail to millionaire Jeffrey Epstein deems him a flight risk. Like R. Kelly, Epstein is now being held without bail while awaiting trial on serious felony charges including sex trafficking. Epstein’s legal team offered up $77 million in collateral including Epstein’s plane but the judge denied all arguments.
• Singer ASAP Rocky is still being held in jail in Sweden after a fight in Stokhok in June 2019. Apparently the conditions of his imprisonment are so severe-solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day- that it is now being considered a human rights issue. Members of US Congress, as well as many celebs are speaking out, urging his release.  Kim K, known for her work on prison reform, has allegedly made her views known as well. Learn more 
• “The Bachelor,” creator, Mike Fleiss is under investigation in Hawaii for a domestic violence incident involving his pregnant wife, Laura. Fleiss denies the allegations but texts and video stills have been released which seem to point to something that went on in the Fleiss household that is certainly not fantasy suite-like.

June 2019

• Cardi B indicted by a NY grand jury in connection with strip club brawl. She is due back in court later this month. Learn more
• A special prosecutor will be appointed to review State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s handling, and ultimate dismissal, of the Jussie Smollett faux assault case. Depending on the findings, there’s a chance Smollett could be charged again. Learn more
• Cuba Gooding, Jr has been arrested and charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly grabbing Instagram influencer Claudia Oshry’s breast (she’ known as @girlwithnojob as has 3million followers ) while at a rooftop bar in New York. He denies it and has pleaded not guilty
• A woman sued Nelly for allegedly forcing his penis into her mouth, among other things. The accuser sought to protect her privacy and therefore her name appears as Jane Doe on all court documents. Nelly asked the court to order that the woman’s name be revealed. The judge denied the request, stating “that the interest in preserving Plaintiff’s privacy by use of a pseudonym outweighs the public interest in ascertaining her true name.” Good, fair, ruling. Thank you, your honor!
• A group of songwriters is suing Carrie Underwood, NBC and the NFL claiming that Underwood’s Sunday Night Football theme song is their original idea and they did not grant anyone permission or authority to use it. In fact, they say they pitched the song to Underwood’s team a few years back but the team passed on it.
• The man accusing Kevin Spacey of sexual assault was ordered to turn over the cell phone that he was allegedly using at the time of the incident.  But, despite a thorough search he cannot locate it. Spacey’s team thinks there might be evidence on the phone that will help their case so the fact that the judge extended the deadline to July 8 to turn it over is a bit of a win for the actor.
• Stanford sailing coach is the first person to be sentenced in connection with the college admission scandal (aka Operation Varsity Blues).  The coach admitted to taking more than $600k in bribes for Stanford’s sailing program but got off pretty easy–one day in jail (which was credited as time served so no time really),  $10k fine, and 2 years of supervised release. More info on this on our Instagram page.

• Members of the press are not happy with the judge in the Weinstein case. At the request of the disgraced producer’s legal team, he banned the press from a recent hearing in the matter. Though press access to a courtroom is not guaranteed by the First Amendment, it is clearly an important aspect of the American justice system. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech is going to have to be balanced with Weinstein 6th Amendment right to a fair trial. So far it’s Weinstein 1, press 0. Members of the press vow to appeal.
  
• Roman Polanski, the director who was charged with sexual assault and rape of a 13 year old in 1977, is suing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for kicking him out without “due process.” Note, the Academy booted Polanski after the Weinstein scandal erupted (Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein were both expelled around that same time)
• Power players in LA on edge as federal prosecutors announce they are pursuing new and additional alleged participants in the college admission fraud scandal. We will now soon if any celebs or other Hollywood big wigs are on that list . . .
• Rick Schroder (who we at Proof still refer to as Ricky as we knew him back in his Silver Spoon days) arrested for domestic violence for the second time in one month. He wasn’t prosecuted for the first alleged attack on his girlfriend. Let’s see if these new allegations stick.
  
• Lori Loughlin (Aunt Becky) officially proclaims her innocence in the college admissions conspiracy and fraud scandal as she and her husband formally plead not guilty in a Boston courtroom. Hmm… those crew pictures are going to be hard to defend against.

Week Ending 3.29.19

• Prosecutors have dropped all charges against Jussie Smollett. Unexpected, odd move especially in light of the fact that police believe he did in fact fake his own hate crime and that they had the evidence to prove it.
• Famed lawyer, Michael Avenatti, has been charged with trying to extort Nike and committing fraud. He denies any wrongdoing and vows to vehemently fight the charges. Understandable as the charges carry significant prison time if he’s convicted
• The press is not happy with Ariana Grande. She is seriously limiting their access to her during her current tour. Photographers can only take photos of the singer from an area she designates (not the pit), they cannot use a flash, they can only snap pics during her first 3 songs, and they cannot publish the photos without her express written consent. And if she does consent, the photos can only be used in connection with a story about the concert.
• Mueller report released and finds Trump did not collude with Russia during his presidential campaign
• Nicolas Cage got hitched in Vegas. Just 4 days later he filed for an annulment.

Week Ending 3.15.19

• Massive, multi million dollar fraudulent college admissions scheme has been exposed. Lori Laughlin (Aunt Becky from Full House) and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli as well as Felicity Huffman (married to William H. Macy) have all been arrested. Bail for Laughlin and Giannulli was set at 1 million each (same as R. Kelly’s bail amount!!). Huffman’s bail was $250, 000. All three have made bail. No jail for them… yet.
• Conor McGregor in trouble with the law again.  The fighter took the phone of an onlooker who had snapped a pic of him and smashed it violently. McGregor was arrested and charged with strong-arm robbery and criminal mischief. Not likely he’ll get off easy this time. Click here to read about McGregor’s legal issues a few months ago.
• Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of disorderly conduct (for filing a false police report about a hate crime assault, among other things) Despite public outrage, Smollett continues to maintain his innocence.
• R. Kelly was back in court for a hearing on child support (he had spent three days in jail last week for missing a deadline to pay more than $160,000 in back support he owes his ex.) The judge refused to lower Kelly’s monthly payments of $21,000 despite the singer’s claims that he does not have the money.
• And in more R. Kelly news, another sex tape has been turned over to law enforcement. The case against R. Kelly got an additional bump this week when the singer lost his cool pretty significantly during an interview about his legal problems.

Week Ending 2.22.19

• Jussie Smollett has been charged with filing a false police report, among other things, in connection with his hate crime hoax in Chicago. Allegedly he planned the racist and homophobic assault to boost his career. Smollett has been dropped from the remainder of the season of Empire. Learn more
• R. Kelly’s luck seem to have finally run out. He has been indicted on 10 counts of felony sexual abuse. Learn more
• Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, who is 77 years old and a billionaire, has been charged with solicitation of prostitution in Florida. Allegedly there is video tape of him paying for a sex act at  massage parlor. Kraft has denied any wrongdoing.
• Kim Kardashian is suing online retailer,  Missguided USA, for selling clothing that she has worn and for violating her right to publicity by using her name and image without permission to boost sales of their products.
  
• Infamous political strategist, Roger Stone, has been placed under a gag order by a federal judge because he posted a photo on Instagram of the judge with cross hairs in the corner by her head (crosshairs are used to aim or position a gun).

Week Ending 2.1.19

• Tekashi69 had pleaded guilty to nine federal crimes including racketeering, drug trafficking and weapons charges. Learn more 
  
• Actor Jussie Smollett was the victim of a violent racist and homophobic attack. The Empire star was beaten by two men in Chicago and police reported that a noose was found around his neck. No arrests have been made yet although two persons of interest have been identified.
  
• Ariane Grande has been sued for copyright infringement for using an image of a burning candle floating in the sky with her in the flame in her God is a Woman video. The artist suing her claims it is his original work of art and she did not ask permission or authority to use it nor did she compensate him for using it. The two images are very similar but note that at the end of the video the singer highlights herself in a very famous piece of artwork that appears on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  Will Michelangelo’s heirs be coming for her now too?
  
• Kanye West reportedly has settled the massive Life of Pablo lawsuit. The suit was based on the claim that West said the album would only be available on one service, Tidal (Jay-Z’s streaming service). A month after its’ release Life of Pablo was available on Spotify and Apple. The original class action suit sought $84 million in damages. As of this writing there is no information as to the amount of the settlement. 
  
• Kanye West in more legal news this week as he files additional documents with the court in his case against EMI and Roc-A-Fella. West claims that his contract with the labels rises to the level of indentured servitude as there is no end date.  Apparently the deal that was originally negotiated was based on delivery of the number of songs rather than a specific term limit. This is not uncommon in the music industry.
  
• Michael Jackson’s family is furious over the HBO documentary, Leaving Neverland, which premiered at Sundance this week. The documentary revisits the topic of Michael Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of children. The family released a statement calling the documentary a public lynching. Note, Jackson was never found guilty in a court of law for child abuse.

Week Ending 1.11.19

• Kevin Spacey appeared in a Massachusetts courtroom to answer to sexual assault charges, a guilty plea was entered on this behalf (the clerk did it, the actor did not say “Not Guilty” out loud himself), and a follow up court date was set for March 4, 2019. Spacey was not ordered to appear for the March date. Learn more
• Thanks, in part, to Kim Kardashian, Cyntoia Brown has been granted clemency and will be released from prison this August. In 2004, Brown was only 16 years old when she was convicted of murdering the man who raped and trafficked her. She was sentenced to life. Learn more 
• The R. Kelly documentary, Surviving R. Kelly, which details the singer’s sexual abuse, rape, and other forms of sexual misconduct against women, especially very young women, has stirred up lots of talk and emotion. Law enforcement has responded as well and though R. Kelly has avoided punishment in the past, it seems as if his luck is about run out-he’s under investigation in Georgia and the State’s Attorney in Chicago has made a public plea for victims to come forward. Learn more
• Ashley Judd’s sexual harassment case against Harvey Weinstein has been dismissed but not because it was not without merit, rather, the judge found that Weinstein wasn’t covered under the California statute Judd sued under. Her defamation case against him is still going forward. Learn more
• Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Bezos, are getting divorced. They were both young and had no money when they met and got married so it’s no surprise there’s no prenup. With Bezos being the richest man alive, having amassed over 150 billion dollars (he lost a few billion recently so now is only worth about 137 billion), hopefully the divorce will remain as amicable as the couple have presented to the public. However, with Bezos having a girlfriend and talk of it being a relationship that predated the couple’s separation (aka as an affair) as well as the leaking of illicit text messages between the two, this may not be exactly what is going on behind closed doors.

Week Ending 1.4.19

• Kevin Spacey must appear in court as his arraignment on sexual assault charges in Massachusetts. The court denied his lawyer’s request for his appearance to be waived. Learn more
• Documents stemming from Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s contentious divorce have surface in connection with Depp’s defamation lawsuit against The Sun. Depp sued the British tabloid after the publication of an April 2018 article entitled “How can J.K. Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?” The article discussed Heard’s claims of domestic violence at the hands of Johnny Depp. Learn more
• Usher files for divorce from his wife, Grace Miguel. The two have been separated for a while now but certainly all those herpes lawsuits filed against the singer couldn’t have made the marriage easier. Learn more
• Presley Gerber, model and son of super model model Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber has been arrested for DUI in Los Angeles. It’s a a first offense and a misdemeanor but Presley is only 19 so it’s kind of a bigger deal. He could lose his license for a year and be fined.
• Supermodel Bar Rafaeli appears to be in some pretty hot legal water in Israel. Allegedly, the Israeli citizen failed to declare more than $6 million in earnings to the government and has been informed that she will be indicted on tax fraud charges.

Week Ending 12.14.18

• Cardi B is free without bail despite the prosecution’s request in the recent NY strip club brawl. Apparently the judge on the matter does not consider Cardi B a flight risk (probably because she’s a mom and more likely because she posts videos of herself on social media very regularly). The judge didn’t go totally easy on the rapper as he reminded her that she must have zero contact with the two victims–this includes no word about them on social media. Learn more 
• A woman has filed a civil suit against Harvey Weinstein alleging sexual battery.  Actress Jennifer Lawrence was dragged into the matter as in the documents filed with the court the plaintiff stated that Weinstein claimed Lawrence slept with him and that’s why her career took off. Both Weinstein and Lawrence deny having had any intimate sexual contact. Learn more
• A NY preview screening of the documentary about R. Kelly (Surviving R. Kelly) was evacuated following anonymous threats to the venue.  The documentary highlights the experience his accusers and others in his circle had with him regarding sexual abuse, pedophilia, and harassment. The documentary begins airing on Lifetime on January 3, 2019. Civil lawsuits against R.Kelly for sexual battery and false imprisonment, among other claims, remain pending in US courts.
• Lawsuit against Wolf of Wall Street dismissed. This means that  Paramount Pictures as well as Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio’s production companies are all off the hook in a lawsuit filed several years ago by Andrew Greene, a former Stratton Oakmont employee (in the film he was known as the hard partying, drug using, Rugrat). Greene alleged the film was defamatory and that he suffered damages as a result. The judge, however, disagreed and in her opinion stated, “… there was no knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard of truth on the part of the defendants.” Note a judge rejected an invasion of privacy claim in the same matter back in 2015. Learn more
• Katie Couric and others on her team win at the appellate level in the matter involving the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL), a gun rights group who claimed the veteran journalist defamed them in an interview in the documentary Under the Gun. The claim is based on the fact that in the film Couric asks members of VCDL the following question: “If there are no background checks for gun purchasers, how do you prevent felons or terrorists from purchasing a gun?” Then, rather than a prompt answer playing, nine seconds of silence follows. VCDL claimed that this made them look stumped and unable to support their position on background checks. In agreeing with the lower court’s dismissal of the matter, the appellate judge found that while the film does give the impression that Couric’s final question stumped the panelists, “the edited footage is not reasonably capable of suggesting that VCDL and its members are, as they contend on appeal, ‘ignorant and incompetent on the subject to which they have dedicated their organizational mission.”

Week Ending 11.30.18

• Nicki Minaj countersues her stylist for 12k in response to stylist’s recent suit  alleging Minaj failed to pay for his services and failed to return and/or compensate him for designer clothing he secured for the singer. He claims to have suffered over $70k in losses; Minaj claims she overpaid him the 12k, that he knew he was overpaid, said he would return the money but and never did. Legal fees for Minaj likely going to be more than 12K so clearly she is pretty angry . . .
• Tekashi69 has been charged with federal racketeering and weapon counts and bail has been denied. This mean that for now the rapper will remain in a federal jail until his trial. This is not good news as his trial is not set to begin until September 2019. Moreover, due to his gang ties, jail has been a pretty scary place for the rapper and he has already been moved once. Learn more
• Ten people have been arrested in connection with the ongoing string of celebrity burgalaries in LA.  The band of bandits are alleged to have stolen over $1 million in property. Note too that this isn’t some low level bling ring as the suspects are alleged to have ties to LA gangs. Learn more
• New Les Moonves accuser alleges the fallen CBS chief forced himself on her in 1995 and tried to buy her silence by promising her small roles on CBS shows. Moonves’ severance alleged to be valued at $120 million might be adversely effected or rendered void as a result. Learn more
• Brad and Angelina have filed a motion to extend the time they have to resolve their custody dispute matter with a private judge.  The bitter battle was set to go to court in December as the two were unable to work out their differences but now it looks as if they are trying to do so again. Learn more

Week Ending 11.16.18

• A federal judge has sided with CNN. The court has ordered that the Trump administration must immediately return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta. The decision was not based on the First Amendment (free speech) but rather due process.  We smell an appeal coming . . .  In any event, though Acosta will be back on the job, Trump is under no requirement to interact with him in any way, he need not call on Acosta nor respond to any of his questions.
• Scores of Malibu residents lose their homes to the devastating Woolsey fire. Among the celebrities who will be filing claims with their insurance companies (we assume they all have it) as a result of the loss are: Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, Gerard Butler, Neil Young, Camille Grammer, Robin Thicke and April Love Geary. Once residents are allowed to return to the area (most of Malibu is still under mandatory evacuation) many more claims will be made due to smoke and other damage. For those who have not been to Malibu it’s one of the most beautiful places in the US, if not the world. We at PROOF are part of the community and share in the pain of this tragedy and also in the gratitude to the first responders and that loss of life has been limited. 
  
• Michael Avenatti, lawyer for Stormy Daniels, has been arrested for suspicion of domestic violence. Avenatti vehemently denies the claim and believes he was set up on by right wing conservative, Jacob Strohl and his Surefire Intelligence. Strohl denies any involvement. Avenatti is currently out on 50k bail and has vowed to go after TMZ for falsely reporting that the victim was his second wife, Lisa.  Soon after the news broke, Lisa made clear she was not the victim and had not seen Avenatti for months. Also, both Lisa and his first wife, Christine have come out in support of him and have commented on his non violent character.
  
• Singer Nelly has been sued for a sexual assault that allegedly occurred last year after one of his concerts in the UK.  A woman claims the singer masturbated in front of her and forced her to perform oral sex. He denies the allegations and also has said that baseless lawsuits such as this one “undermines real claims of sexual abuse/harassment by real victims.” Note that fairly recently, Nelly was sued by another woman for sexual misconduct; that matter was dropped and reportedly no money changed hands.  Perhaps there was an apology? Just a guess on our part . . .
  
• Busy legal week for rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine. First there were gunshots at his video shoot in Beverly Hills (Kanye West and 50 Cent were there), then there was an arrest in his pistol whipping matter (he was the victim in that one), and then he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with an expired license and assault charge (as part of the plea deal the assault charge was dropped).  Learn more

Week Ending 11.9.18

• Tragic, deadly shooting at a bar in Thousand Oaks, CA. It’s very close to Proof headquarters and our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this tragedy. Alaina Housley, the niece of actress, Tamera Mowry, well as Ron Helus, a long standing member of the local police force were among the twelve who perished. There are no words for this continued, senseless gun violence.
  
• Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s custody battle over their six kids getting more and more complicated and allegedly uglier and uglier. Despite the couple’s announced intent to keep the family matters private now the custody matter is going to be decided in a courtroom rather than a private mediation room. Allegedly Jolie is seeking sole custody while Pitt is willing to agree to joint custody. Note that Jolie has had primary physical custody of the kids since the separation more than a year ago. The kids range in age from 10-17 so any more delay and a custody award regarding Maddox, the eldest, will no longer be an issue. Learn more
  
• Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, on the flip side of Brad and Angie, have worked everything out regarding child custody (it’s joint) and assets. This Hollywood union is now in the record books. These two seemed to have done it right in that most of the matter was kept out of the public eye and the court system with well known celeb divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser mediating the entire thing. Well done considering there wasn’t a prenup. This resolution doesn’t reflect well only on Wasser but shows that Garner and Affleck acted reasonably–this type of amicable resolution can’t happen any other way.
  
• Rihanna joins the list of musicians who are sick and tired of Trump using her music at his rallies without permission or authority. Her lawyers sent Trump a cease and desist letter telling him to stop playing “Don’t Stop the Music,” among other Rihanna songs. Of course, he doesn’t seem to care much about these letters and keeps doing whatever he wants, however he wants. Learn more
  
• Though Tekashi6ix9 is trying to live the straight and narrow after receiving probation stemming from a child sex act case he was involved in back in 2015, his manager, Shottie, just turned himself in to police in connection with an October 26, 2018 shooting incident. That was the day Tekashi got his good news about probation and he was set to meet a record producer; when his crew was turned away from the restaurant where the meeting was set to occur violence ensued. Two people were arrested after the shooting and now, Shottie has been indicted with 2 felonies:  i) attempt to commit assault in the first degree, and ii) assault in the second degree. Learn more
• Actor Mickey Rourke allegedly didn’t pay his rent, damaged an apartment and didn’t respond when he was sued for all of this. What happens when someone fails to respond to a properly filed lawsuit? A default judgment is entered. And that’s exactly what happened here. A New York judge ordered the actor to pay the $32,511.06 the landlord claims is owed. 

Week Ending 11.2.18

• Mob boss, Whitey Bulgar brutally murdered in prison. He was 89 years old and in a wheelchair but that doesn’t make him a sympathetic victim. The family of the victims he murdered welcomed the news. A mob hitman is alleged to have made the hit on Bulgar.
• Another Harvey Weinstein accuser joins other victims who filed a lawsuit last June in federal court accusing Weinstein and the Weinstein company of assault, battery and racketeering. The allegations of this plaintiff are particularly troubling as she alleges she was 16 at the time, Weinstein knew she was 16 yet he forced her to touch his penis, among other things, and when she rebuffed his advances over the years he threatened her career. Based on the scores of allegations, like Cosby, Weinstein clearly has a pattern, despite what his attorney Ben Brafman says.
• Hockey player, Evander Kane is being sued by a woman he allegedly got pregnant three times.  Getting someone pregnant isn’t the issue, of course. rather, he apparently promised the woman millions if she had an abortion-for the third pregnancy (she had aborted the prior two). She got the third abortion; Kane never paid up and now she wants her money. We don’t know about you but this story makes us feel icky all around. 
  
• Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Bassett are done. The couple filed for divorce back in April 2018 and now all docs are signed and the marriage is over. We at Proof are kind of sad about this one–we were really moved by Kendra’s social media post when the divorce path was first made public and had hoped the two could work it out. Love hurts.
  
• Trump pissing off more celebs. This time it’s Pharell. The singer/composer is just about done with the President playing his song, Happy, at rallies without Pharrell’s express permission or authority. He was as even more angry because the very sensitive Trump played it at a rally the day of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue mass shooting. Trump has used lots of songs from big name musicians without permission yet true to form seems undeterred by the repeated cease and desists letters he continues to receive.
  
• Chris Cornell’s widow is suing the doctor who prescribed the Soundgarden singer with anti anxiety medication and other drugs in the time before his death. The suit alleges that the drugs were negligently prescribed and effected Cornell in such a way that it lead to suicide.  
  
• Megyn Kelly v. NBC continuing on a pretty ugly path with Kelly’s lawyer claiming that NBC is leaking incorrect information about the negotiations. Her lawyer alleges he is trying to keep the process confidential but someone in NBC who leaking info to the press. Anyone feeling bad for Megyn yet? Nah, we didn’t think so.
• Heather Locklear facing more trouble from her battery arrest this past June. The officer on the scene who Locklear allegedly kicked and screamed at is suing her for money damages for the injuries she suffered and time lost from work. This really should have just been a workers comp matter so it will be interesting to see how this one plays out. Learn more

Week Ending 10.26.18

• Pipe bombs mailed to Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, Joe Biden and Robert DeNiro, among others who are not seen as Trump supporters. Several of the suspicious packages were sent with the return address of Florida democratic congresswoman Debbie Wasserman. None of the bombs have exploded and no one has yet been physically inured by them.
• Megyn Kelly puts her foot in her mouth-again. This time she defended the use of blackface and said objections to it are overly PC. Her comments are really catching with up her. Her future at NBC is in serious danger-she’s likely out. Maybe she’s happy about this as it has been particularly bumpy ride there for her and she has lawyered up seeking the remainder of her $50M contract.
• LAPD offers extra protection from burglars while the baseball team plays in the World Series.  Recall right fielder Yasiel Puig’s house has been hot 4 times allegedly! This offer doesn’t seem to be helping the Dodgers too much on the field as they have lost the first 2 games as of the Series so far. Learn more
• Marion “Pooch” Hall of Ray Donovan fame pleaded not guilty to felony child abuse and DUI. The charges stemmed from a recent incident in which the actor was seen driving with his toddler on his lap (clearly not a child car seat!) and the car collided with a tree. Pooch blew a .275, 3 times the legal limit of .08 in California.
• Prosecutors in LA have refused to charge Mark Burnett with anything stemming from his altercation with Tom Arnold before the Emmy’s. Via Twitter, Arnold has announced that he will pursue the case civilly (for those who are unclear about the difference basically now that the City is out and there will be no criminal repercussions, Arnold is going to try to sue Burnett and seek money damages). Learn more

Week Ending 10.19.18

• More issues in the Harvey Weinstein prosecution. A detective told a victim to delete information from her phone before turning it over to prosecutors. Note that per the DA’s Office, the victim did not follow the detective’s recommendation and turned the phone over with everything in tact. While this is not great news it certainly does not “undermine the integrity of a deeply flawed indictment,” as Weinstein’s attorney Brafman pronounced.
• Ariana Grande returned her engagement ring to Pete Davidson but she has kept the couple’s pig, Piggy Smallz. NY law mandates that if there’s not going to be a marriage then the ring must be returned to the giver. So, the right move by Grande. As for pets, that law is not so well settled. But it seems as if the couple is not fighting over pig custody.   We know Grande’s pets are very important to her.  Davidson clearly knows this too. A nice, amicable move by him.
• Fleetwood Mac is embroiled in a messy lawsuit. Lead guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham has sued other band members alleging that he was kicked off a recent tour and is losing $12 million for his share of the proceeds as a result. Fleetwood Mac is fighting back and disagrees with Buckingham’s claims.
• Former head of USA gymnastics, Steve Penny, has been located and arrested. He was indicted a few weeks ago for felony evidence tampering related to USA gymnastic sex abuse matter matter involving Larry Nassar. Apparently Penny directed others to remove documents from coach Bella Karolyi’s training facility.
• Kendall Jenner’s stalker is not deterred by restraining orders or the security at her private gated community. John Ford ignored a court order and evaded security again and has allegedly showed up at least 2 times at Jenner’s house–once on her front porch, once at her pool. Scary.
• As of October 17, 2018, cannabis is legal in Canada. Toronto police made this crystal clear to all with a social media post indicating, among other things, that reporting an adult smoking a joint does not merit a 911 call and that pot consumption is allowed anywhere cigarette smoking is allowed except in motor vehicles.

Week Ending 10.12.18

• One of the six sexual assault counts against Harvey Weinstein has been dismissed. The remaining cases are moving “full steam ahead.” Learn more
• Bill Cosby has appealed his sexual assault conviction–this is not a surprise. Also not a surprise is that his legal team is claiming multiple trial errors and that he should not have been deemed a sexually violent predator. Learn more
• An immigration judge has ordered that Joe Giudice, husband of Teresa Giudice, star of  The Real Housewives of New Jersey, is be deported back to Italy in March 2019 after completing his sentence for fraud. Learn more
• Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, of Jersey Shore “fame” has been sentenced to eight months in prison, 2 years of supervised release, 500 hours of community service, and $10,000 fine as a result of his guilty plea to tax evasion and concealing income. The plea stemmed from a 2014 indictment for falsifying business and personal tax returns between 2010 and 2012.
• Fyre festival founder, Billy McFarland has been sentenced to six years in prison for wire fraud. He faced up to 20 years but asked for the court’s mercy due to his claim that he suffers from bipolar disorder and alcoholism. Learn more

Week Ending 10.5.18

• Cardi B surrenders at NY police station following a strip club brawl. She was charged with assault and reckless endangerment. Learn more
• Justin Bieber and Hailey Bladwin marry but allegedly there’s no prenup! Romantic or not-so-smart? Learn more
• Amy Schumer and Emily Ratajkowksi among 300 people who were arrested at an anti Brett Kavanaugh demonstration in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh, however, was confirmed and sworn in as Justice of United States Supreme Court.
• Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer superstar accused of  raping a woman in in Las Vegas in 2009. The victim alleges that after meeting the athlete at a club  she and a group of people returned to his hotel where he demanded oral sex and then raped her.
• Suge Knight sentenced to 28 years in prison for manslaughter. He’s 51 years old. Learn more

Week Ending 9.29.18

• Bill Cosby gets 3-10 years in prison for the sexual assault of Andrea Constand and is deemed a sexually violent predator. Read her moving victim impact statement her and learn more.
• Christine Blasey Ford testifies at Senate hearing and states that US Supreme Court nominee sexually assaulted her at a house party back in 1982. Kavanaugh vehemently and aggressively denies the accusation but does testify to liking and drinking beer.
• Cher’s Malibu mansion was swarmed by police. The singer wasn’t home at the time and the incident did not involve her but rather the son of her assistant–he was arrested for alleged drug dealing.
• SEC sues and then settles with Elon Musk for fraud. As part of the deal, Musk stepped down from chairman of Tesla for 3 years but he’s still CEO. Not sure that makes much sense but ok.
• Jersey Shore troubles (stating the obvious?). After less than 3 years of marriage and 2 kids together, Jenni (JWoww) Farley filed for divorce from husband, Roger Matthews. Her soon-to-be ex quickly took to social media stating that he is going to fight to get her back.

Week Ending 9.21.18

• Cosby lawyers tried to have Judge O’Neill, who presided over both of Cosby’s sexual assault trials, removed from the matter so that he would not be the one to decide Cosby’s sentence. He denied the motion. Cosby sentencing hearing is set to start on Monday, September 24, 2018.
• Drake is suing the woman who claimed he raped her and impregnated her and then demanded money. Drake says he is being extorted and that there was no rape. A DNA test would resolve the paternity issue so not sure why that has not yet been done especially as Drake has allegedly submitted to DNA testing in other baby mama claims.
• Burglaries of celebs and athletes continue in “the Valley” (that’s the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles for those who don’t know). In fact, the home of Dodger Yasiel Puig has been burglarized again this week–that’s the a fourth time for the right fielder! Learn more
• Demi Lovato is still in rehab and working hard on her sobriety. As for the drug dealer who supplied her drugs on the night of her overdose, a warrant has been issued for his arrest in connection with a missed court date for a cocaine possession and DUI matter. To date, he has not been charged with anything related to his role in Demi’s tragic night. Learn more
• Tiger Woods catches a break. A Florida court has decided to end his probation from his 2017 DUI arrest one month early. At the time of the arrest, the golfer was under the influence of prescription painkillers and sleeping medication. Learn more
• Tom Arnold gets in a major fight at an Emmy party with reality tv brain child, Mark Burnett. Arnold has allegedly filed a police report and is claiming Burnett choked and attacked him. Learn more
• Hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, US Supreme Court nominee will continue.  Sen. Chuck Grassley has refused to delay the hearings despite the request for an FBI investigation by Christine Blasey Ford into the sexual assault allegations she has raised about Kavanaugh. Ford’s lawyers have said she will testify but will not be prepared to do as early as this Monday (9/24) and will only do so in a proper environment.
• Suge Knight pleaded no contest (which is basically the same as a guilty plea) to manslaughter in connection with a hit and run death (the accident stemmed from an altercation on the set of the movie Straight Outta Compton).  In exchange for the plea, the DA’s office has agreed to ask for reduced prison time. Still a lot though–28 years as this incident was not Knight’s first felonious run in with the law. He is 53 years old. Do the math.

Week Ending 9.7.18

• Cardi B’s lawyers argue that she has post partum issues and cannot sit for a deposition in the lawsuit stemming from her album cover–you might remember it. Hint: it’s the one with the man with the back tattoo “kneeling” in front of the singer. Learn more
• Vince Vaughn has finally been charged after a June 2018 traffic stop. LA County DA’s office has charged the actor with three misdemeanors: 1. driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage 2. driving with .08 percent blood alcohol content or higher and, 3. refusing to comply with police.
• Failed Senate hopeful Roy Moore is suing Sasha Baron Cohen, Showtime, and CBS, for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and fraud. The suit stems from Moore’s appearance on Cohen’s show in which the comedian pretended to have a pedophile detector that “went off” when waved around Moore.  Moore and his wife are seeking more $95 million in damages.
• Kudos to Olivia Munn who demanded that the director of her recent film, Predator, cut a scene in which she appears opposite actor Steven Wilder Striegel, a convicted sex offender. What’s particularly troubling here is that Striegel was a friend of the director’s and the director never told the cast about Striegel’s history. Also, not so great was that none of the cast mates initially spoke out in support of Munn. Some, now have.
• NFL network has settled the sexual misconduct lawsuit against Marshall Faulk and Donovan McNabb, among others. Learn more

Week Ending 8.31.18

• Colin Kaepernick has won the latest round in his collusion lawsuit against the NFL. Kaepernick, the first player to kneel during the anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice, is alleging in his suit that NFL owners colluded by not signing him to a contract because of his political statement (He has not played for an NFL team since March 2017).  An arbitrator has now denied the NFL’s request for summary judgment (basically the NFL was asking the court to dismiss the matter) and has determined there is enough evidence for the matter to go to trial.
• Aerosmith is getting sick and tired of Trump using their songs without permission. Steven Tyler sent a cease-and-desist letter to the President demanding that he stop using their hit song “Livin’ On The Edge” at events. In 2015, Tyler sent similar letters to Trump regarding use of “Dream On” at campaign events.
• The man who hacked nude photos of celebs, including Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton, has been sentenced to eight months in prison. Upon his release, he will remain under supervision for 3 more years.  Learn more
• French Montana’s house might have some bad karma. It was recently burglarized and now his pool guy is suing him for injuries and time lost from work as a result of a dog bite from Montana’s dog. Pretty sure his insurance rates are going to go up this year!
• Louis CK was back on the comedy stage this week only 9 months after admitting that he masturbated in front of female colleagues. He was never charged with anything for his conduct, which, given the scenarios described and admitted by him, were illegal. Want to learn what PROOF followers think about this?  To see the results of our Instagram poll click here and Learn more
• French actor Gerard Depardieu  has been accused of sexual assault and rape in France. Unlike many of the claims that have surfaced against other actors for sexual misconduct these acts are alleged to have occurred in August 2018. Depardieu denies any wrongdoing.
• In non-legal news, we at Proof mourn the passing of Senator John McCain. He died on August 25, 2018 after a long battle with brain cancer. McCain was 81 years old and was a highly respected politician and member of the military. The loss of his leadership and bravery will be deeply felt.

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Week Ending 8.26.18

• Prince’s family has filed a wrongful death medical malpractice suit against Dr. Michael Schulenberg, the physician who prescribed the late singer pain medication. An autopsy revelaed that the cause of death was accidental fentanyl toxicity.
• Former Trump lawyer, Michael Cohen, plead guilty to campaign violations. He will be sentenced on December 12. In his plea he admitted that he paid off Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal –at Trump’s direction–to remain quiet about alleged affairs they had with Trump. Learn more
• Mark David Chapman the man who killed John Lennon has been denied parole–for the 10th time. Chapman shot Lennon in 1980 and is serving a 20 years-life sentence. He will be eligible for parole again in 2020.
• Asia Argento, one of the initial Harvey Weinstein accusers and prominent voice in the #metoo movement allegedly settled a clam made against her for sexual misconduct. Learn  more
• Josh Radnor of How I Met Your Mother has been ordered to stay away from his neighbors. Apparently the two neighbors have been involved in a protracted dispute over a deck Radnor built. Radnor has allegedly been taking things too far lately by yelling at the neighbors and making their workers uncomfortable.
• Billy Bush (remember him from that grab her by the pu**y Access Hollywood Trump tape?) and his wife are in the midst of divorcing after 20 years of marriage. Bush has agreed to pay child and spousal support but is fighting his ex when it comes to custody of the couple’s minor daughters (they have a third daughter who is 19 so neither custody nor child support is an issue for the court.).

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Week Ending 8.17.18

• Omarosa hasn’t broken any laws with her secret White House recordings as DC is a one party consent state which means no consent is needed from anyone other than the person doing the recording (many states, like California, require the consent of all parties). Of course, she has violated other protocol and perhaps an NDA.
• One of the four XXXTentacion suspects who has been indicted for first degree murder has asked the court to release him from jail because his girlfriend is pregnant. Good luck with that Robert Allen.  Learn more
• Law enforcement officials in LA are reviewing another sexual assault allegation against Harvey Weinstein. Though New York has indicted Weinstein on several felony charges, to date, California has not taken any criminal legal action against the disgraced Hollywood mogul.  Learn more
• Shots fired on a music video set in Brooklyn where rappers 50 Cent and Tekashi69 were filming. As of this writing, no suspects have been apprehended nor charges brought. Tekashi69 has his own problems with the law as he has allegedly broken the terms of his probation stemming from a plea deal he struck in connection with his use of sexually inappropriate videos of a thirteen year old girl.
• Though not law related, we at PROOF would be remiss if we didn’t pay our respects to the great Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul passed on August 16 (the same day as Elvis). She was 76. Ms. Franklin, you and your voice will be missed.

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Week Ending 8.10.2018

• Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s divorce is starting to get ugly. Jolie filed documents with the court ending the couples’ initial commitment to keep the matter out of public legal system and in the hands of a private mediator. Learn more
• Six separate women claim CBS CEO Les Moonves sexual harassed them yet CBS has not suspended him or taken him off the job in any way. The investigation is ongoing. Learn more
• John Mayer’s LA house has been burglarized. Allegedly the thieves made off with Mayer’s personal property (watches, mostly) worth more than $200,000. Note, Adam Levine used to own the house. Quite the rock star pad. Learn more
• Actress Sean Young (Ace Ventura) was videotaped taking expensive production equipment from a set that did not belong to her (and allegedly she was fired from the set at some time earlier.) So far no charges have been brought.
• Legal trouble for Omarosa? She secretly taped the conversation she had with White House Chief of Staff John Kelley when he fired her. Among other things, the convo occurred in a secure room where secret taping is more than just a no-no. And, in more Omarosa news, the ever-classy and mature Trump called her a lowlife.

Week Ending 8.3.2018

• CBS chief, Les Moonves accused of sexual misconduct by 6 women. He denies it (though admits to some poor choices). His wife, news reporter, Julie Chen, stands by her man.
• Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter is being investigated by the LA County DA’s office for the 2002 alleged rape of Melissa Shuman, former member of the girl group, Dream. Learn more
• Harvey Weinstein argues that the 40 emails he received from rape accuser shows he’s innocent and that the two had a consensual relationship (he’s taking a play from Cosby playbook and we all know how that worked out. Good luck, Harvey.) Learn more
• Connor McGregor pleads guilty to disorderly conduct stemming from his April fight at a UFC event. He will not do jail time. Good deal for McGregor who, by the way, thanked the prosecutor and the judge for it. Learn more
• Heather Locklear suffers from an alleged serious drug addiction that has played a very large part in her recent run-ins with the law. She is currently facing several misdemeanor counts of battery. Thankfully, Locklear has voluntarily chosen to enter long term rehab. Our thoughts are with her. Learn more

Week Ending 6.15.2018

• Thanks to Kim Kardashian, Trump commutes Alice Johnson’s life sentence. She is free after serving 21 years in prison. Are we the only ones who love when a Kardashian does good?  Learn more
• Meek Mill got some bad news this week. Judge Brinkley still assigned to his case despite public outcry about her alleged bias and prejudice against the rapper. Oddly, she also asked Mill to introduce her to Nicki Minaj. Learn more
• A woman suing Charlie Sheen for infecting her with HIV is saying that the actor and his team coerced her to sign an NDA. Sheen naturally says that’s not true and also that the woman knew he had HIV and slept with him anyway.
• Cosby has fired his trial team–not a big surprise–and has hired a new attorney to handle his sentencing. That hearing is set for September 24, 2018. No doubt he’ll be hiring more lawyers as he plans his appeal. Learn more
• A woman claims that Jamie Foxx slapped her with his penis when she refused to perform oral sex on him. Yes, if that occurred it is a crime but Foxx denies this ever happened and, in any event, the statute of limitations has run as the alleged event occurred in 2002.
• Vince Vaughan arrested for DUI as well as for resisting, delaying or obstructing officers. He was stopped at SoCal sobriety checkpoint. The male passenger in his car was also charged with an offense–public intoxication.

Week Ending 5.25.2018

• Harvey Weinstein turns himself in to NY authorities. He is charged with various sex crimes, including rape, a felony. He is out on 1 million bail. Weinstein returns to court on July 30, 2108.
• Mario Batali is being investigated for two sexual assaults in New York. Note, this is for sexual assault a criminal act not sexual harassment. There’s a real difference. Learn more
• Morgan Freeman has been accused by several women of sexual misconduct. The 80 year old actor has apologized.

Week Ending 4.27.2018

• Bill Cosby convicted of all 3 counts of aggravated indecent assault. He will be sentenced within 90 days. Each count carries a 10 year max prison term and $25,000 fine. He vows to appeal. Learn more
• Veteran newsman Tom Brokaw has been accused by TWO women of sexual misconduct. Add him to the list . . . Learn more
• Proof favorite, Cardi B is being sued by her former manager. Klenord “Shaft” Raphael is suing the singer for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and defamation alleging that he discovered her, developed her career and is owed more money for that. He is seeking damages of $10 million.
• Stormy Daniels lawyers, Michael Avenatti still fighting hard at every turn for his client and against Trump and his lawyer Michael Cohen. On Daniels’ behalf, Avenatti filed a motion to intervene in the government’s case against Cohen. If granted this would allow Daniels to be an active participant to the litigation and give her access to documents. Learn more
• Madonna and Tupac bummer of a decision by a New York judge. He dismissed Madonna’s lawsuit against her former assistant who was trying to sell a “love” letter from Tupac to Madonna reasoning that the singer signed a release many years ago when she gave the letter to the assistant. Learn more
• One of the sexual misconduct (rape) lawsuits against music mogul, Russell Simmons is no longer. Apparently, the victim, Jennifer Jarosik has dropped the suit per an agreement between both parties.  We here at Proof can make the very educated guess that Simmons settled the matter and that is what predicated the dismissal. No word on the amount and we do not expect there ever will be. Learn more 

Week Ending 4.13.2018

• Bill Cosby’s retrial for sexual assault continued all week and will go on to next week. Andrea Constand, the victim, took the stand on Friday, April 13 and Cosby’s lawyers began their cross examination of her. She was a strong witness during the 2017 trial and appears to be the same this time around. Learn more
• Heather Locklear pleaded not guilty to several misdemeanor counts including assaulting a police officer and obstructing arrest. Learn more
• LA County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing  sexual assault case against Kevin Spacey stemming from a 1992 incident. Spacey is also under investigation in the UK. Learn more
• TJ Miller of Silicon Valley fame is in trouble with the law again.  Miller  reported a fake bomb threat to authorities. Miller apparently was under the influence when he made this report which caused a train to be stopped, passengers unloaded, and a bomb search performed. Miller has been charged with providing false information to authorities and has been released on $100,000 bail.
• Thanks to Special Counsel Mueller, the FBI raided the office of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s lawyer. Allegedly they seized thousands of documents that speak to the $130,000 pay off to porn star Stormy Daniels. Learn more
• Tommie Lee has decided not to cooperate with the authorities to pursue an investigation into the fight Lee had with his son Brandon. As such, no charges will be filed.

Week Ending 4.6.2018

• Jenna Dewan Tatum and Channing Tatum are getting divorced. Despite the fact that so many Hollywood marriages seem to fail, we were kind of surprised by this one. The two always seemed so happy, in love and supportive of each other and each other’s career (thank you for the misrepresentation social media!). They have one daughter, Everly, 4 years old.
• Connor McGregor was charged with felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor assault, attempted assault, menacing, and reckless endangerment following an incident at a UFC event in New York. Allegedly (there’s video!) McGregor threw a hand truck through the window of a van and threw a metal barrier and garbage can around the parking lot. Two UFC fighters were injured in the occurrence.
•  A jury has been selected for Bill Cosby’s sexual assault retrial. As with the jury in 2017 at the first trial, two members are African American. There are 5 women and 7 men. Opening statements are set to begin on Monday, April 9.
• Judge Judy was not overpaid. So says an Los Angeles County Superior Court judge. The judge dismissed a lawsuit that alleged Judge Judy’s compensation was purposely structured to prevent the talent agency that originally packaged the show to collect its share of profits.
• Brooke Burke of Dancing with the Stars fame and David Charvet of Melrose Place and Baywatch fame are divorcing after almost 7 years of marriage. The couple share 2 children. Burke has 2 children from a prior marriage. Though quite sad, it seems as if the split will be relatively amicable.
• Jennie Garth and her third husband, Dave Abrams are getting divorced after less than 3 years of marriage. We at PROOF feel bad for Jennie and hope she finds happiness- 3 marriage, 3 divorces, that’s definitely a lot of stress–and a lot of legal fees.

Week Ending 3.30.2018

• Au Fudge, Jessica Biel’s West Hollywood hotspot (for kids and celeb kids) is being sued by former employees. They say they never received tips they were entitled to for working as servers at big, private events held at the venue. Biel and the other owners believe the employees are using the lawsuit as an extortion attempt.
• Janice Dickinson will testify at Bill Cosby’s second trial for sexual assault. Recall, last June 2017, Cosby was tried but the jury could not reach a verdict and a mistrial was declared. Now it’s time for round two. Pretrial hearings are underway, jury selection starts next week and the trial will begin in earnest on April 9, 2018. Learn more
• Travis Scott, baby daddy to Kylie Jenner’s baby girl, Stormi, is being sued for skipping out on a concert he was supposed to perform at the night before the Super Bowl. Allegedly Scott was paid an advance of $150,000 for the gig but backed out only hours before. The company that set up the gig and paid him has filed a lawsuit looking for that money back as well as other expenditures they made in connection with it.. Recall not-quite “brother in law” Kanye West faced his own legal issues for backing out of a concert. Learn more 
• The court has denied Stormy Daniels’ request to depose President Trump–at this time. But, all is not lost because the denial was based on the fact that the court felt the request was premature.  Daniels’ lawyer says he will refile the request “any day now.” Learn more
• The father in law of Pippa Middleton (Princess Kate’s sister) has been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl in France in the 1990s. Paris prosecutors are performing further investigation.
• Monique Greene, the woman who has accused Nelly of rape, has allegedly been under so much stress lately that she was taken to the hospital. Looks like this case isn’t going away anytime soon.

Week Ending 3.23.2018

• Stormy Daniels (whose real name is Stephanie Clifford), is suing President Trump to set aside a non disclosure agreement she signed following her alleged affair with him. Not that it’s admissible in court, but Stormy has passed a lie detector test about the affair (she was found to have been telling the truth when she stated she had unprotected sex with Trump in 2006). Stormy is expected to tell her story on 60 Minutes this Sunday; Trump has countersued Stormy for 20 million dollars alleging she has violated the agreement. Learn more
• Ozzy Osbourne filed an anti-trust lawsuit against international tour promoter and venue owner, AEG. Ozzy believes that AEG’s mandate that because he’s playing at London’s O2 Arena he must also play at Los Angeles’ Staples Center during the tour is anti competitive–AEG owns both venues. Ozzy would like to play at the newly renovated Forum in LA.
• Fred Savage of The Wonder Years’ fame, is being sued for battery and sexual harassment, among other things, by a stylist who worked on the set of The Grinder, Savage’s more recent television show (it was cancelled in 2015). Naturally, Savage is denying the allegations. Learn more 
• Bill O’Reilly is being sued again for bad behavior against women. Laurie Dhue, a former Fox anchor, who previously settled a case against O’Reilly is now suing him for defamation. The case is based on O’Reilly’s pronouncement that he was fired over “completely unfounded claims.” This, Dhue says, makes her look like a liar–not a good look for a journalist.
• Steven Seagal is denying the claims of sexual assault made against him by two women. According to Seagal, the women made up the tales and lied about them during a press conference this week. Seagal also proclaimed that these lying women are hurting claims of real victims hurt by real predators (so kind of you to look out for those honest women, Steven).
• Rose McGowan showed up in court in Virginia for her cocaine possession case (wearing an awesome pink jacket, by the way). But, due to the weather, two witnesses were unable to attend the court proceeding. As such, the matter was postponed to a later date.

Week Ending 3.16.2018

• Miley Cyrus sued for copyright infringement, The lawsuit stems from her chart topping 2013 song, We Can’t Stop. Michael May (who performs under the name Flourgon), says the lyrics infringe on lyrics he wrote and that Miley and her team never asked for permission to use the lyrics.  May is asking the court for damages and to take We Can’t Stop out of the marketplace meaning that it not be sold, performed or distributed.
• A few months back, Johnny Depp sued his longtime lawyer, Jake Bloom and Bloom countersued. Depp has now launched an interesting legal argument in that bitter battle, He is asking the court to declare the oral contingency contract he had with Bloom void. Bloom has collected more than 30 million in contingency fees and believes he is owed more money (that was the basis of his countersuit) but California law requires contingency fee contracts to be in writing and apparently there was no such written contract between Bloom and Depp. Learn more
• Harper Lee’s estate is suing Aaron Sorkin and others for their stage adaption of To Kill A Mockingbird, the world renowned book Harper Lee authored. The estate believes Sorkin’s version strays too far from the book. The play is set to debut on Broadway next November with Jeff Daniels playing the lead, Atticus.
• Ari Emanuel famed Hollywood agent who helms the renowned agency William Morris Endeavor is heeding Frances McDormand’s cry for inclusion riders and is mandating that his staff negotiate for them in upcoming contracts. Learn more
• Donald Trump, Jr.’s wife, Vanessa has filed for divorce after thirteen years of marriage. The couple has 5 children. Though allegedly there has been trouble for a while, no doubt the pressure from his father’s campaign and presidency played a role in the demise of this marriage.
• Kanye West involved in another lawsuit. This time his clothing company, Yeazy, is being sued by a company who makes outdoor gear and says Yeazy copied their camouflage pattern (Kim Kardashian posted a photo on Instagram of her in the pants bearing the pattern and the similarity between the two cannot be denied). The outdoor company is seeking money damages and is also asking the court to stop production of the Yeazy items and destroy all those already produced. Learn more

Week Ending 3.9.2018

• Rocker Tommy Lee ex of Pamela Anderson got into a physical altercation with his son, Brandon, and now seeks a restraining order against him. Pamela and Brandon blame the incident on Tommy’s drinking but Tommy’s denying that, basically calling his son an entitled brat who his mom turned against him.
• Usher and his wife, Grace Miguel, have announced their separation. Whether or not that is due to the fallout of all those herpes lawsuits against Usher (there’s one in Georgia and one in CA with 3 plaintiffs), we do not know. Either way, it’s over.  Learn more
• Right before leaving the stage after receiving her Oscar, Frances McDormand shouted out the words “inclusion rider.” What’s that? Well, it’s an attachment to a contract that an A lister can sign that forces the hand of the studio to ensure that the make up of cast and crew reflects what society really looks like. That means more women, more people of color, more members of the LGBTQ community, more people with disabilities, etc. It would not apply to period pieces and really is only a power that a select few can wield. Still, a great idea. Learn more
• Lorraine Gilles the nanny infamously dragged into the Mel B/Stephen Belafonate divorce and custody battle has filed for divorce from her husband of only seventeen months. No doubt the stress from the very messy legal matter played a role–that’s a lot for anyone even if she did allegedly engage in three ways with Mel and Stephen. Learn more
• In death, Mark Salling still has legal problems. He settled a suit with a former girlfriend/one night stand, Roxanne Gorzela. Allegedly he forced her to have unprotected sex and then days later when she confronted him about contracting an STD he pushed down causing her to suffer injuries. Salling settled the suit but apparently hasn’t paid up yet. Gorzela has now asked the court to order payment of the settlement from Salling’s estate.  Learn more

Week Ending 3.2.2018

• Heather Locklear arrested for domestic violence and attacking 3 of the arresting officers. Poor Heather, she has been on a downward sad, scary slide for quite some time now.  Read More
• The Weinstein Company  (TWC) is sold! This is good news for victims and other litigants as they will now have their day in court. If TWC filed bankruptcy (as they announced earlier in the week), the cases would have been stayed (put on hold). The litigants would have taken a back seat to other creditors making the likelihood of receiving any compensation very low. Read More
• The issue of insurance coverage for Harvey Weinstein individually (not TWC) remains at issue. Chubb, the company who insured him at the time of the incidents, filed a lawsuit asking a New York court to declare that they are not legally required to pay for Weinstein’s defense because his conduct falls outside of what is covered by his personal liability policies.
• A 911 call came in from the home of Tori Spelling for a domestic violence incident. No arrests were made.
• Scary stuff for prestigious LA private school, Harvard-Westlake. Lawyers for the High School requested a restraining order against former student and former NFL player, Jonathan Martin, in response to a photo Martin posted of a gun and ammunition in which he tagged the names of former Harvard-Westlake classmates as well as two Miami Dolphin teammates.

Week Ending 2.23.2018

• Harvey Weinstein’s attempt to fight back against the class action sexual misconduct lawsuit filed against him by calling out Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep backfired in a big way, so much so that that the disgraced producer publicly apologized to the actresses.
• Blac Chyna is a victim of revenge porn, again. This time it stems from a tape of her performing oral sex on an ex, Mechie (not on baby daddy Robert Kardashian). Chyna was aware that the video was taken as it was on her phone but she did not authorize its release. Mechie says he didn’t have a copy of it and therefore didn’t release it either. Note, revenge porn is a crime in California. Read More
• Judge denies Kathy Griffin’s request for a restraining order against her California neighbor, Jeffrey Metzger, a CEO of a home building company. The feud has been brewing for a while as Griffin accused Metzger of using homophobic and sexist slurs against her back in September 2017. Allegedly there has been a ton of pretty aggressive arguing between the two neighbors for quite some time. Read more about celebrity neighbor disputes Read More
• Guillermo del Toro and Fox Searchlight are being sued for an alleged copyright violation in connection with Oscar contender, The Shape of Water. The family of the late Pulitzer prize winning playwright, Paul Zindel, claims that del Toro and Searchlight ripped off the story from Zindel’s play, Let Me Hear You Whisper. According to the family, neither of the defendants sought permission or authorization to use the story. Fox reps say the claim is baseless and they will seek dismissal of the lawsuit.
• Andy Dick’s wife has obtained a temporary restraining order against him for alleged violent and drunken behavior. Dick has not had a great few months, recall he was fired from his latest film after being accused of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment by several women.
• Sean Kingston seems to be suffering from both money and legal problems. A New York judge ordered the singer to pay more than $300,000 to a a New York jeweler who sued the singer for failing to pay for jewelry Kingston had “bought.” This is not the first time Kingston has been sued for keeping jewelry he hasn’t paid for. Hope he finds the money to satisfy this latest judgment.

Week Ending 2.16.2018

• Nelly accused of sexual assault in UK. A woman who attended his concert there said that when she had her photo taken with him he asked her to stay. She did so and then he reportedly dropped his pants, masturbated and tried to force her head into his penis. She says she ran out of the room. This is the second time in recent months that Nelly has been accused of sexual assault.
• Taylor Swift wins again in court! Songwriters sued her claiming they copyrighted the phrase “haters gonna hate” and therefore Swift violated that copyright when she used it in her hit song, “Shake It Off.”  The judge decided that the term is too ‘banal’ to be copyrighted. Case dismissed. Read More
• Kanye West settled his claim against Lloyd’s of London stemming from his cancelled tour. The exact amount of the settlement has not been made public. Naturally, Lloyd’s will not pursue their counterclaim. Read More
• Bella Hadid gets restraining order against scary fan, Brian Perez.  Hadid claims Perez has sent her threatening messages and stood outside her NYC screaming her name.
• The NY Attorney General’s Office has sued Harvey Weinstein, Robert Weinstein and The Weinstein Company (TWC) for the culture of sexual harassment and misconduct they allowed to flourish and prevail at TWC. The suit seeks financial compensation and, among other things, for the court to free those people who were made to sign NDAs and therefore cannot talk about what went on behind closed doors at TWC or about settlements they reached with Weinstein. Read More
• Seal will not face charges stemming from his alleged groping of actress Tracey Birdsall back in Fall 2016. Read More
• Bill Paxton’s family has filed a medical malpractice claim stemming from his February 25, 2017 death. The suit is based on an operation he received on February 14, 2017. Among other things, the family argues the surgery was unnecessary and they were not warned of all the dangers.
• Basketball star and “friend” of Kendall Jenner, Blake Griffin is being sued by his ex girlfriend of eight years, Brynn Cameron. It’s a very interesting suit and includes claims for palimony which basically means Cameron is seeking money for things she did for Blake while they were not married. Included in those claims is that contributed to his career and was coerced by Griffin to leave her career in order to help her further his–she lost money from the latter and he directly earned more money from the former. The couple share two children.

Week Ending 2.09.2018

• The LAPD has sent three Harvey Weinstein matters to the Los Angeles County DA’s Office. What this means is that pending the DA’s review we may soon see Weinstein charged with crimes. He is also under investigation in NY and the UK.
• Steve Wynn has resigned as head of his casino conglomerate amidst claims of sexual misconduct. The resignation was sparked by a damning Wall Street Journal article and investigation that revealed female employees have accused the casino bigwig of harassment for decades. There are also claims that he pressured women to have sex and showed his penis to them.
• Guess founder Marciano can deny Kate Upton’s claims of sexual misconduct all he wants but the model has come forward with details and a witness. Upton describes an incident when Marciano forcibly and without consent grabbed her breasts and when she resisted he said, “making sure they are real.” Upton says she will not let him intimidate her. We say: good for you, Kate. We stand with you. We at PROOF are now throwing out all clothes we have that bear a Guess label.
• Nicole Eggert who recently accused Scott Baio of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager has filed a police report. The LAPD is investigating.  Boosting Eggert’s claim is that apparently  Charles in Charge co-star, Alexander Polinsky, witnessed inappropriate touching and is willing to speak with law enforcement.
• A few months ago, singer Melissa Shuman accused Backstreet Boy Nick Carter of raping her in 2002. Carter said the sex was consensual.  Uh-uh, Nick. This week Shuman filed a police report with the Santa Monica police department.  As with all reports, an investigation will be undertaken.
• Now, a bit of celebrity legal news that isn’t about sexual misconduct: Brad Pitt was involved in a three car accident in Los Angeles. Thankfully it seems clear that no one was hurt and all parties simply exchanged information and went on their way. We at PROOF wonder if perhaps the story the other two drivers get to share with their friends is worth the fender bender. What do you think?

Week Ending 2.02.2018

• Cold Case Update:  LA County Sheriff’s Department has named Robert Wagner as a person of interest. in the drowning death of actress Natalie Wood more than 40 years ago. Wagner was married to Wood.
• Glee’s Mark Salling committed suicide just weeks before sentencing in connection with his guilty plea on child pornography charges. Read More
• Kate Upton, former Guess model, accuses Guess CEO founder Paul Marciano of sexual misconduct. Upton has not yet elaborated on the nature of the sexual misconduct but has stated that she will soon. Marciano denies any wrongdoing
• Julie Bowen has split with her husband, Scott Phillips, after thirteen years of marriage. The Modern Family star has two children with Phillips.
• Charles in Charge actress Nicole Eggert alleges that in the 1980s, when she was 14 years old, she had sexual interactions with the show’s star, Scott Baio. Baio vehemently denies the allegations. Note, he was ten years older than the minor Eggert at the time.

Week Ending 1.26.2018

• USA Gymnastics former physician, Larry Nassar, given a “death warrant” by judge presiding over the matter. Judge Aquilina sentenced him to 40-175 years for molesting women and girls. Nassar had previously been sentenced to 60 years for federal child pornography charges. The sentences will run consecutively which means he will never get out of prison.  Read More
• Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg spoke at Sundance Film Festival to an overflow crowd. She discussed her experiences with sexual harassment as well as several of the gender discrimination lawsuits she has handled. As far as remaining on the bench, she made clear she’s staying as long as she can do the job well. Phew!
• Russell Simmons is being sued in federal court for an alleged sexual assault. Jennifer Jarosik, a filmmaker, says that she was working with Simmons on a project and when she denied his request to have sex, he pushed her down on the bed and raped her. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. Read More
• Rapper Nelly facing more legal trouble. Monique Greene, the woman who is suing Nelly for sexual assault, had asked the court to issue an injunction to prevent Nelly from sexually assaulting more women in the future. Hmm. This is an interesting legal maneuver.
• “The Situation” (real name Michael Sorrentino) of MTV’s Jersey Shore, pleaded guilty to tax fraud. Apparently, The Situation failed to report close to 9 million in earnings and falsified tax returns. Despite plea deal, he could face jail time and most certainly will be be paying a hefty fine along with money owed to the IRS.

Week Ending 1.19.2018

• Seal is under investigation for sexual battery. Allegedly he forcibly kissed and groped the breast of actress Tracey Birdsall. She did not initially report the incident but was motivated to do so after Seal made comments about victims of sexual assault to come forward with their stories.  Read More
• Judge drops Kim K and Kris Jenner from Blac Chyna’s lawsuit in which she contends that the famous family interfered with her contract with E! and caused her reality show to be cancelled. Rob remains a named defendant.  Read More
• USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault (there are over 140 accusers); the sentencing portion is underway with the judge allowing any victim who wishes to speak to do so. One victim, McKayla Maroney settled a civil suit with Nassar for his abuse and due to a non disclosure agreement is prohibited from speaking publicly about the matter. Enter actress and activist Chrissy Teigen who tweeted that should Maroney choose to speak she would pay the $100,000 penalty. Actress Kristen Bell also chimed in saying she would help pay as well.
• Dennis Rodman was arrested and charged with DUI. He was pulled over in Newport Beach, CA for a traffic violation and failed a breathalyzer as well as field sobriety tests. Rodman has checked into rehab–this is his second trip there.
• Kevin Spacey is under investigation for a third sexual assault in London. British police have stated that the incident occurred in 2005. Good thing the UK does not have a statute of limitations on sexual assault. Read More
• Prosecutors in the Bill Cosby matter have asked the judge to reconsider allowing in the testimony of 19 other accusers. In the first trial, the judge only allowed in the testimony of one victim other than that of Andrea Constand, the victim in the case that was on trial. Court’s don’t like to allow this type of evidence because it’s prejudicial and the defendant is not on trial for those acts but prosecutors argued that Cosby’s behavior of drugging and then sexually assaulting these women shows a common scheme or plan, and, as such it is proper for the jury to hear. Read More

Week Ending 1.12.2018

• Five women have accused James Franco of sexual misconduct. Franco has denied the allegations. What’s particularly disturbing is that four of the victims were students at his acting school. Read More
• Floyd Mayweather has no clue what #metoo means and jokes about it proving once again why Mayweather is in NO way a PROOF favorite. Read more about Mayweather’s history of domestic violence and violative actions against an ex.
• Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman have reached a settlement in their divorce. They had a prenup so that made things easier but Chapman’s very clear decision to leave Weinstein and not come back after the lid was blown off on who he really was certainly left no room for an emotional back and forth between these two. Read More
• Huma Abedin and Anthony Weiner have called off their contested divorce proceedings and will be handling the dissolution of their marriage privately. Once resolved they will likely refile the matter as uncontested and receive a divorce decree. This means no dirty laundry will be publicly aired which is good considering Weiner’s pretty disgusting behavior and the fact that they have a young son.
• Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, has sued Buzzed claiming they defamed him when they published the dossier that included allegations that Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia. Cohen has denied any role in the Russia collusion and says his reputation has been ruined by the release of this misinformation.
• Cyntoia Brown, the woman who was tried as an adult back in 2004 for killing the man who raped and trafficked her has filed an appeal of her conviction and life sentence. Kim Kardashian and several celebrities have spoke out about this matter with Kardashian even helping to pay her legal fees. Read More

Week Ending 1.05.2018

• Demi Moore settles lawsuit stemming from a 2015 death in her pool. Moore wasn’t home at the time and didn’t invite the man over but was sued because she owned the property (proper legal move, btw). Though details have not been released, it is likely Moore’s insurance company forked over big bucks to make the matter go away.
• Taylor Swift (our favorite courtroom witness of 2017) is involved in another lawsuit. This time it’s not for being groped but rather she’s is fighting back against 2 songwriters who sued her saying they own the phrases Swift used in her hit, Shake it Off.” The two say they used “playas, they gonna play” and “haters, they gonna hate” in their 2001 song and Swift never asked permission or got authority to use them. Taylor, we think you’re gonna win this one too. Keep fighting the good fight TSwift!
• Sofia Richie posted pics of herself on her Instagram that she didn’t take nor get permission to use from the company that owned the photos. So, they’re suing her. Richie took some of the pics down but that doesn’t mean much legally speaking. The company has alleged they’ve suffered $1million in damages as a result of Richie’s unauthorized posting. Though it’s just a legal strategy, still that number is pretty ridiculous.
• Criminal investigations heating up against Harvey Weinstein. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has said that it is was reviewing incidents brought to them by Beverly Hills police. With scores of victims and increased focus by law enforcement, we at PROOF believe it’s only a matter of time before Weinstein is formally charged.
• Despite Brett Ratner filing a defamation suit against one of the women who has accused him of sexual misconduct, the victim is not backing down. In fact, Melanie Kohler has gone on record saying Ratner’s lawsuit is meant to intimidate others from coming forward. Lovely tactic, Brett. We stand with you Melanie.
• Canadian actor and director Albert Schultz is being sued by several women for sexual misconduct. The women allege that Schultz sexually assaulted and harassed them while he was artistic director of Soulpepper Theater Company in Toronto. Add his name to the ever-growing list.

Week Ending 12.29.2017

• An obsessed Katy Perry fan, Pawel Jurski, has been arrested and ordered to stay away from the singer. Jurski faces both felony and misdemeanor charges in connection with his conduct of stalking Perry.
• Notebook director, Nick Cassavetes has won round one of the custody battle over his 13 year old daughter, Barbie. Cassavetes’ ex wife, Heather Wahlquist sought to keep Barbie in Oklahoma with her in violation of a governing custody agreement.  A judge there ruled that Cassavetes has lawful custody of Barbie. Father and daughter have returned to California where the battle will wage on.
• Despite the statute of limitations having run, Santa Monica police have vowed to investigate a claim of sexual assault by Sylvester Stallone that occurred more than 25 years ago. Stallone denies the claim.
• Countess Luann de Lesseps of Real Housewives of NYC fame was arrested in Palm Beach, Florida after allegedly attacking and threatening a police officer while drunk. She’s facing some pretty serious charges as one allegation includes a threat in which she said she was going to kill all of the cops.
• Rapper Nelly has been sued for sexually assault and defamation. The plaintiff, Monique Greene, alleges the assault occurred on Nelly’s tour bus and that when he publicly refuted her claim he damaged her reputation. Nelly’s lawyers have said they will be filing a countersuit.

Week Ending 12.15.2017

• NFL enterprises slammed with HUGE lawsuit involving claims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and wrongful termination. Jami Cantor, a former NFL stylist filed the suit and describes in detail what it was like for her at work–and she names names.  Read More
• Another A-lister details more disgusting, scary, illegal Harvey Weinstein conduct. Salma Hayek explains how Weinstein came onto to her for years, forced her to film a lesbian sex scene, and threatened to kill her (yes, you read that correctly). Hayek describes Weinstein as “her monster.”  Read More
• Bethenny Frankel of Real Housewife fame is taking her ex, Jason Hoppy, back to court over custody of their seven year old daughter, Bryn. An agreement had been reached back in 2014 but apparently Bethenny seeks to amend that prior custody arrangement. Could be due Hoppy’s recent aggressive behavior. Frankel has a restraining order against him.
• Pitch Perfect’s Brittany Snow has been sued for damages related to a rear end car accident that occurred in 2016. The victim claims he suffered catastrophic injuries in that accident. The property damage was serious so not unlikely that injuries resulted.
• Stephen Belafonte is alleging that Mel B is not adhering to the agreement they worked out regarding custody and sale of their home. So, he filed documents with the court seeking their involvement. Never a dull moment with these two. Read More
• Matt Lauer may be in danger of losing a 16,000 acre ranch he bought with his wife last February in Australia. Here’s why: when a foreigner buys property in Australia the law there mandates that individuals involved in the transaction maintain good character. Apparently there are several things that could happen here if Lauer is found not to be of good character, one of which mandating that he dispose of the property.

Week Ending 12.08.17

• Al Franken announces he will resign from the Senate in light of the multiple allegations of inappropriate touching of women. Franken has served as a senator for the state of Minnesota since 2009.
• David Cassidy cut his 31 year old daughter, Katherine, out of his will–it is made clear several times throughout the document. Apparently the two were not close for most of Katherine’s life. Cassidy had stated in the past that he was her biological father but did not raise her.
• Bill O’Reilly and Fox are being sued by a former O’Reilly accuser. Rachel Bernstein settled a claim stemming from O’Reilly’s conduct and allegedly all parties signed a non disparagement clause. Bernstein claims O’Reilly and Fox breached that contract and defamed her when they publicly stated no one went to the company hotline to make claims against O’Reilly.
• Dustin Hoffman accused by another woman of sexual misconduct. In 1983, actress Kathryn Rossetter, co-starred with Hoffman in Death of a Salesman on Broadway and in the made-for-tv movie. She has detailed the harrowing, demoralizing experience she had with Hoffman which included his repeatedly putting his hand on her breast, without permission.
• Director Bryan Singer (X-Men) has been sued for sexually assaulting a 17 year old boy in 2003 on a yacht. Suit was filed in state of Washington; no specific dollar amount was sought as damages resulting from Singer’s actions. Note this is not the first time Singer has been accused of this type of conduct. In 2014, there were allegations that sexually assaulted boys in Hawaii and London. Those claims did not go forward.

Week Ending 12.01.17

• Matt Lauer fired for alleged acts of sexual misconduct. Apparently the New York Times has been investigated Lauer for a quite a while, as was his employer, NBC. Rather than have the Times break the story, NBC fired the long time favorite.
• A second victim, writer Jenny Lumet (daughter of filmmaker Sidney Lumet) has alleged that music mogul Russell Simmons raped her in 1991. As a result of this second claim, Simmons, who still denies all nonconsensual acts, has stepped down from his music empire. Read More
• Naya Rivera of Glee fame arrested for assaulting her husband while on a walk with their 2 year old son in West Virginia.
• Kim Kardashian doing some legal good. She has hired famed lawyer Shawn Holley to help defend a woman who, in 2004, at age 16, killed the man she says was raping and trafficking her.  She was tried as an adult, convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The matter is on appeal and the legal help is much needed.
• Jennifer Hudson is no longer seeking an order of protection against her ex, David Otunga. Apparently the two have reached a temporary agreement regarding custody of their eight year old son.

Week Ending 11.24.17

• Now that OJ is out of prison, Ron Goldman’s family is seeking payment of the judgment the fallen football great owes them for being found liable in civil court for the murder of Ron. The family claims OJ was signing secret autographs for money and trying to keep the funds for himself rather than to pay the duly owed verdict.  Read More
• And, in more Hollywood sexual harassment news, we have the absolutely disgusting allegation that Russell Simmons sexually assaulted a seventeen year old girl while Brett Ratner watched. Simmons met the teen at a casting call and allegedly invited her back to his home “to watch a music video.” Read More
• The Georgia woman who accused Usher of giving her Herpes has dismissed her lawsuit. But no need to celebrate just yet, Team Usher, the matter was dismissed without prejudice which means she can file it again. The California case, with 3 plaintiffs, however, remains active.
• Former NBA star Ray Allen has been accused of stalking but his legal team filed an emergency motion saying he was the one being stalked and was a victim of a catfishing scheme.  In a very embarrassing situation, Allen claims he was wooed into an online relationship with someone he thought was a woman and with whom he shared intimate details. That person was actually a man who allegedly threatened to make public those details.
• Janice Dickinson’s defamation case against Bill Cosby and his former lawyer Marty Singer  will go forward. As with other Cosby victims, Dickinson alleged that the Cosby drugged and raped her; Cosby and Singer vehemently and publicly denied the allegation in a manner sufficient for Dickinson to pursue defamation claims against the two. Read More

Week Ending 11.17.17

• Blac Chyna drops all but Kim Kardashian (and Rob) for her suit against the famous family. Read More
• Jennifer Hudson splits from David Ortunga, alleges domestic abuse and seeks restraining order. Ortunga denies the claims. The couple have been together for ten years and have one son.
• Not funny Al Franken. Allegations of sexual misconduct have been levied by journalist, Leann Tweeden against the senator–and there is a photo to prove it part of it.
• Jeffrey Tambor, star of the hit show Transparent, has been accused by two women of sexual misconduct on the set of the show. Both victims report that they made their claims known to Transparent producers but no action was taken. (Given the groundbreaking nature of the show, we at PROOF are pretty distraught about this).
• Rose McGowan is set to appear in court to be arraigned on charges of possession of cocaine. Prosecutors in Virginia allege that the drug was found in belongings the actress left on a flight to Dulles Airport.

Week Ending 11.10.17

No Proof in Brief this week! Jill Stanley is in Cabo taking a much needed break from these heartbreaking sexual harassment, abuse and misconduct matters. Check back in next week!

Week Ending 11.03.17

• Kevin Spacey in super hot water after Anthony Rapp reported that when he was 14 Spacey molested him in Spacey’s New York apartment. Filing for the final season of House of Cards halted. Read More
• Producer Brett Ratner (aka Harvey Weinstein mini me) has been accused of sexually harassing and assaulting at least six women, tow of whom are Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge. Ratner denies all the the claims. Read More
• More Weinstein news and very serious at that. Actress Paz de la Huerta (best known for Boardwalk empire) has alleged that Weinstein forced himself on her two times. NYPD is investigating the matter–the statute of limitations has not run on these claims as in 2006 NYC abolished the statute of limitations on rape and Herta alleges he first incident occurred in 2010. Read More
• Allegations of sexual misconduct have been made against Jeremy Piven as well as Andy Dick. Piven denies all claims but Dick says he does lick co-workers.
• Hollywood manager/producer, David Guillod has taken a leave of absence from his company, Primary Wave, after allegations of sexual assault were made by actress Jessica Barth. Guillod was a producer on the recent film, Atomic Blond. His clients Gina Rodriguez and Paula Patton, among others.
• Becky Steenhoek a producer of the Bachelorette is suing Warner Brothers and and five show producers for sexual harassment and other claims stemming from incident alleged to have occurred on the set in 2016.
• Are you angered and exhausted by all of this Hollywood sexual misconduct yet?  We are, but we stand proudly and in support of each and every victim.

Week Ending 10.27.2017

• Weinstein accusers continue to speak out. Natassia Malthe alleges that in February 2010, Weinstein raped her without a condom at her hotel in London and then masturbated after the attack.  Read More
• Zelda Perkins a woman who settled a sexual harassment claim against Harvey Weinstein 20 years ago has decided to break her NDA (non disclosure agreement) and speak about the matter. Ms. Perkins seeks to expose a process that silences victims.
• The first victim lawsuit since the New York Times and the New Yorker blew the lid off Harvey Weinstein’s behavior has been filed. Actress Dominique Huett named the Weinstein Company as defendant in the suit. Huett alleges the Company had knowledge of Harvey’s behavior. Read More
• Harvey Weinstein suing the company that bears his name. The suit seeks access to various records, documents and email accounts. Weinstein believes he needs this information to fight the lawsuit that is currently filed against him as well as those that will likely be coming.
• Five women have accused Mark Halperin (The Circus and other news/political shows) of sexual harassment while he had a powerful and prominent role at ABC News. The stories of the women, who currently have chosen to remain anonymous, are all eerily similar.
• Fox extended Bill O’Reilly’s contract for $25 million despite having knowledge of his $32 million settlement in a sexual harassment matter. Read More
• To date, more than 200 women have claimed to be victims of harassment and assault by filmmaker James Toback (that’s more than Weinstein!).  Toback’s modus operandi always the same: approach a woman on the street of NY, offer a part in an upcoming film, and then bring on the unwanted sexual comments and behavior, with the interaction often ending in him masturbtaing or dry humping them. Nice.
• Dozens of sex tapes exist in which Mel B appears may come into evidence at the upcoming trial. Mel B claims that she was drugged in many of the videos and that the sex was nonconsensual.   Read More

Week Ending 10.20.2017

• Law enforcement in New York, California and the UK are investigating claims of rape by women alleged to have been assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. The disgraced producer has not yet been formally charged with any crimes.  Read More
• Harvey Weinstein makes it a little easier on the Board of the Weinstein Company by resigning and not fighting their termination of him. Read More
• Venus Williams to sit for deposition in the fatal car crash in which she was involved this past summer in Florida. Read More
• Blac Chyna taking no prisoners. She is suing the entire Kardashian clan. Among the claims is Chyna’s accusation of Rob of battery as well as blaming the family for the cancellation of her show which is affecting her ability continue her work as an entrepreneur and social media influencer. Read More
• The trial of Nicki Minaj’s brother, Jelani Maraj, has begun in New York.  Maraj is charged with rape of his stepdaughter who was 11 years old at the time of the incident. Maraj vehemently denies the charges and believes it was all as setup by his then wife to gain access to Nicki’s money.

Week Ending 10.13.2017

• Harvey Weinstein matter dominates celebrity legal news this week amidst claims that he has been sexual harassing young actresses and staff members for decades. He also faces at least 3 allegations of rape to date.
• Hollywood heavyweights speaking out daily against Weinstein and sharing their tales of his violative behavior. The list is growing but some of the biggest names on the victim list include: Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Cara Delevigne, Kate Beckinsale and Rose McGowan.
• Harvey Weinstein has allegedly settled more than 8 sexual harassment cases–all via confidential agreements. This means that the parties were legally mandated not to be speak about them, the settlement amounts or the facts surrounding the claims. However, should those agreements become the focus of subpoenas in future matters, they will not remain wholly confidential.
• Harvey Weinstein’s, wife, Georgina Chapman, head of the fashion line, Marchesa, has left him in light of the allegations.
• Woman who has accused singer Nelly of rape alleges that he is intimidating her via the media. Her lawyer has sent a letter to  prosecutors on the matter. Intimidating a witness is a crime, by the way.
• Ezekiel Elliott’s six game suspension stands so says a federal appeals court. The court did not rule on the merits (on the facts of the case) but rather the court ruled in the NFL’s favor because the court did not have jurisdiction over the matter.  Read More

Week Ending 10.06.2017

• Tragedy. Stephen Paddock fired on a crowd at a Las Vegas concert. Hundreds wounded, 58 dead. Largest mass shooting in US history. Once again, gun control legislation is an issue that must be discussed.
• Hollywood power player Harvey Weinstein accused of decades of sexual harassment. Though he admits to poor behavior he claims there are errors in the New York Times expose. He vows to sue them. Weinstein currently released from his duties at his company.
• Nelly (real name Cornell Haynes, Jr.) was arrested for rape. He was released without being charged but the investigation, sparked by a Washington state woman’s claim, is ongoing. Nelly tweeted that he is “completely innocent.”
• OJ Simpson was released from jail after serving 9 years for convictions ranging from kidnapping to robbery, among others stemming from an incident in a Las Vegas hotel room. He wanted to move to Florida post release where his family is but the state refused. For now, OJ is staying in Nevada.
• More Kardashian legal problems. Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian are being sued but this time they’re on the same side. The former couple is being sued for cyberbullying and defamation by Pilot Jones, a singer.  He claims the couple exposed him as gay, released his contact information to the public which put him at risk and that he has suffered severe emotional distress as a result.

Week Ending 9.29.2017

• Rob Kardashian turns the tables on Blac Chyna. Kardashian is suing Chyna for assault and battery, among other things stemming from an altercation between the two back in December 2016. Read More
• Kim Kardashian received letter of apology from the man who was the ringleader of her violent, scary kidnapping and robbery in Paris last year. Apparently Kim does not feel compassion for her captor’s remorse. We don’t blame you, Kim.
• Woman was sexually assaulted during massage at a Massage Envy location. Apparently, masseur had sexually assaulted other female patrons before and Massage Envy was aware of the conduct yet did not fire him. Read More
• Kathy Griffin has big neighbor issues. They’ve gotten so serious that she has asked the court, and was granted, a restrianing order against Jeffrey Mezger, her neighbor. He must now stay 100 yards away from Griffin. Read More
• Disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner from New York was sentenced to 21 months in a federal prison for sexting with a 15 year old female (he knew she was 15 and continued sexting). He will have to register as a sex offender upon his release. Huma, we feel for you, we really do.
• And in even more Kardashian news, the Melrose Avenue Dash store the scene of yet another crime/weird occurrence. Apparently a woman entered the shop, tossed merchandise on the ground, ranted about Cuba, left and then returned with a machete. Read More

Week Ending 9.22.2017

• Kevin Hart’s extortion case heating up. Apparently the woman in the video is not the party demanding money for the footage. Read More 
• Taylor Swift may be back in court. The singer is being sued  by songwriters who claim they wrote a song with similar lyrics to Swift’s “Shake it Off” more than 15 years ago and are seeking a portion of profits from Swift. For what it’s worth, we listened to both songs and, we have to agree with Swift’s counsel, defendants don’t seem to have much of a case.
• Ryan Phillippe, aka Reese’s ex, in messy domestic violence situation. An ex girlfriend, Elsie Hewitt, is claiming, among other things, that he pushed her down the stairs; she has filed a lawsuit against him. Read More
• The Georgia woman suing Usher for infecting her with herpes has revealed her identity. Laura Helm, formerly known as Jane Doe in legal documents, has said she had known Usher for quite some time and had more than one sexual encounter with him.
• Tupac adorned items are big business and big lawsuits. Macys and Urban Outfitters joins the Jenner ranks of entities being sued for selling Tupac emblazoned items without permission or authority by the person who took the photos. Really, Macy’s and Urban Outfitters? We can maybe excuse the Jenners but you know better than this. Read more about Tupac. 
• Good news and bad news for Mel B in her lawsuit against Belafonte. Good news: it has been determined that she did not intimidate any witnesses on Stephen’s witness list. Bad news: judge presiding over the matter refuses to seal the case. For those who want to know PROOF opinion on this–we disagree with the judge. Given that there is so much sordid, sensitive information in this case, it really would have been better for the children if the matter were sealed. Shame on Stephen if he fought the sealing–his kid affected too. Read More 

Week Ending 9.15.2017

• Kendall Jenner under fire again for using an image on her retail items without permission. This time, it’s Tupac. The photographer who took the pic said Jenner did not have authority to use it. The tee shirt on which the image appears (along with that of Jenner’s over it!!) is no longer for sale but that’s not enough to make the case go away.
• Madonna’s deposition testimony in connection with her stolen items case apparently did not go so well. TMZ first reported that her testimony shows that Madonna has no real reason to believe the woman who she accused of stealing her underwear and trying to sell it actually stole it directly from her. Read More
• Divorce final for Scarlett Johansson. The terms of the divorce settlement are confidential but all seems to be rather amicable, even the custody issue over their young daughter, Rose Dorothy is resolved without court involvement which is certainly serving the child’s best interest.
• Another lawsuit for President Trump–we’ve stopped counting. This time it’s the University of California and the state of California suing him over his decision to rescind DACA–Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, that program that protects young immigrants brought into the US illegally. They are arguing that his plan to rescind it is unconstitutional. Fifteen (15) other states have filed similar lawsuits.
• So much going on in the Mel B/Stephen Belafonte brawl it’s almost too much for Proof in Brief. First, there are allegations that Mel B engaged in witness intimidation and those claims are being investigated. Second, she has asked the court to seal the divorce and restraining order cases. This is understandable given the salaciousness of the allegations and the fact that she has young children. Read more
• In “Real Housewife Legal News,” Lisa Vanderpump is being sued by a luxury dog boutique. The boutique provided doggie couture to Vanderpump’s dog in exchange for some Instagram love and other publicity.  The dog wore the clothes but allegedly the love never came for the boutique.

Week Ending 9.8.2017

• A French court ruled that topless photos taken of Kate, Duchess of York were an invasion of privacy. The photos were taken back in 2012 with a long lense as Kate and William were vacationing at a private estate. Interesting timing given it’s 20 years since Lady Di’s death which many still attribute to paparazzi. (Note: charges were ultimately dropped against paps in connection with her death.)
• Usher responds to California lawsuit filed by 3 plaintiffs alleging he may have exposed them to Herpes. In his answer, Usher denied the allegations but the singer has still not released medical evidence proving he does not have the disease  Click here to read the complaint filed against him.
• Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott just got a little luck. A federal judge granted the NFL Players Association request for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to stop his six-game suspension stemming from the NFL’s finding that there was “substantial evidence” that Elliott committed acts of domestic physical violence against his former girlfriend,Tiffany Thompson.
• The Mel B/Stephen Belafonte lawsuit continues with more damaging allegations. This time about a sham marriage that Belafonte purportedly arranged so the couple’s former nanny (with whom both he and Mel B are alleged to have had sexual relations) would not be deported. Read More 
• The family of Aaron Carter is very worried about him and the very real risk of suicide they feel may be present; they’ve had cops called to Aaron’s home several times recently. Read More
• Fox News host, Charles Payne, will return to his show now that the Network has completed its investigation into sexual harassment claims. Payne was suspended earlier this summer pending the outcome of that investigation.

Week Ending 9.1.2017

• Kanye West will have to fight even harder to access insurance benefits for his cancelled tour. Insurer Lloyd’s of London has responded to Kanye’s $10 million lawsuit with a countersuit, saying they are not responsible. Read More
• Judge tentatively denies Richard Simmons’ transgender defamation claims against American Media Inc., publisher of both The National Enquirer and Radar Online. The fitness icon contended the publications defamed him by reporting between June 2016 and March 2017 that he was transitioning from a man to a woman when he was not.
• David Bowie’s image the focus of a new lawsuit.  The Hard Rock Hotel in Palm Springs, CA is being sued for having Bowie’s image in several areas of the hotel. It’s not Bowie’s family who is suing but rather that of the photographer who took (and owns) the photo and says the hotel never received permission or a license to use it.
• Spotify facing a big copyright infringement lawsuit. The music streaming service is arguing that they are not like Napster and that streaming does implicate reproduction or distribution rights and such the copyright laws they’ve alleged to violate do not apply to them.
• Pretty Little Liars actor Brandon Jones, pleaded no contest (basically same as a guilty plea) to one count of misdemeanor assault with a firearm stemming from an altercation with a neighbor. Jones was sentenced to 180 days in jail, 30 days of community service and ordered to attend anger management classes.
• A federal judge in New York has found Chris Laurita, of Real Housewives of New Jersey fame, liable for fraud, negligent misrepresentation and tortious interference with contractual relations in connection with a bankruptcy case dating back to 2009.

Week Ending 8.25.2017

• Cosby hires new counsel, Thomas Masereau (lawyer to Michael Jackson, Mike Tyson, Robert Blake and Marion “Suge” Knight), for his second sexual assault trial. Per a defense request, the Court granted a continuance of the trial date. It has been pushed from November 6, 2017 to at a date to be announced but between March 15, 2018-April 1, 2018. Read More
• Rebel Wilson settled a defamation suit in which she was sued by a journalist who the actress called ‘total scum’ on Twitter and posted a picture of her. Problem was, Wilson incorrectly identified the journalist! Why the total scum reference in the first place? Apparently the actual journalist had harassed Wilson’s grandmother.
• Usher’s herpes lawsuits aren’t going away any time soon though he has allegedly filed a response to the Georgia victim’s case in which, among other things, he attempts to transfer responsibility to the victim saying she shouldn’t have had unprotected sex with him. Usher still has not made public a medical report proving he is herpes free.
• Rapper Meek Mill was arrested in New York recently for riding a motorcycle through Manhattan streets and allegedly disobeying traffic laws all based on a video that was posted on social media. Lucky for Mill, he was charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment rather than the felony reckless endangerment. Whole case seems a little bit off as there are claims that Mill was shooting a video at the time of the incident and cops witnessed it and did not put a stop to anything.
• Actress Abigail Breslin is being sued by her former assistant. The assistant is claiming that he was fired without warning and was not paid for work he had already performed. Case will likely go away rather quickly as the money at stake is said to only be about $3500.00. If the firing was wrongful or discriminatory in any way then the case may hang around longer.

Week Ending 8.18.2017

• Joi Harris, a stunt person on the set of Deadpool 2, died when a motorcycle stunt she was performing went horribly wrong. She was an experienced motorcycle racer but Deadpool was her first job as a stunt person on a movie set. So far no talk of lawsuits but… Read More
• Divorce is final between Real Housewife Joanna Krupa and her ex Romain Zago. The couple had resolved all relevant issues out of court and the divorce was quick and easy. Krupa’s legal docket is now cleared as she recently settled her defamation case with Brandi Glanville.
• Twin Peaks actor Jeremy Lindholm has been arrested for allegedly beating his girlfriend with a bat.  The victim was transported to the hospital but thankfully her injuries do not appear to be life threatening. Due to the circumstances surrounding the assault it is likely the charges the charges will be quite severe.
• Diddy (Sean Combs) has settled a long standing matter involving an altercation with a photographer. The photog claimed Diddy and his security guards attacked him after he took photos of the celeb. Likely more to the story here but the settlement is confidential which means we don’t know the terms.
• Taylor Swift victorious. Jury returns verdict in her favor finding that Denver radio DJ Mueller groped her during a 2013 station meet and greet. The jury also found that Swift’s mother and another member of her team did not interfere with Mueller’s business relationship with the radio station (translation: they were not responsible for his firing). Read More

Week Ending 8.11.17

• Taylor Swift took the stand in her case against the DJ who she alleges groped her during a radio station meet and greet. In typical Swift style, the singer rocked it. Clear, credible, solid witness. Read more
• Live Nation sued again in connection with a festival death. The suit stems from an incident involving a young woman who took Molly and died at the 2016 Hard Fest in California. As with other festival death suits, the claims center around insufficient water and poor access to appropriate medical care.Read more
• Oral arguments set for October 18, 2017 in one of the many cases in which Trump is named as a plaintiff. This one was filed on the first Monday of Trump’s new job as president and stems from the contention that his business dealings with foreign countries violated the US Constitution.Read more
• NFL takes action against one of its own. The League has suspended Dallas Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott without pay for six months after determining that he committed acts of violence against his former girlfriend. The League has said if he does it again he could be banned from the NFL for life. Finally. Thank you NFL.
• Lots of talk still swirling around about Usher, herpes and lawsuits but the truth remains very, very unclear. Best thing for Usher would be for him to release proof that he does not have the disease.Read more

Week Ending 8.4.2017

• Justin Bieber will not be charged with a violation or crime stemming from running over a photographer. Whether the photographer files a civil suit and seeks damages (injuries allegedly very minor, by the way) is another story. Certainly not a big deal for Bieber as he has been sued by paparazzi and involved in many lawsuits before. Read more
• Kanye West is suing his insurer, Lloyd’s of London, for failing to pay out any money on his claim stemming from the tour he cancelled due to suffering from mental illness. Read more
• Macklemore (a PROOF favorite singer, by the way), was involved in an auto accident. His car was totalled but luckily he did not suffer serious injury. The driver who hit him is alleged to have been drunk.
• Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix (sister of actor River Phoenix) are getting divorced after nine years of marriage. The couple has two children together. Summer has kept the interesting name theme going with her boys–the eldest is Indiana, the youngest, Atticus. Read more
• Dog the Bounty Hunter (a former bails bondsman) has joined a lawsuit filed against New Jersey governor, Chris Christie. Dog opposes Christie’s bail reform bill. The suit alleges, among other things, that Christie’s reform lead to release of a man who shot and killed Christian Rodgers a few months ago.
• Special Counsel Mueller has empaneled a grand jury in his investigation of possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Week Ending 7.28.2017

• Via Twitter Trump announces people who are transgender are banned from serving in the military. Many celebs including Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson speak out against this decision. Note: should Trump seek to enforce the ban against the 1000s of transgender people currenting serving, he will face significant legal challenges.
• Usher settled a lawsuit for giving a woman herpes. Celebrity attorney Lisa Bloom tweeted that other women are reaching out to her regarding similar claims. So, as she asked: How much unprotected sex did Usher have after his herpes diagnosis? We don’t yet know but having unprotected sex, knowing you have herpes (or another STD) and failing to inform your partner is a violation of the law. Charlie Sheen was recently sued for allegations of exposing a woman to HIV, read more and other celebs have been sued for transmitting herpes to women. Read more 
• More Trump Twitter news. The President blocked model Chrissy Teigen on Twitter. Clearly he is undeterred by the multi-plaintiff lawsuit filed against him by other blocked users (non-celebs, by the way). Read more.
• An LA jury awarded music producer, Quincy Jones, $9.4 million in damages for unpaid royalties stemming from his work with the late Michael Jackson. Jones was involved with producing some of Jackson’s biggest hit records including Thriller and Off the Wall.
• Game maker of Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar Games, is being sued again for using a likeness without permission. This time it’s psychic Miss Cleo via her estate (she is deceased) making the allegation that a fortune teller in the game resembles her. Both Lindsay Lohan and Karen Gravano of Mob Wives made similar claims. Neither was successful in their suits. Read more about Lohan and Gravano’s suit. Read more

Week Ending 7.21.2017

• OJ Simpson was granted parole for the remaining charges stemming from his 2008 armed robbery, kidnapping, assault (and whole slew of other charges) conviction. OJ will be released on October 1, 2017 and intends to live in Florida near his family. Read more
• Madonna was able to get a preliminary injunction to stop the sale of memorabilia that she says was taken from her. Items include a pair of her underwear, a hairbrush and a breakup letter Tupac wrote to the material girl. Read more
• Court grants Carmen Electra a restraining order against an obsessed fan, Daniel LeBlanc. Police found LeBlanc sitting in a car outside Electra’s house this past June. When asked who he was LeBlanc allegedly said he was her fiance.
• Aaron Carter arrested in Georgia on suspicion of DUI and drug possession after local police received calls that an automobile was drifting all over the road and driving into the median.  Note in 2011, Aaron entered treatment for an undisclosed “emotional issues” as well as addiction. Read more
• Johnny Depp’s lawsuit against his managers is getting even uglier. His former management company filed a second amended cross-complaint against the actor and added even more information about Depp’s extravagant life style. Depp’s lawyers assert that the new allegations are further character assassination attempts of Depp.

Week Ending 7.14.2017

• OJ Simpson parole hearing scheduled for July 20, 2017. OJ has served 9 years of a potentially 33 year sentence for a 2008 conviction of of various crimes that included robbery and kidnapping. If granted parole, OJ could be released as early as October. Read more
• Shia LaBeouf arrested again, this time in Georgia for disorderly conduct, obstruction and public drunkenness after he reportedly approached someone to ask for a cigarette in the early morning hours, and became aggressive when he was told no, at which point he began shouting profanities at both passers by and police. Read More
• Trespasser arrested at Drake’s LA home. This is the second time in recent months that there has been an incident at his home, note though that the home is being renovated currently and Drake is not living there. Trespasser was allegedly not there to burglarize the house but rather to meet with Drake. Read more
• Twitter users suing President Trump, his Press Secretary Sean Spicer and his Director of Social Media, Dan Scavino. The users claim they’ve been blocked from the President’ Twitter account and that is unconstitutional– an infringement of their freedom of speech. Read More
• LA judge issued restraining order to Blac Chyna after her ex, Rob Kardashian, posted inappropriate pics of her on social media. Blac Chyna’s lawyer, Lisa Bloom, asserted that revenge porn is an act of domestic violence. Note, so far no criminal charges have been levied against Rob however revenge porn is in fact a crime in California. Read more
• John Bernecker, a stuntman on the Walking Dead and many other shows has passed away from injuries he sustained on the set of that show. Bernecker fell off a 25 foot high balcony Wednesday, July 12, 2017. Our sympathies go out to his family, friends, and loved ones.

Week Ending 7.7.2017

• Rob Kardashian gets kicked off Instagram for posting inappropriate pictures of his baby mama Blac Chyna. A rep for the platform said, “At Instagram we value maintaining a safe and supportive space for our community and we work to remove reported content that violates our guidelines.” So, kicked off Instagram for violating their rules but did Rob violate California’s revenge porn law by posting the pics? So far no word from LAPD that **he is being charged with anything but Blac Chyna is seeking a restraining order as a result of his cyberbullying. Note: Chyna is represented by Mischa Barton’s lawyer, Lisa Bloom. Read more
• Alison Sweeney, former host of Biggest Loser, was issued a restraining order against Jon Christopher LuVisi, a fan who was harassing her via social media. Sweeney tried repeatedly to block LuVisi but he would create new accounts and continue to threaten her. Hopefully this order which requires him to stay 1,000 ft away from Sweeney will deter him from any further contact. Scary stuff.
• Kanye West no longer interested in exclusive deals for his music. He has allegedly terminated an exclusive contract with Jay Z’s company, Tidal. Kanye believes Tidal failed to honor its financial obligations. Naturally Tidal has it’s side of the story which is that the contract is still valid and that Kanye breached it for failing to deliver certain music videos. No lawsuits filed yet by either side.
• Frye festival organizer, Billy McFarland, has been arrested for fraud. Charges stem for this actions related to the Frye festival this past spring, which we all know was an epic failure . . . or fraud. McFarland has been released on bail. Read more
• Poor choice by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. He closed New Jersey beaches over 4th of July because of a government shutdown over budget issues yet aerial photos showed him and his family out on the sand enjoying one of the very beaches he closed. Not cool, Christie.

Week Ending 6.30.2017

• Venus Williams is deemed the at fault driver in the June car accident that resulted in the death of a passenger in the other vehicle.  According to the police report, Venus violated the right of way. Very likely a civil case is already underway by the family of the deceased and anyone else injured in this tragic accident. Note: this is NOT criminal case nor will it be or should it be. Despite the devastating consequences, it is a civil matter and the only real thing at issue is money. Venus has already expressed her sincere condolences to the family of the deceased.
• Journalist Kevin Powell claims that portions of the Tupac Shakur biopic, All Eyez On Me, was directly inspired by the stories he wrote for VIBE magazine back in the mid 1990s. Powell is suing the writers and producers of the movie, including Lions Gate Films, for copyright infringement. He said the following in a statement posted on his Facebook page, “After viewing the movie twice in the past few days, it is clear that my exclusive Vibe cover stories on Tupac Shakur (when he was alive), were lifted, without proper credit or compensation of any kind to me, and used in ALL EYEZ ON ME.” Read more
• Atlanta rapper Rich Homie Quan (whose real name is Dequantes Devontay Lamar) tour bus broken into. Allegedly thieves made off with up to $2,000 worth of gear. Been a bit of a rough time for Quan as in May 2017 he was arrested for felony possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. If convicted, penalty is steep: 30 years. Read more
• Sarah Palin filed defamation lawsuit against The New York Times. The former governor of Alaska and former vice presidential candidate is alleging that the newspaper defamed her when they wrote of her having a connection to the shooting of then congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in 2011.
• Kendall and Kylie stopped selling tees with images of Notorious BIG once they heard from the lawyer for the estate of the deceased rapper. All it took was a cease and desist letter with a tight deadline and those shirts were pulled right from the website and no longer available for purchase. Biggie’s family said no one gave the Jenners permission to use his image. Smart that the Jenners quickly removed the merchandise from the site but this is not likely the end of this dispute as the estate may seek damages.
• Conrad Hilton, heir to Hilton hotels, pleaded not guilty to felony theft of an auto and disobeying a court order. Specifically, Hilton is alleged to have stolen a Bentley belonging to the father of his former girlfriend as well as violating a restraining order she had against him–allegedly he went to her house. In court this week, Hilton cleaned up well, looked respectful and kept his mouth shut which may not sound like a big deal but it kind of his for him. According to reports, last month when Hilton was in court on this matter he made a homophobic slur.  Hilton released on $90,000 bail. Lucky he’s a Hilton.
• Charlie Sheen hit with HIV related lawsuit. Charlie Sheen might be feeling some deja vu because this is the second time in his life he’s being accused of exposing an ex-girlfriend to HIV. Sheen has openly discussed his HIV positive status and has known about it since 2011, but before he went public with his diagnosis, he apparently had a habit of keeping it from women with whom he was intimate. Read more

Week Ending 6.23.2017

• Mel B continues to fight back against Stephen Belafonte’s various requests for spousal support. He’s asking for too much for food, clothing and cell phone needs, she believes. Looks like this ex is going to need to start pounding the pavement for a better paying job. Good for you, Mel B, well past time to start sticking up for yourself. Read more
• Miles Teller arrested for being drunk public in San Diego. The actor could have gone to a detox center for a few hours but didn’t (couldn’t?) take the easy road and wound up arrested. Read more
• Judge in the Bill Cosby sexual assault trial has released the names of the jurors. Most aren’t talking and those who are seem to be telling conflicting stories regarding the split–meaning who was voting to convict and for what and who was voting to acquit. Read more
• Warner Brothers has reviewed the footage from the alleged sexual misconduct that occurred on the set of Bachelor in Paradise between castmates Corinne Olympios and DeMario Jackson. The powers that be have concluded all is well in paradise and the show is going on. Read more
• John Oliver sued for defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, for comments he made on his show, Last Week Tonight, about the coal industry and some of its biggest players. Plaintiffs seek an unspecified amount in damages.
• Legal trouble for Electric Daisy Carnival. Live Nation and Insomniac, the festival organizer, are being sued by a man who died at the event in 2015. There was another death at this year’s festival and claims of poor access to water and medical care are being made. Is another suit on the horizon?. Read more

Week Ending 6.16.2017

• Judge grants Karrueche Tran 5 year restraining order against Chris Brown. Tran took the stand and testified to Brown’s threatening bad behavior. Brown was a no-show. Read more
• Big trouble in paradise–Bachelor in Paradise that is. Corinne Olympios, a contestant, is alleging that she was too drunk to consent when she engaged in sexual activity with another contestant, DeMario Jackson. Apparently there’s footage of the whole thing (not to mention witnesses). Both contestants are well known to the Bachelor franchise.
• Did Khloe Kardashian copy designer to the stars Destiny Bleu’s catsuit? Bleu seems to think so but Khloe has hired top lawyer, Marty Singer, to set Bleu straight. Singer is known for his aggressive lawyering so we will see if his recent letter to Bleu makes these claims go away.
• The family of deceased Playboy model, Katie May, has filed a wrongful death claim against Eric Marc Schwartz, the chiropractor who allegedly caused her death by inappropriate medical care and treatment. Katie May left behind an 8-year-old daughter, among other loved ones.
• Venus and Serena Williams’ 75 year old father, Richard is divorcing his 38 year old wife, Lakeisha. They have a 5 year old son together but that hasn’t kept the nasty allegations from flying including talk of guns and alcohol abuse.

Week Ending 6.9.2017

• Jessica Alba’s, The Honest Company, has settled its huge class action lawsuit for $1.55M Customers claimed the company misled them about some of the ingredients in its household products (so much for the company name, right?)
• Lots of witnesses took the stand during the first week of Bill Cosby sexual assault trial. Testimony has been heart wrenching and at times difficult to hear about this former icon. Read more.
• A-Rod the victim of extortion by a disgruntled ex? Allegedly he sent pretty explicit texts to a woman he dated and now she’s threatening to expose him unless he pays up.
• Taylor Swift enjoys small victory in on going case involving David Mueller, the DJ who she alleges touched her inappropriately. He had sued Swift for slander and other causes of action but a judge has thrown out the slander claims–the rest of the matter is going forward.
• An apology from The New York Post’s Page Six? Yup. In a recent article they dissed designer Kimora Lee Simmons claiming that her fashion line was implicated in corruption investigation in Malaysia, among other things. The article was full of untruths and Kimora was not happy. Page Six apologized and removed the post.

Week Ending 6.2.2017

• LeBron James victim of a hate crime. Someone spray painted the “n-word” on the front gate of LeBron’s LA home. The basketball great was not at home at the time; police have not yet made an arrest.
• Tiger Woods arrested for DUI. Blames it on prescription drugs. Tiger failed field sobriety test and refused to take breathalyzer test at the scene. Read more.
• Johnny Depp’s lawsuit against his managers getting messier. Apparently Depp now alleging they used his assets to hide their mistakes–to the tune of a 40 million loan that Depp is on the hook for and allegedly knew nothing about. Managers says he knew about the loan. Read more.
• CNN fired Kathy Griffin from appearing on the highly ranked New Year’s Eve special she hosts with Anderson Cooper. The firing came the day after photos of Griffin holding a bloody “Trump head.”
• Arrest at Trump International Hotel in Washington DC. Man allegedly had several weapons and ammunition with him. The man was taken into custody swiftly; no one was injured.

Week Ending 5.26.2017

• Ariana Grande has been staying with her mother in Florida since the tragic terrorist act after her Manchester concert that left 22 dead and scores injured. Grande, who is reportedly and understandably devastated by the incident has suspended her tour until June 7. According to her promoter this will allow authorities to “further assess the situation and pay our proper respects to those lost.”
• Creed star, Michael B. Jordan, joins the list of celebs who have been burglarized. Thieves broke into his San Fernando valley home allegedly by smashing a window. An unspecified amount of cash and jewelry was taken. No one was home at the time of the break in.  Read more.
• Karreuche Tran’s request for a permanent restraining order against Chris Brown has been continued. This was not because of lack of evidence but because Tran didn’t show up in person to testify nor did her lawyers give the requisite notice to the court advising them that she would appear by phone. She’s on a tv shoot in New Orleans but given the seriousness of the allegations against Brown, we at PROOF believe it’s in her best interest to return to LA and appear in person for this matter. Read more.
• Playboy model, Dani Mathers pleaded no contest to invasion of privacy (which, for all intents and purposes, is same as guilty plea) for body shaming an older woman at an LA gym by secretly photographing her, posting it on social media along with a nasty caption. She was sentenced to perform 30 days of removing graffiti and 3 years of probation. LA Fitness, the gym where the act occurred, has banned her for life
• Sandra Bullock’s #1 “fan,” Joshua James Corbett, pleaded no contest to stalking and first degree residential burglary stemming from his 2014 break in into Bullock’s LA home. He was sentenced to 5 years probation, ordered to seek continued mental health treatment, and to stay away from Bullock for 10 years.
• Kris Jenner gets permanent restraining order against Joshua Jackson, a former Kardashian security guard. Kinda scary, right? The person who previously was supposed to protect you is now someone you fear? First time we at PROOF feel badly for Kris Jenner. Well, you’re safe now, Kris. Kinda. At least you have that piece of paper.

Week Ending 5.19.2017

• Scary moments at A$AP Rocky’s house when armed men knocked on his door, held a gun to the woman who answered it, and then allegedly forced her to show them where the goods were. Apparently, the thieves made away with $1.5 million in jewelry and other valuables.  Read more.
• Amber Rose had an uninvited, unwanted visitor. Apparently, a man entered her home early in the morning while Amber and others were asleep in the house. She only found out about the incident through her security cameras which showed the man entering the house and then leaving hours later. Allegedly nothing was stolen.
• Former New York Congressman (and subject of an awesome documentary, by the way),  Anthony Weiner pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan to transferring obscene material to a minor– he was sexting with a 15-year-old girl.  Weiner was released on bail and will be sentenced on September 8, 2017.
• Dina Manzo, of RHONJ fame and boyfriend David Cantin were the victims of a violent crime in their home in Holmdel, New Jersey. Two masked men entered the house, beat Manzo and Cantin, tied them up and stole their property. Both went to the hospital but did not suffer life threatening physical injuries.
• Rapper Travis Scott has pleaded not guilty to inciting a riot, disorderly conduct and endangering the welfare of a minor. The charges stems from a recent concert in Arkansas during which police say Scott  “encouraged people to rush the stage.”  His fans did so and suffered injury; security personnel were also injured. His attorney said Scott “only intended to put on a good show.”

Week Ending 5.12.2017

• Handwritten Harry Potter prequel was stolen from a home in England. The prequel was purchased at a charity event. Via twitter JK Rowling warned people not to buy the prequel if offered. Well done, JK! Way to cut the profit out of this despicable act! Might a crime fighting novel be next?
• Dance Moms’ Abby Lee Miller sentenced to one year and one day for bankruptcy fraud and bringing foreign currency into the country illegally. Read more.
• Trent Jackson wants Katherine Jackson to pay the over $50K in legal fees he incurred fighting the elder abuse claims she levied against him no that the case has been dismissed with prejudice. Read more.
• Massachusetts judge vacated Aaron Hernandez’ murder conviction for the death of Odin Lloyd based on what is known as the abatement doctrine.  Basically, his lawyers argued that because Hernandez died before all of his appeals were exhausted the law mandates that the conviction be vacated. Prosecutors countered that because Hernandez killed himself the doctrine does not apply. The court disagreed. Conviction cleared. Read more.
• Beyonce fighting another intellectual property matter (she is already being sued for using someone else’s lyrics in her song, Formation).  She is trying to trademark her daughter’s name again– she tried this once before–but this time she has added “Carter” to the request: Blue Ivy Carter.  An event planning company of that same name, Blue Ivy, existed before Beyonce and Jay Z’s Blue Ivy was even born. They want to continue using the name and stop Beyoncé from owning it. Good luck Blue Ivy events, quite a deep pocket you’re fighting (Btw, we think you’re in the right here!).

Week Ending 5.5.2017

• The court has granted Kris Jenner’s request for a restraining order against Joshua Jacobs, a former security guard. He has repeatedly tried to contact her and has shown up at her home despite being fired.  After three times, enough is enough. Jacobs now must stay away from Jenner and her home or risk arrest.
• Jury selection in Bill Cosby case set to begin on May 22, 2017 in Pennsylvania. Note cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom at any point during this trial.
• A win for Mel B. The court awarded her a restraining order against her former nanny, Lorraine Gilles, for five years. Gilles is still maintaining her defamation suit against Mel B stemming from Mel B’s allegations that Gilles had an affair with Mel B’s estranged spouse, Stephen Belafonte, and that he impregnated her. Read more.
• The Eagles have had enough with Hotel California. Not the song but rather the hotel in Mexico of the same name. The band has sued the hotel owners who bought the hotel, which at the time had a different name (the owners changed it back to Hotel California which was the original name of the building back in the 1950s). The Eagles say the couple is making money pretending there is a connection between the hotel and the band. There is not. The band seeks to stop them from using the name Hotel California and to stop implying that there is a connection between them and the hotel. They are also seeking money damages.
• Fyre festival feeling the legal heat. A $100 million class action lawsuit has been filed against the festival organizers for failing to to deliver on even the most basic of their promises which includes providing adequate food and shelter. The suit claims attendees were left in a life-or-death situation. Read more.

Week Ending 4.28.2017

• Sony breaks ties with Dr. Luke. He is no longer CEO of Sony wholly owned Kemosabe Records. Dr. Luke’s lawsuits involving Kesha are still active, several of her claims against him are on appeal, his defamation suit against her is still alive as is one of her counterclaims against him. Free Kesha!
• Lupita Nyong’o was used as a ploy by Roland Scahill, a Broadway producer, to raise money for a nonexistent play. Scahill pleaded guilty to grand larceny and fraud for scamming people into investing more than $165,000 in this nonexistent play about opera star Kathleen Battle by telling telling them Nyong’o was starring in it.
• Khloe Kardashian sued for copyright violation for posting a picture of herself. Sounds ridiculous, right? Apparently Khloe posted a picture of herself at a Miami restaurant that a UK company owned and never authorized Khloe to use. The company is seeking an injunction, profits resulting from the violation, and damages of up to $25,000.
• Former Bachelor Chris Soules was charged in Iowa with leaving the scene of a fatal crash, a class D felony. He faces up to five years in prison if he is convicted. Oddly enough Soules checked on the driver and called 911 before leaving the scene.
• More masturbation trouble for Delta. First it was a male cargo employee and now it’s a passenger. A male passenger was masturbating on a flight from South Carolina to Detroit and allegedly flight attendants knew this yet they allowed him to walk freely from the bathroom to his seat where he allegedly continued to masturbate and touch the thigh of the female passenger next to him. Read More.

Week Ending 4.21.2017

• Former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez committed suicide while in prison just days after a Massachusetts jury found him not guilty of the double murder of two immigrants. He was serving a life sentence without parole for a prior murder conviction.
• Fox FINALLY fired Bill O’Reilly after several women accused him of sexual harassment and an internal investigation revealed that there were other such claims. Good work by attorney Lisa Bloom who represents 3 of O’Reilly’s victims. Bloom’s tweet said it all: “When women speak our truth the old order shatters. We slayed the dragon.”
• La La and Carmelo Anthony have separated after almost 7 years of marriage. Neither party has filed for divorce yet. Allegedly the couple has a prenuptial agreement which addresses the division of assets so, at least that part of the case, should they ultimately file for divorce, will likely be resolved smoothly. They have one son, Kiyan, together.
• Chris Brown has been involved in an alleged altercation at a Tampa club. Bennie Vines, a photographer, said he tried to take crowd shots at an event where Brown was in the DJ booth and that when Brown noticed him taking pictures, which Vines was earlier asked not to do, Vines alleges that Brown attacked him causing lacerations and injuries to Vines’ mouth.
• A federal judge in Illinois has refused to dismiss a class action lawsuit brought my minors for the way the television show Empire took over the detention center where the minors were residing. Empire’s actions caused them to live in virtual lockdown for days without access to their normal activities including school, the recreation yard, and the infirmary. Allegedly during this time sick requests were ignored and the minors were unable to visit with their families.

Week Ending 4.14.2017

• Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are getting divorced after almost 12 years of marriage. We at Proof had so hoped these two would be able to work it out but kudos to them for the mature way in which they are handling the split. Affleck has already filed a response and, as the world knows, both are committed and involved parents, who are making it clear they want to stay that way–both both agree to joint physical and legal custody of their three young kids. We’re sad about this one.
• Louis Tomlinson will not face criminal charges stemming from a fight at LAX in March. In an interesting delivery of justice, both sides will appear before a hearing examiner to discuss what occurred, address their respective conduct but charges will not be filed.
• David Dao, the doctor who was forcibly dragged from a United airlines flight, and suffered injury, is likely to pursue a lawsuit against United as well as the City of Chicago. Dao’s lawyers have requested that all evidence relating to the event be preserved including but not limited to video surveillance, cockpit voice recordings, and passenger and crew manifests. Note that the Chicago Department of Aviation has placed employees on administrative leave as they continue to investigate the incident as it was employees from that Department that aggressively dragged Dao from the plane.
• Melania Trump has settled her libel case against The Daily Mail related to their allegation that she worked as an escort.  The terms of the settlement include a public apology, which has been supplied, as well as the requirement that the newspaper pay her damages and litigation costs.
• Tyga’s company is not paying its legal debts and that’s not ok! A woman was awarded over $200,000 for injuries she suffered at a Tyga concert in Michigan. Despite repeated requests for payment for this legal, official judgment, no money has been paid. Interest continues to rack up and the victim has a lawyer seeking payment on her behalf.
• Blake Shelton has settled his defamation case against In Touch magazine. Shelton was not happy when without basis, In Touch, splashed across a front cover that Shelton was a drunk and going to rehab. No official word on what In Touch had to pay to make the case go away (case has been dismissed) but no doubt it was not a small sum given Shelton’s level of fame and his reputation.
• Aaron Hernandez has been found not guilty of murder in the shooting deaths of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. He was found guilty of unlawful possession of a gun. Note however that Hernandez is currently serving a life sentence for a different murder.  Read more.

Week Ending 4.7.2017

• As if Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi commercial hasn’t caused enough problems now there may be a legal issue. The police department at the “protest” is supposed to be the San Francisco Police Department–there’s an emblem on the sleeves of officers that says San Francisco Police with an image of an eagle. Though not an exact match, the patch looks much like the real SFPD. Problem is apparently Pepsi never asked for permission to use this likeness. The City Attorney is investigating.
• Poor Mel B. It has not been a good week–or a good ten years for that matter. Mel B filed for divorce from Stephen Belafonte about a month ago; she initially sought joint legal and physical custody of their daughter, Madison. She has now changed that and is seeking sole custody. Considering all the claims out there and stories about guns, sex, and violence regarding Belafonte this move is not surprising. Read more.
• More good legal news for Mischa Barton. The TROs (temporary restraining orders) she recently received against two ex boyfriends who are shopping a sex tape of her have been extended. Good for you, Mischa! Read more.
• Tinder-related lawsuit is an interesting one! Screenwriter Derek Connolly, who has been involved in some very big budget projects such as Jurassic World and Star Wars: Episode IX has alleged that his privacy has been invaded and he is being stalked by a woman he met on Tinder. The two dated for a while but apparently their break up was very ugly so ugly that the scorned Tinder gal posted their text messages on Instagram and has threatened his career and his safety.
• Model, Stephanie Seymour has completed a program for alcohol abuse and now her two DUI charges have been dismissed. This is precisely how Mel Gibson (and many others) was able to get his drunk driving charges dismissed. Read more.
• Bad ruling for Hunter and Kathleen Biden in their divorce.  After initially exposing lots of dirty laundry in public documents the couple asked the court to seal the documents to protect their children and avoid embarrassment. Too late said the court. Should’ve thought about that before you put it all out there. Request denied.

Week Ending 3.31.2017

• Emmy Rossum is the latest celeb to have her jewelry stolen from her LA home. Apparently she made it super easy for the thieves. Right next to the two safes in which her jewelry was stored were the combinations–to both safes. For more information on the rash of burglaries sweeping through LA. Read more.
• California Court of Appeals says Floyd Mayweather did nothing wrong he outed his ex-fiance, Shantel Jackson and told the world he broke up with her because she had an abortion. Nice guy. Read More.
• Shia LaBeouf, a PROOF favorite, gets some legal good news. Charges have been dropped against him stemming from his January arrest in New York that resulted from an alleged fight with a protester at Shia’s anti-Trump live stream protest, HeWillNotDivide.Us. Read More.
• Jennifer Lopez is slapped with a lawsuit. Ms. Lopez wanted hoverboards for her Las Vegas show and not surprisingly, she got them. Part of the deal (she wasn’t charged for the boards) was that she was supposed to do promo work for Sidekick, the manufacturer of the hoverboards. Apparently that work wasn’t done. Sidekick is suing her for the almost 55k they say they spent on the custom board as well as other damages. We at PROOF prefer One Wheels to hoverboards–maybe she would have had better luck with them.
• Michael Jackson’s mother is back in court. In early February 2017, Katherine Jackson obtained a restraining order against her nephew and long time caretaker, Trent Jackson for elder abuse. She has been in London but this week was ordered to return to LA to testify in the matter or risk dismissal of the case. (I will be sending a longer article on this but not likely till Monday) Read More.
• Michael Irvin, former wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys is under investigation by Fort Lauderdale police for sexual battery. A woman claimed he raped her at the W hotel. Irvin denies the claims. Oddly this is the third time Irvin has been accused of sexual assault. Note though, he has never been formally charged in connection with any of those accusations. Read More.

Week Ending 3.24.2017

• Rapper Wyclef Jean is calling for an investigation of racial profiling after being being stopped, handcuffed and detained by sheriff’s deputies in West Hollywood on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Read More
• Los Angeles County Jim McDonnell’s wants to send to prosecutors the names of deputies who have committed serious police misconduct on the job. Thursday, March 23, 2017, an LA County Sheriff’s civilian oversight commission expressed its support of McDonnell.
• Lawsuit involving LA Dodger’s sports channel has settled. On Thursday, March 23, 2017, the DOJ (U.S. Department of Justice) resolved the claims with AT&T that a high-level DirecTV executive illegally colluded with other pay for tv companies in Southern California to block the rollout of the Dodgers’ channel.
• Footage from former Dallas Cowboy lineman Greg Hardy’s cocaine arrest has been made public.  He was cooperative and calm throughout though it was clear that officers were intimidated/concerned by his 6’5″, 280 pound frame.
• Melissa Eckstrom, 28 year old daughter of Deadliest Catch captain, Sig Hansen, has alleged that her father sexually abused her as a toddler. Hansen denies the claims. The case is now in the hands of the Court of Appeals in Washington state– it is deciding whether a lower court ruling allowing the case to go to trial is correct.

Week Ending 3.17.2017

• Another Kardashian crime victim. This time it’s Kendall Jenner. She reports that $200,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from her jewelry box in her Hollywood Hills home. Not likely a target of the recent knock-knock burglaries–most think it’s someone she knows who had valid access to her house, albeit not access to go into her jewelry box and take her stuff! Read More
• More Kardashian legal drama this week as their Melrose clothing store, Dash, was vandalized. Dash not having much luck recently as the famous sisters closed the Dash NY location this past December. The Las Vegas location has been shuttered for more than 2 years. Maybe retail just isn’t for them. Read More
• Victory for Mischa Barton who has received restraining orders against two ex boyfriends who are shopping a sex tape and other intimate photos they took of her without her consent or knowledge. Poor Mischa Barton–it has been a rough couple of weeks. Recall she was recently hospitalized for a mental evaluation. I am glad she won this round and hope those images will not see the light of day. Read More
• Amanda Seyfried is also fighting a battle related to nude photos.   Apparently computers of celebs are being hacked– nude photos are the targets and such images of Seyfried have popped up on the internet. Seyfried is threatening to sue if the photos aren’t taken down immediately. Talk about an invasion of privacy! What is with all these predators this week?
• Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott have more financial bad news (he was recently in court for failing to pay child support to his ex wife). This time it is in connection with a loan they have failed to pay back. The bank, City National Bank (who we reported actor, Steven Dorff, is in financial hot water with as well) wants their money back and has asked the court to enter a default judgment against the couple.

Week Ending 3.10.2017

• Louis Tomlinson (of One Direction fame) was arrested at LAX after an altercation with a photographer, and a woman who was videotaping the incident with her cell phone. Tomlinson was  released after posting bond of $20,000. So far he has not been formally charged but prosecutors a are reviewing the matter. Even if criminal charges are not filed, Tomlinson is likely to face a civil suit.
• Scarlett Johansson and her husband of two years, Romain Dauriac are getting divorced. The major issue in this dispute isn’t money as the couple had a prenup but rather of their young daughter, Rose Dorothy. Read More
• Oscar De La Hoya has been formally charged with 2 counts of DUI stemming from his stop and arrest in January. As PROOF previously reported, De La Hoya has been fighting addiction for years. Read More
• Actor Stephen Dorff is in legal and financial trouble. He is being sued by City National Bank for breaching a personal line of credit agreement.  Dorff allegedly owes over $800K. Though not a household name, Dorff has worked on some big name projects with big name directors.
• Hunter Biden and Kathleen Biden seek to resolve their divorce privately–this after a week of ugly accusations involving hookers, affairs and drugs and alcohol. Good choice by this couple.  Private mediation may be able to  resolve the matters in dispute in a less public way, which would be a good thing given that Hunter is dating his deceased brother’s wife, Hallie. Mediation has worked for many other high profile couples, let’s hope it works for these two.  Read More

Week Ending 3.3.2017

• Christopher Darden, one of the LA County prosecutors of OJ Simpson fame has some troubles with the law himself. Looks like a baby mama of his is seeking a restraining order saying that he is harassing her and she is afraid of him. Darden denies all allegations. Note, he obtained a restraining order against her last year! Read More
• Chris Brown has more legal problems.  Two TROs (temporary restraining order) were issued against him in February 2017. His ex girlfriend, model, Karrueche Tran got one and now, one of Tran’s closest friends, Joseph Ryan LaCor, has one against him too. Read More
• Casey Anthony, who was acquitted of murdering her daughter, Caylee, may have accidentally killed her daughter with chloroform, so says the judge who presided in the matter.  The judge is no longer on the bench and works in the private sector. Authorities were never able to determine an exact cause of death for Caylee. Read More
• President Trump faces yet another lawsuit. This time for campaign fundraising violations.  The complaint was filed with the FEC (Federal Elections Commission) and alleges that the campaign fundraising activities that occurred after election day violated federal election law.
• Caitlyn Jenner and LaVerne Cox both supporting Gavin Grimm, the transgender student whose case is about to be heard by the US Supreme Gavin, who was born a female but identifies as a male wants to be able to use the boy’s bathroom at school but has been denied such access.

Week Ending 2.24.2017

• Dean McDermott, husband of Tori Spelling, and father of their four (soon to be five) children has not been making child support payments to MaryJo Eustace, his ex-wife and mother of his son, Jack. Eustace filed court documents in LA seeking to force McDermott to make the payments. Read More.
• Nick Cannon, who just quit America’s Got Talent, because he felt he was mistreated by the show (He said he felt silenced, controlled, and treated like a piece of property), is now facing a lawsuit on an unrelated matter.  Enrico Taylor is suing Cannon for stealing Taylor’s idea for a talent discovery app.  Taylor is seeking $1.75 million in damages. Read More.
• Chris Brown is in trouble again for violence against women. Karrueche Tran, Brown’s ex-girlfriend, obtained a restraining order against Brown after she claimed in legal documents that Brown said he would kill her. Tran also said Brown has been violent with her in the past.
• Darius McCrary, former star of Family Matters, and his estranged wife, Tammy Brawner, are embroiled in a bitter domestic violence dispute–with both sides claiming abuse against the other. Brawner also claimed that McCrary held their one-year-old daughter over a pot of boiling water. Both Brawner and McCrary now have restraining orders against the other. Read More.
• President Trump revoked protection for transgender students put in place by Obama in May 2016. Obama ordered that public schools must allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matched their chosen gender identity. If the school failed to comply with this, their funding would be affected. It was lauded as a civil rights victory.

Week Ending 2.17.2017

• Harrison Ford is being investigated by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) because he landed his plane on the wrong runway at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. In doing so, he flew over an American airlines jet carrying 110 passengers and six crew members.
• Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family services have placed Lisa Marie Presley’s (daughter of Elvis) twin daughters in protective custody. Apparently, authorities found “pictures and disturbing videos” on the computer of her estranged husband, Michael Lockwood.  Presley, who filed for divorce from Lockwood in June 2016, said she was “shocked and horrified and sick to my stomach” when she discovered the photos.
• Justin Bieber is making legal headlines again this week. Once for claiming he was sick (photos and videos show him partying hours earlier) and blowing off a deposition in a copyright case in which he is being sued. Second, for an alleged assault in a Hollywood hot spot, Serafina. So far no arrest for the assault but he’s likely to be sanctioned in some way for faking sick and skipping out on the depo. Watch Video
• Ashton Kutcher is on the Hill (Capitol Hill in Washington, DC that is) and making friends! Kutcher was testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about human trafficking.  Kutcher, who identifies as a democrat blew a kiss to Senator John McCain, a republican, after McCain made a comment about Kutcher’s looks.   What did McCain say that prompted the kiss?  “Ashton you’re better looking in the movies.” Sounds like there was a need to lighten the mood.
• Defamation suit against Bill Cosby dismissed. A judge in Massachusetts found that Katherine McKee, a woman who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Cosby, had not shown he defamed her when his representatives called a 2014 New York Daily News story on her allegations defamatory and demanded a retraction. This decision in no way affects the criminal case pending against Cosby in Pennsylvania.

Week Ending 2.10.2017

• The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court ruling in State of Washington v. Trump (aka travel ban). The three-judge voted unanimously. They denied the Justice Department’s request to reverse the Washington state judge’s restraining order that directed the authorities not to carry out Trump’s travel ban that prohibited citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries and from refugees worldwide to enter the United States.
• Beyonce has been sued by the estate of Anthony Barré, a deceased YouTube personality known Messy Mya. According to the suit, Beyonce stole a line from one of Messy Mya’s popular videos in which he says “a 27 piece, huh?” and used it in her very popular tune, Formation.  Beyonce never sought nor received permission to use Mya’s phrase. His estate is seeking monetary damages.
• Shia LaBeouf’s HeWillNotDivide.Us performance has been shut down in New York. The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, where the protest was live streamed from as performance art, and which LeBoeuf hoped would remain there for the next 4 years, found that the “artwork created an unexpectedly volatile situation and serious public safety hazards.”
• Nicolas Cage’s son, Weston, who has struggled with addiction, was arrested for drunk driving in California. Weston who is 26 years old and a father himself was involved in a minor accident for which he initially stopped but then fled the scene. Police gave chase and it all ended with Weston plowing his car into a tree. This is not Weston’s first run-in with the law–he has allegedly been arrested for domestic violence in the past.
• Wikipedia has banned the Daily Mail as a credible source on its pages. Apparently Wikipedia has debated this issue for over a year and finally concluded that the Daily Mail is not a reliable source and has a “reputation for poor fact checking, sensationalism, and flat-out fabrication.” The editors have gone even further and are encouraging users to review Daily Mail citations that are already on Wikipedia and remove or replace them.

Week Ending 2.3.2017

• Jason Hoppy, the ex husband of real housewife, Bethenny Frankel, was arrested in New York for allegedly screaming “I will destroy you,” to Bethenny while she was outside their daughter’s school. Good dad, right?
• Kim Kardashian was in New York providing testimony and evidence against her Paris attackers. Lucky for Kim, the French system is vastly different from ours and allows discretion to judges in criminal matters as to whether a victim must travel back to the jurisdiction of the alleged crime in order to be interviewed and/or offer evidence.
• Nicki Minaj’s LA home was burglarized and the suspects made off with more t $200,000 worth of jewelry and other items, as well as damaging her home. Thankfully, Nicki was out of town at the time of the crime. Surveillance video should turn up something so perps aren’t going to get too far.
• Johnny Depp’s legal battle with his managers is getting dirtier. They have now countersued him. In their cross-complaint they say Depp lived an ultra-extravagant lifestyle that he could not afford and that he alone is fully responsible for any financial turmoil he finds himself in today.
• Dr. Luke, Kesha’s former producer with whom she is embroiled in a bitter lawsuit is seeking to add a defamation claim against Kesha. This claim is based on the allegation that Kesha texted Lady Gaga claiming he raped another artist. It is Dr. Luke’s position that Kesha is on a malicious campaign to destroy his reputation and career.  Kesha claims Dr. Luke is simply seeking revenge and is ruining her career further by not allowing her to release new music.
• Melania Trump’s libel suit against Daily Mail dismissed. But not because it lacked merit, rather it was dismissed because the State of Maryland has no ties with the litigation and therefore, the jurisdiction was improper.

Week Ending 1.27.2017

• LA judge found evidence of domestic violence and has issued an order prohibiting Robin Thicke from having contact with his ex-wife, Paula Patton, his six year old son Julian, and Paula’s mother. Robin must stay 100 yards clear of three of them or will be violating the Order and arrested.
• Shia LeBoeuf arrested, but released within hours, after getting into a fight with a protester at Shia’s NYC Trump live stream protest, He Will Not Divide Us.
• Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of the late Kurt Cobain, wants her estranged husband, Isaiah Silva to return Kurt’s 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic guitar. Frances says it’s a family heirloom and has filed legal papers asking the court to demand Isaiah to return it to her. Apparently, he has refused to do so since she filed for divorce last March.
• A judge has denied Jennifer Lopez’ request for a permanent restraining order against an alleged stalker who has followed her to Las Vegas and then to her Los Angeles home. She was granted a temporary order against him. The request for the permanent order was not denied because it lacked merit but rather because the stalker could not be located.
• Oscar de la Hoya was arrested for driving under the influence. California Highway Patrol observed him speeding in Pasadena, CA, pulled him over and performed field sobriety tests. De La Hoya failed those tests and was arrested. For full story about Oscar De La Hoya’s battle with addiction, click here.

Week Ending 1.20.2017

• A Dog’s Purpose premiere and press junkets cancelled amidst allegations of animal abuse on set.
• Apprentice contestant, Summer Zervos, filed a defamation lawsuit against President Trump, accusing him of lying about touching her in a sexually inappropriate way. Allegations include that Trump kissed and groped her in a hotel room in 2007. She is seeking an apology as well as compensatory and punitive damages.
• Cuba Gooding Jr responds to wife’s 2014 petition for separation with a more permanent move– he filed for divorce. He is seeking joint custody of their 10 year old daughter and has offered to pay spousal support.
• Singer Ciara has resolved her child custody case with her ex, Future, a rapper. They have agreed to joint custody of their two-year-old son, Future Zahir Wilburn.
• Paul McCartney is suing Sony/ATV, the leading music publisher with a catalogue of over 3 millions copyrights. McCartney is seeking copyright ownership of several songs he co-wrote with John Lennon when they were part of The Beatles.

Week Ending 1.13.2017

• Brad and Angelina have hired a private judge to make all legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues as it relates to their divorce and to custody of their children.
• French police arrest 17 suspects in the KIm Kardashian robbery case.
• Robin Thicke and Paula embroiled in bitter custody dispute over 6 year old son, Julian.
• Blac Chyna’s former managers threaten to sue saying she owes the $3 million dollars.
• Uma Thurman in the middle of trial for custody of her daughter and it’s beyond nasty. Ex-fiancé (and father of her daughter) claiming Uma is mentally ill and treats her illness with a cocktail of prescription drugs and alcohol.
• Pharrell sued for copyright infringement AGAIN. This time Gwen Stefani is also along for the ride. Suit is over her 2014 song “Spark the Fire.” Allegedly a musician gave Stefani a copy of his song, Who’s Got My Lightah, in the late ’90s and she copied it. Suit is against Stefani’s company Harajuku Lovers, Interscope Records and names both Stefani and Williams personally.