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The Kevin Hart Extortion Case: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

Celebrity News, Celebs, Kevin Hart

And, FYI, it’s not the first time Hart has had to deal with the optics of being a cheater.

After a summer full of infidelity rumors and ex-wife drama (more on that in a bit), it looks like September won’t be the month that Kevin Hart escapes the rumor mill, which is—and will continue to be—churning at full speed. Here’s why: The comedian is in the middle of an extortion case that involves a compromising video and a whole lot of drama.

Let’s start at the beginning. Late on September 17th, Hart posted a video on his Instagram captioned, “Sending so many apologies to my wife & kids. I gotta do better and I will. I’m not perfect and have never claimed to be…I love you all.” The accompanying video included Hart admitting that he “made a bad error in judgment and put myself in an environment where only bad things can happen, and they did.” He goes on to say that he has apologized to his wife of one year, Eniko Parrish, as well as to his children. “At the end of the day, man, I simply got to do better, but I’m also not going to allow a person to have financial gain over my mistakes,” Hart said, alluding to the extortion. “In this particular situation, that’s what was attempted, and I said I’d rather fess up to my mistakes.”

Shortly after, People Magazine released a statement from one of Hart’s representatives explaining, “Someone tried to set Kevin up in a failed extortion attempt. As law enforcement is involved, we cannot comment further as it could affect the investigation.” We lawyers often encourage “taking the sting” out of something before it is exposed (Generally this is done when we put a witness on the stand who might have something unsavory in his/her background that we know the other side is going to address.  Instead of letting the opposing party shape the narrative, the attorney who called the witness brings the information out first on direct exam). It would seem Hart’s cryptic Instagram video was perhaps his way of doing that and getting ahead of the issue.

A report surfaced asserting that the extortion attempt was allegedly made by someone who has a video of Hart that shows Hart and a woman engaged in “sexually suggestive” behavior. By now most of us that the woman in the video is not his wife, Eniko. Hmm….

Initially, reports indicated that there was no way of knowing if the person demanding millions of dollars from the comedian was the woman shown in the video or a third party. As details continue to surface, the woman shown at the start of the video has immediately requested a lawyer, and is insisting that she knew nothing about the video. On September 18th, there were reports that her lawyer contacted Kevin Hart’s people and said that his client would take a lie detector test to prove it…but only if she is paid $420,000.  Extortion?

On September 20th, 2017, the woman in question, who has been identified as Montia Sabbag, held a press conference with her lawyer, Lisa Bloom (who as some may know represents several plaintiffs involved in the Usher Hepes lawsuit, represented Blac Chyna in her revenge porn “situation” with Rob Kardashian as well as representing Mischa Barton in her revenge porn case against a former boyfriend). While she acknowledged that she had “an intimate relationship” with Hart, she asserts, “I am not an extortionist. I’m not a stripper. I’m a recording artist and an actress, and I have not broken any laws. I had nothing to do with these recordings.” Lisa Bloom has clarified that Sabbag is not demanding money from Hart (that’s good legal advice because being charged with extortion is not going to help Sabbag’s career)), but did not address the previous request for cash in exchange for a lie detector test. Bloom also wants us to understand that Sabbag is a victim, too. Recording Sabbag and Hart being intimate without either of their consent is not only a huge invasion of privacy, it is also illegal. While it is easy to think of Hart as the victim because he has been extorted for money, it is important to remember that Sabbag has been thrust into the spotlight as party to his infidelity.

And now for the low-down on the video in question. The video itself is 4 minutes and 47 seconds long and reportedly contains footage of what appears to be two people in a bed having sex. Thought you cannot see the pair, you later see a naked man walk in the room, which is allegedly Hart. In the video, the extortionist explains that they’re looking not just for money, but also to expose Hart for being a cheater. They also insinuate that Kevin’s call for other celebrities to donate to Hurricane Harvey relief was a media stunt meant to gain points with the public.

If what the video claims is true, it was shot “between the dates of August 17th, 2017-August 20th, 2017. The weekend of his pregnant wife’s birthday.” Yikes. Eniko is pregnant with the couple’s first child, and made waves herself when she posted a photo of the pair on their anniversary that read, “8 years together… 1 year married… Forever to go!” The caption may seem harmless, or even sweet, if not for the fact that Hart had not divorced his ex-wife until 2011. If we do the math, Eniko is suggesting her relationship with Hart has some overlap with Hart’s previous marriage. And that, as you can guess, caused quite the stir on social media. In case you were worried that Hart’s ex-wife Torrei Hart wasn’t going to chime in, don’t be. In fact, she hasn’t stayed silent in his extortion case either. Torrei sat down with Inside Edition and told them that “lies and infidelity” were what ruined their marriage. You know what they say, “Once a cheater…”

And Hart hasn’t exactly been shy about his past infidelities. In his comedy special Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, the father of two jokes, “Lying ruined my marriage…That’s a lie, I cheated. The 38-year-old continues on to say, “Yes, people. I cheated. Am I ashamed of it? No, I’m not. Do I wish I could take it back? No, I don’t. Let me tell you why. You can’t evolve as a man if you never make a mistake. The only way that you can be perfect is to not f— up. I did it. I f—-d up. Don’t cheat.”  Ladies, would this make you feel better? Yeah, I don’t think so.

Even more foreboding was an interview that Hart gave in 2016 when he appeared on The Breakfast Club. In the interview, Hart discusses the riskiness of cheating when you are famous. “I wouldn’t be a good cheater right now because I don’t feel like I can trust you to cheat. So you wouldn’t want to cheat with me because I’d be questioning you like, ‘What you doing? You taking a picture?’…There is no sanity that comes with it, so why risk it?”  Why risk it, indeed.

The person who made the video goes on to claim “Kevin Hart was so drunk and drugged up, it was an effortless attempt to film and take pictures of him.”

Yes, this case is juicy and yes Hart is a victim of extortion if the facts and evidence end up supporting the allegations but, at this point, the case is simply sad. We have great empathy for Eniko, currently pregnant and dealing with all this stress (though as mentioned above if we look at the dates we’d have to say she knew Hart wasn’t squeaky clean) as well as for Montia Sabbag–neither of these women deserve this. We will be following closely as the story develops and as we find out more about who is behind the video.

 

 

NYPD is Investigating Mario Batali for Sexual Assault

Celebrity News, Celebs, Mario Batali

Mario Batali was accused of sexual misconduct by four women back in December 2017, and while he may have thought the worst was over and even talked about rehabilitating his life and career after the allegations surfaced, turns out things have gotten much worse for the celebrity chef as he is now being officially investigated by the NYPD for two sexual assaults.

Batali is known for his appearances on Food Network shows like Iron Chef and MoltoMario and for his time as a ABC daily talk show host on The Chew.He has been in the business for nearly two decades and owns restaurants all over the globe, some of them with Michelin stars (that means he’s a really, really recognized chef).

The Spotted Pig and Babbo

On Sunday, May 20th2018 a woman told Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes that in 2005 she was invited to a party at The Spotted Pig, well known New York restaurant in which Batali is an investor.  The woman, who remains anonymous was a server at one of Batali’s restaurants, says that she woke up on the floor, battered and with semen on her skirt. She believes that she was drugged—some of the last things she remembers is sitting on Batali’s lap, him kissing her, and then her throwing up.

She confronted Batali, asked him about the incident, but he would not speak with her. She went to the hospital, a rape kit was taken, and although she reported the incident she did not file a formal complaint and apparently, no further investigation took place at that time. She didn’t report it then because “you know, a young actress, no resources, no money…I couldn’t do it.” Sound familiar?

The second allegation being investigated was reported to NYPD late last year, presumably after the sexual misconduct allegations and Batali’s “mini” mea culpa (see below) surfaced and centers around claims by a woman who says that back in 2004 she lost consciousness in Babbo, one of Batali’s New York restaurants and that when she came to, Batali was on top of her.

Batali Admits to Bad Behavior, enough for his Wife to Stay Apparently

Batali denies the assault allegations, but has owned up to inappropriate sexual behavior at his restaurants. When those first allegations came out in late 2017, he said that, though he didn’t know the four women who initially came forward against him, “much of the behavior described does in fact, match up with the ways I have acted.” He also later said, “I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team. My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility. He added a cinnamon roll recipe to his posted apology (yup, nice touch, huh?) and said he would work hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect.From there, more and more horror stories emerged of Batali groping female servers at his restaurants.

Note that Batali has been married for over 20 years to Susi Cahn (whose father founded Coach leather goods) and has two adult sons, both of whom are following in his food-centric footsteps. We can only imagine how devastating this is for them. At the time of this this writing, there have not been any reports that Cahn has left Batali.

Other Celeb Chefs Behaving Badly

Batali isn’t the first renowned restaurateur to be accused of sexual misconduct. In fact, apparently that type of behavior is pretty frequent in the restaurant business. We don’t say that to excuse but rather to expose the dirty underbelly of the allegedly glamorous world of high end (and not so high end) restaurants.  Since the allegations came out against Weinstein in October 2017, Johnny Luzzini, who was a chef and judge on ABC’s The Great American Baking Show has been accused of sexually harassing at least 6 employees. Charlie Hallowell, a celebrated San Francisco chef and owner of three restaurants had to step away from his businesses after being accused by 17 women. John Besh, a celebrity chef and high-profile New Orleans restaurateur had to step down from the company he founded and co-owns after being accused of fostering a culture of sexual harassment in the workplace by 12 women.

The Spotted Pig Rape Room and a Female Chef

Ken Friedman, a Batali friend, well known restaurateur, and owner of the The Spotted Pig where the alleged 2005 Batali assault occurred, was accused by 10 women of making unwanted sexual advances and had to step away from his restaurants. One of the worst things about Friedman and The Spotted Pig? The third floor of that restaurant was often referred to as the rape room– we leave you to insert further details as to why that moniker came about, and stuck.

What is particularly disturbing about The Spotted Pig is that the kitchen is helmed by a famous female chef, April Bloomfield. Apparently, female workers had complained to Bloomfield about what was going on in the restaurant and with Friedman, her long time collaborator, and, not only did Bloomfield allegedly not take action but she basically told the women that’s the way it is and they should deal with it. Bloomfield denies this and says she did report instances she knew about to human resources. However, now in the wake of the 60 Minutesinterview, she has officially ended her relationship with Friedman. Better late than never.  Thank you, Chef.

Looks like the #metoo movement is coming for the allegedly sexual harassment laden food industry.

 

Justin Bieber Did All of the Right Things After Hitting a Pap with His Car, But Will He Still Get Sued?

Celebrity News, Celebs, Justin Bieber

The relationship between celebrities and paparazzi is notoriously contentious, from Sean Penn to Alec Baldwin to Halle Berry, it seems as though every A-lister has had a public run-in with the paps. And one only needs to remember the worst case scenario, the tragic death of Princess Diana, after paparazzi pursued the car she was in, leading to a fatal crash in Paris 20 years ago this month. A day doesn’t go by where celebs are pursued and someone is put in danger as a result of this kind of pursuit, and pop star Justin Bieber made headlines recently when the pickup truck he was driving accidentally clipped the leg of a photographer who, according to eyewitness accounts, would not leave Bieber alone.

Bieber was leaving a church worship service on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills this past July when the incident occurred. It appears that, despite his truck being flanked on all sides by paparazzi, Bieber did all the right things to exit the scene safely in his car, but his front right side tire hit a photographer who was pursuing him. After the incident, Bieber stayed with the photographer until police arrived. A statement from the Beverly Hills Police said “We arrived on scene and found a 57-year-old pedestrian on the ground. He was transferred to local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Justin Bieber remained on scene, co-operated with officers and was released.” The paparazzo himself also released a statement saying “He was compassionate; he’s a good kid. Accidents happen.”

Bieber has not been charged with anything (and neither has the pap who arguably, could have been, as he was preventing Bieber from driving) but the question that remains is whether the injured photog will file a civil suit seeking money damages. In California, the statute of limitations for car accident claims is two years. This means that the photog has 2 years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit against Bieber with the court. We don’t generally say this at PROOF but given the pap’s comments noted above and the relatively minor injuries he seemed to have suffered in the accident, we don’t think Bieber is getting sued on this one. And, if the pap is already back on the street seeking that next celeb snapshot and does choose to file, it’s going to be pretty hard for his lawyers to prove he was injured in such a way as to deserve compensation.  Want to read more about lawsuits and Bieber? Click here.

Heather Locklear Arrested for Domestic Abuse. Sadly, It’s Not her First Brush with the Law

Celebs

Heather Locklear was arrested on Sunday, February 25, 2018 for domestic violence stemming from an altercation with her boyfriend, Chris Heisser. She was also charged with battery for allegedly attacking three of the arresting deputies. Locklear, who you’ll remember from her roles on Melrose Place, Dynasty, and Spin City, was taken into custody on Sunday night after officers were called to her home and found that there was evidence that the actress had attacked Heisser.

Sgt. Eric Buschow of Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said about the arrest, “I don’t have any information as to whether or not an alcohol was involved, but she was extremely uncooperative right off the bat.” Alcohol must have played some role in the altercation because just hours after Locklear was arrested, Heisser was stopped by California Highway Patrol upon suspicion of drunk driving. He failed field sobriety tests and his blood alcohol was above the legal limit. He was charged with driving under the influence.

Locklear has been released on bail and is due in court mid-March (Heisser was also released). Sadly, this is not the first time the actress is facing legal trouble. In fact, it seems as if over the past ten years there has been a pattern of problems for Locklear.  She was arrested for a DUI in 2008 to which she plead no contest to reckless driving. The DUI charge was dismissed.

In 2010, she was arrested for a hit-and-run.  Luckily no one was hurt, but the debris at the scene of the accident (she hit a car that was on a public street) matched Locklear’s black BMW. She got off easy on that one as criminal charges were not filed. But you’d think after these two incidents she would lay low. Not so.

In 2011 police were called to Jack Wagner’s, Locklear’s then-boyfriend, home to investigate domestic violence claims after the two had gotten into a physical altercation. You remember Jack Wagner? Dr. Peter Burns on Melrose Place (and Frisco Jones on General Hospital). No charges were filed. Note though this was primarily due to the fact that once police arrived, reportedly neither party was interested in pursuing anything further. (This is very common in domestic violence cases and, as you can imagine, there are many reasons parties choose not to move forward. Legally speaking, it’s very hard to pursue a case when no one wants to testify or provide evidence).

And, even more sad, in January 2012, Locklear was taken to the hospital following a 911 call from her home. Though details were never confirmed, multiple outlets reported that the star may have been mixing prescription drugs with alcohol.

To add fuel to the addiction theory flames, Locklear released a statement in response to rumors that she entered rehab in 2017. She said, “I am feeling great and am taking steps to enrich and better my life. Currently I am working on tying up some loose ends regarding certain issues so I can hit 2017 full steam ahead.” While the thought of rehab had us hopeful that the fallen star would get herself back on track, it’s clear from this recent arrest that she may need more time to work on herself and through her issues.

Aziz Ansari Accused of Sexual Assault: This is a Tough One

Aziz Ansari, Celebs

Comedian Aziz Ansari has been accused of sex assault–in the press only. The victim, who is going by the name of Grace (not her real name), is a 23-year-old photographer who went on a date with 34-year-old Ansari in Fall 2017. Grace and Ansari met an event, bonded over their interest in old-school cameras, and then the two sent flirty texts to each for about a week before scheduling a date.

On the night in question (I know that sounds like “tv lawyer speak” but it’s actually a phrase we lawyers use!), Grace went to Ansari’s New York apartment, had a glass of wine and then the two went out to dinner. After dinner, they returned to Ansari’s apartment; they began to kiss and fondle each other, and they both got naked and performed oral sex on the other. Grace felt Ansari was rushing things when, fairly quickly, he said he was going to grab a condom. She says she told him to slow down, and at first, he seemed to do so. Then he didn’t according to Grace. She says they sat on the couch and he began again to make sexual advances. Throughout their time in his apartment up until now, Grace describes a move Ansari repeatedly did that she calls, “the Claw.” It was Ansari shoving his fingers down her throat in a V formation and then putting his wet fingers inside her vagina. Grace also said that Ansari grabbed her hand several times and put it on his penis. She said he kept doing it after she would move her hand away.  Despite that, Grace again performed oral sex on Ansari.

On Ansari’s suggestion, the couple, still naked, moved away from the couch and in front of a mirror, where Ansari asked Grace, where she wanted him to f**k her. Ansari simulated intercourse. In Grace’s report, she says it was at that point that she verbally said, “I’m not ready to do this.” Ansari suggested the couple get dressed and watch Seinfeld. They did that and Ansari kissed her again, shoved his fingers in her mouth again and that moment Grace felt enough was enough. She got up, called herself an Uber and left.

Grace says she cried the whole way home and reached out her friends to tell them about her terrible encounter. Ansari texted her saying he had fun meeting her. She responded and let him know that he made her uncomfortable and that he had clearly ignored her non-verbal cues.  Ansari apologized and said he thought it was all consensual. The two have not had contact since.

So, what does all this mean legally? As of this writing, not much. Grace has not reported the incident to law enforcement, a criminal investigation is not underway, not even a threat of a civil suit has been raised. Would there be a basis for any of this? With what we know now, no, as to the criminal matter. The issue of consent here is so gray that is highly unlikely NYPD or the DA’s office is going to touch this. Additionally, we at Proof have to say no as to a civil matter as well, even with the lower burden of proof (remember criminal cases must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt a very high standard. The burden in civil case varies but is much lower and generally is best described as more likely than not).  The truth is, given what we know, the matters of consent and intended harm make the civil case difficult. There might be a negligence claim but we imagine Ansari would fight this one pretty hard too and the plaintiff would not likely be victorious.

What do we learn from Grace’s story? For us, we think the message is to say no, verbally and clearly. It’s to put your clothes back on if you’re saying and meaning no. It’s to leave a bad situation (assuming you can do so safely) and protect yourself. Women, we cannot rely on men to protect us, to listen to nonverbal cues. A lot of what we are seeing and hearing in reaction to this story are women saying that this is normal for them-this is what the dating world looks like today. A lot of the gray area has been created because of what women expect from men in these instances. We need to ramp up our expectations, make ourselves clear and, like Grace, let each other know that the behavior exhibited on her night with Ansari is not okay.

To be clear Grace, this isn’t in a condemnation of you in any way. Like you, we expected more from Ansari, especially when he is so vocal about his position regarding women’s rights.  We understand how seeing him on that Golden Globes’ stage with his “Time’s Up” pin sparked something for you, made you want you to tell your story. Though you may not have legal recourse (and may in fact face legal ramifications from telling your story) we appreciate that you have opened up a different aspect of the dialogue on the matter of sexual misconduct.

 

 

Are Aaron Hernandez Tattoos Evidence? | Celeb News | Proof with Jill Stanley

Aaron Hernandez’ Estate Sues NFL and Patriots: You Should Have Warned Me

Aaron Hernandez Murder, Celebs

While football players across the NFL are making headlines for exercising their right to peacefully protest during the national anthem amidst presidential disapproval, one player has made headlines post-mortem. You likely recall that Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriot, committed suicide in his jail cell in April 2017 after being acquitted of a double murder but while still serving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd, the boyfriend of his fiancé’s sister. After his death that conviction was set aside per Massachusetts law however prosecutors are appealing this decision.

Naturally his suicide was devastating to his family–especially his fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, the mother of his young daughter–but it was so concerning that the family asked for an examination of his brain. The results of those post mortem brain scans are doing more than raise a few eyebrows–they lead to the filing of a lawsuit.

personal injury lawyer Minneapolis MN

There is no dispute that football is a dangerous sport. The long lasting, irreversible damage that results from the constant, repeated collisions and impacts has gained spotlight in the media after players have started speaking out more regularly about the dangers of concussions. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE is a degenerative brain disease that can only be studied post-mortem. According to ESPN, Dr. Ann McKee, the director of the CTE Center in Boston said that Aaron Hernandez had stage 3 of the disease…on a 4 stage scale. At that stage, one can expect cognitive disorders, depression, and mood swings that can turn violent. People most likely to suffer from CTE are military veterans, boxers, football players, and anyone who has had repeated head trauma. One study found that out of 111 NFL players, 110 had signs of the disease. Does this mean everyone who has CTE is going to turn violent or now has a defense backed by science should they find themselves charged with murder? No, of course not. But the results are interesting and warrant further study and research.

So, what do the findings about Hernandez’ brain have to do with the lawsuit? Note, plaintiffs are NOT claiming that the CTE caused Hernandez to murder Odin Lloyd. What the Hernandez lawsuit that was filed on Thursday, September 21st, 2017, against the NFL and the New England Patriots claims is that the NFL and the Patriots hid the dangers of playing football and in failing to warning Hernandez about the dangers of football, they are responsible for his death.

Regarding the severity of Hernandez’ CTE, his attorney, Jose Baez (who represented him in the double murder trial and also famously won the acquittal of Casey Anthony in the murder of her daughter, Caylee), said, “We’re told it was the most severe case they had ever seen for someone of Aaron’s age.” He also explained that Hernandez had exhibited signs of CTE, but, “When hindsight is 20-20, you look back and there are things you might have noticed, but you don’t know.”

With barely the ink dry on the lawsuit on September 22, 2017, NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said that the NFL will fight the lawsuit: “We intend to contest this claim vigorously.” Lockhart also made sure to reiterate that Hernandez is not the victim in this scenario. A convicted murderer, he may have suffered from CTE, but there is so much more to the story. “His personal story is complex, it doesn’t lend itself to simple answers. He was convicted of a homicide and his well-documented behavioral issues began long before he played in the National Football League.” He continued on to say, “The real victims here are the friends and family of the man who was killed, and those left behind, particularly his daughter.”

No surprise the NFL is going to fight this vigorously. They are known to fight most things that way. Here, though have good reason for that zeal. Hernandez only played 38 NFL games–he had taken many hits to head prior to that NFL career. As Chris Johnston, the highly regarded personal injury lawyer Minneapolis MN residents turn to when they seek vigorous representation points out, “Causation is going to be hotly contested as Hernandez played football in high school, in college as well as in the NFL. Pursuing claims only against the NFL and the Patriots will be very challenging.”

In addition to the issue of causation is the question of whether a court can properly entertain this lawsuit or whether the matter is governed by the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement which mandates that an arbitrator not a judge or jury hear and decides issues presented. The NFL has been successful with this argument on many prior occasions even those matters related to brain injury and no doubt they will raise this as they “contest this claim vigorously.”

Even if the case gets bounced from the courts, it’s an interesting one and bears addressing. The more the dangers of football and CTE, in particular, are highlighted, the more we can hope that something will be done, things will change, and the lives of these young men who see the promise of money, power, fame and chance to play the game they love, may receive more protection.  In the end though what this case also highlights this rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez. He was only twenty seven when he died. To read more about the fallen football star and his legal battles click here and here.

 

 

James Franco Under Fire Amidst Accusations of Sexual Misconduct, Anyone Surprised?

Celebrity News, Celebs, James Franco

You may have been busy beaming with pride at the Golden Globes as you looked at a sea of women in black dresses, some with activists on their arm, shouting at the top of their lungs that time is finally up to notice the drama that was unfolding involving none other than James Franco.

Franco, who won for his role in The Disaster Artist, was accepting his speech with a pin on his black tuxedo that said, “Time’s Up,” while his accusers were taking to Twitter, calling him out for his hypocrisy.

In a series of since-deleted tweets, actress Ally Sheedy seemingly called out James Franco and Christian Slater. She wrote, “Why is a man hosting? Why is James Franco allowed in? Said too much. Nite love ya #goldenglobes.”

The second read, “Ok way. Bye. Christian Slater and James Franco at a table on @goldenglobes #MeToo.”

And then another: “James Franco just won. Please never ask me why I left the film/tv business.”

There were other accusations, ranging from only paying one actress $100 per day to do full nudity in two of his films to being accused of pushing a woman’s head toward his exposed penis while in a car. In that tweet, the woman also brought up his past transgressions, namely the time that Franco tried to get a 17-year-old girl to come to his hotel over Instagram. Don’t remember? It happened in 2014, back when we would laugh off behavior like Franco’s as being a young male in Hollywood or roll our eyes at how ridiculous he was. There’s no more laughing or eye rolling here, and none of this paired particularly well with Franco wearing his black tuxedo onstage at the Globes with a Times Up pin on the lapel.

In his “apology” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he said, “First of all, I have no idea what I did to Ally Sheedy. I directed her in a play Off-Broadway. I had nothing but a great time with her, total respect for her. I have no idea why she was upset. She took the tweet down. I can’t speak for her.” This is a rather clear example of gas lighting that women have endured for so long. Oftentimes men will employ this technique to make the woman seem “crazy” or as if she is overreacting to a situation. We know now that Sheedy clearly wasn’t overreacting as Franco has been slapped with five allegations of being sexually exploitative or sexually inappropriate.

The Los Angeles Times provided five accounts of sexual misconduct by Franco who, wielding the power of teacher at HIS film schools in New York and Los Angeles, would get students to give in to his demands both sexually and creatively. As noted above, he would often insist his female students perform nude for very little pay, and in one case was documented to have, during a scene in which the actors engaged in an orgy, took the plastic guards off of the women’s vaginas while giving them oral sex. There are other claims, as well. One of the more troubling accounts is that he allegedly pushed one of his student’s heads towards his penis until she performed oral sex while they were in a car together.

To date, none of the women have gone to law enforcement with their claims.  There has not been an announcement of a criminal investigation of Franco. So, it’s the same Hollywood story that we’ve been talking about for a while now–women too afraid to come forward with their claims, silenced by a culture that reveres and protects) powerful men.

Of course, Franco has denied these claims and has addressed the matter on late night shows (Franco quit social media in 2016). Among his comments:  “Look, in my life I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I have done…If I have done something wrong, I will fix it — I have to.” Not sure what he means by that but so far Franco hasn’t taken responsibility or spoken directly to any of the claims against him–other than his “I have no idea what she’s talking about” response to Sheedy.   Interestingly, on Late Night with Seth Meyers, he spoke out on behalf of victims (yawn): “There are people that need to be heard. I have my own side of this story, but I believe in these people that have been underrepresented getting their stories out enough that I will hold back things that I could say, just because I believe in it that much.”

Ok, James. You believe in it that much that’s why you’re holding back? Yeah, we don’t think so. More likely than not you’re staying quiet and just hoping this whole thing blows over, replaced by the next wave of allegations against the next celeb. Sadly, we know that is sure to come.

Marc Anthony’s Accountant Arrested for Stealing From Him

Celebrity News, Celebs, Marc Anthony

Add Marc Anthony to the ever-growing list of celebrities who have been taken to town by their financial managers. Anthony claims LA accountant, Kyle Tessiero’s conduct cost the singer to lose $2.5 million dollars.

Cases like these may make someone who isn’t a celeb wonder, “How the hell did he get away with taking that kind of money?” We get it. We’re talking millions of dollars, wouldn’t ya notice something like that?? But here’s where we have to stand up for these celebs–they’re busy, they travel a lot, they have lots of expenses and when they hire someone to handle their finances, they are trusting them not to be greedy or immoral. They rightfully expect them to adhere carefully to their fiduciary duties. In common language: celebs have every right to believe people will not steal from them. Additionally, Tessiero, whose company also manages clients like Drake and Pharrell, was pretty clever. He had easy access to Anthony’s accounts, so he would make charges on an American Express credit card that he opened in Anthony’s name; he used Anthony’s personal funds to pay the bill!

He also seemed to siphon off the money sporadically. Naturally, taking out large lump sums would wave red flags, so over the past eight years, Tessiero slowly stole that $2.5 million. And where did that money go? Allegedly, Tessiero spent most of it at an undisclosed “Manhattan entertainment venue.” I think we can all guess what that is code for.

The theft was discovered during an internal audit at the company (meaning Anthony didn’t figure it out himself). Tessiero was arrested in Manhattan and charged with first degree larceny. It’s a felony and the potential consequences are serious–Tessiero could serve up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
What makes this even more of a bummer is that Anthony has been heavily supporting relief efforts in Puerto Rico alongside his ex-wife Jennifer Lopez. Taking money from a person with an obvious generous heart (and pocket) seems somehow even more wrong.

Bill O’Reilly Settled Sexual Harassment Suit for $32M; Fox Renewing His Contract Anyway

Bill O’Reilly, Celebrity Lawsuits, Celebs

It has been six months since Bill O’Reilly was ousted from Fox News in the midst of a sexual harassment scandal. Reilly ended up striking a deal with his accuser, Fox News network analyst Lis Wiehl, for $32 million. Note, Wiehl served as O’Reilly’s lawyer, for a time. As surprising as it may sound, we haven’t really missed Bill. Actually, we haven’t missed him at all. But, back to the settlement . . .

Thirty-two million not a small number, right? In fact, it is the sixth and largest of those that were intended to settle harassment allegations against O’Reilly. A key requirement of the settlement was that Wiehl had to sign an affidavit (statement under oath) “renouncing all allegations against [O’Reilly,]” destroying photos, texts, and any other communications between the two of them.  That we get. Thirty two million is pretty unprecedented so the evidence must have been very damning. Here’s the double whammy though.  Turns out that 21st Century Fox was aware of Ms. Wiehl’s allegations and settlement all while still negotiating with O’Reilly for a contract extension! So despite knowing about Wiehl’s allegations which included “repeated acts of harassment, a non-consensual sexual relationship and the sending of gay pornography and other sexually explicit material” the network wanted to keep O’Reilly on and pay him a whopping $25 million per year. How’s that for an “atta boy?!”

O’Reilly is adamant that he is not guilty (ok, Bill, all the women are lying because it’s really fun and good for our careers to accuse men of sexual harassment) with a statement from the O’Reilly camp accusing The New York Times, who broke the story, of smearing O’Reilly and “failing to print a sworn affidavit from [Bill’s] former lawyer, Lis Wiehl, repudiating all allegations against Bill O’Reilly.” Bill also insists that the only reason that he settled was not to admit guilt, but to clean up the mess for the sake of his children. He also insists that “in the more than 20 years Bill O’Reilly worked at Fox News, not one complaint was filed against him with the Human Resources Department or Legal Department by a co-worker, even on the anonymous hotline.”

Megyn Kelly, herself a victim of sexual harassment at O’Reilly’s hands, hit the nail on the head saying in response to the news that Fox knew yet continued negotiations, “You are just this one person about to go up against a machine. It’s daunting and frightening and it holds you back from taking action sometimes.” Additionally, she said, “Fox News was not exactly a friendly environment for harassment victims who wanted to report, in my experience. However, O’Reilly’s suggestion that no one ever complained about his behavior is false. I know because I complained.”

The company released this statement as a means of explaining their decision away: “When the company renewed Bill O’Reilly’s contract in February, it knew that a sexual harassment lawsuit had been threatened against him by Lis Wiehl, but was informed by Mr. O’Reilly that he had settled the matter personally, on financial terms that he and Ms. Wiehl had agreed were confidential and not disclosed to the company. His new contract, which was made at a time typical for renewals of multi-year talent contracts added protections for the company specifically aimed at harassment, including that Mr. O’Reilly could be dismissed if the company was made aware of other allegations or if additional relevant information was obtained in a company investigation. The company subsequently acted based on the terms of this contract.”

Essentially, Fox was fine with giving Bill a slap on the wrist for his behavior so long as he wasn’t accused again. Well, we all know what happened there. Finally, in April 2017, 21st Century Fox fired O’Reilly (and awarded him a $25 million payout).

So, here we are in this O’Reilly, Ailes, Weinstein, and Toback (Hollywood director currently being accused of harassing over 30 women) world. But, it’s not all bad. The world is not ending. Quite the opposite in fact. There is something empowering about the lifting of this shroud of silence. And we are witnessing in real time. One by one, women in Hollywood are finally feeling strong enough to call men out on their abominable behavior and standing up for our sisters. We at PROOF are excited about these times–they are a changing’.

From Miles Teller to Matthew McConaughey: 6 Silly (Not-So-Serious) Intoxicated Celeb Arrests

Celebs

Miles Teller found his fun interrupted this past weekend, June 19, 2017, when he found himself in trouble with the law. Teller was arrested in San Diego, CA for public intoxication. According to law enforcement officials,Teller was having trouble steadying himself on the sidewalk and, upon questioning, became uncooperative with the police. Cops took him to a detox center; Miles  refused to stay, at which point he was jailed.

Teller tweeted that he wasn’t arrested but “detained,” though a San Diego law enforcement spokesperson disagreed with that: “Our records show he was arrested and booked in county jail for being drunk in public.” Teller is hardly the first public figure to have a few too many and act a little bit more than silly in the streets, and he definitely won’t be the last. Here are a few of the more entertaining situations that some overindulgent celebs have found themselves in.

 “Do You Know My Name?”

Back in 2013, Hollywood’s golden girl Reese Witherspoon was arrested in Georgia and was charged with disorderly conduct. State troopers pulled over her husband, Jim Toth, for alleged drunk driving, and Witherspoon, who was a passenger in the vehicle, went so far as to ask one of the arresting officers “Do you know my name?” Toth was charged with DUI, and Witherspoon was charged as well.

Blame The Purse

Paris Hilton was arrested many times in her youth, but isn’t it the worst when you can claim being clumsy got you busted?  In 2010, when Hilton was 29, she was pulled over after cruising down the Strip in Las Vegas. Police officers apparently smelled marijuana emanating from the car driven by her boyfriend, and during the traffic stop, they nabbed her when a bag of cocaine fell out of her purse.

Living It Up At The Drugstore

Shia LaBeouf is also not a stranger to a nice mug shot, but one of his first arrests occurred when he was just 21. In November 2007, an intoxicated LeBeouf refused to leave a Chicago Walgreens after a security guard demanded he be on his way. The actor was taken in and booked on a misdemeanor criminal trespassing charge.

Free the Shellfish

Actor Edward Furlong also found trouble in a retail store. He was arrested in September 2004 for public intoxication following a bizarre incident in a Kentucky grocery store. The then 27-year-old and his friends were arrested by the Florence Police Department after pulling lobsters out of the Meijer grocery store’s tank. When police arrived, Furlong began to ‘turn around in circles’ to avoid being frisked. He ultimately made bail on the misdemeanor. No word if the lobsters survived (At PROOF, we’re vegans so sure hope they did!).

All Right, All Right, All Right

And of course, our favorite weird night of celebrity partying goes to Matthew McConaughey’s weed-fueled bongopalooza back in 1999. Police were called to McConaughey’s Texas home for a noise complaint (too much bongo playing) and he was ultimately arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting transportation. (The beauty of this story is that the Dazed and Confused actor was naked and refused to put on pants when the officers tried to take him in.) McConaughey laughs about it now and has said “What’s wrong with beating on your drums in your birthday suit? I have no regrets about the way I got there.” But he caveats “Shut the window that has the beautiful scent of jasmine blowing in because it’s two in the morning and you might wake a neighbor.”

At PROOF we hope that every celebrity takes a cue from Mr. Just Keep Livin’ and turns a not-too-serious legal situation into a learning experience.

Ezekiel Elliot’s NFL Suspension Stands

Celebs, Ezekiel Elliot, NFL

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott suited up for the September 10, 2017 against the New York Giants, despite a six-game suspension issued by the NFL against him in August.

The NFL suspended the 22-year-old player after he was accused of domestic violence by an ex-girlfriend.  But a federal judge issued an injunction on September 8, stopping the punishment from going into effect for now. Now, however, a federal appeals court has overturned that decision and the six-game suspension has been reinstated and is effective immediately.

Elliott’s troubles began in February of 2016, when the ex-girlfriend first called police alleging domestic violence at Elliott’s hands. She and Elliott were in Florida at the time, and she said the football player pushed her against a wall and threw all of her belongings off a balcony. Elliott denied this and said his ex had grabbed his waist and he pushed her away. Hmmm.

The next time police got involved with the couple was in July 2016 in Columbus, Ohio, when over a series of five days, the alleged victim claimed Elliott choked her, dragged her out of bed and threw her against a wall. She posted an image of bruises on Instagram, but it later became unclear whether the bruises came from Elliott or from a bar fight that witnesses said she’d been involved in.

Throughout the process, Elliott has denied the abuse and maintained his innocence.

Ultimately, Columbus police did not believe they had the evidence to pursue charges against Elliott and dropped the case. However, Columbus prosecutor Robert Tobias definitely thinks where there is smoke there is fire. He went on record saying, “I personally believe that there were a series of interactions between Mr. Elliott and (his accuser) where violence occurred. However, given the totality of the circumstances, I could not firmly conclude exactly what happened. Saying something happened versus having sufficient evidence to criminally charge someone are two completely different things.”

Meanwhile, the NFL pursued its own investigation, after putting a strict personal conduct policy regarding domestic violence in place in 2014. And according to that policy, just because law enforcement doesn’t pursue charges doesn’t mean players accused of domestic violence are in the clear. The policy states, “It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime. We are all held to a higher standard and must conduct ourselves in a way that is responsible, promotes the values of the NFL, and is lawful.”

After reviewing the evidence, on August 11, 2017 the NFL determined that Elliott should be suspended for six games and that’s when the legal maneuverings really began in earnest.

Those who remember “Deflategate” will note that a similar situation–as it relates to a federal judge’s involvement in an NFL decision and NOT domestic violence occurred when Patriots QB Tom Brady was suspended for four games in May 2015, but appealed in the court system. The case worked its way through the justice system and while the suspension was eventually upheld the decision came too late to apply to the 2015 season. Brady ultimately accepted the decision for the 2016 season.

Does this mean it’s all over for Elliott? Not according to his legal team who, in response to the reinstatement ruling: “We are currently exploring all of our legal options and will make a decision as to what is the best course of action in the next few days. Until that time, we have no further comment on the 5th circuit’s decision.”

It’s important to note that the ruling reinstating the suspension was not based on the merits of the case but rather on procedural grounds. The district court who issued the injunction stopping the suspension did not have subject matter jurisdiction–which means they did not have the legal authority to make such a decision. The reason? Elliott filed his lawsuit prior to the issuance of the final arbitration decision as per the negotiated NFL contract.

 

 

Charlie Sheen and HIV: Jane Doe Comes Forward to Sue

Celebs

Charlie Sheen might be feeling some deja vu because for 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.

You may recall that Sheen’s former fiancee, Scottine Ross (also known as Brett Rossi), filed suit against him in December 2015, claiming that he physically and emotionally abused her and allegedly exposed her to HIV. W ell, here we go again. This past week, in June 2017, a woman referring to herself as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court against Sheen making similar claims. In the complaint, she alleges that she asked Sheen if he had any sexually transmitted diseases and he told her he was “fine” and that it wasn’t until October 2015, after they had unprotected sex, that he disclosed his HIV positive status and offered her medication to prevent transmission.

According to the new suit, the woman says Sheen told her that he was being “noble” for disclosing his status to her at all and that it was “none of her f—-ing business.” He also encouraged her not to take an antiretroviral medication she had been prescribed and told her not to believe “the convenient rumors of the medical community.”

It’s interesting to note that the woman does not actually refer to Sheen by name in the suit, rather, he is only identified as “confidential male defendant” because her lawyer, Gary Dordick, reveals she signed a non-disclosure agreement, which Dordick is seeking to invalidate as he claims she was coerced to sign it. However, in the lawsuit, the plaintiff does refer to two national TV interviews the defendant gave, and the dates which they occurred, November 17, 2015, and June 21, 2016. Those are the dates of two appearances Sheen made on NBC’s Today Show. In the 2015 interview, Sheen went public with his diagnosis, and the 2016 interview where he updated an anxious country on his latest health condition. Super sleuths everywhere figured out who this suit was about in about three seconds once they put those dates together.

Doe is suing for battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and fraud. The suit does not reveal her HIV status.

For more information about lawsuits involving celebs and sexual transmitted dieseases (Herpes!) click here.

Justin Bieber’s Mug Shot is Adorable

Celebs

Oh, Justin! We love you but you make it so hard on us sometimes.  What do we at PROOF have to say about our favorite bad boy’s celebrity mug shot? Well, does is not look like Bieber is having the best day of his life? Does to us! In reality though he has just been arrested for a DUI and drag-racing in Miami in 2014. Must have been a really fun race!

On the serious side though, at a press conference, a spokesperson for Miami Beach Police said that the arresting officer “smelled odor of alcoholic beverage” on the singer. Bieber was also charged with driving with an expired license and resisting arrest without violence.

We at PROOF are crossing our fingers and hoping that there are no celebrity mug shots of Bieber–even if they do look as good as this one!

At PROOF we love celebrity news as much as you do.  So if you want more, celebrity news about A-Listers (and others!), we welcome you to explore the rest of the site.

Want to see more Celebrity Mug shots? Click here

Madonna and O.J. Simpson: Hollywood’s Biggest Memorabilia Mishaps

Celebrity Mug Shots, Celebrity News, Celebs, Madonna, OJ Simpson

Madonna, never one to be shy about exposing intimate details about her life was granted a preliminary injunction to block the sale of 22 personal items including worn underwear, a checkbook, a used hairbrush, and a breakup letter written to her by rapper Tupac Shakur.

The singer stated that she only learned her belongings were for sale in an auction after reading about the sale online, she didn’t know she was no longer in possession of them until reading that they would be going up for sale on the website GottaHaveRockandRoll.com. A former friend and art consultant of Madonna’s, Darlene Lutz, is said to have provided the contents for the sale. Madonna’s statement explained that though she did know Ms. Lutz, she “never sold, gifted or otherwise transferred title or a possessory interest in any of the Madonna Memorabilia” to her. Lawyers for Lutz have rebutted that “the statute of limitations for any alleged theft of the items would have already expired,” and that Madonna’s injunction is purely the result of a personal vendetta. Lutz also added that Madonna “willingly gave up her material possessions,” saying, “As a result of my close relationship with Plaintiff, I received certain ephemera directly from her.”  The two women are known to have had a falling out, and this is not the first time Madonna has taken legal action against Lutz; in 2005 she sued Lutz for failure to pay her a sum earned from the sale of a painting from Madonna’s collection.

The Material Girl has smartly turned these matters over to her lawyers to handle, but the case of stolen memorabilia brings another infamous celebrity to mind that we are all talking about (again!) this week: O.J. Simpson. The former football great has been in prison since 2008 serving a 9-33 year sentence stemming from a conviction for 12 various crimes including kidnapping and armed robbery as a result of an incident when he attempted to retrieve memorabilia that he claimed belonged to him.  At the time, Simpson entered a Las Vegas hotel room with 5 other men, two of whom were armed seeking retrieval of such personal belongings as family photos, letters, a video from his first wedding and his Hall of Fame certificate, among others.  Simpson, who was offered a plea bargain with a sentence of 2 ½ years (he said he knew nothing of that offer) was granted parole for 5 of the charges back in 2013 and on July 20, 2017, he was granted parole on the remaining charges. He will be eligible to be released from prison on October 1, 2017. Note: according to OJ’s parole hearing testimony, a California court ruled that the items did in fact belong to the Juice.

 

As for what happens permanently with the Material Girl’s material possessions, PROOF will keep you posted.

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