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Settled: Venus Williams Wrongful Death Suit

UPDATE: Venus Williams has settled the lawsuit filed against her stemming from the June 2017 auto accident in which one person died and another was injured. Details regarding the settlement amount have not been disclosed.

Tennis superstar Venus Williams has been cleared of traffic law violations in connection with her June 9, 2017 car accident in Palm Beach, Florida that left a 78-year-old man dead and his wife injured but the wrongful death suit filed by his family is being vigorously pursued.

Williams reportedly drove her Toyota Sequoia SUV into an intersection at approximately 5 miles per hour, stopped and then was hit on the passenger side by a Hyundai Accent driven by 68-year-old Esther Barson. Williams had allegedly stopped in the intersection due to a car turning in front of her. Barson and her passenger, her husband, Jerome Barson, 78, were seriously injured; Jerome died two weeks later from injuries he sustained in the accident. Williams’ car was damaged but she was not hurt. In fact, she played in Wimbledon just a few weeks later. It must be noted though that when she spoke of the accident at a press conference she was tearful and very visibly upset.

By now, many have seen the video of the crash. We don’t know about you but we at Proof feel as if that cop did not seem very confident regarding what traffic laws Williams violated. Despite this lack of clarity, he charged her and deemed her at fault in the accident. That initial determination certainly played a role in prompting the Barson family to quickly seek legal counsel and file suit but in no way was it the sole determining factor. This was a somewhat confusing, serious accident that resulted in serious injuries. It was therefore not surprising when Jerome Barson’s family sued the Grand Slam-winning tennis player for wrongful death, seeking unspecified damages related to his death as well as for the pain and suffering of both Jerome and Esther. A lawsuit was coming whether Williams was cited at the scene or not.

personal injury lawyer Fort Lauderdale FL MN

And, as many of us have learned, after reviewing video footage of the intersection, police found that the light was green when Williams entered the intersection, and that she did not violate any traffic laws (Perhaps you came to the same conclusion after watching the video footage). That is good news for Williams; it also makes the Barson’s case more difficult. Not impossible, just more difficult. Having a finding of fault at the scene, where witnesses can be interviewed, location of vehicles can be solidified and conditions confirmed are powerful investigative tools. Though expert witnesses are used frequently in serious auto accident cases, this change makes the decision to secure one even more critical. As Andrew Needle, a personal injury lawyer Fort Lauderdale FL residents know to have handled hundreds of car accidents explains, “Experts are critical in cases that present complex fact patterns, especially when liability is in dispute. Calling a skilled and experienced accident reconstructionist to the stand goes a long way in helping jurors understand just how an accident occurred.”

As noted above, the change in the finding of fault by the local police hasn’t stopped the plaintiff from moving forward or stopped Williams’ attorneys from mounting a strong defense. In fact, Williams’ attorneys have alleged that at least one of the occupants of the Hyundai was not wearing a seatbelt, and that the car had not been maintained properly. Attorneys for the Barson family have denied both of those assertions. They’ve also subpoenaed Williams’ cell phone records to see if she was distracted at the time of the crash. Her attorneys have agreed to turn them over.

Williams, for her part, in addition to her teary press conference has expressed condolences to the Barson family, writing on Facebook, “I am devastated and heartbroken by this accident. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Jerome Barson and I continue to keep them in my thoughts and prayers.”

Note though that while Williams presently appears to have been cleared of wrongdoing, the investigation of the crash by Palm Beach police is still ongoing so there is a very slight chance that there could be further determinations made by that police department. Either way, this is a very sad and tragic situation for all involved.

Kardashian’s DASH Store Continues to Face Problems

Celebrities, Celebs, Crimes, Dash, Kardashian, Melrose

The last few months have been tough ones in terms of the law for the Kardashians and their legal dramas continue as the LA outpost of their clothing store, Dash, was vandalized in the early hours of March 16, 2017. A vandal spray painted the front of the West Hollywood location. He/she (at the time of this writing the suspect has not yet been identified) certainly wanted to get noticed– bright red paint was the color of choice to mar the store front. Dash employees acted quickly and the act of vandalism was promptly cleaned up. The storefront was not significantly damaged (If it were, insurance would have kicked in but then Dash would not be looking quite so lovely quite so quickly as insurance companies are not known for their speedy response time to claims!)

This isn’t the first time, the Dash West Hollywood on Melrose has had issues with vandals. Last June a man threw a molotov cocktail into the store’s window. Luckily, the shop was closed at the time so no one was injured. The fiery “bomb” did shatter the store window but not much else was damaged. That’s good news because a sweatshirt at Dash will set a shopper back a cool hundred (though again, insurance would kick in to cover damaged merchandise).

Dash’s original store in Calabasas (the SoCal town where the Kardashians live) was the target of a spray paint “event” back in 2009 and though the message was sweet, it’s still vandalism–a fan tagged, “We love you Kim,” on the store’s window. It happened another time at the Calabasas location and also at the Miami store.

Dash doesn’t seem to be having much luck, despite the enormous fame of the owners. The Kardashian sisters closed the Dash NYC location this past December (which, by the way, we at PROOF have been in several times and really liked!) and the Las Vegas location has been shuttered for more than two years. We know most things these sisters touch turns to gold but maybe retail just isn’t for them?

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.

No Charges (yet) for Chris Brown After Paris Rape Arrest

Celebs

Singer Chris Brown was arrested in Paris on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 accused of aggravated rape and drug violations. Brown was brought into custody with two other people in connection to the charges. According to reports, a 24-year-old woman accused Brown of raping her in his suite at Paris’ Mandarin Oriental hotel on January 15/16. The woman, who has not been named, told the police in Paris that she met Brown while at a nightclub and that the singer then invited her and a few other women back to his suite. She alleges that at some point in the evening she found herself alone with Brown, and that is when he allegedly raped her. The woman said that Brown’s bodyguard and one of his friends also abused her.

Brown’s lawyer said his client “vigorously protests his innocence.” Brown took to social media to declare his innocence.

And, it seems as if, at least for now, Paris police believe the troubled singer: he was released on his own recognizance, has not been charged with anything, and is allowed to leave France. French prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing but releasing Brown and letting him leave the country certainly points to a not-very-strong csae.

Not Brown’s First Run-In with the Law: Rihanna Assault

As most know, this isn’t Brown’s first run-in with the law, though it is his first rape charge. In 2009, Brown famously was charged with felony assault and making criminal threats after a domestic violence incident with Rihanna, who was his girlfriend at the time. Photos of Rihanna after the incident with bruises and cuts on her face, spread like wildfire across the Internet. Brown received five years of probation and community service for the incident.

DC Assault and More

In 2013, Brown and his bodyguard were arrested and charged with felony assault after an altercation outside of a hotel in Washington, DC. Brown was released without bail and the charge was later reduced to a misdemeanor. Brown ran into some more trouble later that year when he was kicked out of a rehab center for smashing his mother’s car window during a family session. He was ordered to enter another program. However, the incident meant that he was violating probation and that meant he would have to spend some time in jail. While incarcerated Brown pleaded guilty to another probation violation from the Washington, DC fight. It would seem that all was truly catching up with Brown. After he was released he had to face the charges stemming from the DC fight. His punishment? A $150 fine and time served (one day in prison, in case you were curious).

California Assault

In July 2013, a California woman sued the singer, accusing him of assaulting her after a performance in Anaheim, California and then allegedly having her thrown out of the club where the assault took place.

Did Fatherhood change Brown?

After these probation violations, things seemed to be looking up for the singer, who became a father and was awarded shared custody of his daughter, Royalty. But then, in June 2016, Brown’s former manager Michael Guirguis sued him for alleged assault, battery, false imprisonment, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing (try saying that 3 times fast!) alleging that Brown brutally attacked him in May 2016. Brown denied the claims and said that he fired Guirguis for stealing his money.

Still, Brown could not stay out of the justice system spotlight. In August 2016, Brown was arrested and charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon after allegedly threatening a woman named Baylee Curran with a gun. He was released from jail on $250,000 bail. Brown was never tried for this matter.

In February 2017, the singer’s ex-girlfriend model, Karrueche Tran (who is now dating former New York Giants player, Victor Cruz) was granted a permanent restraining order for 5 years against Brown after she accused him of assaulting her physically and threatening her.

Brown was also sued in May 2018 by a woman who alleged that she was repeatedly raped, sexually assaulted and falsely imprisoned by rapper Young Lo at Brown’s home in 2017. The victim is represented by Gloria Allred.

And, in July 2018, Brown was arrested after a concert in Florida. He was arrested for felony battery stemming from an April 2017 incident in which he was accused of punching a man who was taking his photo without permission. He was released after posting $2,000 bail and pleaded not guilty. This case is ongoing.

Which brings us back to the Paris allegations. Though Chris Brown has managed to find himself in and out of the criminal justice system almost too many times to count, he also seems to avoid serious punishment. So far, it looks to be that way in Paris as well. We’ll keep on eye on this one but our gut tells us that if there’s not some very persuasive evidence not much is going to come of this.

For more PROOF articles about Chris Brown and the law click here and here.

Proof Poll: 59% of Proof Voters Believe Reports that Jussie Smollett Orchestrated his Own Attack

Celebs, Evidence

Celebrities and Pet Custody | Celebrity News | PROOF With Jill Stanley

When Celebs Split, Who Gets Custody of the Family Pet?

Amber Heard, Britney Spears, Celebrities, Celebrity News, Celebs, Celebs and Child Custody, Custody, Legal

Divorce is nasty business especially when it comes to division of assets, spousal support and child custody. Another area rife with fighting? Custody of the family pet. The number of divorce cases in which pet custody is an issue is on the rise as is the intensity of the fighting over it. Just as celebs are not immune from bitter child custody battles so too do they face fierce fights over family pets. And because celebrities have the money to hire tough lawyers and can afford protracted litigation often their pet custody battles are among the nastiest.

Legally speaking, most states consider pets property which means courts consider them as they would any asset and not at all akin to a child. Thankfully though this is not always the case and recently we’ve seen judges in various jurisdictions looking at other factors. In fact a New York case moved away from the chattel (legal jargon for property) view of pets and took a more holistic approach, asking what was the best interest of all—not of the pet, per se, but of all involved in the dispute. This is good news for the more than 80 million(yup!) American families that own a pet.

Let’s take a look at some well known celebrity breakups in which custody of the pets was a pivotal issue.

Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas. When these two decided to end their almost twenty year marriage, Stella, their youngest child, was already eighteen years old so custody was no longer an issue (child custody is not legally relevant once a child is over eighteen). However, the couple had three dogs (two were adopted together from an animal rescue group) and Melanie wanted to keep all of them. Word on the street was that their $50 million divorce case was contentious in large part over custody of these pups. Melanie made it clear that she wanted to keep them and many believed she was the better pup parent. There is no official word about how things ended up but my guess is that Melanie got what she wanted. These two seem to still be pretty good friends and are often seen out and about supporting their children at various events. Had Antonio not relented on the dog issue, this would not likely be the case.

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. Most of us are probably glad this very messy Hollywood divorce is finally over. I know I am. But what was worked out early and fairly amicably between these two was who got custody of Pistol and Boo, the dogs the couple adopted during their brief marriage (Amber also got custody of their horse, Arrow, but I’m not sure there was much of a fight over that). You might remember hearing about these dogs—they’ve been in the news before. They are the same dogs that Amber and Johnny brought into Australia without declaring them at customs or obtaining the proper paperwork for them. Though Amber pleaded guilty to providing a false immigration document to immigration officials, the pair got away easy. As punishment, Amber and Johnny were allowed to make a public service announcement. Amber apologized for her conduct and praised Australia’s biosecurity laws; Johnny encouraged others to declare everything when they come into Australia. Lucky for them that they got away easy on this one as the dissolution of their marriage was anything but that.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. First let me say I am a big fan of both of these actors but I’m still very pissed that Kristen cheated on Robert (Team Edward!). He just did not deserve that! And with a married guy? I feel as if Kristen is better than that and if she wanted to end things with Robert she could have done so much less painfully and publically. But, she was young and everyone makes mistakes. Maybe that’s why when she and Robert could not initially agree on who should get custody of their newly adopted dogs, Bernie and Bear, she ultimately relented. I’d like to think it was an act of remorse and contrition. And, I bet it was. She certainly didn’t want to cause more pain to her one time love.

Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams. It’s great seeing Mandy Moore happy and starring in the hit television show, This Is Us because we know this young actress has been through a lot. She and Ryan two were working through their divorce settlement after ending their six year marriage when talks apparently stalled over a number of issues, one very big one being who would get custody of their eight pets—six cats and two dogs. Mandy got to keep all of her fur babies but she did seek pet support payments from Ryan. With the success of her new show, doubt she needs it anymore.

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. Britney is back on top and has been for years now but for a while many of us were worried that she’d never be the Britney Spears whom we first met. We all know well about her emotional breakdown, the shaved head, the breaking of car windows, the run-ins with the law (Click here for more about Britney’s legal battles). When Kevin sought and won custody of their two children there was also an issue of who got the family pets. What’s interesting in this case is that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) got involved and wrote an open letter to Kevin, begging him to take the animals. Whether or not Britney got custody of the pets has never been publicly revealed but it was a very sad, difficult time for her and assuming she was capable of taking care of her dogs, there is no doubt they would have brought her comfort. On the other hand though, the pets would provide the same to the kids with the added benefit of stability. Judging by Britney’s commitment to her children (and her pets) over the past several years, it seems as if all has worked out. But, as a vegan and animal lover myself, I’m not sure PETA really needed to get involved in this one.

Drew Barrymore and Tom Green. Drew Barrymore and comedian Tom Green were married for a short five months. In Tom’s words, the marriage was “a crazy, whirlwind of a time.” Certainly he didn’t make life any calmer when he decided to fight Drew for custody of their yellow lab, Flossie. You might remember it was Flossie’s barking that saved the couple’s lives when their home caught fire in 1998.

It Didn’t Just Happen to Drake! Here’s a List of Crazy Celeb Tour Bus Thefts

Celebrity News, Celebs

Rapper Rich Homie Quan is the latest musician whose tour bus has been broken into and he’s claiming thieves made off with up to $2,000 worth of gear. Tour bus break ins are nothing new in the music world, in fact, they’re common occurrences given that even a lay person would know that there’s probably gold in them thar vans. Or at least some laptops and a few instruments.

In September, 2016, a man was arrested after stealing over $3 million worth of jewelry from Drake’s tour bus while the “Hotline Bling” rapper performed at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ. Travion King was arrested and charged with felony burglary. But seriously, Drake, with celebs targeted in so many thefts lately, we don’t think you keep $3 million in jewelry anywhere except a bank vault. Just take out the pieces you need for those special occasions!

Tennessee-based roots-rock band The Black Lillies didn’t just have their gear stolen out of their van, they had their entire van stolen while performing in Houston, TX in January 2016. The band recalls that they went to bed after their performance around 11 p.m. and when they woke up, their travel trailer and passenger van which contained all their gear were no longer in the hotel parking lot. The trailer and van were worth $30,000 together, but their gear inside was valued at $70,000. The van was discovered abandoned days later on the side of the road in Houston, and wiped clean of all of its contents.

Indie band Surfer Blood was hard hit on a personal level when their tour van was robbed in Chicago in May 2015. Their guitarist, Thomas Fekete, had just left the band that April to battle a rare form of cancer, and his bandmates were collecting cash donations at their shows to go toward his medical bills. They lost thousands of dollars in personal belongings as well as the donations they had collected while on tour as a result of the theft. Very sad. Hate these kinds of events that make us question humanity (but, guess the flip side is that it was kind, charitable, generous people who gave the money in the first place. Good will always prevail over evil!).

Not quite a van break-in but a real heartbreaker of a theft in the music community: In 2012, five of Tom Petty and his bandmates’ guitars were stolen from a soundstage where he was rehearsing for a tour, in Culver City, CA. Petty issued a $7500, no questions asked reward for the instruments, several of which were rare and incredibly valuable. (The entire collection was valued at over $100,000.) Shortly after the theft, an arrest was made and a security guard for the soundstage was charged after it was discovered that he had pawned one of the instruments for $250.

Unfortunately, while tour van break-ins are increasingly common what happened to the band Spose might take the cake. The band had been enjoying some St. Louis barbecue at Pappy’s Smokehouse in March 2015, and after paying their bill, they discovered that all three of their touring vehicles had been broken into and over $30k worth of equipment was taken — in broad daylight. Band member Ryan Spose explained “St. Louis is the only city where anybody ever warned us, ‘Watch out for your van. There’s a big series of robberies.’”

And speaking of St. Louis… Here’s a tale of an unsuccessful thief who tried to break in to rapper Lil’ Boosie’s tour van back in March of 2017. The man snuck on to Boosie’s van which was parked outside The Marquee in St. Louis, and was jumped by Boosie’s entourage without taking anything. And before you could shout “World Star!” the entire encounter was caught on tape.

The bright side of all these thefts? No one was injured–except perhaps the thief attempting to take down Lil’ Boosie’s van!