All posts containing the tag: "lawsuit"
Posted Nov 26th 2009 8:43AM by TMZ Staff
Tyler Perry used too much of the goodness of Jesus in his movie, "Madea Goes to Jail," at least according to a new federal lawsuit obtained by TMZ.
The suit, filed by the personal representative of deceased gospel singer/songwriter Bertha James, claims Perry lifted an entire verse from a song James wrote in 1950 -- "When I Think of the Goodness of Jesus."
The suit claims Perry pilfered the verse and used it in "Madea" -- specifically, "incorporating the entire Chorus in a monologue delivered by the main character in 'Madea" referencing her deliverance from a jail sentence and leniency for repetitive criminal conduct, in a staged court proceeding presided over by 'Judge Mabeline.'"
Bertha's estate, which is also suing Lionsgate Entertainment, wants unspecified damages for copyright infringement.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Tags: bertha james, BerthaJames, copyright infringement, CopyrightInfringement, jesus, lawsuit, lionsgate, lionsgate entertainment, LionsgateEntertainment, madea goes to jail, MadeaGoesToJail, praise jesus, PraiseJesus, tyler perry, TylerPerry, when i think of the goodness of jesus, WhenIThinkOfTheGoodnessOfJesus
Posted Nov 26th 2009 8:40AM by TMZ Staff
The geniuses who own the rights to Albert Einstein are suing a cosmetics company for featuring a model whispering in Albert's ear, "Psst, Professor, I'm brighter than you are."
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem -- which owns the Einstein trademark -- claims Benefit Cosmetics had no right to use the image of the relatively brilliant man.
By the way, Forbes lists Einstein as the fourth highest-earning dead celeb ... pulling in $18 mil every year.
By the way, the book,"Einstein" by Walter Isaacson, is awesome.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Tags: albert einstein, AlbertEinstein, Benefit Cosmetics, BenefitCosmetics, company, cosmetics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, HebrewUniversityOfJerusalem, lawsuit
Posted Nov 24th 2009 3:54PM by TMZ Staff
The photographer who says he was attacked by angry Michael Jackson fans is finally telling his side of the story -- claiming his attackers were "laying in wait."
The photog, Ed Frommer, claims he was "jabbed" with a baseball bat several times by three MJ fans over a defamation lawsuit he filed against Debbie Rowe. The lawsuit stems from an encounter between Frommer and Rowe that went down in front of a Chinese food restaurant back in July.
As we first reported, Frommer claims three men pulled him out of his car in Lancaster, Ca and began screaming "leave Debbie alone" -- while shoving a bat in his chest.
Frommer doesn't think Debbie put the men up to it -- but he warns he's taken "precautions" to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Filed under: Michael Jackson, Exclusives
Tags: attack, battery, debbie rowe, DebbieRowe, defamation, ed frommer, EdFrommer, lawsuit, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, paparazzi, photographer
Posted Nov 24th 2009 2:20PM by TMZ Staff
Oprah's mom is officially off the hook for a $155,547 bill she owed to a Milwaukee clothing boutique -- and TMZ has learned she has her famous daughter to thank.
Our spies at the Valentina Inc. boutique tell us Oprah personally covered the balance her mother, Vernita Lee, owed for bills she racked up.
Oprah's big gift officially settles the suit the store filed against her mom.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Oprah, Exclusives
Tags: bail out, BailOut, debt, lawsuit, milwaukee, oprah, valentina inc., ValentinaInc., vernita lee, VernitaLee
Posted Nov 24th 2009 9:55AM by TMZ Staff
A photographer who is suing Debbie Rowe claims he was attacked with a bat by three men who were yelling, "Leave Debbie alone."
Photog Ed Frommer is suing Rowe, claiming she defamed him by "lying" to police by saying he intentionally scratched her face and struck her. Frommer has sued Rowe for $7,500 in small claims court.
Frommer told cops on Sunday at 11:15 PM in Lancaster, CA, three males began following him in two different cars and ran him off the road. Frommer told police they got out of their cars -- one of them wielding a bat and poking him in the chest. They were yelling, "Leave Debbie alone."
Frommer doesn't think Debbie Rowe is behind it, but believes there are rabid Michael Jackson fans out to get him.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives
Tags: attack, battery, debbie rowe, DebbieRowe, ed frommer, EdFrommer, lawsuit, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, paparazzi, paparazzo, photogrpaher
Posted Nov 24th 2009 6:34AM by TMZ Staff
More naked drama for Tila Tequila -- this time over a sex tape she claims was stolen off of her laptop computer.
Just days after she Ustreamed herself in a naked rant, a new XXX video surfaced on a porn site called 4tube.com featuring Tila in a very compromising adult position with a naked man.
Tila doesn't know why the video is surfacing now, but she claims it was ripped from a laptop that she reported stolen roughly two years ago -- and now she's threatening to sue the site for posting the clip.
TMZ spoke with Tila's lawyer, Cyrus Nownejad, who told us, "A police report has been filed for Tila's stolen laptop computer which contained that specific clip. I am currently in the process of sending a cease and desist letter and a notice of intent to sue if it's not removed."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives, Tila Tequila
Tags: lawsuit, naked tape, NakedTape, sex tape, SexTape, stolen laptop, StolenLaptop, tila tequila, TilaTequila, xxx
Posted Nov 21st 2009 11:09AM by TMZ Staff
Howard K. Stern has settled his $60 million defamation suit against Rita Cosby ... TMZ has learned.
A dismissal was filed late yesterday. We know the case settled and the terms of settlement are confidential.
Cosby -- in her book "Blonde Ambition" -- said, among many other things, Stern and Larry Birkhead had a sexual encounter that was caught on video. Both Birkhead and Stern said Cosby made it up.
Birkhead did not file suit.
Thus another chapter in the Anna Nicole Smith saga comes to an end.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Anna Nicole Smith, Exclusives
Tags: anna nicole smith, anna nicole smith settlement, AnnaNicoleSmith, AnnaNicoleSmithSettlement, court, defamation suit, DefamationSuit, howard k. stern, HowardK.Stern, larry birkhead, LarryBirkhead, lawsuit, rita cosby, RitaCosby, settlement
Posted Nov 21st 2009 12:50AM by TMZ Staff
DMX may have wanted to fix his fight to avoid an ass-beating, but now he's really cruisin' for a bruisin' -- legally -- because the promoters that hired X are suing him for chickening out last minute.
According to docs filed Friday in Birmingham, Alabama -- Thunder Promotions wants $1,000,000 from the rapper, claiming he's a fraud and led them on ... because as soon as they refused to fix his fight, he backed out.
The company says DMX's jitters really put them under the wire and cost them a ton of moolah because they had to switch gears late in the game and find a celebrity replacement.
But if you want our opinion -- DMX isn't half the man who's fighting in his place on December 12 ... because that man is Coolio!!!
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, DMX, Exclusives
Tags: boxing, coolio, dmx, lawsuit, thunder productions, ThunderProductions
Posted Nov 20th 2009 2:15PM by TMZ Staff
Michael Jackson stiffed the people who installed his TV system at Neverland, this according to a brand spankin' new creditor's claim.
According to a claim filed yesterday, a company called Video & Audio Center (VAC) installed electronic audio and video equipment at Neverland Ranch in late 2003 and early 2004. We're told the company rewired the house, installed plasma TVs and put speakers all over the house.
VAC claims Jackson's camp ran up a bill of $109,540.85 -- and paid $25,000 of that, but never settled the bill completely. According to the docs, VAC says they won a judgment back in 2007 for the remainder.
They're asking for $128,482.77 -- the unpaid bill plus interest.
Filed under: Michael Jackson, Exclusives
Tags: audio, creditors claim, CreditorsClaim, lawsuit, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, neverland ranch, NeverlandRanch, video
Posted Nov 20th 2009 1:27PM by TMZ Staff
Miley Cyrus won't have to find $4 billion to pay off all the Asians in Los Angeles -- a judge officially let the singer off the hook in a lawsuit over that offensive "Hanoi Montana" photo she took earlier this year.
This morning, a judge threw out the case filed by an Asian woman named Lucie Kim -- on behalf of all the Asians in L.A. -- who claimed the photo was offensive and Miley should have known the media would get its collective hands on it.
After the photo went public, Miley apologized a bunch of times and then went on a campaign of sushi dinners.
Kim claims she's considering filing an appeal to the judge's ruling.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Miley Cyrus
Tags: hanoi montana, HanoiMontana, lawsuit, lucie kim, LucieKim, miley cyrus, MileyCyrus
Posted Nov 19th 2009 3:10PM by TMZ Staff
"Cocaine" is never free ... neither is Taylor Swift, John Fogerty and the Harper Valley P.T.A. -- this according to the secret agents who claim they caught an Idaho sports bar playing music they hadn't paid for.
As TMZ first reported, BMI -- the enforcers of music royalties -- sent a spy to The Sports Cellar bar in Idaho to see if they were playing music they hadn't paid for the rights to use ... and according to court documents, this is what they heard:
-- Cocaine
-- Amarillo By Morning
-- Harper Valley P.T.A.
-- Long As I Can See the Light ... by John Fogerty
-- She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy
-- Here Without You
-- Should've Said No .. by Taylor Swift
-- I Get It
-- Five Dollar Fine
-- Gotta Get Me Down Home
After the recon mission, BMI, Taylor Swift and several recording artists filed a lawsuit against the bar for copyright infringement.
So why would the secret agents for BMI target little podunk bars? Because they're sending a message to every small joint in the county -- Big Brother is always watching.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Music, Taylor Swift
Tags: bmi, cocaine, harper valley pta, HarperValleyPta, john fogerty, JohnFogerty, lawsuit, taylor swift, TaylorSwift, the sports cellar, TheSportsCellar
Posted Nov 19th 2009 12:15PM by TMZ Staff
Tila Tequila's lawyer blames his client's meltdown on former BF Shawne Merriman.
Attorney Cyrus Nownejad tells TMZ he thinks the "domestic violence" incident with Shawne in September may have "pushed her over the edge."
Nownejad acknowledges something is seriously wrong with Tila and he's trying to figure out how to get her some help.
Tila just took down her Ustream, showing her dancing nude and talking crazy in front of the camera. She also went off on Shawne and his alleged drug use.
Tila is suing Shawne for $1.5 mil over the September incident..
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives, Tila Tequila
Tags: cyrus nownejad, CyrusNownejad, lawsuit, naked, naked video, NakedVideo, rant, shawne merriman, ShawneMerriman, tila tequila, TilaTequila, ustream
Posted Nov 18th 2009 1:00AM by TMZ Staff
Carrie Prejean has her panties in a bunch, because Vivid Entertainment won't take no for an answer.
TMZ has obtained a letter from Carrie's lawyer, threatening to sue Vivid if it releases videos or photos of Carrie's solo, XXX greatest hits. Carrie's lawyer, Charles LiMandri, told Vivid, even though he made it clear yesterday that no means no, "...your company has apparently told the media that it plans to publish the videotapes and/or photographs of my client with or without her permission."
LiMandri left nothing to the imagination, warning Vivid Carrie will sue for invasion of privacy, misappropriation of her likeness as well as public disclosure of private facts ... if Vivid makes good on its threat.
LiMandri will also add a claim for emotional distress for good measure. And he claims some of the videos were shot when she was only 17. Her ex-boyfriend -- the guy to whom she sent the tapes -- begs to differ.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Carrie Prejean, Exclusives
Tags: carrie prejean, CarriePrejean, lawsuit, porn, solo, suit, video, vivid, vivid entertainment, VividEntertainment, x-rated video, X-ratedVideo, xxx
Posted Nov 17th 2009 8:02PM by TMZ Staff
AEG will not pay Michael Jackson's troubled doctor a penny, sources tell TMZ.
As we first reported, Dr. Conrad Murray may sue AEG for $300,000 -- the money he claims he's entitled to under a contract he signed with AEG to provide MJ with medical services. But sources connected with AEG tell TMZ the contract was never signed.
We're told a contract was drafted but it required three signatures -- AEG, Michael Jackson and Dr. Conrad Murray. Sources say Dr. Murray signed the contract and sent it to AEG but neither AEG nor MJ ever signed it.
The contract, we're told, also said it expressly hinged on Jackson signing.
Sources say AEG is drawing a hard line. They will not pay Murray a penny.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Michael Jackson, Exclusives
Tags: 000, 300, aeg, contract, dr. conrad murray, Dr.ConradMurray, lawsuit, london concerts, LondonConcerts, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, pay, propofol
Posted Nov 17th 2009 7:29PM by TMZ Staff
The law firm that represented Rod Stewart for more than 20 years is suing the rocker for a whopping $3,309,871.34 for back legal fees.
We're told the fees were not paid for 3 separate matters.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives
Tags: attorneys, attorneys fees, AttorneysFees, lawsuit, lawyers, lawyers fees, LawyersFees, legal fees, LegalFees, rod stewart, RodStewart
