U.S.District Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

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

NEW YORK -- A jury began deliberations Tuesday at a U.S. trial stemming from an audacious scheme involving former Goldman Sachs bankers to ransack a Malaysian state investment fund known as 1MBD.The jurors went to work after receiving lengthy instructions from U.S.

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

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

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

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

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

CHICAGO -- A judge in Chicago ruled Friday that an attorney for Jussie Smollett might have defamed two Black brothers who testified that they participated in a fake racist and homophobic attack on the actor when she suggested they had been wearing “whiteface”The Chicago Tribune reported that U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland's ruling centers on comments Tina Glandian made on NBC's “Today” show in March 2019, shortly after the Cook County State's Attorney announced it was dropping charges accusing Smollett of lying to police about the incident two months earlier.Discussing how Smollett had told police that one of his attackers was white, Glandian said that the very dark-skinned brothers might have “put makeup on" to disguise their color.

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

NEW YORK -- The judge presiding over Sarah Palin's defamation case against The New York Times said he was unfamiliar with push notifications and didn't realize news of his decision to toss out the lawsuit would reach jurors deliberating simultaneously. Despite that, he wrote that it didn’t really matter.U.S.

NEW YORK -- A judge said Thursday that she'll question a juror under oath during a rare post-verdict evidentiary hearing about the answers he gave during jury selection for the criminal trial of Ghislaine Maxwell after he told news outlets that he didn’t recall being asked about prior sexual abuse.U.S. District Judge Alison J.

NEW YORK -- The judge presiding over the libel lawsuit brought by former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin against The New York Times said Wednesday that jurors knew before delivering their verdict that he’d already decided to rule against Palin but they said it didn't affect the outcome.U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff said in a written order that several jurors told a law clerk after deciding against Palin on Tuesday that they had received news flashes on their phones about Rakoff’s Monday announcement that he'd toss out the lawsuit regardless of the verdict.“The jurors repeatedly assured the Court’s law clerk that these notifications had not affected them in any way or played any role whatever in their deliberations," Rakoff wrote.The judge invited lawyers to speak up if they wanted to challenge the verdict.

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

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

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- A judge has set an April sentencing date for former reality TV star Josh Duggar, who was convicted last year of federal child pornography charges.Duggar — whose family was featured on TLC's “19 Kids and Counting” — was convicted of one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography.

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

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

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

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

investigation that concluded the former reality television star fondled them.U.S. District Judge Timothy L.

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

Donald Trump.Avenatti, who acted as his own lawyer, stared straight ahead as the verdict was read. It was another crushing defeat for the California lawyer, who has faced legal problems after briefly rising to fame as one of Trump’s leading antagonists on cable news.“I’m very disappointed in the jury’s verdict,” Avenatti told reporters outside the federal courtroom in New York.

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

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

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

Per Reuters, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff revealed on Monday that Palin had tested positive. He said he found out about her diagnosis Sunday night and the former vice presidential candidate will be taking a second test to confirm her status.

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

A major Hollywood executive pleaded guilty on Thursday to two counts of wire fraud in connection with a pair of schemes that allowed him to con his way into $30 million. William Sadleir pleaded guilty in the Southern District of New York for defrauding an investment fund called the Fund, according to a press release from U.S.

prince starting when she was 17.U.S. District Judge Lewis A.

A federal judge will allow an antitrust lawsuit brought by the federal government against Facebook to move forward, concluding that the Federal Trade Commission met the threshold for putting forward a valid claim of the platform’s anticompetitive conduct.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A federal judge in Oklahoma on Monday set a Jan. 28 date for the resentencing of “Tiger King” Joe Exotic.U.S.

Josh Duggar‘s alleged confession to molesting four girls in his past can be used in the current trial of his child pornography case, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday, AP reports. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks made the ruling when rejecting a motion by Josh’s attorneys to prevent the evidence from being heard as the trial began. The 33-year-old 19 Kids and Counting star, who was arrested in Apr., is being charged with two counts of downloading and possessing child pornography.

James Beeks, the actor fired last week from his gig as Judas in a touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar following his arrest for participation in the January 6 Capitol siege, will remain free on pretrial release despite angering a U.S. District Court judge by claiming “divine” authority.

A federal judge says no phones, laptops or recording devices will be allowed at next week's child pornography trial for former reality TV star Josh Duggar. U.S.

A judge has ruled that Kobe Bryant’s widow must turn over her therapy records to Los Angeles County in her lawsuit claiming she suffered emotional distress after first responders took and shared graphic photos from the site of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed the basketball star, his teenage daughter and seven others.

A South Bay man was sentenced today to 97 months in federal prison for defrauding Asian investment firms out of $14 million by falsely claiming the money would be used to produce a feature film distributed by Netflix.