From Gwyneth Paltrow to Bad Bunny, many celebrities from Hollywood are busy with legal woes, some clearing it up, and some settling it. We take a look at a few of the recent cases.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Actor and Goop CEO Gwyneth Paltrow is now appearing in for the first day of a civil trial over claims she seriously injured a man in a skiing accident in Park City, Utah, in 2016. Terry Sanderson, a 76-year-old retired optometrist, filed the suit against Paltrow, alleging that the Shakespeare in Love actor caused a violent collision that left him seriously injured on the ground while she and her entourage continued their descent down the slopes. Sanderson initially sued for $3 million, but after that suit was dismissed, he amended his claim and is now seeking $300,000. Paltrow has filed a counterclaim, seeking legal fees and $1 in damages. The Oscar winning actor has alleged that Sanderson is overstating his injuries and trying to exploit her wealth and celebrity.
The Weeknd
The Weeknd‘s copyright legal issue with his 2018 cut Call Out My Name is officially resolved. According to Pitchfork, lawyers for The Weeknd and his co-defendants Nicolás Jaar and Frank Dukes, and the legal team of producers Suniel Fox and Henry Strange filed in court that they have reached a settlement, with the details kept under wraps. It puts an end to the copyright lawsuit initially filed by Fox and Strange in September 2021, where they accused the My Dear Melancholy track as one that “contain(s) quantitatively and qualitatively similar material in their respective lead guitar and vocal hooks, including melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic elements distinctive to” their track Vibeking.
Bad Bunny
A former girlfriend of Bad Bunny has filed a $40 million lawsuit against the Puerto Rican star, alleging he used a recording of her voice in several songs without permission. Carliz De La Cruz Hernandez, who dated Bad Bunny from 2011 to 2016, filed the lawsuit at a Puerto Rican court in San Juan earlier this month, though the outlet Noticel first reported it just this week. She has alleged that the singer used the recording shortly thereafter without authorization, in the introduction of the song Pa Ti and a few years later in Dos Mil 2016.
Post Malone
Singer Post Malone avoided a legal trial over Circles by opting for settlement. He settled a copyright suit from a musician alleging he co-wrote a 2019 hit but was denied credit and compensation. The terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The court was informed of the agreement during jury selection. The suit revolved around an August 2018 recording session between Tyler Armes, a member of Canadian rock band Down With Webster, and Austin Post, known as Post Malone. Armes said he co-wrote the keyboard chords and the guitar melody and had “significant input” on the bassline. The trial was set to feature witnesses playing instruments on the stand before it was settled as a jury was being selected.
Cardi B
A court has upheld Cardi B’s $4 million defamation verdict against a gossip blogger who made salacious claims on YouTube about drug use, STDs and prostitution. In a five-page decision, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit rejected an appeal from Tasha K, who had claimed that the massive verdict against her was the result of “very lopsided presentation of evidence to the jury”. The appeals court ruled that Tasha K (real name Latasha Kebe) had failed to properly make that argument to the trial judge, meaning she forfeited the right to do so before an appeals court.
Alec Baldwin
Actor Alec Baldwin got in legal trouble after the accidental shooting incident on the set of his upcoming Western movie Rust. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Hutchins died shortly after being wounded October 21, 2021, during rehearsals for the film at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza.
Tina Fey
Author Rosalind Wiseman, whose book Queen Bees and Wannabes was adapted by Tina Fey into the hit 2004 film Mean Girls, alleged that Fey and studio Paramount have denied making net profits from the franchise and have not fairly compensated her for the source material. Wiseman made approximately $400,000 after selling the film rights in 2002 but has not received any additional payments since. Wiseman is taking legal action against Paramount. “For so long I was so quiet about it, so, so quiet, but I just feel like the hypocrisy is too much,” Wiseman told The New York Post, adding, “I think it’s fair for me to be able to get compensated in some way for the work that has changed our culture and changed the zeitgeist.”
