Tag: Lawsuits (1-10 of 452)

May 23 2012 08:45 PM ET

$18.5M settlement for 'Transformers 3' injury

 The family of a woman left with brain damage after an accident during the filming of Transformers 3 has reached an $18.5 million settlement with Paramount Pictures.

Gabriela Cedillo was working as an extra in 2010 when she was hit in the head by a piece of flying metal during the filming of a stunt sequence in Hammond, Ind. An investigation found a weld connecting a car to a tow cable failed.

Her attorney says the 26-year-old needs constant care. Part of the settlement will be set aside for monthly payments to ensure Cedillo has care for the rest of her life.

Paramount spokesman Robert Lawson says the studio is pleased the family agreed to “move forward with the settlement.” He calls what happened “a tragic accident.”

May 17 2012 02:17 PM ET

Lawsuit from second John Travolta accuser dismissed

The second masseur to bring a claim of sexual battery against John Travolta is now pondering his next step. EW has confirmed that John Doe Number Two’s lawsuit has been dismissed without prejudice by the United States District Court, Central District of California. This dismissal follows just two days after John Doe Number One dropped his lawsuit against Travolta. Marty Singer, Travolta’s lawyer, called both claims “absurd and ridiculous,” and Travolta even produced credit card slips to discredit John Doe Number Two. Now the first accuser has retained the legal services of famed attorney Gloria Allred who, per a statement from Allred’s office, “will be conferring with our client regarding what will happen next in this case.”

Read more:
First John Travolta assault accuser drops lawsuit
Second masseur joins John Travolta sexual battery lawsuit
John Travolta sued by masseur for assault and sexual battery; Travolta calls suit ‘complete fiction’

May 15 2012 02:32 PM ET

First John Travolta assault accuser drops lawsuit

John Doe Number One — the first masseur to sue John Travolta for assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress — has dropped out of the lawsuit, People reports. The masseur’s action comes in the wake of evidence that contradicts his allegations, as well as his split from attorney Okorie Okorocha. A notice of dismissal was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles’s U.S. District Court.

“Let’s just say we had differences in opinion of how to handle the case and decided to part ways,” Okorocha told People. The lawyer is still representing John Doe Number Two, another masseur who claims the star used a private massage as an opportunity to make unwelcome sexual advances.

Travolta’s lawyer, Marty Singer, said in a statement that Number Two’s claim “is just as fabricated as the claim by Doe #1.” He added, “Our client will be fully vindicated in court on both of these absurd and fictional claims.”

Read more:
John Travolta sued by masseur for assault and sexual battery; Travolta calls suit ‘complete fiction’
Second masseur joins John Travolta sexual battery lawsuit
Tony organizers settle with Bret Michaels over 2009 accident

May 15 2012 10:38 AM ET

Tony organizers settle with Bret Michaels over 2009 accident

Bret Michaels and organizers of the Tony Awards have settled a lawsuit filed by the rocker after a 2009 incident in which he was hit in the head with a set piece and suffered injuries that he claimed contributed to a brain hemorrhage that nearly killed him. The confidential settlement also covers Michaels’ claims against CBS Broadcasting, which aired the show and the mishap. The Poison frontman blamed the network for airing the moment, which became which a viral video watched by tens of millions of people online, and claimed Tony Awards producers never warned him there would be a set change after he and his band performed “Nothin’ But a Good Time.” READ FULL STORY »

May 11 2012 05:44 PM ET

Guilty verdict in Hudson murders

William Balfour, the 31-year-old former brother-in-law of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, was found guilty of murdering Hudson’s mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew. The jury took three days of deliberations to reach a guilty verdict, and Balfour now faces a mandatory life sentence in jail.

Balfour had been married to but separated from Hudson’s sister, Julia, at the time of the shootings, and the prosecution tried to prove that he had threatened to kill the Hudson family dozens of times while attempting to reconcile with her. “He said, ‘If you leave me, you will be the last to die. I’ll kill your family first,’” Julia Hudson testified.

Balfour had pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in the October 2008 killings. Jennifer Hudson also testified for the prosecution and attended all 11 days of the trial.

Read more:
Lawyers ready closing arguments in Hudson murder trial
Judge releases Jennifer Hudson’s sister’s 911 call
Jennifer Hudson hears painful testimony
Jennifer Hudson testifies, now evidence becomes focus in murder trial

May 11 2012 09:08 AM ET

No verdict yet in Hudson murder trial

Jurors finished a second day of deliberations Thursday without a verdict in the trial of the man charged with murdering Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew. The jury is scheduled to resume deliberations Friday morning in the trial of Hudson’s former brother-in-law, William Balfour. Judge Charles Burns has ordered the jurors sequestered at a hotel to ensure they won’t view media coverage of the trial.

Balfour, who turned 31 on Thursday, pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in the October 2008 slayings. The former gang member faces a mandatory life prison sentence if he’s convicted on all charges.

Prosecutors say Balfour murdered Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew in an act of vengeance because his estranged wife at the time, Hudson’s sister Julia Hudson, refused to reconcile with him. READ FULL STORY »

May 9 2012 11:08 AM ET

Lawyers ready closing arguments in Hudson murder trial

Two weeks of expert witnesses, grisly crime-scene photos and tearful testimony by Jennifer Hudson culminates Wednesday in closing arguments at the trial of the man accused of killing three of the Oscar-winner’s relatives.

The prosecution is likely to argue that overwhelming circumstantial evidence presented by 83 witnesses during their 11-day case proves Hudson’s former brother-in-law, William Balfour, killed the star’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew.
The defense — which began and then closed their case Tuesday after a mere 30 minutes — is expected to note that no witnesses tied Balfour directly to the killings and that prosecutors haven’t met their burden of proving Balfour was the killer. The defense theorized in their opening that Hudson’s brother’s alleged crack-cocaine dealing might have led to the killings. They offered no testimony to support that theory but could still try to argue that it is a credible alternative explanation for the slayings.

After the closings, jurors will withdraw to a back room at the 80-year-old courthouse to begin deliberating on a verdict. READ FULL STORY »

May 8 2012 09:11 PM ET

Second masseur joins John Travolta sexual battery lawsuit

A second anonymous masseur has joined the lawsuit against actor John Travolta, alleging the star used a private massage as an opportunity to make unwelcome sexual advances, including touching the second masseur’s legs, thighs, and buttocks. According to reports of the court filing, the event reputedly occurred in Atlanta, roughly two weeks after the first masseur alleges Travolta assaulted him at a hotel in Los Angeles. Both plaintiffs are listed only as Joe Does, but are represented by the same lawyer.

Travolta’s lawyer, Marty Singer, released the following statement in response to the amended complaint:  READ FULL STORY »

May 7 2012 05:36 PM ET

John Travolta sued by masseur for assault and sexual battery; Travolta calls suit 'complete fiction'

Actor John Travolta has been sued for assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress in U.S. District Court by an anonymous masseur, according to court papers obtained by EW. Referred to only as John Doe, the plaintiff alleges that Travolta hired him for a two-hour private massage in Los Angeles in mid-January and then made unwanted sexual advances, including touching his genitalia. He is seeking $2 million in damages.

When reached for comment, Travolta’s rep released this statement: “This lawsuit is a complete fiction and fabrication. None of the events claimed in the suit ever occurred. The plaintiff, who refuses to give their name, knows that the suit is a baseless lie. It is for that reason that the plaintiff hasn’t been identified with a name even though it is required to do so. On the date when plaintiff claims John met him, John was not in California and it can be proved that he was on the East Coast. Plaintiff’s attorney has filed this suit to try and get his 15 minutes of fame. John intends to get this case thrown out and then he will sue the attorney and Plaintiff for malicious prosecution.”

May 1 2012 09:34 AM ET

Court denies Jennifer Hudson receiving special treatment

Jennifer Hudson arrives each day at the trial of the man accused of killing three of her close family members with her personal bodyguards in tow. She uses a secret entrance to elude photographers, eats in private and waits for proceedings to start in normally off-limits judge’s chambers. The Oscar winner, recently named one of the world’s 50 most beautiful women by People magazine, slips from the courtroom during particularly gory testimony.

Do the accommodations for the actress and singer add up to special star treatment? “Absolutely not,” said Irv Miller, a judge’s liaison at the trial, which is into its second full week. Most accommodations, he insisted, are courtesies routinely extended to victims having to endure the grim ordeal of sitting through a murder trial. Others, he conceded, are necessary because Hudson — a 2004 American Idol finalist and 2007 Oscar winner for her role in Dreamgirls — is a celebrity. “Star status means things have to be a little different,” he said. “You just can’t have a celebrity walking about, going to the cafeteria — people running up to ask for autographs.” READ FULL STORY »

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