Photo Credit: Extra TV

Sean “Diddy” Combs paid a hotel security officer $100,000 to hand over surveillance footage showing the hip-hop mogul attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, the officer testified at Combs’ federal trial.

Eddy Garcia, who worked as a security officer at an Intercontinental hotel, told jurors that Diddy bribed him to hand over surveillance footage showing the star brutally attacking then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Garcia testified on Tuesday in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ongoing federal sex trafficking trial, which is now in its fourth week.

“He was concerned that this video would get out and that it would ruin his career,” said Garcia, who was granted immunity to secure his testimony. Garcia said shortly after the incident occurred, Combs contacted him, telling Garcia he would “take care” of him if he handed over the footage.

Garcia relayed Combs’ message about the video to his boss, who said he would give Combs the footage for $50,000. The next day, Garcia said he saw his boss enter the room that hosted servers for the surveillance cameras.

He testified that his boss gave him a USB drive, which Garcia gave to Combs, who later returned with a brown bag and a cash counter. Garcia said Combs ran the cash through the counter, which displayed $100,000. Combs then returned the money to the bag and handed it over to Garcia.

Jurors had previously been shown footage of the surveillance video, dated March 2016, which took place in the hallway of the Intercontinental hotel in Los Angeles. There, Combs, wearing only a towel, is seen throwing Ventura to the ground, kicking her, and dragging her back to their room.

Combs’ attorneys have admitted the star has, at times, been abusive in his domestic relationships. However, they argue that the so-called “Freak Offs” were consensual sexual encounters.

Ventura testified earlier in the trial that the incident shown in the surveillance video took place after Combs had given her a black eye during a “Freak Off.” Prosecutors say that such encounters took place over two decades, in which Combs coerced women such as Ventura to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers.

According to the prosecution, bribery is among the racketeering acts that either Combs or his employees used to facilitate the “Freak Off” encounters and prevent word of his abuse from getting out. If convicted on all counts in the federal trial, Combs could face life in prison.

Photo Credit: 50 Cent for Branson Cognac

50 Cent says he’s going to make his feelings about Diddy known after Trump said he’d “look at the facts” of the case regarding a potential pardon.

50 Cent says he’s going to “make sure” Donald Trump is aware of the “really bad things” Diddy has said about him. His comments come on the heels of Trump saying he would “look at the facts” of Diddy’s sex trafficking case regarding a potential pardon.

“[Diddy] said some really bad things about Trump, it’s not ok. I’m gonna reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy,” said 50 Cent in a now-deleted Instagram post on May 30. “Donald doesn’t take well to disrespect and doesn’t forget who chooses to go against him.”

Those remarks made headlines, which led to 50 Cent responding to The Daily Beast’s article with another Instagram post on Sunday, June 1. “I didn’t say I would nuke anything; I simply said I will make sure Trump is aware,” he explained.

On Friday, Trump was asked about a potential pardon for Sean “Diddy” Combs, should the music mogul be convicted in his case. The president said he and Diddy used to be friendly, but that he hadn’t spoken to him since he got into politics.

“He used to really like me a lot,” said Trump. “I think when I ran for politics, that relationship busted up. […] I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me.”

Today (June 2), 50 Cent posted a clip on Instagram featuring Diddy discussing his feelings on Trump. “See Trump don’t like shit like this buddy, you run your mouth to [sic] much,” he wrote in the post’s caption, along with a laughing emoji.

Diddy is facing charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, to which he has pleaded not guilty. His trial is expected to continue through July, and the disgraced mogul could face life in prison should he be found guilty.

Photo Credit: Bang Si-hyuk for Metropolitan City of Busan

Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk, the mastermind behind BTS, is under investigation by South Korea’s financial watchdog for allegedly fraudulent trading.

South Korean outlets report that the country’s Financial Supervisory Service has been looking into claims that Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk misled investors during Hybe’s pre-IPO phase in 2019. Investigators have reportedly found evidence that Bang privately informed institutional investors that a public listing was unlikely, even while taking steps to move forward with an IPO.

At the time, Bang allegedly entered into a profit-sharing agreement with private equity funds established by his acquaintances, and ultimately pocketed around 400 billion won ($289.7 million) after Hybe’s successful stock debut in 2020. That arrangement was never disclosed in Hybe’s official filings, which could spell a violation of Korea’s capital market law.

Neither Hybe nor South Korea’s financial watchdog have confirmed details of the investigation, but they have neither denied its existence. That further fuels speculation that formal legal proceedings are forthcoming. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) is reportedly considering referring the case to prosecutors via a fast-track process. Further, a separate police investigation is said to be underway.

Understandably, fans are concerned that the controversy may impact BTS’ comeback as a full group, following its members’ mandatory military service. The seven-member ensemble is on track to reunite perhaps later this year, as all members will have completed their mandatory service by June 21.

An official comeback date hasn’t been confirmed, but Hybe has repeatedly stated that new BTS content and performances are in the works. In March, Hybe CEO Park Ji-won told shareholders that the company was negotiating with top-tier songwriters and producers over BTS members’ need to “regroup creatively” after completing their service.

Fortunately, entertainment industry executives close to the matter say the financial scandal involving Bang is unlikely to affect BTS’ activities. “The issue centers on Bang Si-hyuk’s personal gains and doesn’t directly involve BTS,” an official said on Thursday. “Hybe operates under a multi-label system, and BTS is more than capable of making a comeback independently of Bang.”

Photo Credit: Maryland GovPics / CC by 2.0

A high-profile dispute has erupted between former Def Jam exec Kevin Liles and rapper Lady Luck. Liles has accused the rapper of attempting to extort him to the tune of $30 million through threats. He also alleges Lady Luck threatened to publish a book containing “false and damaging allegations of sexual misconduct.”

According to statements released by Liles, Lady Luck—real name Shanell Jones—and her legal team contacted him to demand a $30 million payment. They said without a payment, Liles would face a very public lawsuit and the release of a tell-all book accusing Liles of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct. Those allegations include claims that Liles ‘groomed’ Lady Luck when she signed to Def Jam in 1999 as a teenager. Other allegations include that Liles exposed himself to her and tried to force her to perform oral sex in his car.

Liles has categorically denied all of the accusations levied against him, calling them “utterly false” and “pure fabrication. “None of this ever happened,” Liles said in a public statement. “Her threatened allegations are totally false. Rather than pay her and her legal team, I am publicly addressing what I view to be an extortion attempt.”

“It seems Mrs. Jones hopes to leverage the current news environment to pressure me into writing an exorbitant check in order to avoid the negative publicity that will likely result from her false claims,” Liles continues. “I intend to vigorously fight any complaint she may file and will take whatever legal action is necessary against her and the attorneys who have participated in this attempted shakedown.”

The statement was released on the website ‘LadyLucksOwnWords.com,’ which Liles appears to have created as an archive of communication with the rapper. It details how Liles gave her a chance with a record deal after hearing her on Hot 97 and contains numerous print and web interviews of Lady Luck discussing her relationship with the rap mogul.

Liles argues that his relationship with her was always professional and supportive. He also notes her struggles, stating that her career did not reach the heights both she and Liles hoped she would achieve. Lady Luck later requested to be released from her Def Jam contract. Liles also pointed to a criminal background and referenced recent hardships, stating “I will not be extorted, nor will I pay a dollar to those that threaten to ruin my reputation.”

Lady Luck and her legal representatives thus far have not responded to the detailed denials or the website. The dispute also comes at a time when Liles is seeking the dismissal of a sexual assault lawsuit stemming from his time at Def Jam in the early 2000s—though it’s unclear if that lawsuit is related.

Photo Credit: Chief Fashionista / CC by 2.0

Young Thug has ignited controversy over his take on Kid Cudi’s testimony during Diddy’s sex trafficking and racketeering trial in New York.

The Atlanta rapper posted “Dam cudi a rat lol” on X/Twitter shortly after Kid Cudi’s appearance in court. The rapper quickly deleted the message, but it has sparked controversy in the hip-hop community over the ethics of testifying in criminal cases involving fellow artists. Kid Cudi—real name Scott Mescudi—took the stand yesterday to deliver testimony about Diddy’s actions.

Prosecutors believe Cudi’s testimony was necessary in seeking to establish a pattern of violence and intimidation by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. During his testimony, Cudi spoke of several events involving the rap mogul. He testified that in 2012, his Porsche was destroyed in a Molotov cocktail attack that he believed to be a warning from Diddy. Cudi says the warning was due to his brief relationship with Cassie Ventura, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend and another witness at the trial.

Kid Cudi described receiving a call from his dog sitter about the car being on fire and later saw photos showing the top of the Porsche had been cut into for the Molotov cocktail to be placed. Cudi also alleges that Diddy broke into his Los Angeles home in 2011 after discovering that Cudi was dating Cassie Ventura. During that break-in, Cudi said his dog was confined to the bathroom and Christmas presents were left opened in the kitchen.

Young Thug’s ‘rat’ comments underscores ongoing tensions in the hip-hop community over the code of silence and what is perceived as ‘snitching.’ The rapper himself was recently released from prison after a RICO case and has previously criticized artists who co-operate with the authorities in any capacity. Young Thug also criticized fellow rapper Gunna for co-operating with authorities during the YSL RICO case, in which Gunna accepted a plea deal.

Photo Credit: Kid Cudi by Sellahremy / CC by 3.0

Kid Cudi was called to testify at Diddy’s federal trial over an attack in which his Porsche was allegedly blown up by the disgraced music mogul.

Scott Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi, was called as a witness to testify during day nine of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial. Cudi described his reaction when a Molotov cocktail blew up his Porsche convertible, which prosecutors say was at the direction of Combs.

“What the f—,” the rapper recalled, after he received a call from his dog-sitter in 2012. “She told me my car was on fire,” he said. “I immediately went to my house.”

Cudi said that while on his way home, he received a text from his friend with a picture of the damaged Porsche. “The top of my Porsche was cut open, and that’s where they inserted the Molotov cocktail,” he said, explaining that the car was beyond repair.

Cassie Ventura, the trial’s star witness and Combs’ ex-girlfriend, was dating Mescudi at the time the rapper’s car was destroyed. She previously testified that Combs became jealous and allegedly threatened to have the car blown up. Mescudi did not mention Combs in connection with the car’s destruction during his testimony.

Ventura’s troubled on-again, off-again relationship with Combs was at the heart of Mescudi’s testimony. He also recalled an incident in which he received a phone call from a “scared” Ventura in the early hours of the morning in December 2011. She asked Mescudi to pick her up, and that Combs had found out about their relationship.

Combs had allegedly obtained Mescudi’s home address, and she was afraid he would show up or send someone to cause problems at her new boyfriend’s house. Mescudi said he was confused, because he believed Combs was no longer a part of Ventura’s life. Nevertheless, he said he picked her up as requested and took her to a hotel.

At the hotel, Mescudi received a phone call from Combs’ employee and Ventura’s friend, Capricorn Clark. Clark told him Combs and an associate physically forced her into a car and drove to Mescudi’s home. Allegedly, Clark said she was calling from the car, while Combs was actively inside his house.

Mescudi said he rushed home and called Combs on the way. Combs allegedly said they needed to talk, and that he would be waiting for Mescudi when he arrived. But when he got home, Mescudi said no one was there. Mescudi then told the court during cross-examination that he left his front door unlocked and there were no signs of forced entry, nor any damages to his property. The only signs someone had been there were Mescudi’s dog locked in the bathroom and unwrapped Christmas presents on the kitchen counter.

The rapper said he filed a police report about the break-in. He told the court he spent the holiday with Ventura’s family, and Combs tried to contact him several times. Mescudi said he would not take Combs’ calls, simply telling him, “You broke into my house. You messed with my dog. I don’t want to talk to you.”

Mescudi’s relationship with Ventura ended shortly after the holidays in 2011, mostly because he said he was concerned for his safety. Then, in January 2012, he received the phone call from his dog-sitter about his Porsche being on fire. Although DNA was taken from the scene, no one was ever charged with setting the car on fire. Nevertheless, Mescudi told the court he believed Combs was involved.

Combs and Mescudi eventually met to discuss their differences at SoHo House in Los Angeles, where the latter says the former maintained a calm demeanor. Mescudi said Combs denied knowing anything about the car, but that he didn’t believe him.

Combs is charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty, and his federal trial continues.

Photo Credit: Frances Gladney and Smokey Robinson by Gage Skidmore / CC by 2.0

A criminal investigation has been launched into the sexual assault allegations against Smokey Robinson in a lawsuit filed by his former housekeepers.

Legendary singer-songwriter Smokey Robinson was sued last week by former employees who allege assault, sexual battery, and false imprisonment. The four Jane Does, who worked for the singer between 2006 and 2024, filed a lawsuit against the Motown legend and his wife Frances in Los Angeles Superior Court with similar claims that Robinson sexually assaulted and harassed them during their employment.

Now, a criminal investigation has been launched into the allegations, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Bureau is actively investigating criminal allegations involving William Robinson, AKA Smokey Robinson,” reads a statement from the sheriff’s office. “The investigation is in the early stages, and we have no further comment.”

The four women in the lawsuit also claim that Robinson’s wife contributed to a hostile work environment by using “ethnically pejorative words and language” while yelling at them. Further, they allege she was aware of her husband’s misconduct, but did not take proper action to prevent it despite knowledge that the 85-year-old had settled cases from other women with similar allegations.

The former housekeepers in the lawsuit state they did not take action against Robinson sooner for fear of losing their jobs, or of familial shame and embarrassment. Some were also afraid it could affect their immigration status.

“We are aware that a police report has now been filed by the Plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit. It is clear to us what is happening here,” said the singer’s attorney in a statement. “Plaintiffs filed a police report only after they filed a $50 million lawsuit. This means only that the police are now required to investigate. We welcome that investigation, which involves Plaintiffs who continue to hide their identities, because exposure to the truth is a powerful thing.”

“We feel confident that a determination will be made that Mr. Robinson did nothing wrong, and that this is a desperate attempt to prejudice public opinion and make even more of a media circus than the Plaintiffs were previously able to create,” the statement continues. “The record will ultimately demonstrate that this is nothing more than a manufactured lawsuit intended to tarnish the good names of Smokey and Francis Robinson, for no other reason than unadulterated avarice.”

Photo Credit: Chris Brown by Pelpa Time Production / CC by 3.0

Chris Brown was arrested at a hotel in Manchester on suspicion of causing bodily harm to producer Abe Diaw at a London nightclub in 2023.

Police arrested Chris Brown on suspicion of causing “grievous bodily harm” to music producer Abe Diaw at the Tape nightclub in London back in February 2023. Brown was arrested just after 2 AM at the Lowry Hotel.

The 36-year-old flew into Manchester Airport on a private jet on Wednesday afternoon, likely to begin rehearsals for his tour. The tour is slated to begin its UK leg on June 15 in Manchester. British tabloid The Sun contacted authorities after confirming Brown was in the country, asking if he would be placed under arrest for the 2023 incident. After receiving the tip, detectives travelled to Manchester to place the R&B star under arrest.

According to Diaw, Brown attacked him unprovoked at around 3 AM on the night in question. Brown was attending a Dirty Martini club night at the Tape nightclub with his entourage, when Diaw claims Brown broke a bottle over his head and punched him. He said Brown continued attacking him with kicks after he fell to the ground, and he sustained injuries that saw him taken to the hospital to recover.

Diaw launched a civil suit against Brown for £12 million ($16 million) in damages for injuries and losses suffered as a result of the attack. Brown remains in custody since his arrest. The investigation into the incident is being led by detectives from the Central West Area Basic Command Unit.

That leaves the future of Brown’s upcoming tour—Breezy Bowl XX, a celebration of his 20-year career—uncertain. The tour is scheduled to kick off on June 8 in Amsterdam, before heading to the UK, with dates in Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff, London, and Birmingham.

Photo Credit: U.S. Attorneys SDNY

Cassie Ventura, the R&B singer and former partner of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, delivered testimony on May 14th in the rap mogul’s ongoing trial. The testimony revealed a jaw-dropping $20 million payment to settle her civil lawsuit.

In a dramatic moment that closed her second day on the witness stand, Ventura confirmed for the first time that Diddy and his companies paid her $20 million to settle the civil lawsuit she filed in November 2023.

The $20 million settlement is a figure that was previously undisclosed to the public and was revealed during Ventura’s direct examination by prosecutors in Manhattan. Ventura stated unequivocally that the payment came from Diddy and his associated companies, bringing to light the substantial financial agreement that led to the swift dismissal of her civil lawsuit just one day after it was filed.

Ventura’s lawsuit accused Combs of a decade-long pattern of physical abuse, sexual assault, and coercion. Those allegations include that Combs drugged her, forced her into sexual encounters with male prostitutes, and orchestrated what he dubbed ‘freak-offs’—drug-fueled sex parties that he directed and filmed. That initial civil action and its swift settlement sparked a wave of additional lawsuits and triggered a federal criminal investigation that led to Combs’ arrest on charges including sex trafficking and racketeering.

While on the stand, Ventura recounted harrowing details of her relationship with Diddy from 2005 to 2018, describing incidents of rape, beatings, and psychological manipulation. She testified that the abuse left her feeling ‘disgusting’ and ‘humiliated’ and explained her decision to testify as a desire to “do what is right” after years of trauma.

Ventura’s testimony is central to the prosecution’s case, providing firsthand accounts of the alleged abuse and the circumstances that led to criminal charges against the rap mogul. The revelation of the $20 million settlement underscores the gravity of her claims and the high stakes involved in the trial. If convicted, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs could face a life sentence in prison.

Cross-examination by the defense team is expected to focus heavily on her credibility and the nature of Cassie’s relationship with Combs. Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo has indicated that infidelity and related text messages will be central topics, aiming to portray the relationship as mutually damaging rather than one-sidedly abusive. The defense’s questioning is anticipated to last through at least Friday, as the defense attempts to poke holes in Cassie’s testimony.

Photo Credit: Casandra Fine’s Instagram (Cassie)

Cassie, star witness for the prosecution in the sex trafficking case against Diddy, started off the trial with a lurid account of their time together.

Singer Cassie, who dated Sean “Diddy” Combs for roughly a decade, testified against the music mogul as the prosecution’s star witness in the federal sex trafficking case against him. The 38-year-old told jurors a harrowing account of her relationship with Combs, involving weekly drug-fueled sex parties he orchestrated — while Diddy’s attorneys pointed to a risqué-but-consensual affair.

Casandra Ventura (now Fine), said she took part in her first “Freak Off” in Los Angeles when she was 22, alongside Combs and a paid male escort. She explained that Combs choreographed every detail, from the masquerade mask and platform heels she wore to the lighting and the sex acts performed. Cassie said she initially participated willingly because she wanted to please Combs.

“I felt disgusting,” she said. “I felt humiliated and I didn’t have those words together at the time about how horrible I really felt.” When a prosecutor asked if there were parts she enjoyed, she broke into tears, saying she enjoyed the one-on-one time with Combs. “It was the only time I could get.”

“I was just enamored by him. We were just having a good time,” said Ventura of her early relationship with Combs, when he also signed her to his Bad Boy Records.

But the relationship quickly showed Combs’ darker side, she said.

He expected her to be monogamous when he openly had sex with other women. She said he kept tabs on her location and would call her incessantly or send his security detail to track her down. Staffers would withhold her possessions, such as her phone, when he sought to punish her.

On Tuesday, the court heard testimony from a former male escort who says his relationship with Combs and Ventura began in 2012 and lasted for around a year. Daniel Philip, now 41-year-old, recounts how, in one sex session with Cassie, he was instructed to urinate in her mouth. He described the encounters as primarily consisting of having sex with Cassie while Diddy watched, instructed, and masturbated.

Philip said he was paid thousands of dollars for each encounter with the couple, and the sessions would last anywhere from an hour to 10 hours. However, he claimed he felt threatened when Combs took a photograph of his driver’s license for “insurance.” He also alleged the music mogul gave him MDMA, which left him feeling “physically sick.”

He further recounts witnessing Combs physically assaulting Cassie, but that he did not intervene because he “was shocked” and feared what would happen to him. “My thoughts were, [Combs] was someone with unlimited power. […] My life was at risk.”

The trial continues tomorrow and is expected to last as long as 10 weeks. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Photo Credit: Taylor Swift by Paolo Villanueva / CC by 2.0

Taylor Swift has been subpoenaed in the legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively over the film “It Ends With Us.”

Taylor Swift is getting tied up in Justin Baldoni’s defamation suit against Blake Lively over the film “It Ends With Us,” but a spokesperson for Swift denies any involvement with the film beyond licensing music.

Her track “My Tears Ricochet” was licensed for use in the film’s trailer and a scene. But Baldoni’s lawsuit, filed in January, included text messages in which Lively alludes to Swift as “one of her dragons.” Baldoni alleges in the $400 million suit that Blake Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds hijacked the production of “It Ends With Us” in order to destroy his reputation with allegations of sexual harassment.

The texts pertain to a rooftop scene in the film that Lively had allegedly reworked from the script. According to Baldoni’s suit, Lively summoned him to her New York penthouse where Reynolds and a “mega-celebrity friend,” believed to be Swift, praised her version of the scene. Baldoni’s lawyers say he felt “obliged to text Lively to say that he had liked her pages and hadn’t needed Reynolds and her mega-celebrity friend to pressure him.”

Lively later sent a text that referred to Reynolds and a friend, again presumed to be Swift, as “absolute titans as writers and storytellers outside of their primary gig.” She compared herself to the Queen of Dragons, Daenerys, in HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” adding, “My dragons also protect those I fight for,” referring to Reynolds and Swift. “So really, we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. You will too, I can promise you.”

“Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see ‘It Ends With Us’ until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history,” wrote a spokesperson for Swift, denying any involvement in the film beyond licensing her music.

The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni began in December. Lively filed a letter with the California Civil Rights Department with allegations that Baldoni sexually harassed her and engaged in a smear campaign against her in 2024. When the New York Times ran a report about it, Baldoni sued them for $250 million on January 1, accusing them of libel.

In return, Lively sued Baldoni for violating federal and California state law; this prompted Baldoni to countersue. Reynolds and Lively have both filed motions to dismiss the $400 million suit, arguing it was filed as retaliation for Lively lodging a sexual harassment claim.

Photo Credit: Tingey Law

Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs plan to claim there was mutual violence between Combs and ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who is expected to testify as a star witness for the prosecution.

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo told US District Judge Arun Subramanian during a hearing that he plans to show there was mutual violence between Sean “Diddy” Combs and Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. Ventura is expected to testify against Combs as a star witness for the prosecution.

Judge Subramanian seemed reluctant to allow the defense to introduce evidence of alleged violence on Ventura’s part, but said he would rule on the issue on Monday. A jury of 12 New Yorkers is also set to be finalized on Monday ahead of opening statements.

Initially, jury selection was due to wrap on Friday, but Judge Subramanian pushed it back to Monday over concerns that jurors might drop out over the weekend if the panel was finalized as originally planned. On Monday morning, a pool of 45 prospective jurors will be narrowed down to 12, with six alternates. This phase is expected to last less than an hour, with opening statements set to follow.

The 55-year-old Combs has pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, all of which are felonies. If he is convicted, he could face life in prison. He has been held without bail in a federal facility in Brooklyn since his arrest in September.

As the trial gears up, Judge Subramanian admonished lawyer Mark Geragos—notably not on Combs’ defense team—for referring to the prosecutors in the case as a “six-pack of white women” in comments on a podcast last week. In a May 2 episode of “Two Angry Men,” a podcast he co-hosts with TMZ founder Harvey Levin, Geragos remarked that the racial and gender composition of the prosecution team was “interesting.”

“That’s something that you shouldn’t, that no one should be saying as an officer of the Court and a member of the bar,” Judge Subramanian told Geragos on Tuesday before jury selection resumed. “Referring to the prosecution in this case as a six-pack of white women is outrageous.”

While Geragos is not representing Combs in the trial, his daughter, Teny Geragos, is one of Combs’ defense attorneys. He asserted he was not trying to interfere with the case, but that defendants had a right to respond to “negative pre-trial publicity.”

“When you’ve got a Black man who’s being prosecuted, and the client feels like he’s being targeted, it’s […] an observation,” said Geragos.

Prosecutor Christy Slavik remarked that with millions of subscribers to Geragos’ podcast, “the danger of [his] statements infecting the jury pool, I think, is very serious.”

Subramanian concluded that he will be monitoring comments made on the podcast as the trial continues.

Photo Credit: Frances Gladney and Smokey Robinson by Gage Skidmore / CC by 2.0

Smokey Robinson says he is ‘appalled’ over the claims he sexually assaulted multiple housekeepers, who are now suing him.

Motown legend Smokey Robinson is staunchly denying the sexual assault allegations made against him by four former housekeepers. Robinson’s attorney, Christopher Frost, released a statement on behalf of his client, calling the claims an effort to extort money from the singer.

Robinson was accused of sexual misconduct in a lawsuit filed Tuesday by four anonymous former employees. Further, his wife, Frances Gladney, is also named in the lawsuit for her alleged role in perpetuating a toxic work environment.

“As this case progresses, the evidence (the crucial element that guides us) will show that this is simply an ugly method of trying to extract money from an 85-year-old American icon—$50 million dollars, to be exact,” said Frost. “Through this process we have seen the bizarre theatrics of [Tuesday’s] news conference, as the plaintiffs’ attorneys outlined vile false allegations against Mr. and Mrs. Robinson.”

“We will also be asking the Court to address that in their statements to the press about Mr. Robinson, the plaintiff’s attorneys have reached beyond the bounds of liberties that even lawyers are typically allowed in this context,” the attorney’s statement continues. “We will have more to say on this matter, as we fiercely defend our clients against these false allegations and work to protect their good names.”

According to the plaintiffs, during their employment between 2007 and April 2024, Robinson summoned them into a bedroom multiple times, where he forced unwanted sexual contact. They claim Gladney not only had “full knowledge” of the assaults and did nothing to stop them, but allegedly scheduled weekly nail salon appointments that would ensure Robinson was “home alone” with a housekeeper. Frances Gladney is also accused of being a bully who “screamed” at the women and called them names.

In a call with The Daily Mail, Robinson said he was “appalled” about the claims against him, but the 85-year-old then began “mumbling incoherently,” and “did not sound well.” Shortly after, he “became lucid” again, and quickly ended the call by saying, “I can’t speak about this right now.”

The four plaintiffs wish to remain anonymous and are listed only as Jane Doe in the filings. One of the accusers says she was assaulted seven times, while another said she was raped “without a condom” at least 23 times.

The lawsuit comes on the heels of Robinson’s latest album, What the World Needs Now, which was released last month.

Photo Credit: Giorgio Trovato

Jay-Z says fighting rape allegations and pursuing his ongoing defamation suit against attorney Tony Buzbee has cost him $200 million.

The latest move by Jay-Z against attorney Tony Buzbee—the lawyer representing the Jane Doe who accused the rapper of rape before her lawsuit was dropped—sees him doubling down on assertions that Buzbee has cost him millions. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, has been trying to sue Buzbee for defamation since March.

In his latest filing, Carter outlines the significant financial losses he’s incurred thanks to the allegations against him—which he insists are “false, malicious lies.” Jay-Z claims to have lost around $200 million overall since the back and forth began. These consist of contracts in the sports and entertainment sectors, a personal credit line, and a loan.

The contracts, he says, would have raked in a minimum of $20 million. “The full fee would have been many millions higher had the contract been performed,” the document claims. The credit line would have been $55 million, and the loan was going to be $115 million. The $20 million in sports contracts was referenced in an earlier filing.

“Mr. Buzbee’s actions undermined my relationship, and my company Roc Nation’s relationship, with other businesses in the sports and entertainment space,” he says.

“We have agreements to produce entertainment programs for certain sporting events. After Mr. Buzbee filed the lawsuit, the media reported that other businesses could end their deals with Roc Nation, and forced one to speak out and address whether these false allegations would end our business relationship,” Carter explained.

“Immediately after Mr. Buzbee went public with his false accusations, my company Roc Nation also lost other contracts in the sports and entertainment space that would have generated revenues of approximately $20 million per year.”

Buzbee and his client voluntarily dismissed Jane Doe’s sexual assault case back in February, and Carter promptly counter-sued Doe in early March. He also filed a defamation suit against Buzbee. Jane Doe insists the accusations made in her lawsuit were not false, despite her withdrawing her lawsuit.

Photo Credit: ABC News

ABC News announces a daily program covering the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, “Burden of Proof: The Case Against Diddy,” beginning this Friday.

The 30-minute-episode deep-dive premieres Friday, May 9, at 5:30 PM EDT on ABC News Live, hosted by “GMA3” co-anchor Eva Pilgrim. Each episode of the series will spotlight and analyze the day’s events from the courtroom with real-time updates.

The first episode will examine the science behind the jury selection and go over the charges against Combs. After that, the daily cadence for the show will begin on the day of opening statements, which are currently slated for May 12. “Burden of Proof: The Case Against Diddy” will air daily on ABC News Live at 5:30 PM, 6:30 PM, and 8:30 PM EDT through the end of the trial.

Joining Pilgrim will be chief investigative correspondent Aaron Katersky and legal contributor and attorney Brian Buckmire, who will be inside the courtroom during the trial. Their firsthand insights and commentary will bring viewers behind the scenes of one of the biggest celebrity trials in recent memory. Pilgrim will feature additional guests and experts throughout the series to provide audiences with the full scope and impact of the trial.

For even more context and analysis on the trial, ABC Audio and “20/20” will be producing twice weekly episodes of the podcast, “Bad Rap: The Case Against Diddy,” hosted by Brian Buckmire. These will be available wherever listeners get their podcasts, including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

News of the program comes as Diddy’s trial finally gets underway, despite his legal team’s many efforts to have it dismissed. Combs has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest in September. Once jury selection is completed, the trial is estimated to last from eight to 10 weeks.

Photo Credit: Wesley Tingey

Sean “Diddy” Combs has rejected the government’s offer to plead guilty to reduce his potential prison sentence as his sex trafficking trial kicks off.

Combs appeared in court on Thursday, formally rejecting the US government’s plea offer that would reduce his potential prison sentence if he would plead guilty. When asked by Judge Arun Subramanian if he rejected the prosecution’s plea deal, Combs answered, “Yes, I do, your honor. Thank you.”

As the disgraced musician’s federal sex trafficking trial gets underway, at least four witnesses who have already filed civil suits against Combs are expected to testify against him. While the witness list has not been made public, three individuals familiar with the matter told CNN anonymously about those likely to testify.

Unsurprisingly, the central witness is Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, the singer and ex-girlfriend of Combs, who will testify under her real name. The judge has permitted the other three witnesses and alleged victims to testify under pseudonyms to aid in protecting their identities. In court documents, they are referred to as “Victim-2,” “Victim-3,” and “Victim-4.”

Meanwhile, a number of supporting witnesses will also testify as government witnesses to corroborate the key witnesses’ accounts or to provide other relevant information. Among those expected to testify is a male sex worker seen in explicit videos of Combs’ “Freak Offs”—sexual encounters he allegedly coerced women into with sex workers, in which one or both parties were drugged and forced to engage in sex acts.

Combs is facing over 60 civil lawsuits, which are notably separate from his criminal trial. But many of those lawsuits served as a “roadmap” for prosecutors, according to sources close to the matter.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, transportation to engage in prostitution, and sex trafficking. Combs continues to vehemently deny all civil allegations against him.

Photo Credit: Ethan Wilkinson

The Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism unit is now actively investigating Irish rap group Kneecap’s online videos. The investigation comes after videos surfaced of the group saying “kill Tory MPs.” The group also expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah, which are proscribed terrorist organizations in the United Kingdom.

The investigation was triggered by two videos, one from a 2023 performance with the statement “up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” Another video from a 2024 concert in London shows a member of the trio appearing to say on stage “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed they were looking into the videos as there are “grounds for further investigation into potential offenses.”

“The investigation is now being carried out by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command and inquiries remain ongoing at this time,” the Met Police spokesperson said in a statement. No charges or arrests have been made at this time.

Several Kneecap concerts have been canceled in the UK and Europe following the controversy. After their statements on stage at Coachella, the group lost their US work visa after their sponsor, booking agency Independent Artist Group (IAG), dropped them as clients. Once IAG ended its relationship, the sponsorship was revoked and their visas became invalid.

Kneecap has denied supporting Hamas or Hezbollah and claims their comments have been misrepresented. They have also issued statements expressing regret to the families of murdered MPs Jo Cox and David Amess, stating that they do not endorse violence.

The controversy around the group has sparked calls from politicians in the UK for Kneecap to be removed from festival lineups including Glastonbury. Meanwhile, many artists and musicians have signed open letters supporting the group’s right to free speech.

Photo Credit: Suge Knight by Nick Leisure / CC by 2.0

Suge Knight has agreed to a $1.5 million settlement to the family of Terry Carter, the man he ran over and killed in a 2015 hit-and-run.

On Tuesday, Suge Knight appeared in court via video and agreed to a $1.5 million settlement in his wrongful death suit. The wife and daughters of Terry Carter, the man Knight ran over and killed with his truck in 2015, will each receive $500,000.

The settlement prevents a retrial on claims made by Carter’s family, which would have led to jury selection beginning on April 30 had he not agreed to settle. Knight is currently serving a 28-year-sentence at the Richard Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego and won’t be eligible for parole until October 2034. But he would have been forced to go on trial anyway—even without his lawyer, David Kenner, who has been trying to exit the case due to a conflict with Suge Knight.

Knight provided a statement to Rolling Stone about the incident, explaining he had gotten into an altercation in a restaurant parking lot that night. The altercation escalated when Knight ran over Carter and another man before fleeing the scene. Carter died within an hour of the incident, while the other man suffered two broken ankles and a head laceration.

“Terry was a friend of mine. It definitely wasn’t done intentionally. It wasn’t done to bring harm to him,” said Knight. “One of the reasons I settled [is] I got respect for Terry, so that means I’ve got respect for his family.” He continued: “I didn’t want to put the family through more pain. It’s not that I did anything wrong. I never would have. But I do owe the family an apology because of this thing they had to go through.”

“It’s hard living without [Terry] when I lived all those many years with him,” said Carter’s widow. “It’s been very, very difficult. I’ve been in pain ever since January 29, 2015; I haven’t had a good day—not one good day.”

She added: “I’m not happy with the outcome of it, at all, but I don’t want to give him another opportunity to put on a clown show and act like a bitch. Maybe somebody will shank him in jail.”

Photo Credit: Kneecap.ie

Irish rap group Kneecap is facing swift fallout post-Coachella—its U.S. booking agency has parted ways with the group while two German music festivals have dropped them from the lineup. Here’s the latest.

Independent Artist Group (IAG) has confirmed it has parted ways with the group following their appearance at Coachella. Without IAG’s sponsorship, Kneecap’s U.S. work visas are no longer valid. That means the group cannot perform in the country for the foreseeable future—at least until they find a new sponsor. The fallout isn’t exclusive to the United States, either.

Two of Germany’s largest music festivals—Hurricane and Southside—have dropped Kneecap from their summer lineups. Both events are organized by FKP Scorpio and were expected to host the rap trio following their Coachella performance. But organizers announced their removal in a move that was applauded by advocacy groups who cited the band’s support for organizations classified as terrorist organizations in both the U.S. and Europe. Kneecap responded to this removal by announcing smaller headline shows in Berlin, Hamburg, and Cologne this September.

Meanwhile, U.K authorities have opened an inquiry into Kneecap’s public comments, combing through past performances on stage. The group previously apologized for a 2023 incident in which they told a crowd ‘Kill your local MP’—sparking inquiry into the group’s other comments on stage. Kneecap says they reject any suggestion they would seek to incite violence against any individual and that the footage was taken out of context. The group has also further denied any support for Hamas or Hezbollah.

Kneecap now seeks new representation for touring in the United States and has reconfigured its touring plans across Europe due to the cancellations. The group is supposed to tour across the United States starting in October, so it will be interesting to see if they find a new work visa sponsor. The situation underscores the heightened sensitivities and real-world consequences facing artists who use major platforms like the Coachella music festival to address contentious global issues on stage.

Photo Credit: Kneecap.ie

Ireland’s prime minister has called for hip-hop group Kneecap to clarify remarks made at shows urging fans to kill Tory MPs.

Micheál Martin, Ireland’s prime minister, has called for Irish hip-hop group Kneecap to “urgently clarify” comments allegedly made during the band’s concerts about killing Tory MPs.

Video of the group at a gig in November 2023 emerged, showing one member saying, “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” Footage of another show in November 2024 appeared to show a member of the rap trio shouting, “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah,” with a Hezbollah flag displayed.

“We were made aware of a video on 22 April, believed to be from an event in November, and it has been referred to the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU) for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required,” said a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police. “We have also been made aware of another video believed to be from an event in November 2023.”

Similarly, a spokesperson for the UK government noted: “We unequivocally condemn threatening remarks made towards any individual.”

“Political intimidation and abuse must have no place in our society. We recognize the chilling effect that harassment and intimidation of elected representatives can have on our democracy,” their statement continued. “All reports of intimidation, harassment, and threats are taken extremely seriously. We work with the police and Parliament to do everything in our power to crack down on threats to elected officials.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson called for an investigation into the band. “Promoting sectarianism, glorifying violence, and spreading division under the guise of ‘art’ is still hate,” Robinson noted.

Despite the uproar, none of the group’s members have been charged with any crime thus far. Kneecap has faced similar criticism after displaying messages related to the war in Gaza during their Coachella set in the California desert earlier this month. The band’s manager, Daniel Lambert, remarked that the band had received “severe” death threats since their Coachella set.

Photo Credit: CNN

Diddy requests the video footage of him brutally beating Cassie Ventura to be excluded from evidence at his trial, claiming it has been manipulated.

Sean “Diddy” Combs has requested the hotel video footage that showed him beating ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura be excluded from evidence at his trial. The disgraced music mogul and his team claim the footage, which was released by CNN in May last year, has been manipulated.

“Mr. Combs seeks to exclude all available video files related to an incident from March 5, 2016, in the Intercontinental Hotel,” his lawyers wrote in a 15-page motion, which was submitted to the US Southern District Court of New York on Thursday.

“There is no longer any dispute that the CNN footage from March 5, 2016, at the Intercontinental Hotel, offered by the government at three separate bail hearings, is wholly inaccurate, having been altered, manipulated, sped-up, and edited to be out of sequence,” they claim. “CNN paid [redacted] for footage, copied that footage in unknown ways, presented that footage out of order, and destroyed the original. Accordingly, all the footage from CNN is inaccurate and inadmissible as well.”

Combs’ team also requested a pre-trial hearing to “present testimony and video evidence” from a forensic video analyst, Conor McCourt, “so that the court can better understand the ways in which each of the available videos are unreliable and not a fair and accurate reflection of the actions depicted.”

CNN denies all claims of manipulate footage, asserting that none of the footage was ever altered. “CNN never altered the video and did not destroy the original copy of the footage, which was retained by the source,” said a CNN spokesperson. “We aired the story about the video several months before Combs was arrested.”

Combs’ trial begins on May 12, with jury selection beginning on May 5. A New York City judge has denied his request to delay the federal trial by two months, determining there should have been ample time for his team to prepare.

Diddy has been charged with five counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pled not guilty to all charges.

Photo Credit: Melissa Lee / Marine Corps

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex-trafficking case gets underway in about a month, but his defense team has asked for an adjournment. Instead, they want to see the May 12 starting date pushed back by two weeks.

His lawyers argue the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the SDNY has not been fully sharing material such as emails from a former Combs employee. They allege that the prosecution’s witness ‘Victim-4’ seems to have “cherry picked messages” shared on WhatsApp. Outside of court, Combs’ team said they would no longer seek an adjournment if the feds “get their act together.”

Combs pleaded not guilty on Monday to an expanded federal indictment that charges him with five criminal counts—including charges for racketeering and sex trafficking. Combs entered his plea to the new charges at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan.

“These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships,” his lawyers said to the media after the hearing. Jury selection for the trial remains scheduled for May 5 with opening statements set to begin May 12 if the judge does not grant an adjournment.

Prosecutors allege that Combs used his business empire to sexually abuse women between 2004 and 2024. The allegations include having women take part in recorded sexual performances called ‘freak offs’ with male sex workers, who were sometimes transported across state lines to facilitate the action. Combs has been sitting in the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center since September. He is also facing more than a dozen civil lawsuits filed by both men and women that accuse him of sexual abuse.

His lawyers have argued that Combs never forced anyone to engage in sexual acts against their will. He says the ‘freak offs’ reported by the media were consensual activity between consenting adults. A surveillance video from 2016 leaked in 2022, kicking off the intense interest. The video shows Combs kicking his former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura.

Photo Credit: David Shankbone / CC by 3.0

Cassie Ventura is set to testify against her former partner Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs using her real name instead of the ‘Victim 1’ designation. She will tell the court about her relationship with the rap mogul during his upcoming trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

She is one of four victims who are set to testify in court at Comb’s trial—and the first to make public allegations against the rap mogul. Ventura sued Diddy in November 2023 for what she alleges is a decade-long cycle of sexual assault—with the abuse beginning in 2005 when she was 19 and signed to Bad Boy Records. That lawsuit described beatings, forced drug usage, and coercive sexual acts with other men while Diddy filmed them.

Leaked video of an incident between Diddy and Ventura shows the rapper running down a hotel hallway to intercept Ventura at the elevators, preventing her from leaving. He drags her back to the room by her hair after kicking and assaulting her. That incident occurred in 2016 at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, with CNN publishing the video in May 2024. The video seems to corroborate an account in Ventura’s initial lawsuit. Combs settled that lawsuit one day after filing it with no admission of wrongdoing.

In a Friday motion submitted by prosecutors, federal attorneys said ‘Victim-1’ will no longer testify anonymously during the trial. “[Ventura] is prepared to testify under her own name. Victim-2, Victim-3, and Victim-4 have asked that their identities not be revealed to the press or public,” writes the prosecution, which seeks to use pseudonyms for those accusers. Combs’ lawyers have asked judges to unmask his accusers and force them to make their names public.

Combs faces five counts on three charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rap mogul has pleaded not guilty. Combs is facing more than 55 lawsuits in New York federal and state courts—with around 40 of thos elawsuits filed under ‘Jane Doe’ or ‘John Doe’ pseudonyms.

Photo Credit: Tony Buzbee Instagram

Texas attorney Tony Buzbee has withdrawn from more than a dozen lawsuits he filed against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. He blames a grievance that Jay-Z filed against him for being unable to continue.

Buzbee withdrew as the plaintiff attorney in 14 lawsuits filed against Combs in a New York federal court. Court documents show that Buzbee is not permitted to practice law in the Southern District of New York. Buzbee blames a grievance that Jay-Z filed against him saying it is an attempt to prevent him from being admitted to try SDNY cases.

Documents from the Committee on Grievances in the SDNY show that Buzbee filed for admission to practice in the court on January 29. That filing comes several months after he filed a spate of lawsuits in court. “Per the Committee’s review of the dockets, Mr. Buzbee has appeared in cases in this court without seeking admission. Therefore, the petition is denied,” the Committee Chair writes.

U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams advised Buzbee that he was in violation of a local rule of the court due to his admission status. Abrams says Buzbee failed to bring the issue to the courts attention and asked for an explanation. In a letter penned on Monday, Buzbee attributes it to an “error in judgement” for “failing to inform” the judges he was not admitted to practice in SDNY.

“As an attorney in good standing of the New York State Bar, the Texas State Bar, and your sister district, the Bar for Eastern District of the State of New York, I believe I am eminently qualified and should not be precluded from representing the Plaintiff in this action,” Buzbee writes. Instead, he says the status of his admission has “become a distraction that has shifted the focus of the matter away from where it should be, which is securing justice for the Plaintiff.”

The unnamed Plaintiff in these lawsuits will continue to be represented by the New York law firm with which he co-filed the lawsuit. Buzbee says he believes the focus shift is due to Jay-Z’s grievance filed against him.

“The individual I was bringing a suit against, Shawn Carter, filed a grievance against me trying to keep me from receiving admission—a formality. So I have to deal with that before I receive formal admission.” Buzbee says out of the multiple lawyers handling the case, he was singled out and had a grievance filed against him. Last month, another client of Buzbee’s dropped her sexual assault lawsuit.

“The primary factor underlying both the grievance and the Southern District’s admission decision is that I electronically signed numerous pleadings alongside my firm’s local counsel (who is admitted to the SNDY and who actually filed all pleadings and other papers),” Buzbee writes in an affidavit to defend himself against the grievance and appeal the SDNY’s admissions decision.

Diddy’s attorneys write that they have never opposed a pro hac vice application for a lawyer to represent their clients—but that Buzbee’s “egregious misconduct warrants a denial of the privilege of appearing in the District.”

Photo Credit: David Lezcano

Adidas reports all remaining inventory associated with their collaboration with Kanye West has been sold. “That episode is behind us.”

Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, launched a deal with Adidas back in 2013, valued at $1 billion at the time. But that partnership quickly dissolved when Adidas severed ties with Ye in late 2022 after his antisemitic tirade on social media. Now, the company has finally offloaded the rest of its Yeezy stock, putting the chapter behind them.

Even though ending that collaboration dramatically impacted the company’s bottom line, “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” said Adidas. “[West’s] recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful, and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect, and fairness.”

Since then, while West’s problematic behavior rages on, Adidas has been hard at work to offload what remains of their Yeezy stock. That’s despite the company losing revenue in the US throughout all of 2023 and most of 2024, when sales declined in the region by 2% “solely due to significantly lower Yeezy sales.” The sportswear brand began liquidating its remaining Yeezy stock in mid 2023, with a pledge to donate part of the proceeds to organizations like the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism.

But now, the excess Yeezy stock has been sold, putting a final nail in the collaboration that once made Kanye West a billionaire. “There is not one Yeezy shoe left,” said Adidas Chief Financial Officer Harm Ohlmeyer. “It has all been sold, and that episode is behind us.”

Forbes reports around $1.5 billion of West’s net worth was due to his partnership with Adidas. He continues to use the Yeezy brand name for his own merch, including an ad that ran in select markets during the Super Bowl. The strange spot, filmed on West’s iPhone, caused outrage for linking to his website, where only a white t-shirt with a swastika remained for sale.

West has since gone on more antisemitic rants, regularly posting hate on his social media accounts and proclaiming himself to be a nazi—before backtracking and apologizing yet again.

Photo Credit: Westside Estate Agency

Less than six months after listing his $61.5 million mansion on the market, reports emerge of Sean “Diddy” Combs delisting the Beverly Hills home.

Not long before he was arrested on federal charges in New York City, Sean “Diddy” Combs put his Holmby Hills home on the market for $61.5 million. The 55-year-old Combs is currently held in a Brooklyn detention center without bail, awaiting trial on federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.

But less than six months later, reports have emerged of Combs delisting the mega-mansion, struggling to secure a buyer. However, the home still appears to be listed in some places, including by Westside Estate Agency. Realtor.com reports the home was delisted from all publicly available listing sites earlier today (March 4), but was quickly relisted in some places by the same agent, Kurt Rappaport.

It’s unclear why the mansion has been delisted, but circumstances around the property might make it a tough sell. The 10-bedroom, 13-bath property, which Diddy purchased for $39 million back in 2014, gained notoriety last year when it was raided by federal agents as part of their investigation into the mogul’s alleged illegal activities. His $48 million Miami home was also raided.

In recent months, a few details have emerged regarding what evidence was reportedly found inside both homes. The indictment reveals agents uncovered weapons, drugs, and lubricant, and “more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.” As a result of the raids, it was reported that both properties underwent “significant property damage.”

According to prosecutors, the property was the site of several so-called “freak off” parties, where the rapper is accused of using his money and influence to “abuse, threaten, and coerce women” in order to “fulfill his sexual desires.” This includes allegations of drugging individuals against their will or knowledge in order to make them compliant.

While in custody awaiting federal trial, Diddy is also facing dozens of civil lawsuits, many filed by anonymous Jane Does. These lawsuits include many of the same claims, including sexual assault and drugs covertly distributed via alcohol.

Photo Credit: Jose Vazquez

Tickets for Fyre Festival went on sale this week—so why doesn’t the local government and tourism board for Isla Mujeres know?

Convicted fraudster Billy McFarland spoke with Today.com about the festival in an interview this week. McFarland said the second version of the festival would take place in Isla Mujeres to take advantage of existing infrastructure. One of the pain points for the original was the remote location of the Bahamas island—with very little infrastructure to support a massive music festival.

But The Guardian reports that the local government in Isla Mujeres has denied knowledge of the festival. “We have no knowledge of this event, nor contact with any person or company about it,” Edgar Gasca, a representative from the tourism directorate of Isla Mujeres told the news outlet. “For us, this is an event that does not exist.”

Tickets went on sale ranging from $1,400 to $1.1 million and promising lofty experiences—much like the first Fyre Festival. During that Today interview, McFarland admitted that no headliners have signed on to perform. “Fyre 2 is real, my dream is finally becoming a reality,” McFarland said in that interview.

Edgar Gasca says he has spoken with the minister for tourism in the state of Quintana Roo and the hotels listed by the Fyre Festival website. None of them have heard of plans to host the festival. Impression Isla Mujeres, a luxury hotel touted by Fyre Festival as an accommodation partner, says it has not seen “any approach or enquiry with regards to the event.”

“The organizers didn’t even bother to approach the authorities,” Gasca confirms. “It’s very strange, because any manager knows that if you’re going to hold an event, let alone a massive event, you need municipal authorization. I think they thought they would just announce it and see if it got traction, then ask for permits halfway down the path,” Gasca says. “It’s a bit of a naive way to think.”

The local tourism board put out a statement saying no permits have been sought, while organizers for the festival said they were working on it. “We’re producing a highly exclusive, boutique and sustainable experience for Fyre Festival 2, set for May 30 – June 2,” Lostnights, producers of the event told The Guardian. “Fyre Festival 2 has secured top-tier private venues and hotels in partnership with our local allies who have established communications with the corresponding authorities to ensure full compliance and flawless execution.”

Meanwhile, Gasca says “This festival is not going to happen. There are red flags all over the place. If you go on their website and take the coordinates they provide, then put them in Google Maps, it takes you to the ocean—between Cancún and Isla Mujeres,” he says.

Photo Credit: Mandy Moore’s Instagram

Mandy Moore says ‘kindly F off’ to those criticizing her for sharing a GoFundMe for her in-laws. They lost their home to the wildfires in Los Angeles.

Singer and actress Mandy Moore is not apologizing for sharing a GoFundMe page on her Instagram. The GoFundMe page was created in support of her in-laws, who lose their home to the ongoing wildfires in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

“People questioning whether we’re helping out our own family or attributing some arbitrary amount of money Google says someone has is NOT helpful or empathetic,” wrote Moore on a now-deleted Instagram post. “Of course we are.”

“Our buddy Matt started this GoFundMe and I’m sharing because people have asked how they can help them,” she explained. “We just lost most of our life in a fire, too. Kindly F OFF. No one is forcing you to do anything.”

Moore’s house in Altadena lies roughly 30 miles east of Pacific Palisades, where the wildfires are still only about 13% contained. She and her husband, musician Taylor Goldsmith, saw extensive damage to their own home. But Goldsmith’s brother Griffin and his wife Kit lost their home to the Eaton fire.

“With their first baby on the way in a matter of weeks, they need our support now more than ever,” said Moore. “Griff is a touring musician and also lost his entire arsenal of drums/percussion he uses to make a living. It’s all so much.”

The GoFundMe campaign for the Goldsmiths has already far exceeded its $60,000 goal. Moore said she feels a weird survivor’s guilt since the damage to her own house isn’t comparatively as bad as others she knows who have lost everything.

“Miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing, for now. It’s not livable but mostly intact,” she wrote in a separate Instagram post. “We lost Taylor and Griffin’s studio with every instrument and piece of equipment they’ve ever owned. We lost our garage and back house. Everyone we know lost everything. Every house on our street is gone.”

Photo Credit: ‘The Fall of Diddy’ / Investigation Discovery

A new docuseries from Investigation Discovery details the allegations of violence and abuse against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Investigation Discovery explores the allegations of abuse, rape, and violence against Sean “Diddy” Combs in a new docuseries, “The Fall of Diddy.” The four-part series will premiere across two nights, starting January 27 at 9 PM ET.

Promising “unheard accounts from survivors and insiders,” the latest series from the “Quiet on Set” producer features over 30 interviews with Diddy’s accusers and those formerly in his inner circle. Among those interviewed are Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, Danity Kane member D. Woods, Vibe editor-in-chief Danyel Smith, and Thalia Graves.

Investigation Discovery also reports there will be accounts from “new voices yet to be announced, including those coming forward for the first time with deeply disturbing accounts of their encounters with Combs.”

“[There are] a lot of people like Puffy in the music business,” says Jones in the docuseries trailer. “Exposing Puffy means exposing them.”

The series includes previously unseen archival footage of Diddy, “painting a full picture” of the once untouchable music mogul. Combs has been accused of rape, child sexual abuse, and sexual misconduct by multiple accusers for incidents taking place as early as 1991.

“The Fall of Diddy” is produced in association with Rolling Stone Films for Investigation Discovery by Maxine Productions and The Intellectual Property Corporation. Both are part of Sony Pictures Television.

After his homes were raided by the Department of Homeland Security, Combs was arrested last year and charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. He is being held without bail in Brooklyn as he awaits a criminal trial in May. Combs and his legal team have continued to deny the allegations against him, and he has pleaded not guilty to all federal criminal charges.

Photo Credit: Sachyn / CC by 3.0

Danny Elfman has lost a bid to dismiss the defamation lawsuit against him by fellow composer Nomi Abadi over statements he made to Rolling Stone.

Danny Elfman has lost his bid to dismiss the defamation lawsuit brought against him by fellow composer Nomi Abadi about statements he made to Rolling Stone. These comments, made in 2023, were included in an investigative piece about a secret sexual harassment settlement involving a former protégé.

The former Oingo Boingo singer tried to have Abadi’s lawsuit tossed out, alleging the comments made to Rolling Stone were protected free speech. He claimed he therefore enjoyed litigation privilege because they were made in anticipation of him suing Rolling Stone for defamation — which he never did.

But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gail Killefer ruled that Abadi’s case will move forward, because “the litigation privilege does not apply to defendant Elfman’s statements,” made in what amounted to a press release. “The court is not persuaded that litigation against Rolling Stone was seriously contemplated.”

“We respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling and are optimistic that the Court of Appeal will agree with us that this case ought to be dismissed,” Elfman’s attorney, Camille Vasquez, told Variety. Vasquez — who is known for representing Johnny Depp in his defamation battle against Amber Heard — said she and Elfman intend to appeal the judge’s decision.

Abadi sued Elfman in July 2023, alleging the composer defamed her when he “peddled appalling lies” in a letter to Rolling Stone. The alleged lies include statements that he never engaged in sexual misconduct toward Abadi. The filing blasts Elfman and his team for making Abadi out to be a “scorned woman seeking revenge and money because she was rejected by her idol.”

Elfman tried to frame his statements to Rolling Stone as opinion rather than fact in his motion to dismiss. The composer reportedly entered previously into a non-public settlement and nondisclosure agreement with Abadi after she accused him of multiple instances of sexual misconduct between 2015 and 2016. Abadi then sued Elfman for failure to pay the full settlement of $830,000. Elfman has denied the allegations against him.

Photo Credit: Nicki Minaj by tamtam7683 / CC by 2.0

Nicki Minaj is being sued by a former employee who alleges the rapper hit him in the face during an argument.

Nicki Minaj is facing assault charges from a man who says he was the star’s day-to-day manager during her Pink Friday 2 tour. The complaint, filed on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges Nicki hit him multiple times during a confrontation backstage after one of her concerts.

Minaj’s lawyer, Judd Burstein, broadly denied the allegations against his client, but said no complaint has been officially served. “Therefore, we are unaware of the specific allegations. However, if the lawsuit is as reported by TMZ, it is completely false and frivolous. We are confident that the matter brought by his ex assistant will be resolved swiftly in [Minaj’s] favor.”

According to the lawsuit in a report by TMZ, Brandon Garrett claims he was working as Nicki’s “day-to-day manager” during her Pink Friday 2 tour. He says after her show at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on April 21, he received a text message from her head of security, Larry Dathan. Dathan allegedly told Garrett that Minaj wanted to see him in her dressing room.

When he arrived, Garrett says eight members of Nicki’s staff were present — including Dathan, another employee named Luke Montgomery, and her former manager Deb Antney. Garrett says Minaj complained about the staff “not knowing what they are supposed to do, and who reports to who.”

During the confrontation, Garrett claims Minaj became “visibly upset” and “angrily screamed” at him. According to Garrett, she was upset that he had sent Montgomery to pick up prescriptions for the star. When neither he nor Montgomery could provide the information Nicki is said to have asked for, the complaint says she approached him and “got very close to his face.”

“At this point, [Nicki] open-handedly struck [Garrett] on the right side of his face, causing his head to swing backwards as his hat flew off his head,” the filing reads. Garrett also alleges that his wrist was injured from the altercation and was “throbbing.”

When Minaj demanded Garrett leave the room, Garrett says he locked himself in a nearby restroom for multiple hours. He then says he received notice from Antney that he would not be joining them on the bus to Nicki’s next tour stop in Chicago.

Garrett says he took an Uber back to the Detroit airport and called the police department about filing a report about the incident. But the Detroit police allegedly told him he would need to appear in-person at the precinct to make a formal report. Since he had already booked a flight back to Chicago, he instead contacted the Chicago police for an escort back to his hotel, as he “feared for his safety.”

Eventually, he also filed an official report in Detroit. His filing seeks punitive and exemplary damages, as well as general damages.

Photo Credit: Diplo by Berengould / CC by 3.0

Diplo’s revenge porn accuser fears harassment if her name is disclosed, but a federal judge rules she must reveal her identity.

The woman accusing Diplo of sharing revenge porn against her wishes to remain anonymous, having filed her civil lawsuit against the DJ as a Jane Doe. But a Los Angeles federal judge has ruled that she must reveal her identity in order for her case to move forward.

Jane Doe filed her case back in late June, alleging the DJ — real name Thomas Wesley Pentz — filmed their sexual encounters and shared them on Snapchat. But Judge Mónica Ramírez Almadani ruled last Tuesday (December 31) that the accuser had failed to prove a legal need to remain anonymous.

“The court appreciates the plaintiff’s allegations in her complaint are sensitive and of a highly personal nature, and that she may face some public scrutiny,” wrote the judge. “However, absent a demonstrated need for anonymity, there is a prevailing public interest in open judicial proceedings.”

The prevalence of Doe pseudonyms in sexual abuse complaints makes sense, with accusers fearing retaliation if their names are revealed. But many judges, like Judge Almadani, believe such treatment should be reserved for high-risk situations. Unfortunately for this Jane Doe, her case against Diplo does not qualify under the court’s standard.

Attorneys for Jane Doe called the ruling “disappointing,” but admitted such decisions were “increasingly common” in abuse cases levied against celebrities.

“The imbalance of power in a situation like this is startling and should not be underestimated by the public, or by the courts,” said Margaret Mabie and Helene Weiss in a statement to Billboard. “In the digital age, being compelled to disclose one’s name in such proceedings risks permanently linking a survivor to their trauma.”

Regardless, the ruling is a win for Team Diplo. The DJ has strongly denied the allegations in the lawsuit, arguing his accuser must reveal her name. His lawyers asserted in court filings that Diplo “cannot adequately confront his accuser without knowing her identity.”

Photo Credit: Selena Quintanilla-Perez’s signature logo

The fan who worked for ‘90s Tejano pop star Selena and then gunned her down in 1995, has filed a petition for parole in Texas 30 years later.

Yolanda Saldívar, the fan-turned-manager of Tejano pop sensation Selena Quintanilla-Perez, who gunned the singer down in 1995 after getting caught embezzling from her companies, has filed a petition for parole in Texas. The now-64-year-old Saldívar was president of Selena’s fan club and the manager of her boutique line, Selena, Etc., when she shot her to death on March 31, 1995.

The murder occurred in a Days Inn hotel room in Corpus Christi, during a confrontation following the discovery by Selena and her family that Saldívar was embezzling funds. When Saldívar pulled a .38 Taurus Model 85 revolver on her, Selena fled the room, but was shot in the back. The 23-year-old Tejano star later died at a local hospital due to blood loss.

Saldívar has maintained the shooting was an accident, that she planned to kill herself that day. But a jury did not believe her defense, and Saldívar was convicted of murder on October 23, 1995. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years.

In just under three months, on March 25, that date will arrive. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice online records, Saldívar is currently “in the Parole Review Process.” She is currently being held at the Patrick L. O’Daniel Unit in Gatesville, Texas.

The parole process in the state of Texas takes six months and involves an interview with the inmate, as well as submitting letters of support and protest. This is compiled by an Institutional Parole Officer, who submits a case summary for the Board voting panel. In Saldívar’s case, that panel will decide on parole at the end of March. Saldívar reportedly has no blemishes on her record that would prevent the Board from holding a hearing to determine whether to release her.

According to conversations with inmates in a report by the NY Post, Saldívar is a constant target among other inmates and receives death threats for her crime. Saldívar claimed during a prison interview for the Peacock documentary, Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them, that she “was convicted by public opinion even before my trial started.”

Photo Credit: Thomas Dacker

A woman who alleges that Jay-Z drugged and raped her at age 13 can remain anonymous for now, a federal judge has ruled. The ruling is a big setback for Jay-Z and his attempts to tamp down the ugly lawsuit.

In her opinion, obtained this morning by Digital Music News, Judge Analisa Torres references several factors that weighed towards her thinking that the plaintiff should remain anonymous for now. She cites the assertion that the Jane Doe continues to experience adverse effects from her sexual assault—including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a seizure disorder.

The judge also cites claims that Diddy has threatened her and other victims who have filed lawsuits against him. “Plaintiff’s counsel asserts that many of his other clients who have filed similar lawsuits against Sean Combs claim to have been threatened by Mr. Combs for their decision to speak out,” the court order reads. The judge also cites the NBC interview in which the plaintiff spoke to the press about the incident, but did so anonymously.

Judge Torres says “at this exceedingly early stage in this case, the factors counseling against disclosure outweigh those that counsel in favor,” in her decision. The case cited is Cf. Doe v. Delta Airlines, Inc., 310 F.R.D. 222, 226 (S.D.N.Y. 2015), which required the anonymous plaintiff to identify herself only as the case approached trial.

“Plaintiff is advised that, because the balance of these factors will certainly shift as this case proceeds, especially if and when the parties engage in discovery in earnest, the Court intends to revisit this decision at a future date,” concludes Judge Torres.

The judge also takes the time to address several mud-slinging allegations aimed at Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing the anonymous Jane Doe. “Carter’s lawyer’s relentless filing of combative motions containing inflammatory language and ad hominem attacks in inappropriate, a waste of judicial resources, and a tactic unlikely to benefit his client. The Court will not fast-track the judicial process merely because counsel demands it.”

The plaintiff and her lawyer must now respond by January 10, 2025 to Carter’s motion for an order directing the preservation of evidence. Jay-Z and his legal team will have until January 17, 2025 to reply.

Photo Credit: The Industry Cosign

Dame Dash recently spoke about his break from Jay-Z, saying he attributes it to the latter’s decision to collaborate with R. Kelly.

Speaking in an interview with ‘The Art of Dialogue,’ the rap mogul says he walked away from Roc-A-Fella Records after Jay-Z began working with R. Kelly. R. Kelly married Dame Dash’s ex-girlfriend Aaliyah when she was just 15 years old, creating a minor controversy at the time.

“The fact that Jay was fucking with him is what used to blow my mind more than anything,” Dame Dash says in the interview. “I don’t know why he wanted to fuck with this guy so much. Like why? I’ve never understood it.”

Dame Dash says the collaboration with R. Kelly was something he confronted Jay-Z over at the time. “Everybody knew R. Kelly married Aaliyah at 15. Everybody knew that. So was the conversation like, ‘yo, how you gonna go and do something with this dude?’ hell yeah that conversation was had!”

“You think I’m soft? I was like ‘yo how you gonna do a project with a n-gga that raped my motherfucking girl?’ We had the conversation. Would you still fuck with a n-gga that fucked with someone that raped your girl? So why would anyone expect me to?”

“There’s a lot of other shit but that alone was the nail in the coffin for me. I was outta there, I was gone. I knew that shit was gonna blow up. I wanted no part of that shit. I was so done with him for that.”

When the host asks Dame Dash how Jay-Z responded to having that conversation, Dash replies, “You know how he is. He was like, ‘yo I ain’t have nothing to do with that.’ What I would love is for someone to ask him, ‘why would you still do a project with that man knowing that he raped Aaliyah?’”

“That right there was a bridge burned. […] I left Roc-A-Fella. It wasn’t that I got kicked out of Roc-A-Fella; I left Roc-A-Fella. I was done. I said ‘fuck all the money, fuck all this shit. I’m out.’ I was left no choice.”

Dame Dash had been looking to sell his share in Jay-Z’s album Reasonable Doubt for several years. It recently sold at auction for just $1 million, but Dame Dash won’t see any of the proceeds. The sale of his share of the album will satisfy some of his $8.7 million in back taxes, an $800,000 lawsuit settlement with Josh Webber and $145,000 in unpaid child support. The state of New York purchased Dame Dash’s share of the album and is expected to flip it to pay off his tax debt.

Meanwhile, Jay-Z is busy fighting off allegations that he raped a 13-year-old at one of Diddy’s parties. Jay-Z has adamantly defended himself against the allegations after the civil lawsuit was amended to name him in the alleged encounter at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.

Photo Credit: Christopher Bill

An investigation has been launched into suspected fraud at UK collection society PPL following suspicious activity on a few member accounts.

Police have launched an embezzlement investigation into London-based collection society PPL after the organization reported suspicious activity on a few member accounts. PPL said one staff member has been dismissed following an internal investigation carried out earlier this year. Now the crime is being investigated by The Metropolitan Police, according to a statement from PPL.

“We recently became aware of suspicious activity on a small number of member accounts. We immediately conducted an internal investigation, and one employee was dismissed,” a spokesperson for the organization said Thursday (December 19). PPL said it was “working with the limited number of impacted members to rectify accounts.”

According to industry sources who spoke to Billboard, the suspected embezzlement is believed to have involved either a person or group of people who posed as recording artists not registered as PPL members. They then fraudulently claimed royalties on their behalf.

When the real artists tried to register as members earlier this year, PPL discovered the scheme. The fraud is believed to have taken place over several years — possibly as far back as 2016 — with fraudulent transactions amounting to around £500,000 ($625,000).

PPL said it was unable to remark on the case while a criminal investigation is underway and declined to answer media requests for comment. The criminal investigation comes as other organizations, including SGAE and the La Jolla Music Society, have battled charges of corruption and embezzlement.

The second largest collecting society in the United Kingdom, PPL has been around for 90 years. The organization licenses recorded music on behalf of labels and artists to UK radio and television broadcasters, and for use in bars, nightclubs, stores, and offices.

PPL has over 110 neighboring rights agreements in place with international CMOs, including SoundExchange and the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC) in the United States. Last year, PPL collected revenues of £285 million ($356 million), its highest ever annual total. This quarter, the organization reported distribution of £45.3 million ($57.5 million), a slight decline from the same quarter last year.

Photo Credit: Cîroc Vodka by André Banyal / CC by 2.0

Spirits giant Diageo is exploring the sale of Cîroc Vodka after the brand’s association with the now-disgraced music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

London-headquartered spirits group Diageo is exploring the sale of Cîroc Vodka, after its association with now-disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who previously backed the brand. The company has contacted potential buyers, including beverage companies and buyout firms to gauge interest, according to people familiar with the matter in a report by Bloomberg.

Diageo has been entertaining the idea of selling the vodka brand after the settlement earlier this year of a lawsuit with Combs in which he accused the company of racism in its alleged neglect of Cîroc Vodka and DeLeón Tequila. Combs later withdrew his accusations, and business relations between the two entities ended.

Since then, Combs has been hit with a deluge of sexual abuse allegations and lawsuits. He was also arrested in September by federal agents on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.

Representatives for Diageo declined media requests for comment, but the company previously said its “disciplined and strategic portfolio management will continue to be an integral part of our capital allocation strategy.” Cîroc isn’t the only brand the company has been looking to divest; it agreed in July to sell Pampero Rum and Safari flavored liqueur.

Even before the Diddy allegations, Diageo has struggled in the past few years due to a slowdown in demand abroad for high-end spirits, including China and the Americas. The company’s net sales in the last fiscal year through June dropped by 1.4%, while shares of Diageo have fallen by 12% in London trading over the past year. In North America, net sales of Cîroc declined by 28% for the fiscal year ending in June.

Declining revenue and Cîroc’s legacy connection to Diddy could compound issues regarding a potential sale, but the brand’s continued strong presence in the nightclub scene could yet attract certain clientele who see potential in a turnaround. Diageo also owns other vodka brands, including Ketel One and Smirnoff.

Photo Credit: Fat Joe for Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion

Fat Joe tells Math Hoffa that 2024 might be the worst year in hip-hop history: ‘This is the worst time to be a celebrity in the history of mankind.’

If you thought 2024 was a subpar year, you’re not alone. Fat Joe thinks it might actually have been one of the worst years on record, at least for celebrities. Appearing on an episode of Math Hoffa’s My Expert Opinion podcast this week, the rap legend said he’s got a long list of reasons why 2024 has been a terrible year to be famous.

“I woke up [in] 2024 feeling like […] it’s been a horrible year,” said Joe. “I was just having a heated discussion with my people [about it]. This might be the worst year ever in hip-hop history type s—t. This s—t bad. All our legends, all our mentors getting scrutinized. This is the worst time to be a celebrity in the history of mankind. I’m not sure you guys wanna be celebrities.”

“I got friends who are filthy rich that wanna be popping and wanna be a celebrity,” he explained. “I don’t think they want everybody in they s—t like that. This s—t crazy out here. This is nuts. The f—ing world done changed on me.”

Joe also included the recent drama between his longtime friend Remy Ma and her estranged husband Papoose on his list of things that made 2024 a bad year. A close friend and collaborator of Remy’s, Joe explained why he feels he can’t get involved, even as the godfather of the couple’s six-year-old daughter.

“It’s a hard situation,” he said. “It’s a different type of thing when you got a husband. […] Nobody comes to my house and tells my wife s—t. This is your husband. I can’t get in the middle of that.”

Papoose recently spoke out in response to Fat Joe’s comments, which had some fans speculating that perhaps the couple’s issues weren’t as serious as initially suspected. “Peace to my brother Fat Joe; I think y’all misunderstood his interview.”

Photo Credit: Nashvilled Out TikTok

Just days after his sentencing for tossing a chair from the balcony of another bar, the Nashville City Council has allowed Morgan Wallen’s Nashville Broadway bar sign to go up.

On December 12, Morgan Wallen appeared in court alongside his attorney. He plead ‘conditionally guilty’ when asked to enter his plea. Judge Cynthia Chappell sentenced the country star to spend seven days in a DUI education center, with supervised probation for two years. Wallen plead guilty to two misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment.

“Upon the successful completion of his probation, the charges will be eligible for dismissal and expungement,” Wallen’s attorney Worrick Robinson noted to the press. Wallen did not make a statement to the press after the hearing, instead being escorted away by several security guards.

Wallen was accused of throwing a chair from the roof of Chief’s bar on April 7, narrowly missing two police officers who stood nearby. Witnesses told officers they saw Wallen pick up and toss the chair off of the rooftop, laughing while he did it. Shortly after the incident, Wallen released a statement saying he was taking responsibility for the incident and that he “was not proud” of his behavior.

The Nashville Metro Council originally voted to postpone the installation of the Broadway sign following the necessary permits be granted.

Now just a week later, the Nashville Metro Council voted to approve the Morgan Wallen Broadway sign that will hang above the main entrance of his ‘Wallen’s This Bar and Tennessee Kitchen.’ Several council members spoke about their concerns based on the chair-throwing incident and the 2021 racial slur incident. Despite the voiced concerns, the new Broadway sign was ultimately approved with a 30-1 vote with six abstentions.

Photo Credit: WSMV

Fans on social media have already captured other signage that is attached to the bar, including one that is shaped like the state of Tennessee. The Broadway sign will stick out from the front of the building with ‘Morgan’ perched atop a red and white lettered Wallen’s. The sign features a ‘This Bar’ logo underneath.

Photo Credit: Miami-Dade Police Department

Charges against the man arrested at Miami-Dade airport for allegedly being Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ drug mule have been dropped. Brendan Paul completed a pretrial diversion program—resulting in the charges being dismissed.

Brendan Paul was arrested in March at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport after narcotics were discovered in his luggage. Charges for that incident include felony possession of suspected cocaine and possession of suspected marijuana candy. Prosecutors were pursuing the cocaine charge, but as part of a plea deal offered to first time offenders he was offered the pretrial diversion program.

Brendan Paul’s name featured in a civil lawsuit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs filed by producer Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones. In that lawsuit, Jones refers to Paul as a ‘drug mule’ for the rapper. The complaint states that Paul was responsible for procuring, transporting, and distributing ecstasy, cocaine, GHB, ketamine, marijuana, mushrooms, and other drugs by packing the substance in carry-ons and then going through TSA.

That civil lawsuit also alleges that Paul was required to “carry Combs’ firearm on his person whenever they went out.” It also alleges that Paul was also tasked with procuring sex workers and negotiating their rates and ensuring they were paid by Combs following their services.

The arrest of Brendan Paul happened the same day federal authorities launched raids on Diddy’s properties in Los Angeles and Miami. Combs was later arrested on September 16 on charges of racketeering, and sex trafficking charges. Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, NY after he was denied bail. Combs will remain at the MDC until his trial begins in May.

“Mr. Paul’s case was formally dismissed today in its entirety,” his lawyer said in a statement. “All charges have been dropped and the case is closed. Mr. Paul is pleased to close this chapter of his life.”

Photo Credit: Lil Wayne for Live Nation

Lil Wayne and Chris Brown spent millions from a pandemic relief program on years of luxury spending, an investigation finds.

A new investigation from Business Insider found that some artists, including Lil Wayne and Chris Brown, spent millions from a little-known pandemic relief program to cover luxury spending. The grant was meant to support the live entertainment industry, but ended up fueling massive pandemic relief fraud. The Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans gave out around $200 billion in suspected false claims.

Grantees received up to $10 million to spend on “ordinary necessary” expenses for their entertainment businesses, contingent on them making a good-faith statement to the Small Business Administration, which oversaw the program. The statement had to prove that the grant was necessary to support the company’s ongoing operations, and that the company’s revenue had fallen by at least 25% between one quarter in 2019 and that same quarter in 2020.

But thousands of pages of accounting documents reviewed by Business Insider reveal how some wealthy musicians, including Chris Brown and Lil Wayne, spent the grants they received through the program. They reveal how artists spent millions in taxpayer funds, not toward their touring crew members and expenses, but toward their own bank accounts and luxury purchases.

“At a minimum, it smells,” said former U.S. controller general David Walker. “Whether it’s legal or not is up to a lawyer or ultimately to a court. But it sure smells.”

Senator Gary Peters, chair of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said celebrity use of the Shuttered Venues grants was “an abuse of federal resources,” and the documents’ reveal “the need for continued oversight of pandemic relief programs.” He added that pandemic relief was intended to help businesses and workers in need — “not super wealthy celebrities.”

Lil Wayne spent millions from the grant on private jet flights, clothes and accessories from luxury brands like Gucci and Balenciaga, and billed taxpayers over $175,000 for expenses related to his own brands. Chris Brown spent his $10 million from the grant on his CBE Touring company, with $5.1 million going into his own pockets. He also billed taxpayers nearly $80,000 for his 33rd birthday party.

Some musicians used the money to pay themselves, taking advantage of a grant spending category vaguely named “owner compensation.” The Small Business Administration stipulated artists could use grants paid to their loan-out company to pay themselves as long as the check was no bigger than their 2019 payout.

For example, the DJ Marshmello, whose real name is Christopher Comstock, received $9.9 million from the grant. When the Small Business Administration asked for proof of where that money went, his business manager said it all went into Comstock’s pocket. This is because in 2019, the artist made over $9.9 million from touring, so he was able to award himself the entire grant in 2020.

And artists like Lil Wayne didn’t spend all the grant money on themselves. Over $2 million of his grant went to pay off a debt to his former manager, Cortez Bryant. All in all, around $5.3 million went to managers, accountants, and attorneys — which is still more than 13 times the amount he paid his touring crew.

The Small Business Administration said in September it had recouped $43 million worth of grants, but that amount hadn’t increased since July. Strangely, it’s not clear how. A team was created to recover wrongfully awarded grants, but an organizational chart suggests that as of September, no staff had been assigned to it. Public records suggest $6 billion worth of grants remain under review for compliance with program rules.

Photo Credit: Tony Buzbee Law Firm

The Houston attorney handling several lawsuits against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is now suing Jay-Z’s Roc Nation over alleged payments to his clients to sue his law firm.

Buzbee is representing more than 100 clients with Diddy allegations, but he also has two lawsuits filed against him by former clients. Buzbee claims those two lawsuits are backed by Roc Nation as an effort to intimidate him and get him to drop the cases against Diddy.

“The Defendants overstepped, got sloppy, and stupidly got caught in their illegal scheme on tape,” Buzbee said in a statement. “We intend to cooperate with authorities to ensure all involved are prosecuted to the full extent allowed under Texas law.” Taking to Instagram, Buzbee shared what he called an excerpt from one of his clients who recorded alleged Roc Nation investigators speaking with them.

“‘Investigators’ from New York contacted many of our law firm’s current and former clients,” Buzbee says. “These investigators aren’t very smart. What they didn’t anticipate was one of the clients decided to record the conversation. It’s shocking and illegal. Here’s a portion taken directly from the transcript of the contact.”

INVESTIGATOR: “In a couple of days or maybe by next week, anyone Googling Buzbee and his company—his practice—are going into litigation, okay? What we’re trying to do is, we are trying to put this thing together for the company that we’re working for—”

“We could get you paid, you could get money right soon, you know? We gave this kid 1,000 bucks to start yesterday just to get him on the right path. At the end of the day, this is going to go through the courts, Buzbee is getting sued.”

“These guys are on tape offering to pay my firm’s clients to sue our law firm. That’s a crime,” Buzbee states. The lawsuit filed in Harris County Texas by Buzbee alleges that Roc Nation is funding this effort.

“Defendants have conspired to obstruct justice by engaging shadowy operatives to illegally seek out more than two dozen1 current and former clients of The Buzbee Law Firm to convince those clients to bring frivolous cases against The Buzbee Law Firm. Defendant Roc Nation is financing the effort,” the lawsuit reads.

“Tony Buzbee’s baloney lawsuit against Roc Nation is nothing but another sham,” a Roc Nation spokesperson told The Houston Chronicle. “It’s a pathetic attempt to distract and deflect attention. This sideshow won’t change the ultimate outcome and true justice will be served soon.”

Photo Credit: OpenAI

A former OpenAI research whistleblower on the company’s process for training its generative AI models has died at age 26.

Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment, authorities confirmed this week. Balaji was best known for whistleblowing the artificial intelligence company at which he was instrumental in gathering enormous amounts of data online to train its large language models.

San Francisco police were called to Lower Haight resident around 1 PM on November 26, after receiving a call asking officers to do a welfare check, according to a police spokesperson. The medical examiner’s office determined the manner of death to be suicide, and police officials told the press there is “currently no evidence of foul play.”

Information Balaji held was expected to play a major role in lawsuits against the company, which is also based in San Francisco. His death comes just three months after he publicly accused OpenAI of violating U.S. copyright law while developing its generative artificial intelligence (genAI) program ChatGPT, which has become a tech sensation worldwide.

ChatGPT’s public release in late 2022 sparked a deluge of litigation against OpenAI. Creatives, including authors, computer programmers, and journalists, all claim the company illegally stole their copyrighted material to train its program, elevating the company’s value past $150 billion. Several news outlets, including The NY Times, have sued OpenAI this past year.

In October, Balaji told The NY Times OpenAI was harming businesses and entrepreneurs whose data was scraped to train ChatGPT. “If you believe what I believe, you have to just leave the company,” he said. “This is not a sustainable model for the internet ecosystem as a whole.”

Balaji joined OpenAI in 2020 at just 21 years old, having been drawn to the potential for AI to help advance technology, cure diseases, and much more. But he quickly found himself at the helm of a technology that is “destroying the commercial viability of the individuals, businesses, and internet services that created the digital data used to train AI systems.”

Suchir Balaji grew up in Cupertino and attended UC Berkeley to study computer science. He was enthusiastic about the potential benefits that artificial intelligence could provide society, including its ability to “cure diseases and stop aging.” He told the Times, “I thought we could invent some kind of scientist that could help solve them.”

His outlook quickly began to sour in 2022, becoming concerned about his assignment of gathering data from the internet for the company’s GPT-4 program, which analyzed text across the entire internet to train its artificial intelligence program. According to Balaji, the practice ran afoul of U.S. fair use laws. He posted an analysis on his personal website, arguing his findings.

In a letter filed in federal court on November 18, attorneys for The NY Times named Balaji as someone who had “unique and relevant documents” to support their case against OpenAI. He was among at least a dozen people, many of whom were current or past OpenAI employees, that The Times named in their court filings as having material helpful to their case.

Photo Credit: Jay-Z by Joella Marano / CC by 2.0

Jay-Z battles renewed paternity charges from an alleged “illegitimate son” amid sexual assault allegations.

A man who alleges Jay-Z is his father is calling for the music mogul to confirm his paternity in another legal battle amid allegations that the rapper sexually assaulted a teenage girl in 2000.

The 55-year-old musician, whose real name is Shawn Carter, was named last week in a civil lawsuit that alleges he raped a woman alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2000 when she was 13 years old.

Now he faces renewed allegations over the paternity of Rymir Satterthwaite, who has been fighting over a decade to prove the rapper is his biological father. The 31-year-old Satterthwaite claims Carter’s legal team “acted fraudulently” during previous attempts to get him to take a paternity test.

The new lawsuit, filed on November 25, lists Satterthwaite, his late mother Wanda, and his guardian Dr. Lillie Coley as plaintiffs against several New Jersey courts and judges, including the state’s Supreme Court, with allegations of violations of their constitutional rights.

The suit argues that from 2012 to 2023, their rights were violated through “fraudulent court actions, which included sealed records, wrongful sanctions, and obstruction of their legal proceedings.”

Wanda, who passed away in 2019, alleged she had sex with Carter in 1992 when she was 16, in a sworn affidavit. Satterthwaite was born in the summer of 1993. At the time, Wanda was involved in an on-again-off-again romance with her high school sweetheart, Robert Graves. In 2010, she requested a Pennsylvania court make both men take a paternity test to determine her son’s biological father. Graves agreed, and the results proved he was not the father.

That case began with a pre-trial in Camden County, New Jersey on August 13, 2012. Carter’s attorneys argued that Dr. Coley, who has been Satterthwaite’s legal guardian since 2011, had “no jurisdiction” over the case since it was first filed by Wanda in Pennsylvania, and should therefore be heard in the same state.

Ultimately, that case was dismissed outright because Satterthwaite was over 18 at the time of the pre-trial hearing, and according to Pennsylvania state law, paternity must be established before a child reaches adulthood. The court ruled the case should be tried in New Jersey, where the law states the age of “parentage” is 23.

But Carter’s legal team argued the rapper should be exempt from undergoing a paternity test in New Jersey, because he did not live or own any property in the state, despite public records linking him to multiple homes. His attorney in New Jersey, Lise Fisher, admitted she “misspoke” during the hearing when she said Carter did not own property in New Jersey.

New Jersey law states that an attorney commits fraud when knowingly making false statements. Satterthwaite claims Carter’s legal team acted fraudulently in order to prevent him from being court ordered to take a paternity test.

Both Satterthwaite and Coley believe Carter’s attorneys have fought to prevent him from having to submit a paternity test for one reason only: Wanda was underage when she became pregnant.

The new lawsuit came only days before Carter was connected to the scandal surrounding Sean “Diddy” Combs, in which both musicians are accused of raping a 13-year-old girl at a VMAs after party in 2000.

Photo Credit: Morgan Wallen by Paul To My Linda / CC by 4.0

Morgan Wallen pleads guilty and will spend seven days incarcerated at the DUI Education Center for throwing a chair from the roof of a Nashville bar.

A judge in Nashville has sentenced country star Morgan Wallen to one week of incarceration at a DUI education center — not a jail or prison — and two years’ probation for throwing a chair from the roof of a Nashville bar. Wallen pleaded guilty to his misdemeanor charges for reckless endangerment, for which he must also pay a $350 fine and court fees.

The 31-year-old Wallen pleaded “conditionally guilty” due to judicial diversion. Should he successfully complete the terms of his probation, he will have his charges eligible for dismissal and expungement.

“Mr. Wallen has cooperated fully with authorities throughout these last eight months, directly communicating and apologizing to all involved. Mr. Wallen remains committed to making a positive impact through his music and foundation,” said his attorney Worrick Robinson IV in a statement to People.

The country star was arrested on April 7 for throwing a chair from the roof of Chief’s Bar in Nashville. He was charged with three counts of reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. His final hearing was held in May, with his attorney Robinson attending on his behalf after Wallen waived his right to appear in court. The case was due to continue in August, but was pushed back to December.

On the day of the incident and his subsequent arrest, Wallen was reportedly not expected at the bar’s opening and hadn’t spent much time there before he allegedly threw the chair. Nashville police said two officers were standing in front of the six-story bar and restaurant when they saw a chair — allegedly thrown by Wallen — fall from the rooftop.

“I didn’t feel right publicly checking in until I made amends with some folks,” wrote Wallen in a statement on social media about the incident back in April. “I’m not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility. I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe.”

Morgan Wallen was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2024 CMA Awards, though he was not present to accept the award.

Photo Credit: NBA YoungBoy for TheHipHopLab / CC by 3.0

Rapper NBA YoungBoy has been sentenced to 23 months in federal prison and 60 months’ probation for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

NBA YoungBoy, real name Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, who is also known as YoungBoy Never Broke Again, has been sentenced to 23 months in federal prison. His sentence derives from possession of a firearm as a convicted felon stemming from his arrest in 2020.

The 25-year-old Louisiana native was shooting a music video in Baton Rouge when he and 15 other individuals were detained for knowingly possessing firearms. Over a dozen guns were seized from the set.

In court documents issued December 10, Gaulden has agreed to serve 23 months in prison, followed by 60 months of probation. He has been serving time in Utah since May for six charges of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and for a pattern of unlawful activity. His time served could amount to reducing his remaining sentence to approximately 12 months.

Among his lesser charges include identity fraud, forgery, possession of a controlled substance, and procuring or attempting to procure drugs. Gaulden was living in Utah under house arrest for his alleged involved in a Miami shooting in 2019, as part of a plea deal in which his attorneys argued that moving him to Utah would keep him out of trouble.

Gaulden pleaded guilty back in November to his role in the large-scale prescription drug fraud ring operating out of his Utah mansion. He was charged with two counts of third-degree felony identity fraud, two counts of third-degree felony forgery, and six counts of misdemeanor unlawful pharmacy conduct. He entered a “no contest” plea to the remaining charges out of the 46 total related to the crime.

Prior to his slew of legal trouble — and sometimes during — Gaulden was a hit on the Billboard charts, with five out of eight of his full-length releases in 2022 entering the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. His album The Last Slimeto, which peaked at #2 on the chart, was his final obligated project under Atlantic Records, to which he was signed for five years. He signed to Motown in 2022.

Photo Credit: Eugene Chystiakov

Jay-Z is suing Tony Buzbee, the attorney who filed rape allegations against him, in a 236-page lawsuit claiming extortion.

Tony Buzbee is the lawyer representing over 200 alleged victims of Sean “Diddy” Combs who recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of a woman alleging she was also assaulted by Jay-Z.  Now, in a sharp response to those allegations, Jay-Z has revealed he was the anonymous celebrity who filed a 236-page extortion lawsuit against Buzbee back in November.

One of the accusers, a Jane Doe who was 13 years old in 2000 when she alleges she was raped by Combs at a VMAs afterparty, also claims she was assaulted by Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, who was initially identified as “Celebrity A” in her lawsuit. That filing was updated over the weekend to include the rapper and business mogul’s identity.

On Monday, Carter’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, filed a response requesting the court require Jane Doe, who is now 37 years old, to reveal her identity in order to proceed with litigation. Spiro also submitted a copy of the 236-page extortion lawsuit Carter filed against Buzbee last month. In the filing, Carter identified himself as a John Doe so as not to draw negative publicity.

Interestingly, that lawsuit reveals Buzbee has accused him of sexually assaulting a male minor in addition to the female alleging assault in her Jane Doe lawsuit. “Defendants have threatened to unleash entirely fabricated and malicious allegations of sexual assault — including multiple instances of rape of a minor, both male and female — against Plaintiff if he refuses to comply with their demands.”

“Plaintiff John Doe is the victim of a scheme by Defendant Anthony G. Buzbee and his firm […], who are shamelessly attempting to extort exorbitant sums from him or else publicly file wildly false horrific allegations against him,” the filing reads. “These baseless accusations are nothing more than a weapon in a calculated plot to destroy Plaintiff’s high-profile reputation for profit, despite the complete absence of any factual basis for such claims.”

Buzbee has denied any wrongdoing, and took to social media when the lawsuit was initially filed, and again on Sunday after Jay-Z was identified in his client’s updated lawsuit. In Buzbee’s recent post, he accused Jay-Z of inciting a campaign of “harassment” and “bullying” against himself and his family.

Jay-Z also included Buzbee’s post in his filing on Monday, citing it as an example of what he calls Buzbee’s attempts to blackmail and publicly embarrass him.

Photo Credit: Andy Witchger

A federal judge has ruled that Lizzo is no longer personally liable for the harassment lawsuit filed against her last year. Her touring company Big Grrrl Touring Inc. could still be subject to action, however.

Lizzo’s former touring employee Asha Daniels filed the lawsuit against the singer last year for the work she performed while on the 2023 European tour. U.S. District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha dismissed all seven causes of action against Lizzo—ruling that Daniels can’t try again. Lizzo’s tour manager Carlina Gugliotta was also dismissed from the suit.

“Lizzo’s company was not dismissed,” Daniels’ attorney Ron Zambrano stated. “The lawsuit still exists as to Lizzo’s companies and Lizzo and her tour manager will still be deposed in this matter.”

“We are very pleased that the court dismissed every claim against Lizzo and the overtime wages claim against all of our clients including Big Grrrl Touring in this specious lawsuit filed by Asha Daniels,” Lizzo’s attorney Martin D. Singer told Rolling Stone. “My client should never have been sued in this matter and [we] are evaluating suing Asha Daniels and her attorneys for malicious prosecution. We are very confident that Big Grrrl Touring will also prevail in this action.”

Asha Daniels filed her lawsuit back in September 2023 and alleged an atmosphere of racist and fatphobia, sexual harassment, and disability discrimination. She claims a wardrobe manager physically injured her by rolling a clothing rack over her foot and pushing her. Lizzo’s lawyers fired back, describing Daniels as a ‘disgruntled’ employee with an axe to grind across 2021 to 2023.

The 50-page action alleges Daniels first assisted Lizzo’s tour in September 2022 where she designed custom pieces for dancers. She was hired as an in-person role to maintain dancers outfits in February 2024 but says she witnessed the mistreatment of several background dancers. She says Carlina Gugliotta was aware of the issues but that the “toxic work environment continued without change.”

Lizzo and Big Grrrl Touring Company have requested that the court dismiss all dancers’ allegations; meanwhile the dancers are requesting a jury trial.

Photo Credit: Jay-Z by Mikael ‘Mike’ Väisänen / CC by 3.0

A woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has amended her lawsuit to include allegations she was also assaulted by Jay-Z.

A lawsuit filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs in October has been amended over the weekend to include Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z, as a defendant. Filed by a woman who wishes to remain anonymous, the lawsuit claims she was 13 years old when she was allegedly assaulted by Combs and Carter at a VMAs afterparty in 2000.

The woman, identified in the lawsuit as a Jane Doe, says she began to feel woozy after consuming a drink at the party and “wandered into a nearby bedroom.” Her lawsuit alleges that Carter raped her first, followed by Combs, and that she hit Combs and ran out of the party. Carter was initially identified in the lawsuit as Celebrity A.

According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe’s attorneys reached out to Carter with a letter to request a mediation.

“Upon present information and belief, Jay-Z responded to said letter by not only filing an utterly frivolous lawsuit, but by also orchestrating a conspiracy of harassment, bullying, and intimidation against Plaintiff’s lawyers, their families, employees, and former associates in an attempt to silence Plaintiff from naming Jay-Z herein,” the lawsuit reads. “This effort was meant to scare Plaintiff and to discredit her counsel. That effort failed. Indeed, Plaintiff chose to file this amendment as a result of the egregious conduct perpetuated by Carter.

Carter is the first celebrity to be accused of sexual assault in connection to Combs, who was indicted in September on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and prostitution charges and remains in federal custody. In a statement to CNN addressed to Jane Doe’s attorney, Carter called the allegations “heinous in nature,” and a “blackmail attempt.”

“Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?” wrote Carter, who also called out Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee, the lawyer representing Jane Doe and countless others in their lawsuits against Sean Combs. “[Buzbee], who I have done a bit of research on, seems to have a pattern of these type of theatrics.”

“My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people,” wrote Carter, who is married to superstar Beyoncé. “I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age.”

In November, an anonymous male celebrity filed a lawsuit against Buzbee, alleging to be the victim of an extortion scheme, and accusing Buzbee and his firm of “shamelessly attempting to extort exorbitant sums from him or else publicly file wildly false horrific allegations against him.” Buzbee denied the extortion claims against him in an Instagram post.

“If you are trying to hide your identity and you claim you did nothing wrong, doesn’t seem very smart to take this approach,” Buzbee said in a statement to CNN at the time. “We will address it in due course.

Photo Credit: Kash Patel for the U.S. Department of Defense

Kash Patel, Trump’s controversial nominee for FBI Director, vows to release the confidential “Diddy list” and Epstein files.

Donald Trump’s controversial FBI Director nominee, Kash Patel, has stated plans to reveal the so-called “Diddy list” and the infamous Epstein files. Patel reiterated his intentions during an interview on the Benny Johnson podcast, citing a commitment to restoring trust in federal agencies by exposing “decades of alleged corruption.”

“They are terrified,” said Patel. “[Trump’s] going to come in there and maybe give the Epstein list and maybe give the P. Diddy list. The American people deserve the truth.”

Prior to being announced as Trump’s pick for FBI Director, Patel said the federal agency has “direct control” of the Epstein list, and that Bill Gates was “lobbying” Congress to prevent the list’s disclosure, “because of who’s on that list.”

But the spotlight has turned onto the potential disclosure of the Diddy list as allegations against the music mogul continue to mount. That list refers to celebrities linked to Combs and the sex trafficking allegations for which he was arrested in September.

“These documents, particularly those linked to Epstein and Diddy, could shed light on matters the American people deserve to understand,” Patel told The EconoTimes. “It’s time to clear the air and reveal who’s been involved in covering up the truth.”

Trump himself has suggested he might make the Epstein list public, but has not yet promised to do so, and has made no mention of the Diddy list. But Patel has been talking about releasing those lists since last year, well before the news that he was Trump’s pick for FBI Director. He told Benny Johnson last December, “Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the pedophiles are.”

Patel’s lack of traditional law enforcement experience and a history of inflammatory rhetoric has made him a contentious pick for FBI Director. Even notable Trump ally, former Attorney General William Barr, has criticized Patel, calling his potential appointment “dangerous.”

Photo Credit: Marilyn Manson by Livioandronico2013 / CC by 4.0

Marilyn Manson drops his lawsuit against Evan Rachel Wood as well as a related appeal aiming to revive his defamation claim against her.

Marilyn Manson has dropped a lawsuit he filed against Evan Rachel Wood, as well as a related appeal aiming to revive his previous defamation claim against her. He has agreed to pay around $327,000 in her attorneys’ fees, according to new legal documents.

“Marilyn Manson — whose real name is Brian Warner — filed a lawsuit against Ms. Wood as a publicity stunt to try to undermine the credibility of his many accusers and revive his faltering career. But his attempt to silence and intimidate Ms. Wood failed,” said a rep for Evan Rachel Wood. “As the trial court correctly found, Warner’s claims were meritless. Warner’s decision to finally abandon his lawsuit and pay Ms. Wood her full fee award of almost $327,000 only confirms as much.”

According to Wood’s attorneys — Michael Kump, Shawn Holley, and Katherine Kleindienst of Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir LLP — Manson sought to wrap up the lawsuit this past spring as he tried to appeal a judge’s rulings against him.

His initial offer was to pay a portion of Wood’s fees in return for keeping the settlement confidential, aside from a mutually agreed-upon statement. Wood rejected his offer; her lawyers say she did not want to agree to confidentiality nor the terms of the initial offer. Warner, in turn, agreed to drop his suit against Wood entirely, and pay her legal fees.

Manson filed the lawsuit in March 2022, just weeks before the release of the two-part documentary, Phoenix Rising, in which Wood detailed allegations of sexual abuse and rape at the hands of the musician, which led her to advocate for legislation in favor of abuse survivors. She previously revealed Manson was her abuser in an Instagram post, which sparked over a dozen other women to come forward with similar allegations against him.

Marilyn Manson then filed a countersuit against her, alleging that Wood and co-defendant Illma Gore impersonated FBI personnel and sent fraudulent letters to his associates in an effort to encourage them to speak out against him. Last year, a judge struck down many of his claims, including the allegation that Wood recruited women in a conspiracy against him.

Photo Credit: TMZ Presents The Downfall of Diddy: Inside the Freak-Offs / Tubi

Ray J claims to know of multiple celebrities who are offering money to Diddy accusers to keep their names out of the ‘catch-and-kill’ scheme.

R&B singer Ray J revealed in “TMZ Presents The Downfall of Diddy: Inside the Freak-Offs” that he knows of multiple high-profile celebrities who are offering accusers money to not reveal their names in connection with Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Ray J, who was a friend of the disgraced music mogul, claimed that multiple celebs had reached out to him after allegations swirled about celebrities who could have been a part of Combs’ “Freak-Off” sex parties. “I’m hearing about artists paying victims to keep their names out of it,” said the 43-year-old.

“People do catch-and-kills all day,” he explained. “For the regular world, somebody has a truth, somebody pays you to keep it quiet and hopefully that money you got paid secures your happiness while you watch the lie continue to succeed.”

When asked if he knew of instances where victims had come to celebs with an ultimatum, Ray J said it was the other way around: celebrities reaching out to alleged victims in a bid to cut them off before they’re tempted to come forward.

According to Ray J, the high-profile celebs are reaching out to him because of his known association with Combs, with fear he could be the one to potentially leak their names. “And I don’t even know why I just said it, but I said it, so what? Now they’re gonna be mad.”

The singer asserted he had “said too much” when asked to divulge names or further details of what the celebrities may have engaged in.

Combs was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in September and has pleaded not guilty. The flurry of civil lawsuits against him continues as he awaits trial next May, while held without bail in federal custody in Brooklyn.

Photo Credit: Baptista Ime James

A second Jane Doe accusing Diddy of sexual assault could be forced out of anonymity as a separate federal judge weighs in.

After a federal judge determined that an anonymous Jane Doe accuser of Sean “Diddy” Combs can’t proceed under a pseudonym, another Jane Doe accuser might be forced out of anonymity as a result. Another judge has weighed in on the issue, allowing her to continue as filed as long as the defense does not object. The second Doe case was filed on October 20.

“In determining whether a plaintiff may remain anonymous, the Court must balance the plaintiff’s interest in anonymity […] against both the public interest in disclosure and any prejudice to the defendant,” wrote United States District Judge Vernon S. Broderick.

“Plaintiff’s interest in anonymity stems from her allegations that she was drugged and raped by Sean Combs — a celebrity now under indictment for sex trafficking — and possibly one or more of his associates,” the judge continues. “She argues that disclosing her identity will cause her to re-live the trauma of being raped, subject her to unwanted media attention, and expose her to potential retaliation.”

“The motion is unopposed at this time, so any objection Defendants may have to the motion, including the extent of any prejudice Defendants may claim to face, is unclear,” writes Judge Broderick. “Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that Plaintiff’s motion to proceed anonymously is granted pending Defendants’ appearance. No later than seven days following Defendants’ appearance, Plaintiff shall file a letter on the docket indicating whether she intends to either renew her motion on the papers already submitted or file new motion papers.”

“It is further ordered that Defendants shall file any opposition to the motion to proceed anonymously no later than 21 days after being served with the complaint.”

Federal Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ruled that the first Jane Doe could not continue under a pseudonym, and must refile under her real name by November 13. Despite arguing that the case should be permitted to go forward as-is due to the plaintiff’s fear that Combs would retaliate, Judge Vyskocil disagreed, given that Combs is currently detained pending his trial next year.

Both lawsuits are part of over a dozen similar filings against Combs since his arrest on sex trafficking and racketeering charges in September. All are represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who teased an onslaught of over 120 lawsuits to be filed in the coming weeks against Combs.

Photo Credit: Matthew Hamilton

Adidas reaches an out-of-court settlement with rapper Ye to put an end to legal proceedings between the two entities.

Adidas has reached an out-of-court settlement with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, to end all legal proceedings between the two. The company confirmed the news today, Tuesday, October 29. Adidas added that no money changed hands in the agreement.

The sportswear brand and the rapper had been locked in legal battle across multiple lawsuits over the past couple of years, since Adidas terminated its partnership with Ye over antisemitic comments he made on social media and in interviews.

CEO Bjorn Gulden told reporters on a conference call, “There isn’t any more open issues, and there is no money going either way, and we both move on.” Further details of the deal were not provided.

“There were tensions on many issues, and […] when you put the claims on the right side and you put the claims on the left side, both parties said, ‘we don’t need to fight anymore,’ and withdrew all the claims,” Gulden continued.

That said, Financial Times reported Adidas received over $108 million (€100 million) from the settlement with Ye, which involved unwinding a previous provision relating to outstanding legal issues that are now resolved.

This money, along with another €150 million, is earmarked for charity, the company confirmed. Last year, Adidas set up an independent non-profit foundation to oversee the distribution of those funds to “promote social and environmental progress.”

Gulden also confirmed that Adidas will sell the remainder of its leftover Yeezy stock by the end of this year, in what it calls the final chapter of the relationship. Afterward, “there are no open issues between us.”

The news comes as Adidas reports robust sales growth in China and the US in the three months ending in September. This number accounts for Yeezy sales made in the prior year being stripped out for comparison. “The third quarter was a very strong quarter for us and again, better than expected,” says Gulden.

Photo Credit: Michael Rapino

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino is being deposed in ongoing litigation surrounding the Astroworld case following the Texas Supreme Court’s ruling.

Despite Live Nation’s insistence that CEO Michael Rapino had no reason to be deposed over the deadly crowd crush event during Astroworld in 2021, the Texas Supreme Court sees things differently.

Rapino is being deposed in the ongoing litigation over the tragedy after the Texas Supreme Court agreed with the victims’ lawyers that the Live Nation CEO had direct involvement in key decisions. In a ruling last week, the court denied Live Nation’s petition seeking to block the deposition.

Live Nation’s attorneys argued Rapino was the sort of high-level “apex” executive who simply can’t be dragged into court cases, asserting that he was far removed from the actual decision-making surrounding the festival.

But the victims’ attorneys insisted that Rapino’s role in Astroworld was much more direct than the company would admit. Part of their evidence to that end included an email Rapino sent on the night of the disaster, instructing Live Nation’s festival director to wait for more information about the total death toll before canceling the rest of the festival. In that email, Rapino wrote, “If 5 died we would cancel.”

“Live Nation claims that Rapino was not the decision maker on whether to cancel the festival,” wrote the victims’ attorneys. “This email proves otherwise, and plaintiffs want an opportunity to examine Rapino about it.”

The ruling comes almost three years after the incident at the 2021 Astroworld festival during Travis Scott’s headlining set that left 10 dead and hundreds more injured. The tragedy led to hundreds of lawsuits against organizer Live Nation, Scott, and other key figures, seeking billions in damages altogether. Some of those cases have been settled privately, but some victims and their families are still moving toward a jury trial.

It’s as yet unknown when Rapino’s deposition will ultimately take place.

Photo Credit: Scott Graham

A second wave of lawsuits hits Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, filed on behalf of seven more accusers, some of whom claim abuse as recently as 2022.

A new round of lawsuits has been filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs, including an allegation that he drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl with an unnamed male and female celebrity. Some of the latest accusers claim abuse as recently as 2022.

The plaintiffs, all of whom are using a John or Jane Doe pseudonym to retain anonymity, are represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who has previously announced he is representing over 120 clients against Combs. Buzbee filed a batch of lawsuits against the disgraced media mogul last week.

One of the new lawsuits comes from a Jane Doe who was 13 years old in 2000, when she tried to attend the MTV Video Music Awards, but could not get in without a ticket. She says she approached several limousine drivers after the event to see if she could attend an afterparty. One driver allegedly worked for Combs and took the plaintiff to a party where she was made to sign a non-disclosure agreement and was given a drink.

The plaintiff says she “began to feel woozy and lightheaded” after one drink, and went to lie down in an empty bedroom. Combs and an unnamed “male and female celebrity” allegedly entered, whereupon the plaintiff says she was raped by the male celebrity while the female celebrity watched, and then was raped by Combs as both celebrities watched.

Another plaintiff, a personal trainer, says he was drugged in 2022, on the night Combs was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards. According to the plaintiff, his “unconscious body” was passed around at an afterparty “like a party favor for [Combs’ guests’] sexual enjoyment.”

As the lawsuits against the Bad Boy Entertainment founder continue to mount, Combs’ defense team filed a motion with U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, asking for a gag order to prohibit “further extrajudicial statements from prospective witnesses and their lawyers that substantially interfere with Mr. Combs’ right to a fair trial.”

Before the initial round of Buzbee lawsuits, Combs was already facing at least a dozen other complaints alleging sexual abuse. Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after his arrest on September 16 by Homeland Security on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, but was twice denied bail and is set to remain behind bars until his trial in May 2025.

Photo Credit: Tingey Law

Lawyers for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs ask a New York judge to release the identities of his accusers in the sex trafficking case against him.

Lawyers representing Sean “Diddy” Combs asked a New York judge on Tuesday to order prosecutors to release the names of his accusers in the federal sex trafficking case against him. The attorneys wrote in their letter to a Manhattan federal judge that Combs needs to know the identities of the alleged victims in order to adequately prepare for the trial, which is set to kick off on May 5.

The 54-year-old music mogul has been held without bail since his September 16 arrest for sex trafficking and racketeering charges in a federal case against him. He has pleaded not guilty.

His lawyers have asked a federal appeals court to allow him to be freed to home detention to enable them to more easily meet with their client and prepare for the trial. But judges have thus far concluded that Combs is a danger to the community and must remain incarcerated.

The request to identify Combs’ accusers comes just after six new lawsuits were filed anonymously against him to protect the identities of the alleged victims. Of the six new lawsuits, two of the accusers were identified as Jane Does, while the other four were listed as John Does. Each of the lawsuits claims Combs used his fame and promises of furthering the victims’ prospects in the music industry to entice them to attend parties or social events where he then sexually assaulted them.

These six new plaintiffs are part of what their attorneys say is a group of over 100 accusers still in the process of filing legal claims against Combs. According to his defense team, Combs’ fame and the “publicity of his previously settled lawsuit,” referring to the lawsuit filed by his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in November, has led to the numerous allegations filed against him.

HIs lawyers assert that the mounting lawsuits and their “swirling allegations have created a hysterical media circus that, if left unchecked, will irreparably deprive Mr. Combs of a fair trial, if they haven’t already.” Their letter asks that the government identify the alleged victims so Combs knows which allegations prosecutors are relying on in their indictment against him.

“To the extent Mr. Combs is forced to mount a defense against criminal allegations that the government does not seek to prove at trial, he is entitled to know that,” their letter reads.

The indictment contains allegations that Combs coerced and abused women for many years with the help of a network of employees and other associates, using blackmail and violence to keep victims compliant and prevent them from speaking out.

Photo Credit: Macy’s Herald Square by Ajay Suresh / CC by 2.0

Macy’s has been accused of covering up a sexual assault by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in the latest lawsuit against the disgraced music mogul.

In the latest of the seemingly endless lawsuits against Sean “Diddy” Combs, Macy’s is accused of covering of one of the disgraced rapper and music mogul’s alleged sexual assaults in order to protect its interests in a lucrative deal with his clothing brand.

Filed by a John Doe in Ohio this week, the lawsuit alleges that Combs orally raped a man in 2008 while he was working in the stockroom of Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square in Manhattan. The man, who says he worked as an advisor for Combs’ rival clothing company, Ecko Unltd, claims he was “violently attacked” by Combs’ bodyguards, who threatened his life. Combs then allegedly forced him to perform oral sex on him while he called him “Ecko.”

The John Doe says he reported the assault to Macy’s security, but received no follow up and was later “barred from the store.”

“Approximately three weeks later, Terry Lundgren, CEO of Macy’s, pressured Ecko Unltd executives to fire plaintiff because Macy’s had just signed a multi-billion-dollar deal with Sean John Clothing,” the lawsuit reads.

The plaintiff says he “believes that the report of the assault was destroyed or otherwise purged from Macy’s records, and no action was ever taken as a result of the report.”

The allegations are the latest against Combs, who was arrested in September after he was indicted by a grand jury on federal charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. Since then, at least six anonymous lawsuits against Combs have been filed in Manhattan, some of which allege molestation of minors as early as 1995.

Meanwhile, a group of over 100 alleged victims are in the process of formalizing legal action against Combs, who has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges against him. He has been held without bail at a federal jail in Brooklyn since his arrest in September.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Kemper

Documents uncovered in the state’s attorneys general investigation against TikTok have uncovered that the social media giant knew how addictive its algorithm is to teenagers and that they are being exploited on the platform.

The confidential material uncovered was part of an investigation led by 14 attorneys general—which led to state officials suing TikTok last week. The lawsuit states that TikTok is designed with the express intention of addicting young people to the app, which can happen in as few as 260 videos. States argue that TikTok has deceived the public about risks associated with the app.

Dozens of internal communications, documents, and research were redacted in documents provided to authorities. But one document provided to the Kentucky Attorney General’s office was not redacted and Kentucky Public Radio was able to discern some 30 pages of documents that were kept secret. KPR published some excerpts of the redacted material, which contains candid comments from TikTok executives discussing the dangers for children on the app.

The material contained summaries of internal studies and communications and conversation around time-management tools. Executives determined that these tools would have a negligible reduction in screen time, but TikTok went ahead and promoted them anyway. Another document reveals that executives were aware of the addictive nature of the algorithm, leading to an almost irresistible urge to keep opening the app.

“Compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety,” reads TikTok’s own research quoted in the lawsuit. TikTok was also aware that the level of addictiveness presented by the app could disrupt personal lives. “Compulsive usage also interferes with essential personal responsibilities like sufficient sleep, work/school responsibilities, and connecting with loved ones.”

The documents also reveal that TikTok’s touted features about limiting the amount of time a child spends with the app were designed to increase public trust rather than actually limit addictive behaviors. After internal testing, TikTok found that these tools had a negligible impact on the amount of time teens were spending in the app—leading to a 1.5 minute drop in usage. TikTok estimates teens spend about 107 minutes per day in the app.

Aside from the addictive nature of the app, the documents also uncovered censorship efforts that Digital Music News reported on back in 2020. When TikTok discovered that a “high volume of … not attractive subjects” were filling the algorithm, the company retooled it to amplify what it considered to be attractive. Digital Music News also reported on TikTok’s efforts to hide disabled persons and LGBTQ+ people from the main ‘For You’ algorithm-driven feed during its meteoric growth phase.

TikTok’s research determined that the best way to get people sucked into the app was to target younger users. “As expected, across most engagement metrics, the younger the user, the better the performance,” reads a TikTok document from 2019.

TikTok was also aware of the underage stripping phenomenon of underage kid essentially performing strip-teases for money on the app. TikTok discovered a significant number of adults who were direct messaging underage TikTok users about stripping live on the platform for monetary rewards in the form of gifts or coins. According to TikTok’s own research, more than one million gifts were sent to kids who engaged in transactional behavior with an adult.

“[O]ne of our key discoveries during this project that has turned into a major challenge with Live business is that the content that gets the highest engagement may not be the content we want on our platform,” reads one message from a TikTok official. Documents also show that TikTok is slow to remove users under 13 despite laws—largely because this cohort is the most impacted by its addictive algorithm.

Photo Credit: Roblox

Roblox has a child exploitation problem on its hands that seems impossible to moderate. Short-seller Hindenburg Research has highlighted just how much child exploitation takes place on the platform—with some sickening examples.

The initial report, “Roblox: Inflated Key Metrics for Wall Street and a Pedophile Hellscape For Kids” was released last Tuesday, which Digital Music News covered. But now researchers behind the report have shared some of the details of what they discovered. Researchers discovered at least 73 groups on Roblox that are open to all ages and solicit child sexual abuse material (CSAM). While Roblox has since deleted some of the groups since the report came out, the result is playing whack-a-mole with CSAM.

Hindenburg Research says this list is non-exhaustive, but just a small sample of the pedophile chat groups that operate inside of Roblox. Roblox has publicly ‘rejected’ these claims—but the evidence is piling up.

“Safety and civility have been foundational to Roblox since the company’s inception nearly two decades ago,” Roblox says in an official statement about the report. “Every day, tens of millions of users of all ages have safe and positive experiences on Roblox. Roblox takes any content or behavior on the platform that doesn’t abide by its standards extremely seriously, and Roblox has a robust set of proactive and preventative safety measures designed to catch and prevent malicious or harmful activity on the platform.”

Roblox says it refutes the financial claims made by Hindenburg Research in its report, but behind the scenes it quietly removed many of the games highlighted in the report. Those games include:

• ‘Escape to Epstein Island’
• ‘Beat Up People Outside of a 7/11 Simulator’
• ‘Throw Bricks at Homeless People’
• ‘Public Bathroom Simulator’

But Hindenburg Research highlights just how many more games are available. Several Public Bathroom Simulator games are available on Roblox, as is a game called ‘Escape The Freaky Diddy Party Mansion.’ All of these games are marked for kids of all ages.

Hindenburg also highlights some of the usernames that are still active on Roblox, using numbers and symbols to hide their meaning. Names like R8PMINERS for ‘rape minors’ and R8PlilKIDS for ‘rape little kids.’ The report also highlights how CSAM users who utilize Roblox to exploit children behave on the platform. Many of them speak in Morse code to avoid Roblox filters for words that traditionally hid CSAM, like calling it ‘cheese pizza.’

Hindenburg Research showcased several screenshots of Roblox profiles with morse code statements. Those statements translated read, “I’m a boy I trade nudes any age on Discord I also RP but I am unexperienced” and “BBC Bull for Snowbunnys, Condos/Trading or watch porn with me. Ask for my Discord, Snapchat, or Twitter. Use Emoji for no hash.” The porn terms referenced in that message equate to ‘big black c*ck’, while the term Snowbunny is a derogatory pornographic term for an attractive white woman.

While Hindenburg Research raises these concerns as an activist short-seller, they are not false allegations. Digital Music News has seen proof of several user accounts, games, and interactions inside Roblox intended to facilitate CSAM from minors by driving them to other platforms including Discord and Snapchat.

“Regarding the issue we raised of inflated key investor metrics, Roblox failed to respond to our allegation that for years it has been lying about the number of people on its platform, including in dozens of regulatory filings, press releases, and public appearances,” Nate Anderson, Founder of Hindenburg Research tells Digital Music News. “The company also did not address evidence showing that its ‘engagement hours’ metric is misleading and includes numerous ‘zombie hours.'”

Anderson says following the report, numerous people reached out to share their stories on the platform—either as children being exposed to illicit content and grooming or as parents of children who were exposed to CSAM.

Photo Credit: Chris Brown by Eva Rinaldi / CC by 2.0

Chris Brown’s domestic violence accuser has revealed her identity ahead of a bombshell new documentary on the singer.

Earlier this month, a woman who accused Chris Brown of attacking her in 2016, has come forward for the first time on social media to reveal her identity ahead of her appearance in a new documentary about Brown. The film, Chris Brown: A History of Violence, was announced by Investigation Discovery in September.

A trailer for the film revealed that a new accuser would tell their story for the first time. That accuser is now known to be Liziane Gutierrez. In her Instagram post, Gutierrez wrote she isn’t sure if she’s “psychologically ready to face the consequences of appearing in this documentary,” but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to let people know what she had been through and to tell her side of the story.

“Several women agreed to participate and share their stories. We all went through a similar situation,” she wrote. “We can’t be against domestic violence and simply ignore some cases, or, even worse, blame the victim. This is an investigative documentary in which I provided some evidence from the facts that happened with me back in 2016.”

“I can’t say much now, but please watch it when it airs on October 27, and then we can talk more about it once it’s released,” Gutierrez continued. “For now, I’m just going to leave a question for [you] all: If someone is lying about you, would you pay for their silence?”

The public has general knowledge of Chris Brown’s attack on Rihanna in 2009, in addition to alleged sexual assaults throughout his career. But the documentary will reportedly focus on previously unknown cases, such as Gutierrez and her story.

“With expert and cultural commentary layered in throughout, the documentary provides thoughtful reflections into each survivor’s experience and the psychological destruction in the aftermath of their abuse,” said the film’s producers in a statement.

Photo Credit: R. Kelly by comechatwidmi / CC by 3.0

The daughter of disgraced singer R. Kelly accuses him of sexually abusing her when she was a child.

Buku Abi, the 26-year-old daughter of disgraced singer R. Kelly, has accused the singer of sexually abusing her when she was a child. Abi, a musician herself, made the claim as part of a two-episode documentary, Karma: A Daughter’s Journey, in which she says her father abused her when she was about eight or nine years old.

The 57-year-old Kelly was imprisoned in June 2022 with charges of racketeering and sex trafficking after decades of allegations of misconduct involving young women and children. He was sentenced to 30 years after he was found guilty of a scheme to entice and sexually exploit underage children and young aspiring singers.

Abi says she first reported her father’s alleged abuse to her mother in 2009, when she was about 10 years old. “He was my everything. For a long time, I didn’t even want to believe that it happened,” she says in the documentary. “I didn’t know that even if he was a bad person that he would do something to me.”

Kelly’s lawyers tried unsuccessfully to have him acquitted and demand a retrial, arguing his defense team was ineffective and prosecutors “misused” the racketeering charge against him. He was found guilty of racketeering amounting to a criminal enterprise for his “entourage of managers and aides” who helped the singer meet girls, and keep them “obedient and quiet.”

Abi’s allegations against her father come as Sean “Diddy” Combs faces a similar trial, having appeared before Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan federal court last week. Combs was charged last month with racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, based on allegations dating back nearly 20 years. New allegations against Diddy continue to pile up, with figures like R. Kelly and Kanye West named.

Photo Credit: Kanye West by Kenny Sun / CC by 2.0

Kanye West’s former assistant has accused the rapper of drugging and raping her at a Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs party in a new lawsuit.

An assistant to the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, Lauren Pisciotta, has filed a lawsuit accusing West of drugging and raping her at a party he co-hosted with Sean “Diddy” Combs. The lawsuit, filed on October 11, consists of 88 pages and makes numerous allegations against West, who now goes by Ye.

Pisciotta’s lawsuit says that before working with West, she attended a party in Santa Monica that he co-hosted with Combs. At the party, West allegedly gave her a beverage and told all attendees that they needed to drink what they were offered if they wanted to stay at the event. Pisciotta says after a few sips of the drink, she “started to feel disoriented and […] began to slip into an altered and highly impaired state.”

“She felt less in control of her body and speech, and that is where [her] memories of the night escape her,” the filing reads. Pisciotta says the following day, she felt “ashamed and embarrassed” because she could not remember what happened at the party. Her filing claims she believed for several years that she had been drugged by a studio assistant, and had managed to make it out of the situation without incident.

But Pisciotta alleges in her filing that West told her what had actually occurred shortly before he fired her from her job in November 2022. West had been angry following a remark by his ex-wife — who is not named in the suit — about an alleged affair between himself and Pisciotta. Pisciotta then claims she intended to tell West’s ex-wife that nothing intimate happened between herself and West, before he allegedly stopped her and told her, “We did kind of hook up a little one time.”

“[West] then immediately proceeded to reminisce about the time he was referring to […] where he ‘hooked up’ with [Pisciotta] after she had been drugged,” the filing claims. Further, Pisciotta says West told his ex-wife about the alleged “hook up,” but “left out the true nature and severity of what he did to [her].”

The lawsuit, which describes West as “predatory, aggressive, compulsive, vulgar, perverse, and frighteningly calculative,” alleges to various forms of inappropriate behavior on West’s part behind the scenes at his company. Aside from Pisciotta’s claims, allegations include West being a “premeditative and sadistic groomer” who used his image to “feed his desires for sexual pleasure with no boundaries.”

The filing claims West would have sex with “various employees with different guests,” which included staff creating makeshift bedrooms throughout the office, from bathrooms to closets and changing rooms.

Pisciotta also alleges that West tried to “gift” her to an unnamed “A-list celebrity” who is said to have informed her of West’s intentions. She says West would use his contacts at major companies to bring women into the United States with “obscure job titles” who were then “offered up” to various men.

Pisciotta first accused West of sexual misconduct back in June, but he vehemently denied the allegations and vowed to file a lawsuit against her. West has yet to comment on the allegations in Pisciotta’s lawsuit.

Photo Credit: Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg by Jason Persse / CC by 2.0

A marriage counselor is suing Dr. Dre for at least $10 million with allegations of systematic harassment and threats.

Dr. Charles Sophy, a divorce psychotherapist in Southern California, filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against rapper and business mogul Dr. Dre with allegations of “systematic and malicious” threats and harassment.

Dr. Sophy is suing Dre for at least $10 million, alleging the rapper subjected him to a barrage of “unbearable harassment” that left him fearing for his life and wearing a bulletproof vest.

According to the lawsuit, Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, hired Dr. Sophy in 2018 to mediate the breakdown of his lengthy marriage to his now former wife, Nicole Young. Dr. Sophy says he worked “diligently, independently, and fairly,” to help the couple resolve their differences, and the pair reached a settlement in 2021.

But about 14 months later, Dr. Sophy says Dre began texting him with allegations that the doctor had somehow acted improperly, which he denies. “Rather than treating the mediation process as an opportunity for healing, Young decided to take his frustrations about the mediation out on Dr. Sophy — frustrations that manifested themselves in the form of a nearly year-long sustained campaign of late-night texts, threats of intimidation and violence, and homophobic rhetoric.”

Dre’s lawyer, Howard King, told Rolling Stone that the rapper previously filed a “confidential complaint” against Dr. Sophy with the Osteopathic Medical Board of California last year, seeking “to get Dr. Sophy punished for dereliction of duties and incredible incompetence.”

That complaint seeks “revocation of Dr. Sophy’s license to provide mental health counseling to needy patients,” says King. “In gross violation of all applicable standards of care, Dr. Sophy inserted himself into a contentious divorce while he simultaneously ‘treated’ not only Mr. and Mrs. Young, but their children.”

“He was terminated when it was revealed he was encouraging one of their children to take sides against Mr. Young, even encouraging his son to go to the press with false allegations in order to force a financial settlement that he recommended,” claims King. “Dr. Sophy has consistently rebuffed Medical Board attempts to investigate these claims, but has now filed this desperate suit while the noose of the Medical Board is tightening.”

According to Dr. Sophy, Dre sent him an “overtly threatening” text around 10 PM on February 16, 2023, in which he claimed someone told him something “disturbing,” and that the doctor was “going to have to pay for that.” When Sophy questioned him, Dre allegedly responded, “Yes, you,” and “You’re a piece of s—t.”

Dr. Sophy says Dre “falsely accused” him of trying to turn an unidentified third party against him, and “wrongly accused” him of acting improperly during the divorce mediation.

“There is no truth behind these baseless and far-fetched accusations,” reads Dr. Sophy’s lawsuit. “Dr. Sophy tried to let the threats go and not pursue them. Young, however, would not let go.”

The lawsuit includes claims of civil harassment, threats of violence based on his sexual orientation, and seeks a court order prohibiting contact. Dr. Sophy is seeking compensatory damages of at least $10 million and punitive damages to be decided at trial.

Photo Credit: Tobias Tullius

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accuses federal agents and prosecutors of leaking the hotel security camera footage showing him attacking Cassie Ventura.

Federal prosecutors deny leaking the hotel security camera footage that showed Sean “Diddy” Combs attacking then-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Combs accused them of leaking the footage unlawfully in a court filing this week.

The video was initially obtained by CNN back in May. Its existence forced Combs into acknowledging its legitimacy and releasing a public apology for his actions, which he had previously denied.

“The Government was not in possession of the video before its publication by CNN,” prosecutors assert in a letter to the judge. “Indeed, at the time of CNN’s publication, the Government did not possess any video of the March 2016 incident.”

Further, prosecutors said they informed the defense, prior to the filing on Wednesday that alleged leaks, that they did not obtain the video through the grand jury process, and they did not believe Homeland Security Investigations had accessed the video prior to CNN releasing it.

“There is thus no colorable factual basis for the defendant’s claim that the Government leaked the video to CNN, let alone that it was leaked ‘in violation of grand jury secrecy,’” wrote prosecutors.

Combs, who has been held without bail, was arrested last month and charged with sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy.

Prior to his court appearance this week, Combs’ attorneys alleged that leaks “have led to damaging, highly prejudicial publicity that can only taint the jury pool and deprive Mr. Combs of his right to a fair trial.”

“Mr. Combs continues to assert his right to a speedy trial and intends to request a trial date in April or May 2025, and as consistent with the Court’s trial schedule,” wrote defense attorneys Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos in a letter to the judge before Combs’ court appearance on Thursday.

In addition to his federal trial, Combs is still facing several civil lawsuits from alleged victims, and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Photo Credit: Beyoncé and Jay-Z at The O2 by hollaa01 / CC by 2.0

Lawyers for Jay-Z and Beyoncé asked for comments on Piers Morgan’s show implicating them in Diddy’s scandal to be removed — and Piers Morgan issues an apology.

Piers Morgan has issued a public apology to Beyoncé and Jay-Z not even a week after a guest on his “Uncensored” show made comments implicating the couple in the allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Singer Jaguar Wright mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Carter during an appearance on Morgan’s show on October 2, in which they discussed the mounting allegations against Combs. “I’ve been screaming not just about Diddy, but Diddy and Jay-Z are monsters,” said Wright, alleging that Jay-Z and wife Beyoncé have “hundreds of victims.”

On October 8, Morgan released a public apology sharing that the couple’s lawyers had reached out to clarify that Wright’s claims were “totally false and have no basis in fact.” Morgan said his show will comply with a “legal request” to edit the remarks about the Carters out of the episode.

“Editing interviews is not something we do lightly on a show called ‘Uncensored.’ But, like the proverbial cries of fire in a crowded theater, there are legal limits on us, too,” said Morgan. “And we apologize to Jay-Z and Beyoncé.”

An attorney for the Carters, Alex Spiro, who also represents indicted New York City lawyer Eric Adams, recently discussed Jaguar Wright’s alleged defamation with TMZ. According to Spiro, the “random rumor mill” not only causes harm to those defamed, but drowns out “the voices of real victims.” Spiro called the legal action against Piers Morgan and his show as an “ultimatum,” rather than cease and desist.

“Remove that false accusation, that is demonstrably false, or a court’s going to order you to. And so I think he made the wise choice and acted accordingly.”

Photo Credit: Garth Brooks by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II / Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, D.C. / CC by 2.0

Garth Brooks’ legal battle against a woman accusing him of sexual assault heats up as he publicly identifies her in a legal filing and angering her lawyers.

Country star Garth Brooks was accused of sexual assault and rape by a former makeup artist who filed a lawsuit against him last week in California, and the battle continues to escalate.

The complaint was filed anonymously by a woman identified only as Jane Roe and Jane Doe, who says she began working for Brooks’ wife, singer Trisha Yearwood, as a makeup artist and hairstylist in 2017. She later began working for Brooks, also as a makeup artist, when she encountered financial difficulties and he started offering her more work as he toured.

But in 2019, she claims Brooks started sexually harassing her, including showing up naked to his appointments with her in his home. These events continued escalating, she says, until Brooks raped her in a hotel room while on a trip to Los Angeles for a performance.

Brooks has denied the allegations and accuses her of attempting to extort him out of “millions of dollars,” while tarnishing his wholesome country image. Brooks also filed a lawsuit in September against his accuser in Mississippi court, the state in which she now lives, in an attempt to stop her from filing her own complaint against him. That lawsuit, which he filed anonymously, sought a judgment declaring the allegations untrue and to prohibit her from suing him in the first place.

But attempts to dissuade her failed, and her lawsuit broke the country singer’s anonymity. In retaliation, Brooks has amended his initial complaint to not only add his own name to it, but her name as well.

A separate filing, obtained by Whiskey Riff, shows Brooks claiming he is the victim of a shakedown, condemning the attorneys involved for publicly naming him before a court could determine whether the case could go forward with both parties remaining anonymous. That move has angered his accuser’s attorneys.

“Garth Brooks just revealed his true self. Out of spite and to punish, he publicly named a rape victim,” said attorneys for his accuser in a public statement. “With no legal justification, Brooks outed her because he thinks the laws don’t apply to him. On behalf of our client, we will be moving for maximum sanctions against him immediately,” they continue. “He is far from the victim of a shakedown, and in fact offered millions of dollars to keep this matter from becoming public.”

Brooks addressed the issue briefly during his Inside Studio G livestream on Monday, October 7, saying the whole thing could take two years to reach a conclusion.

“This thing is on. It’s gonna happen. And people are telling me it could be up to two years, so my suggestion is, we all take a deep breath, we all just kind of settle in, and let’s hold hands and take a trip together, okay?” He went on, “Because it is something that you cannot talk about. That’s all we can say about it.”

Photo Credit: NoWah Bartscher

A hotline for victims of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, encouraging them to come forward, has been flooded with over 12,000 calls in 24 hours.

Attorney Tony Buzbee publicized a hotline earlier this week for victims of Sean “Diddy” Combs and those who knew about his crimes. The number has been flooded with over 12,000 calls in the first 24 hours since Buzbee made it public — a massive influx from the approximately 3,200 they received in the hotline’s first 10 days.

“When I made the announcement that I was going to pursue these cases, the floodgates really opened,” said Buzbee in a statement to Law & Crime. “The volume of calls has been overwhelming, and it’s been kind of shocking.”

“So, our Herculean task is to try to sift through every one of these calls and make sure that we’re identifying those who are victims and those who are witnesses and collect evidence,” he continued, explaining that he has around “100 people working on this task,” and they expect to begin filing civil cases within 30 days.

The hotline received around 3,200 calls within 10 days of going live. But after Buzbee’s press conference last week, which made the number more well-known, they received a whopping 12,000 calls in only 24 hours.

The 54-year-old Combs was arrested in Manhattan last month following a federal probe into alleged sex trafficking crimes, which include accusations of drugging and raping victims. Buzbee has expressed that his team already has enough evidence to file 120 victims’ lawsuits against the rapper. Out of those victims, 25 have been identified as underage at the time of the abuse, with at least one as young as nine.

“This individual, who was nine years old at the time, was taken to an audition in New York City with Bad Boy Records,” Buzbee disclosed at the press conference. “This individual was sexually abused, allegedly by Sean Combs and several other people at the studio, in the promise to both his parents and to […] himself of getting a record deal.”

Buzbee explained claims are coming from victims who were seeking television or music careers and to whom promises were made allegedly to secure their stardom. Some claims are also coming from those who were invited to Diddy’s now-infamous parties.

“Any entities or other individuals that either were involved, participated, facilitated, egged it on, provided the venue, benefitted from it, profited from it, that sort of thing,” said Buzbee, telling Law & Crime he and his team are seeking “every potentially liable party” to include before filing additional claims.

Though Buzbee and his team were initially shocked by the sheer volume of calls, the attorney says they’re sifting through over 25 years of alleged behavior by Sean Combs. These have taken place at studios, album release parties, Combs’ well-known White Parties, his so-called “Freak Off” parties, and numerous other events.

“I have no doubt that there are people right now who know that they were somehow involved in this, who are now scrubbing their social media, who are searching their memories, who are deleting their texts, probably deleting pictures, and trying to distance themselves from this, and we know who they are, or we will find out who they are,” warned Buzbee. “This is not something that’s going to happen overnight, but I think we’re at the tip of the iceberg.”

Buzbee said there was a discernable “pattern of behavior” at Diddy’s parties, and it was an open secret throughout Hollywood. “We want to be very careful about who we name,” he said, explaining that some of the cases about to be filed include names that the public would find “shocking.”

Photo Credit: Library of Congress

Garth Brooks says the claims made in a recent sexual assault lawsuit from a makeup artist are an attempt at extortion.

The complaint was filed in California and alleges that the make-up artist Jane Roe “endured painful and traumatic rape and sexual assault at the hands of Brooks.” The lawsuit alleges the inappropriate behavior began in 2019 when Ms. Roe was at the Brooks home on a styling appointment. She says she looked up to find Brooks emerging from the shower naked with an erection. Roe alleges that he forced her to touch his erection while requesting she perform sex acts.

The lawsuit alleges another incident in 2019 that Ms. Roe was physically dominated and raped by Brooks while employed for an event. Following the rape, Ms. Roe alleges she was pressured by time to continue business as usual to style his hair and make-up for the event he was attending. Roe says she repeatedly warded off his sexual conduct but became subject to verbal and physically inappropriate attacks.

In response to the allegations laid forth in the lawsuit, Brooks says, “For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars. It has been like having a loaded gun waved in my face.”

Last month, Brooks filed a lawsuit against. Ms. Jane Roe in Mississippi, which his team calls an attempt to preempt her going public with the allegations. But Ms. Roe’s lawyers believe the preemptive complaint in Mississippi was timed to proceed anonymously after learning of her plan to file her complaint in California.

“We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks,” reads a statement provided by Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen, and Haley Baker. “The complaint filed today demonstrated that sexual predators exist not only in corporate America, Hollywood, and in the rap and rock and roll industries, but also in the world of country music.”

“We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions and his efforts to silence our client through the filing of a pre-emptive complaint in Mississippi was nothing other than an act of desperation and attempted intimidation. We courage others who may have been victimized to contact us as no survivor should suffer in silence.”

Photo Credit: Garth Brooks by John Mathew Smith / CC by 2.0

Garth Brooks has been accused of sexual assault and battery in a new lawsuit from a former makeup artist who worked with the singer.

Country music star Garth Brooks has been sued by a woman who worked as a makeup artist and hairstylist for the singer and accuses Brooks of sexual assault and battery. The complaint, filed by Jane Roe in a California state court on Thursday, October 3, claims the assault occurred in 2019, when she says Brooks raped her on a work trip.

As first reported by CNN, an anonymous celebrity plaintiff, who has since been revealed to be Brooks, attempted to block Roe from publicly repeating her allegations against him and fiercely denied the claims.

Roe became the makeup and hairstylist for Brooks in 2017, according to her filing, which says she was first hired as the makeup and hairstylist for Brooks’ wife, singer Trisha Yearwood, in 1999. In addition to the sexual assault, the suit also accuses Brooks of repeatedly exposing himself to Roe, talking about sex and sharing sexual fantasies with her, regularly changing his clothes in front of her, and sending sexually explicit text messages.

The lawsuit recounts one alleged incident in 2019, when Roe was at Brooks’ home for work, and Brooks walked out of the shower naked. He “grabbed her hands and forced them” onto his genitals while he spoke to her with sexually explicit language. Another alleged incident in May 2019 describes Brooks raping Roe in a hotel room during a work trip to Los Angeles where the country singer was recording a Grammy tribute performance.

“Usually there were others on Brooks’ private jet, but this time, Ms. Roe and Brooks were the only two passengers,” the filing states. “Once in Los Angeles at the hotel, Ms. Roe could not believe that Brooks had booked a hotel suite with one bedroom and she did not have a separate room.”

Roe alleges Brooks “appeared in the doorway to the bedroom, completely naked,” and she says she felt “trapped in the room alone with Brooks.” Even after the alleged rape, Roe claims Brooks continued to tell her his sexual fantasies, now with more frequency, and physically groped her. Roe says Brooks made “repeated remarks” about “having a threesome” with his wife.

Brooks, who filed a prior complaint as John Doe, claims Roe’s attorney sent him a “confidential demand letter” alleging sexual misconduct after he declined her requests for “salaried employment and medical benefits.” Brooks’ lawsuit states, “Defendant’s allegations are not true, [and] defendant is well aware […] of the substantial, irreparable damage such false allegations would do to Plaintiff’s wel-earned reputation as a decent and caring person, along with the unavoidable damage to his family and the irreparable damage to his career and livelihood.”

In response, Roe’s attorneys told CNN, “[Brooks’] efforts to silence our cilent through the filing of a preemptive complaint in Mississippi was nothing other than an act of desperation and attempted intimidation.”

“We are confident that Brooks will be held accountable for his actions,” said attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor, Jeanne M. Christensen, and Hayley Baker. “We applaud our client’s courage in moving forward with her complaint against Garth Brooks. The complaint filed today demonstrates that sexual predators exist not only in corporate America, Hollywood, and in the rap and rock and roll industries, but also in the world of country music.”

Once he was revealed as the alleged perpetrator, Brooks said in a statement to CNN: “For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars.”

“Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money,” he added. “In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of — ugly acts no human should ever do to another. […] We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides.”

Photo Credit: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs by Richard Burdett

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces dozens of new sexual assault allegations in a series of lawsuits soon to be filed.

When it rains, it pours, and rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs doesn’t have an umbrella since his arrest last month. With charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution, Combs is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.

But now, Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee revealed at a news conference on Tuesday (October 1) that he is representing over 120 accusers with allegations against Combs that occurred over 20-plus years ago.

“We will expose the enablers who enabled this conduct behind closed doors. We will pursue this matter no matter who the evidence implicates,” said Buzbee. “Many powerful people, […] many dirty secrets,” he added, noting that his team has collected “pictures, video, texts,” that cover allegations including “violent sexual assault or rape, facilitated sex with a controlled substance, dissemination of video recordings, [and] sexual abuse of minors.”

“It’s a long list already, but because of the nature of this case, we are going to make sure — damn sure — we are right before we [file suit],” Buzbee continued. “These names will shock you.”

Buzbee said he’s had over 3,000 individuals come to him with accusations against Combs, and that he plans to begin filing lawsuits in various states within 30 days. The other defendants will be named at a later date.

Further, the attorney said the new group of accusers hail from over 25 different states, with the majority from New York, California, Georgia, and Florida. Buzbee also said 25 of the accusers were minors at the time of the alleged incidents, with some having occurred as early as 1991. One of the accusers, Buzbee claimed, was as young as nine years old at the time of the alleged incident.

Combs and his legal team continue to deny any and all allegations against him — except those he fessed up to involving his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, after video proof of the abuse he levied at her surfaced earlier this year and made his earlier denial moot.

“[Combs] cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” his lawyer, Erica Wolff, said in a statement. “Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexual abused anyone, including minors,” Wolff continued. “He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court if and when claims are filed and served.”

Notably, many of the lawsuits against Combs have been filed in New York City, where the Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law allows people to file lawsuits alleging sexual abuse even when the statute of limitations has passed.

Photo Credit: Ye by Pieter-Jannick Dijkstra / CC by 2.0

The class action lawsuit against Adidas over the company’s partnership with Kanye West, despite his erratic behavior, has been dismissed with prejudice.

The investor class action litigation against Adidas over their alleged prior knowledge of Kanye West’s “erratic behavior” has been officially dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. The lawsuit was initially dismissed back in August, citing insufficient evidence.

Filed by the HRSA-ILA Funds, the lawsuit asserted that Adidas failed to reveal to investors Kanye’s inappropriate behavior between 2013 and 2018 and their own internal apprehensions about working with him. But the court found insufficient evidence to show misleading statements that may have affected investors.

“Certainly, that [Kanye] allegedly engaged in such behavior while working with Adidas is troubling,” said Judge Karin J. Immergut at the time. “This Court does not condone what the Plaintiff allegedly did. But the question before this Court is not whether to admonish [Kanye] or hold Adidas accountable for his conduct.”

“Has [HRSA-ILA Funds] sufficiently pleaded facts showing that Adidas misled investors and thereby committed federal securities fraud? On the current record before this Court, the answer is no,” concluded Judge Immergut. “Based on the Court’s Opinion and Order granting Defendants Adidas AG’s […] Motions to Dismiss, it is ordered and adjudged that this action is dismissed with prejudice.”

Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, was bringing in over a billion dollars with his Adidas-Yeezy partnership by 2021, which accounted for 8% of Adidas’ revenue and over 40% of its profits. But beginning in 2013, investors alleged that the company was aware of the “troubling potential” of its partnership with the rapper.

Ye’s erratic behavior escalated with his antisemitic rants on social media in 2022, which led to Adidas cutting him loose despite the financial trepidation in doing so. Last year, the company’s revenue had dropped by $1.3 billion over the decision to sever ties with West.

Photo Credit: 50 Cent’s Instagram

Netflix is producing a docuseries from 50 Cent about the sexual assault allegations and federal trafficking and racketeering charges against Diddy.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson sold his docuseries about federal charges and sexual assault allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs to Netflix to produce, with Alexandria Stapleton directing the project. The series is currently in production.

50 Cent executive produces the project through his G-Unit Film & Television banner, with Stapleton executive producing for House of Nonfiction. Fiddy first announced back in December that G-Unit would produce the series, shortly after Combs had been sued by four different women, including ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

When he first announced the project, 50 Cent shared a clip on the former Twitter showing Bad Boy Records rapper Mark Curry alleging that Combs would spike bottles of champagne at his parties before women drank from them.

Last week, Combs was arrested in New York and charged on counts of racketeering, sex trafficking, fraud, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty, but was denied bail at his appeal hearing and remains in custody.

“This is a story with significant human impact. It is a complex narrative spanning decades, not just the headlines or clips seen so far,” said 50 Cent and Stapleton in a statement to Variety.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to give a voice to the voiceless and to present authentic and nuanced perspectives. While the allegations are disturbing, we urge all to remember that Sean Combs’ story is not the full story of hip-hop and its culture. We aim to ensure that individual actions do not overshadow the culture’s broader contributions.”

Proceeds from the documentary, 50 Cent said, will be used to support victims of sexual assault.

“I been telling y’all about all this weird shit,” said the rapper-producer on his Instagram with a picture of Variety’s story. “I don’t do NO Puffy Party’s [sic]. You didn’t believe me, but I bet you believe me now!”

Even as the lawsuits and allegations against him continue to stack up, Combs has denied any wrongdoing. The only thing he has admitted to thus far was his assault of Cassie Ventura when a leaked video showing an assault in a hotel hallway proved her account to be true. But he only took “full responsibility” for his actions after the video surfaced, having settled Ventura’s lawsuit against him just a day after it was filed.

Aside from Ventura’s lawsuit, Combs has been hit with countless others, including those from Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, Grace O’Marcaigh, Crystal McKinney, Dawn Richard, Joi Dickerson-Neal, Liza Gardner, April Lampros, Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith, multiple Jane Does, and most recently, Thalia Graves.

Photo Credit: Tingey Law

The latest lawsuit against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs comes from a woman who alleges he drugged and ‘viciously’ raped her in a recording studio in 2001.

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sued by a woman who alleges he and his bodyguard “viciously” raped her in a New York City recording studio over 20 years ago after Combs had drugged her. The lawsuit, filed by Thalia Graves in federal court on Tuesday, also claims the men recorded the encounter on video, about which she only recently learned.

Graves is seeking a trial by jury in the lawsuit, which appears to be the first against Combs since his indictment last week by federal authorities in New York on charges including sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Graves’ lawsuit also names Combs’ former bodyguard and head of security, Joseph “Big Joe” Sherman, who denies raping or even knowing Graves, and claims he was not employed by Combs at the time.

According to the lawsuit, Graves met Combs around late 1999 or early 2000 through her boyfriend at the time, who was an executive at Combs’ Bad Boy Records, and had a close relationship with the rapper and producer. Graves says she frequently visited her boyfriend, who is curiously not identified in the complaint, at Combs’ Bad Boy studio in New York City, and attended events hosted at Combs’ properties.

In the summer of 2001, the suit claims Combs called the then-25-year-old Graves and asked her to meet with him to discuss her boyfriend’s “performance issues.” Combs picked her up in an SUV which Sherman was allegedly driving, where Graves was offered a glass of wine that she says later caused her to “feel lightheaded, dizzy, and physically weak.” They drove to the Bad Boy studio in Manhattan, and Graves says she found it difficult to walk upon exiting the vehicle. She says she was escorted to a couch in a private room in the studio, where she then lost consciousness.

When she came to, Graves says she was naked, with her hands tied behind her back with what felt like a plastic grocery bag. She shouted for help, after which Sherman lifted her from the couch and was said to have forcefully slammed her, face-down, on a pool table. Soon, Combs entered the room naked, the suit continues.

Graves says Combs applied lubricant to himself and then raped her, while she was “unable to move, totally overpowered physically, in addition to being drugged and bound.” She then lost consciousness again and awoke to Sherman slapping her in the face and sexually assaulting her. Graves then lost consciousness yet again.

According to the suit, when she finally awoke, she was alone on the couch, naked and terrified, and quickly got dressed and fled the studio. She says she called a livery driver she knew, who drove her to the hospital and tried to convince her to report the assault and get a rape kit. Graves said she was shaking and crying hysterically, and was unable to leave the vehicle, “terrified of what Combs would do to her and her family if she reported him.”

Last November, when the first lawsuit against Combs surfaced, filed by his ex-girlfriend and R&B singer Cassie Ventura, Graves says her former boyfriend revealed to her that, years earlier, Combs and Sherman showed him “and a group of men — some of whom were also employed by Combs’ companies” the video of her being raped.

Graves also alleges both Combs and Sherman to have contacted her in the years since the assault, warning her to stay silent and threatening her with repercussions if she did not, including that she could lose custody of her son.

“Plaintiff lives in constant fear,” the suit explains. “She struggles with hyper-vigilance and experiences anxiety and panic attacks in social settings, preferring to be alone. Her need to hide to feel safe has strained her relationships with friends and family.”

Sherman denies the allegations in Graves’ suit, saying he was employed by Combs from 1998 to 1999, and was not associated with Combs by the time the alleged assault would have taken place.

Photo Credit: Macklemore by Amanda Rhoades / San Francisco Foghorn / CC by 2.0

Less than a week after he was announced as a headliner at the debut Neon City Festival in Las Vegas, Macklemore has disappeared from the lineup following his ‘f—k America’ remark.

After being announced as a headliner at the inaugural Neon City Festival in Las Vegas just last week, rapper Macklemore is now absent from the lineup “due to unforeseen circumstances” coinciding with his recent anti-America comment.

The music festival opted not to disclose a specific reason as to the “Thrift Shop” singer’s sudden absence. But the change comes a few days after Macklemore’s “f—k America” remark while on stage performing at a pro-Palestinian benefit concert, Palestine Will Live Forever, in Seattle. Neon City Festival’s headliners were announced on September 19; Macklemore made headlines on September 21 for his comments at the benefit concert. By September 24, he was dropped from the Las Vegas festival’s roster.

Today (September 25), Macklemore released a statement on his social channels. “My thoughts and feelings are not always expressed perfectly or politely,” he began. “Sometimes I slip up and get caught in the moment. Saturday night was one of those times.”

“Unfortunately, the historic event in my hometown that brought thousands of people together to raise awareness and money for the people of Palestine has become overshadowed by two words,” he continued in part, explaining his frustration and disappointment in the United States in the face of ongoing violence in the Middle East.”

“But do not misconstrue the word ‘f—k’ for the word ‘hate.’ It’s different to be angry than to disown,” Macklemore’s statement went on. “I’ve lost endorsements, I’ve lost business ties. I am still here, unwavering in my support for a Free Palestine.”

The musician has been outspoken in his support of Palestine amid the war between Hamas and Israel. His signature was among those on an open letter calling for a ceasefire, and he released a protest song in May, “Hind’s Hall,” in support of the student protestors on college campuses. Proceeds from the song have gone toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

The inaugural Neon City Festival takes place in downtown Las Vegas from November 22 through the 24. Headliners now include Seven Lions, Alison Wonderland, Russell Dickerson, and Neon Trees.

Photo Credit: Blacktree TV YouTube (Kim Porter)

Singer-songwriter and producer Al B. Sure! has called for an investigation into the 2018 death of Diddy’s former partner, Kim Porter.

The producer made the claims on Instagram, stating he believes her death may have been arranged because of the knowledge she had of Diddy’s criminal enterprise. “In a nutshell, Kimberly was allegedly taken from us because she was set on a course to accomplish what Mrs. Cassie Ventura did by igniting the bonfire which brings us here today,” the R&B singer writes.

“I am writing this post to formally request an investigation into an entire group of individuals who worked at or around the residence of Ms. Kimberly Porter, including the publicists who assisted drafting this,” the post begins. “It has come to my attention that these persons were also instructed to steal her computer and mobile devices, which contained her original book notes. Original notes are distinct from the fabricated bullshit and offensive pages circulated via Amazon which depict graphic sexual acts involving me that NEVER took place and were edited and added after Ms. Porter’s tragic murder.”

“I urge you to consider who authorized such a fictitious publication without categorizing it as ‘Calculated Fiction.’ The publicists and conspirators worked in concert, from separate camps launching this campaign which appears to be a very personal and deliberate distraction from their involvement in covering horrific crimes, assisted in, and perplexed the public for many years, which I have personally experienced and cautiously deemed just a ‘medical crisis’ for legal reasons until the rest of these atrocities were uncovered by authorities making it more believable to a gullible public that has been fooled for so long,” he continues.

“Ms. Porter’s missing devices, allegedly already in evidence unquestionably contain the critical evidence that have been concealed. I’m convinced that evidence corroborates closely with details outlined in the recently released public indictment document,” he continues. “Additionally, it is pertinent to note that the individuals involved in this matter may also be connected to also concealing the alleged murders of several prominent artists, a situation that has left many bewildered, yet those who are immersed in the culture and familiar with the intricacies of the entertainment industry may have a clearer understanding of the obvious.”

His references to the stolen devices and original notes are about Porter’s memoir. Kim Porter was found dead in her home in Toluca Lake, California in 2018. She reportedly had days of flu-like symptoms and the coroner initially listed her cause of death as ‘deferred’ but later changed it to lobar pneumonia. Porter dated Diddy throughout 2017 and was the mother of three of his children.

Photo Credit: Jesús Rocha

The musician indicted by the US government for his alleged role in the $10 million streaming fraud scam pleads not guilty as the case kicks off.

Michael Smith, the 52-year-old North Carolina musician who is being charged with three felony counts in connection with a $10 million streaming fraud scam, entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ during a brief proceeding. As initially reported by Law 360, US District Judge John Koeltl issued an order in Manhattan setting Smith’s bail at $500,000 as the case moves forward.

Earlier this month, the US government indicted Smith for his alleged role in the “scheme to create hundreds of thousands of songs with artificial intelligence and use automated programs called ‘bots’ to stream the AI-generated songs billions of times.”

The recently unsealed indictment alleged Smith went through a number of steps and processes to artificially boost streams, including fake email accounts and cloud service accounts, as well as paying for family plans on various streaming platforms. Smith estimated at one point he could use bots to generate around 661,440 streams per day, generating annual royalties of about $1,207,128.

Spotify issued a statement just last week, going on record to say that its platform only accounted for less than 1% of the money generated in the streaming fraud scheme. The company said it “invests heavily in automated and manual reviews to prevent, detect, and mitigate the impact of artificial streaming” on its platform.

“It appears our preventative measures worked and limited the royalties Smith was able to generate from Spotify to approximately $60,000 of the $10 million noted in the indictment,” said Spotify. “As [Spotify] typically accounts for around 50% of streamshare, this shows how effective we are at limiting the impact of artificial streaming on our platform.”

According to the indictment, one unnamed streaming service was able to detect the alleged fraudulent activity, cutting Smith off from royalty payments as early as 2019. Though the indictment referred to that service as only “Streaming Platform-1,” news outlets have since identified the platform to be Spotify.

Meanwhile, the Mechanical Licensing Collective also identified issues with Smith’s streaming data and withheld the royalty payments associated with them. The timing was apt; the MLC had recently announced a collaboration with music streaming fraud detection platform Beatdapp to enhance the collective’s existing fraud detection capabilities.

Beatdapp, who also began a partnership with Universal Music Group in January, said earlier this summer that streaming fraud accounts for around $2 billion lost royalties for artists each year.

Photo Credit: Federal Bureau of Prisons

Hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has pleaded not guilty to the bombshell charges in a federal indictment that dropped yesterday. Now a judge has denied the music mogul bail and he will await his trial in the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

The federal indictment alleges that Diddy, “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct” for decades. His September 16 arrest includes three felony counts of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Diddy’s attorney Marc Agninfilo released a statement after the arrest saying, “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust proseceution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community.”

“He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal. To his credit Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

After a federal judge denied him bail, Diddy spent the night at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn late Tuesday night. Diddy will be held there ahead of his scheduled Manhattan federal court hearing for Wednesday afternoon—where he will appeal the decision to keep him behind bars. Dismal living conditions, inmate attacks, and worm and maggot-infested food are just some of the complaints about the MDC.

MDC inmates regularly complain about rats running around, while inmates endured freezing temperatures during a power outage in 2019. The MDC is where Ghislaine Maxwell was held during her sex-trafficking trial in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.

Photo Credit: NBC News

Following the arrest of music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs last night in Manhattan, federal prosecutors have unsealed the indictment. Diddy is charged with three felony counts of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The unsealed indictment lays out the charges against the music mogul, alleging that he “threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires” for years. Federal prosecutors argue that Combs created a “criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in” various crimes including “sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.”

At the center of the indictment are parties that Diddy called ‘freak offs’ where he recorded victims engaging in forced sex acts. Prosecutors allege Diddy used force to “cause victims to engage in extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded.”

Victims were often plied with illegal drugs to control them for long stretches of time, with participants often needing “IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion.” Prosecutors also allege that Diddy used the electronic recordings of these ‘freak offs’ as “collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims.”

Court documents reveal that the U.S. Government is seeking to recover significant financial assets from Diddy, and that he could be on the hook for “any and all property, real and personal” and an undetermined “sum of money” involved in these alleged crimes. The indictment does not specifically list any assets that may be targeted.

The indictment also alleges that Diddy used his commercial enterprise as a key component of his criminal enterprise. Prosecutors allege that several of his employees were “to carry out, facilitate, and cover up his abuse and commercial sex.”

“Those employees — including security staff, household staff, personal assistants, and high-ranking supervisors — and other close associates acted as Combs’ intermediaries, and their conduct was facilitated and assisted by Combs’ control of the Combs business,” prosecutors allege. The documents also allege that federal agents seized 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant during the raid on his Miami and Los Angeles homes.

The indictment against Diddy includes alleged criminal acts going back 16 years. The racketeering count covers acts allegedly committed by the defendant beginning in 2008, while the sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution charges started in 2009. “On numerous occasions,” Combs would assault women by “among other things, striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at and kicking them” the indictment reads.

In May 2024, Diddy apologized for his violent behavior after a leaked hotel video showed him dragging his then girlfriend Cassie Ventura down the hallway after brutally and viciously beating her for trying to flee in an elevator.

Shortly after the indictment was unsealed, Diddy pleaded not guilty to all charges in a New York courtroom. The rap star was handcuffed at the time, and it remains unclear if Diddy will spend time in jail or be allowed to post bond or live under monitored house arrest.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams (pictured) has said the investigation into Diddy’s conduct is not done. “A year ago, Sean Combs stood in Times Square and was handed a key to New York City,” Williams told reporters. “Today, he’s been indicted and will face justice in the Southern District of New York. We are not done. This investigation is ongoing, and I encourage anyone with information about this case to come forward and do it quickly.”

Photo Credit: Bermix Studio

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been arrested in Manhattan by federal authorities following a grand jury indictment.

Sean “Diddy” Combs, whose music and entrepreneurial career has been disgraced by mounting sexual assault lawsuits and a federal investigation, has been arrested in Manhattan this evening (September 16), following a grand jury indictment earlier today.

A person familiar with the matter but who was not authorized to speak publicly has confirmed the indictment, which is sealed while the charges have remained undisclosed. The same person told The New York Times they believed Combs was charged with racketeering and sex trafficking.

Combs’ legal team released a statement that they were disappointed with the decision to prosecute him, noting he had been cooperative with the investigation and had “voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges.”

Representatives for the US Attorney’s Office in New York did not respond immediately to media requests for comment. An unidentified source told media outlets that Combs was taken to the FBI Field Office in Manhattan.

The arrest and preceding indictment follow the federal raids on Combs’ homes in Beverly Hills and Miami. A grand jury has been hearing testimony from various accusers and other parties over the last few months.

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office,” Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said in a statement. “Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon […] who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the Black community. […] He is an imperfect person but is not criminal.”

Agnifilo concludes Combs has “nothing to hide,” and “looks forward to clearing his name in court.”

Combs has been a well-known figure in hip-hop since the 1990s and early 2000s, helping in the rise of rappers and R&B singers like Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige. He has been under increasingly intense public scrutiny since his former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, filed a lawsuit against him last year accusing him of sexual and physical abuse.

Since then, Combs has been hit with numerous lawsuit accusing him of similar offenses, which culminated with a federal investigation that has been ongoing for months.

Photo Credit: Dawn Richard with Danity Kane by Jay1095 / CC by 4.0

A former bandmate of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accuses him of sexual abuse in a new lawsuit that also recounts his abuse of Cassie Ventura.

The latest in the seemingly unending stream of sexual abuse lawsuits filed against disgraced producer and business mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs comes from Dawn Richard, a member of Combs’ Danity Kane and Dirty Money musical groups.

Richard’s lawsuit accuses Combs of sexually abusing and terrorizing her, but also claims she witnessed him beating his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.

According to the lawsuit, shared with Digital Music News on Wednesday (September 11th), Combs’ “persistent abuse” of Cassie included “choking and strangling,” as well as “striking her with his hands and with objects, slapping her, punching her, and throwing items at her, including a scalding hot pan.”

“On many occasions, Ms. Richard tried to intervene, offering Ms. Ventura support and encouragement to leave Mr. Combs,” the lawsuit reads. “Each time, Mr. Combs learned of her efforts to help Ms. Ventura and became enraged, threatening Ms. Richard’s life with statements such as, ‘you want to die today,’ ‘I make n—— go missing,’ and ‘I end people.’”

Further, Dawn Richard accuses Diddy of withholding her earnings, stealing her copyrighted works, and subjecting her to “years of inhumane working conditions which included groping, assault, and false imprisonment.”

Specifically, the lawsuit cites work Richard did with Combs on MTV’s Making the Band 3 and 4, in which Combs allegedly “deprived Ms. Richard and her Danity Kane bandmates of basic needs such as adequate food and sleep.”

“When Ms. Richard or her Danity Kane bandmates requested meals or rest, Mr. Combs refused and chastised them with derogatory comments like, ‘you bitches don’t want this,’ or ‘y’all are not hungry enough,’ and ‘I’m paying you bitches to work.’”

Richard’s lawsuit also recounts an incident in 2005 in which she says she saw another of Combs’ former girlfriends, Kim Porter, crying as she left the studio with her face banged up. This, she says, was when she first realized Diddy was capable of violence. It was a year later that she was present when Combs met Cassie Ventura.

“Coincidentally, this first meeting between Mr. Combs and Ms. Ventura was the first time that Ms. Richard was in Mr. Combs’ presence without a camera crew filming. Observing Mr. Combs behave in such an intimidating, predatory manner the first time that they were off camera made Ms. Richard feel deeply apprehensive and afraid of him.”

So far, Combs and his attorneys have not responded to media requests for comment on the latest allegations against him.

Photo Credit: Sag Harbor Police Department

Justin Timberlake pleads guilty to a traffic violation in a plea deal that sees him cleared of drunk driving charges or even a criminal offense.

Justin Timberlake has secured a plea deal in his drunk driving case that sees him admit to a simple traffic violation, clearing him of drunk driving charges or even a criminal offense. The DWI charge against him is officially dropped, and Timberlake will admit to Driving While Ability Impaired, according to sources close to the matter.

Interestingly, although the word “impaired” is used in the charge, it is not the same as a drunk driving offense. Sources told TMZ that Justin will pay a $300 to $500 fine, the exact amount of which will be determined by the judge during a hearing on Friday.

The musician will still have his driver’s license suspended in New York — standard procedure because Timberlake refused to submit to a breathalyzer test when he was pulled over in Sag Harbor back in June. New York State law determines that refusal to take a breathalyzer test triggers an automatic one-year license suspension.

Timberlake was arrested on June 18 when cops say he ran a stop sign and failed to stay on the correct side of the road. At the time, he was charged with DWI but twice pled not guilty. Though his lawyer maintains he was not intoxicated when he was arrested, police say Timberlake failed field sobriety tests. The singer claims he drank one martini.

Even though the police secured body cam footage of the traffic stop, presumably prosecutors felt taking the case to trial would be too risky and opted for the lesser charge. Timberlake even cracked jokes about the incident while on tour, apparently unconcerned that the charges against him might stick. Now he’s free to enjoy the rest of his World Tour—which isn’t ending as predicted.

Photo Credit: Tingey Law

Diddy’s attorneys move to dismiss ex-producer Lil Rod’s $30 million sexual assault lawsuit, citing ‘legally meaningless allegations and blatant falsehoods.’

Sean “Diddy” Combs should seemingly try to lie low amid the federal investigation after his Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided by Homeland Security investigators earlier this year. But instead, the disgraced rapper and producer’s attorneys have moved to have his former producer Lil Rod’s $30 million sexual assault and trafficking lawsuit dismissed, calling the producer’s complaint an “attempt to dress up a run of the mill commercial disagreement as a salacious RICO conspiracy.”

Rodney Jones Jr., better known as producer Lil Rod, with whom Diddy worked on his most recent release, The Love Album, initially filed his lawsuit in February. “It includes countless tall tales, shameless celebrity namedrops, and irrelevant images,” Combs’ lawyers write. “Despite all its hyperbole and lurid theatrics, [the complaint] fails to state a single viable claim against any of the Combs Defendants.”

“Replete with legally meaningless allegations and blatant falsehoods, the [lawsuit’s] true purpose is to generate media hype and exploit it to extract a settlement — no surprise, given that Jones’ attorney was recently referred to this Court’s Grievance Committee for engaging in a ‘pattern’ of ‘improperly fil[ing] cases in federal court to garner media attention, embarrass defendants with salacious allegations, and pressure defendants to settle quickly,” Combs’ attorneys assert.

But Jones’ lawyer, the Brooklyn-based Tyrone Blackburn, isn’t the least bit concerned about Combs’ attempts to have the lawsuit dismissed, calling it a ruse. “This is nothing more than a billing exercise by Sean Combs’ latest set of lawyers,” Blackburn told Deadline. “It is a weak attempt to fill their pockets before he is indicted, and they decide to haul ass, just like his five previous lawyers did.”

Blackburn added that “if their client does not engage in salacious behavior, I would not have anything salacious to file. I pick my clients; I do not pick their facts.”

The Department of Justice has until September 9 to respond to the motion to dismiss. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has yet to divulge more information about the federal investigation involving Combs, but explained back in March that Homeland Security Investigations New York was working with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and local law enforcement.

Photo Credit: X/Twitter Kim Dotcom

After a 12-year fight with the U.S. government, alleged piracy facilitator Kim Dotcom will be extradited to the United States from New Zealand.

The New Zealand Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith confirmed the news, saying he signed an extradition order for Dotcom this week. “I considered all of the information carefully, and I have decided that Mr. Dotcom should be surrendered to the U.S. to face trial,” Goldsmith says in his statement.

“As is common practice, I have allowed Mr. Dotcom a short period of time to consider and take advice on my decision. I will therefore, not be commenting further at this stage.” Speaking on social media about the extradition, Kim Dotcom said: “the obedient U.S. colony in the South Pacific just decided to extradite me for what users uploaded to Megaupload.”

On April 10, 2014, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed a civil lawsuit against Megaupload.com and its main operators for “engaging in massive copyright infringement of sound recordings.” Named in that lawsuit are Megaupload Founder Kim Dotcom, Chief Technical Operator and Co-Founder Mathias Ortmann, majority shareholder Vestor Limited, and Head Programmer and Uploader Rewards Program Manager Bram van der Kolk.

That lawsuit alleges that each of these people willfilly engaged in and actively encouraged massive copyright infringement from its users. A DOJ indictment alleges that the defendants generated more than $175 million in illicit profits, while causing $500 million to harm for copyright owners of music, movies, books, games, television shows, and other media.

“Megaupload played an active role in ensuring that it had the most popular content on its servers, that the URL links to those infringing content files were widely disseminated on the internet, and that the links were advertised and promoted by pirate linking sites, so that a maximum number of users would access the infringing content,” the lawsuit reads.

“It further exercised active control over the process of providing that content by regulating the volume and speed of transmissions to users who had not yet purchased ‘premium’ subscriptions,” the lawsuit continues. “Megaupload made money in two ways—through premium subscriptions and online advertising.”

“In exchange for payment, premium users would receive faster access to infringing files, including Plaintiff’s copyrighted works hosted on Defendants’ computer servers.”

Megaupload shut down in January 2012, with the RIAA stating the impact on reducing piracy among internet users was “profoundly positive.” The RIAA says that according to a comparison of Q4 2011 and Q4 2012 (after shutdown), 50% of Megaupload users were no longer using any unauthorized music sites. The same dynamic was noticed after the shut down of Limewire—but even to 2024 the fight against digital lockers like Megaupload continues.

As recently as July 2024 major labels are suing Verizon for the alleged ‘pervasive’ copyright infringement of its internet subscribers, focusing on P2P file-sharing networks and BitTorrent itself.

Photo Credit: Joe Scarnici / Getty Images for Delta LA2028 Sponsorship

After a report accusing talent mogul Casey Wasserman of multiple extramarital affairs, Billie Eilish has reportedly dropped him. Here’s the latest.

A report published two weeks ago claims to have eleven sources that have accused the talent mogul of being a serial cheater. It suggests Wasserman ‘love bombed’ women with expensive gifts before dropping them after the conquest. Wasserman is the Chairman of the LA 2028 Olympic committee. These sources claim Wasserman began cheating on his wife with his assistant five years into his marriage in 2006 and is accused of a string of other romantic relationships with employees.

The Wasserman CEO served as live booking representation for Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas—though Eilish dropped Wasserman after the allegations. According to TheWrap, Eilish felt “very upset” about the allegations and prepared to part ways in the last two weeks before dropping the news on Tuesday. Billie Eilish sang alongside The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snoop Dogg for the Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday.

“While grateful to their former live booking agents at Wasserman, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell have opted to have film, TV, and music handled by the same agency, WME, moving forward,” a spokesperson for Eilish told TheWrap in comment on the situation. Wasserman Music acquired Paradigm Talent Agency’s North American live music representation business in 2021, bringing Eilish into the Wasserman fold.

Representatives for Casey Wasserman have not commented on Eilish’s departure or any of the allegations made in the Daily Mail report released on August 1. All of the eleven women cited in the report have remained anonymous due to “fear of social or legal consequences for speaking out about [Wasserman’s] infidelity.”

Other artists on the Wasserman Music roster include Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, The Lumineers, Dave Matthews Band, Janelle Monáe, Kacey Musgraves, Old Dominion, Phish, Ed Sheeran, Lorde, Sturgill Simpson, Black Pumas, Brandi Carlile, Tyler Childers, Kaytranada, Normani, Run the Jewls, Tash Sultana, Diplo, DJ Snake, Flume, Jack Harlow, ODESZA, and Skrillex.

Photo Credit: Suga for Marie Claire Korea / CC by 3.0

BTS’ Suga is facing possible prison time over his drunk driving scooter incident in Seoul last week.

Suga, best known as a member of the K-pop supergroup BTS, is facing potential prison time or a hefty fine for falling off an e-scooter while under the influence of alcohol last week in Seoul.

The breathalyzer test conducted the day of the incident revealed his blood-alcohol level was significantly higher than the legal limit when he was found lying on the ground in Seoul’s Yongsan district on August 6 after an apparent accident.

BTS is currently on a break from music while its members perform their compulsory national military service. The group’s label, Big Hit Music, initially claimed Suga had been riding an electric kickboard — which can reach maximum speeds of around 15mph — at the time of his accident. But it emerged later that he had been riding an e-scooter, with a maximum speed of closer to 20mph.

In an apology posted to the former Twitter, Suga claimed he had been fined and his driver’s license revoked. Under South Korean law, drivers with a blood-alcohol level of 0.2% or higher can receive a fine of around $7,500 or a prison sentence of two to five years.

The penalties for driving an e-scooter under the influence are the same as similar offenses while driving a car. Suga’s blood-alcohol level was revealed to be around 0.227%.

Suga reportedly told police he had consumed only a single glass of beer before the accident, but his blood-alcohol level has been described as “impossibly high” for just a single glass of beer.

BTS is expected to reunite next year after all seven members have completed their military service. Suga is not expected to be made to leave the group over the incident, but Korean culture critics say the band will “struggle to rebuild public trust.” Suga’s case is still under investigation by Korean police.

Photo Credit: German Comic Con / CC by 3.0

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter launches a $2.5 million countersuit against his longtime sexual assault accuser Melissa Schuman.

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter has filed a countersuit against his longtime sexual assault accuser, Melissa Schuman, alleging emotional distress and saying she cost him work. He claims her version of events never occurred and asks for $2.5 million in damages.

Melissa Schuman is only one of the women who has accused Nick Carter of sexual assault. She filed a lawsuit against Carter in California over an alleged sexual assault at an apartment in 2003. Another woman, Shannon Ruth, sued Carter in Nevada over an alleged assault on a tour bus in 2001.

Nick then filed a lawsuit in Las Vegas court against Shannon, Melissa, and Melissa’s father, accusing Melissa and her father of coaching Shannon into making false allegations against him to extort a large settlement. Carter also denied all allegations against him, insisting any sex between them was consensual. He asked for $2 million in damages in that lawsuit.

Though the lawsuits filed in Nevada are still pending, a judge is denying Carter’s request to put the Los Angeles lawsuit on hold until the Las Vegas case is settled. Now, Carter is filing his countersuit against Melissa in Los Angeles.

In his countersuit, Carter claims he and Melissa had consensual sex after meeting on the set of a television movie they were filming in 2003. She was a member of the pop girl group Dream, which was active from 1998 to 2003. Carter says she “struggled over the years to stay relevant.”

He says that in 2017, Melissa accused him in a blog post of publicly raping her on the night in question in 2003. Further, Carter asserts that Melissa and her father “recruited and groomed third parties to defame him.”

According to Carter’s filing, Melissa’s appearances on Dr. Oz’s show, as well as interviews and appearances like the 2024 documentary, “Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter,” were designed to “falsely claim” that he had sexually assaulted her.

These allegations cost him a $350,000 deal with MeUndies, a $1 million deal with Vrbo, an endorsement deal with Roblox, a brand partnership with The Children’s Place worth $125,000, and an endorsement with children’s brand Tonies, Carter asserts.

Carter’s lawyer writes, “After hearing [Melissa’s] defamatory statements, the foregoing companies, including others, terminated their contracts and business relationships with [Nick], costing [him] millions.”

The lawsuit ultimately demands $2.5 million in damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees. He also claims to be suffering from PTSD due to the “false” allegations against him.

Currently, Nick Carter is finishing up a European summer tour in Spain.

Photo Credit: Jared Kofsky / ABC News

The notary whose signature was faked in the Graceland foreclosure attempt speaks out about the scandal — ‘My life was uprooted.’

Kimberly Philbrick, the notary whose signature was faked — and poorly, she adds — has spoken out about the Graceland foreclosure attempt that uprooted her life. Philbrick found herself in the news when a business entity calling itself Naussany Investments and Private Lending attempted to foreclose on Elvis Presley’s home of Graceland.

A judge put a stop to the process back in May that could otherwise have seen the tourist attraction put up for auction. In court documents, Naussany claimed Lisa Marie Presley took out a $3.8 million loan before her death, using the Memphis landmark as collateral. Lisa Marie, Elvis’ only child and the heir to his legacy, had passed away only 16 months prior.

Philbrick, the notary public whose signature was alleged to have notarized a loan document, also said to be signed by Lisa Marie in her presence, swore she had never seen the documents nor met Presley.

“Where did they get my name? That’s the million dollar question,” Philbrick told ABC News. “I don’t know where they got it. I wish I knew where they got it.”

A former car dealership employee, Kimberly Philbrick also worked in a county office that registered auto-ownership papers. But she asserts she’d never even been to Jacksonville, Florida, where the notarization allegedly took place; she works 90 miles away in Daytona Beach.

“My life was uprooted,” she continued. “My identity was stolen, too. That’s what a lot of people seem to forget.”

Further, Philbrick says she would definitely have remembered if she had notarized anything for Lisa Marie Presley. “I know for a fact I didn’t notarize anything for her — I would have remembered it.”

Philbrick thought it was a joke at first when an investigator asked her if she knew Lisa Marie Presley, but quickly realized the connection was no laughing matter. She signed an affidavit swearing she had never met Presley and had not notarized anything for her.

“It looks absolutely nothing like my signature,” she explained. “It’s like they didn’t even attempt to make it look good. Everything was fraudulent. Everything was fabricated.”

That affidavit was integral to the court’s decision to issue a temporary injunction that stalled the auction, before a halt to the process could be issued altogether. Philbrick didn’t appear in court, but her written statement on the affidavit raised “serious questions regarding the authenticity of the signature on the deed of trust,” according to Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins.

Though Philbrick has never been to Graceland, she says she plans to visit someday. “I still have to pay $82 to get in, but I saved Graceland,” she said.

The investigation into Naussany Investments has been turned over to federal authorities. A grand jury is now investigating the matter to determine whether wire or mail fraud was committed. Philbrick says she plans to testify at the grand jury after being served with a subpoena.

Photo Credit: Kim Beom-su for Acrofan / CC by 3.0

Kakao founder Kim Beom-su has been indicted by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office on allegations of stock manipulation.

Kim Beom-su now faces a court trial after being indicted on allegations of stock manipulation related to his company Kakao’s acquisition of K-pop agency SM Entertainment. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office alleges that he and other Kakao executives artificially injected 240 billion Korean won ($174.4 million) to inflate SM Entertainment’s stock prices between February 16 and 17, and February 27 and 28, in 2023. This, they say, was done in collusion with private equity fund OneAsia Partners, to block BTS agency Hybe from purchasing the stocks.

The executives are accused of interfering with the stock market on 553 occasions over the span of four days. Further, Kim allegedly refrained from reporting stock purchases to financial regulators; a company is obligated to make a regulatory report if it owns over five percent of another firm, and Kakao held an 8.16% stake in SM Entertainment during that period.

Kim Beom-su was arrested on July 23, while former Kakao CEO Hong Eun-taek and former Kakao Entertainment CEO Kim Sung-soo were indicted, but not arrested, on the same day. Initially, prosecutors had only tied Kim Beom-su to the manipulation said to have taken place on February 28 — but upon further investigation, authorities believe Kim was involved for the entirety.

At trial, prosecutors will need to prove that Kakao intentionally meddled with SM Entertainment’s shares with the purpose of obstructing Hybe’s attempts at acquisition. “We have secured sufficient material and testimonial evidence that Kim violated the relevant clause and plan to present them at the trial,” prosecutors told JoongAng.

The clause in question, Clause 3, Article 176 of the Capital Markets Act, states: “No one shall engage in making purchases or sales in connection with listed securities or exchange-traded derivatives or shall entrust or be entrusted with such act, with intent to fix or stabilize the market price of the listed securities or exchange-traded derivatives.”

While prosecutors sound confident in their burden of proof, Kakao’s attorneys maintain that Kim did not instruct or condone any “illegalities” involving the acquisition. The company released a statement that it would “diligently vindicate the facts during court trial,” and do its best to “minimize [Kim’s] management vacancy” with CEO Chung Shin-a serving as head of Kakao’s Corporate Alignment Council.

Photo Credit: Allkpop

BTS member Suga is in hot water over a drunk driving charge, joining Justin Timberlake in the ‘bad decisions made at night’ club. Suga also had his licensed revoked. Here’s the latest.

On August 7, Yongsan Police Station in Seoul said that Min Yoon-gi (Suga) was booked for violating the Road Traffic Act due to drunk driving. The k-pop star was found by a police officer who says the star fell to the ground after riding an electric scooter while intoxicated in the Hannam-dong area of Yongsan District. A police officer patrolling near the Presidential Office noticed Suga lying on the ground. He helped him up and detected the smell of alcohol on his breath, issuing a breathalyzer on the spot. Suga failed the breathalyzer, so he was booked.

Big Hit Music and Suga have acknowledged the incident, with Suga stating, “After drinking at dinner last night, I rode an electric kickboard home. I naively thought it was a short distance, not realizing that operating an electric kickboard while under the influence was illegal. Fortunately, no one was harmed, and no property was damaged.”

“Suga was wearing a helmet while riding an electric kickboard home,” Big Hit Music said in its statement about the incident. “He fell after traveling about 500 meters while trying to park. Fortunately, there were no injuries or property damage caused by this incident.”

While both Suga and Big Hit Music call the vehicle in question an ‘electric kickboard’ it’s worth noting that police classified the vehicle as a scooter. An electric kickboard is a vehicle without a seat—which the vehicle Suga was driving did have. The vehicle is treated the same as gasoline-powered scooters under the law, requiring a more rigorous investigation into the incident.

Suga took to Weverse to issue an apology for his behavior. “I come to you with a very heavy heart and deep apologies for disappointing you with this regrettable incident. I thought complacently that it was a short distance, not realizing I was not allowed to ride the electric scooter while intoxicated, breaking the Road Traffic Act.”

Both the US and South Korea have strict laws against drunk driving motorized vehicles—no matter if the vehicle is a car or not. You’d think pop stars like Suga and Justin Timberlake could whip out their phones and summon an Uber for a few bucks and no civil trouble, but drunk folks aren’t exactly known for being forward thinkers. Even if you’re too plastered to summon a ride yourself, usually you can talk to the bartender and they’ll get you a taxi. There’s absolutely no reason to drive drunk—no matter how short the distance.

Photo Credit: Hamptons.com Live Feed

Justin Timberlake appeared virtually at his DWI hearing on Friday, where the judge suspended his license and threatened his lawyer with a gag order.

Timberlake appeared wearing a black collared shirt for his hearing via video conference from Antwerp, Belgium. Sag Harbor Justice Carl Irace berated the musician’s lawyer, Edward Burke Jr., for what he called “irresponsible” comments made at the last court hearing, with the judge saying it “comes off as an attempt to poison the case before it even begins.”

Justice Irace suspended Timberlake’s license because he refused to take a breathalyzer test on June 18 when he was pulled over. His license will remain suspended while the case is ongoing, according to Burke Jr. The hearing lasted for around a half hour, ending with the admonishment of Burke, with the judge telling the attorney to “raise the bar, not lower it.”

Speaking with reporters outside the courthouse, Burke Jr. says he plans on filing motions and letting “the content of those motions and arguments contained therein speak for themselves.” Burke Jr. also continued with Timberlake’s claim that he was not intoxicated at the time he was pulled over.

“We all have jobs to do, and we’re obligated to zealously defend our clients, and that’s what I plan on doing,” Burke Jr. told a reporter when asked about the judge’s threat of a gag order. The hearing comes more than a month after Timberlake was pulled over after failing a field sobriety test. He was arrested on suspicion of intoxicated driving in the Hamptons, an affluent area of Long island. Timberlake claims he had “one martini” before he was pulled over, pleading not guilty.

Timberlake was driving a BMW with Florida license plates when he was stopped shortly after midnight for driving through a stop sign and failing to stay on the right side of the road. Police who spoke to Timberlake that night say he was in no shape to drive, stating “his eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot, and performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” writes Sag Harbor Village police officer Michael Arkinson.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC by 2.0

Justin Timberlake’s arraignment takes place next week on a misdemeanor drunk driving charge, but his attorney argues he was ‘not intoxicated.’

After he was arrested back in June for driving while intoxicated in a waterfront village outside of New York City, pop star Justin Timberlake will appear virtually for a hearing next week while he is on tour in Europe, a judge ruled on Friday, July 26.

Sag Harbor Village Justice Carl Irace has also agreed to review a motion by Timberlake’s attorney, Edward D. Burke Jr., to dismiss the case outright based on what Burke calls a “procedurally defective” criminal complaint filed by the Sag Harbor Village police officer who arrested Timberlake. According to Burke, the local police department failed to have a supervising officer sign off on the criminal complained detailing the “young, part-time” officer’s interactions with Timberlake.

“The most important thing we have to say today is obviously that Justin should not have been arrested for driving while intoxicated,” Burke told reporters outside the court following the hearing. “The police made a number of very significant errors in this case, and you heard the District Attorney try to fix one of those errors just this morning upstairs in court.”

Burke added that Timberlake “cooperated with the police offers from the second he was ordered out of his car to the second he was discharged on June 18,” by the same judge. “But the facts remain: he was not intoxicated. I’ll say it again: Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated and we’re confident that charge — that criminal charge — will be dismissed.”

Irace says the arraignment will still go forward based on a revised criminal complaint filed earlier this month by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office. Meanwhile, prosecutor Ashley Cangro says the paperwork issue Burke has raised has no bearing “on the facts of the case.”

A spokesperson for the DA’s office told Deadline that a “ministerial error” discovered by prosecutors in the initial criminal complaint following Timberlake’s arrest was corrected. Still, they emphasize that “the facts and circumstance of the case have not been changed or amended.”

When Timberlake was arrested in the early hours of June 18 after a night out with friends, the arresting officer wrote that Timberlake was “in an intoxicated condition” and that his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy,” while he emitted “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage.”

Timberlake told the officer, “I had one martini, and I followed my friends home.” But the star “performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” and then verbally refused a breathalyzer test. Timberlake was arrested and spent the rest of the night in local lockup, before being released later that morning.

A first-time offender facing a misdemeanor driving while intoxicated charge, Timberlake could face up to a year behind bars and a fine up to $2,500, as well as a loss of driving privileges in New York State. He has pleaded not guilty to driving while intoxicated and assorted traffic violations.

Photo Credit: Stefan Brending / CC by 3.0

The Tenacious D fallout continues as fans post videos of Jack Black’s reaction to Kyle Gass’ comments on-stage. Now, just days after posting an apology for a crass comment made about the attempted assassination on former President Trump, Gass has deleted the apology from Instagram.

Following news that Jack Black was cancelling the remaining Tenacious D tour dates in Australia, fans have began posting Black’s reaction to Gass’s comments online. Black took to social media to cancel the remaining tour dates after a comment Kyle Gass made on stage. Black presented Gass with a birthday cake to celebrate his 64th and asked him to make a wish. Gass responds, “don’t miss Trump next time.”

The comment is in reference to an assassination attempt on the former President, which happened at a rally in Pennsylvania the previous day. The audience and Jack Black laughed along at the comment in the posted footage, though the comments rose ire among politicians in Australia. Several politicians took to social media to call for Tenacious D to be deported back to the United States. After the furor, Jack Black took to social media to apologize stating he was ‘blindsided by Gass’ and the comment he made.

A post with a video of Jack Black’s reaction to the comment has appeared on social media with the comment, “So Black clearly found [the comment] funny then, I mean, literally visually and obviously found it funny until someone told him not to.”

Other commenters side with Black on the issue, stating: “I think it comes down to ‘too soon.’ The tone was clearly not out of character, but JB is a corporate entity, and that comes with cringe, soul sucking responsibilities.”

Gass apologized for making the comment initially, saying “the line I improvised on-stage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous, and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgment. I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret any pain I’ve caused.”

Now, three days later—Gass has removed the apology entirely. It’s worth noting that while the former President was shot at and the shooter missed his intended target, two people were critically injured and one was killed. In addition to removing the apology, Gass apparently liked a comment from a Tenacious D fan account encouraging the return of the band. Gass’ long-time agent dropped him in the aftermath of these comments.

Photo Credit: joergens.mi / CC by 4.0

Following the cancellation of the remaining Tenacious D tour dates by bandmate Jack Black, things have gotten worse for Kyle Gass. His long-time talent agent has announced the two have parted ways following comments made in Sydney.

Michael Greene of Greene Talent has confirmed that he is no longer representing Gass following his comments on-stage about the assassination attempt. “We have parted ways after what happened in Sydney,” Greene told Rolling Stone in an email.

Tenacious D was performing at the ICC Sydney Theatre, with Jack Black rolling out a cake to celebrate Kyle’s birthday. Jack Black asked Gass to make a wish, to which he did, making the comment, “Don’t miss Trump next time.” The comment received laughter from the audience, but quickly drew ire from politicians in Australia.

Black took to social media to apologize for the comments, stating that the remainder of the Tenacious D tour is canceled. “After much reflection, I no longer feel it is appropriate to continue the Tenacious D tour, and all future creative plans are on hold. I am grateful to the fans for their support and understanding.”

Gass also took to social media to apologize for the comments, stating: “The line I improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake. I don’t condone violence of any kind, in any form, against anyone. What happened was a tragedy, and I’m incredibly sorry for my severe lack of judgment. I profoundly apologize to those I’ve let down and truly regret the pain I caused.”

The incident occurred during the ICC Sydney performance on July 14, but the band was slated to tour across Australia and New Zealand.

Canceled Tenacious D Tour Dates — Australia & New Zealand

July

• 16 | Newcastle Entertainment Centre — Newcastle, Australia
• 18 | Brisbane Entertainment Centre — Brisbane, Australia
• 20 | Rod Laver Arena — Melbourne, Australia
• 22 | Adelaide Entertainment Centre — Adelaide, Australia
• 24 | TSB Arena — Wellington, New Zealand
• 26 | Spark Arena — Auckland, New Zealand

Photo Credit: Sachyn Mital / CC by 3.0

Danny Elfman is being sued by a former protégé, composer Nomi Abadi, on grounds of defamation for comments he made to Rolling Stone in 2023 about her previous accusations that he sexually assaulted her.

Composer Nomi Abadi is suing her former mentor, Danny Elfman, for defamation in a lawsuit filed on Wednesday. The suit stems from comments Elfman made to Rolling Stone last year regarding her previous allegations that he sexually assaulted and harassed her.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Elfman “peddled appalling lies for publication to Rolling Stone about Nomi, who had previously in an earlier lawsuit truthfully relayed facts corroborating his penchant to sexually abuse women.” The filing further alleges that Elfman made these remarks to “prop up” his reputation by “destroying Nomi’s credibility.”

“Defendant Elfman lied about Nomi, branding her as a scorned woman attempting to break up his marriage, and as someone who initiated nude photography,” the suit continues. “As a result of Elfman and his representatives’ defamations, Nomi has suffered humiliation, both personally and professionally, within their shared composing industry, and online, and harm to her professional reputation and her occupation as a composer, musician, and educator.”

The lawsuit continues, “Elfman’s scheme involved him and his representatives communicating the following lies, among others, to Rolling Stone: (i) that Elfman did not engage in sexual misconduct towards Nomi; (ii) that Elfman never masturbated in front of her; (iii) that Elfman never inappropriately touched Nomi; (iv) that Elfman never placed his bodily fluids in a martini glass he presented to Nomi; (v) that Nomi is a scorned woman seeking revenge and money to make Elfman ‘pay for having rejected her’; and (vi) that Nomi invited Elfman’s misconduct, including by requesting that he take nude pictures of her.”

Nomi Abadi’s initial lawsuit was filed in 2018, and Rolling Stone was the first to cover it. The publication found at the time that Nomi had not only told several friends about Elfman’s alleged behavior, but had filed an extensive police report. Elfman denied the allegations at the time and released a statement claiming he “allowed someone to get close” to him without “knowing that [he] was her ‘childhood crush,’ and that her intention was to break up” his marriage and “replace” his wife.

Elfman and Abadi reached a settlement of $830,000 and signed an NDA, but in 2023, Abadi sued him for failing to make a payment toward that settlement. Elfman was also sued for sexual harassment last October by a second woman, who wished to remain anonymous.

Photo Credit: Kaleb Nimz

Hackers are playing a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with Ticketmaster after a data breach has leaked more than 440,000 Taylor Swift ticket buyers’ personal details. Now investigators are taking aim at discovering who is behind the hack that impacts multiple artists—not just Taylor Swift.

While the hacking collective ShinyHunters have featured Taylor Swift tickets prominently in their back and forth with Ticketmaster, several other artists who are touring now have been impacted. Ticket buyers to shows including Pearl Jam, Sammy Hagar, Stevie Nicks, and Steve Miller Band are impacted.

Tours including Usher’s “Past Present Future Tour,” P!nk’s “Summer Carnival,” Aerosmith’s “Peace Out Farewell Tour,” Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s “Love Earth Tour,” Alanis Morissette’s “The Triple Moon Tour,” Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Unlimited Love Tour,” and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Bands’ 2024 tour. Reports suggest tickets for several Cirque du Soleil tickets are also included in the leak.

Digital Music News has reported on the ongoing nature of the data leak, including the ShinyHunters group taunting Ticketmaster’s statement that says tickets can be reset. “Pay us $2 million or we will leak the mail and e-ticket barcodes for all of your events,” the group said in a threat. On Breach Forum, a popular site for black hat individuals to share techniques, the group seemingly released a DIY step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own printable tickets based on leaked information.

The hackers claim to have access to 193 million barcodes, more than half a million of them are for upcoming shows. To prove their claims, the group released a tranche of Taylor Swift tickets for an upcoming show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN for three nights in November. The group also claims to have asked for a ransom of $8 million not to leak the information or sell it to the highest bidder.

Ticketmaster has begun contacting users whose data was contained in the breach, suggesting identity theft monitoring service. It also claims that its SafeTix technology can prevent leaked tickets from being useable because it refreshes a new and unique barcode every few seconds. In its regulatory filing in May with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Live Nation did not detail how many accounts were impacted by the data breach.

According to Live Nation’s full year report, in 2023 more than 620 million tickets were sold through Ticketmaster to various music shows, festivals, performances, and sporting events. More than 145 million users attended those events—suggesting the data breach could impact millions of Americans. The news comes as The U.S. Justice Department and Attorneys General of 28 states and the District of Columbia filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.

“I am deeply alarmed by Ticketmaster’s failure to notify consumers fully and promptly about the May hack,” Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said in a statement about the ongoing brouhaha. “There are urgent concerns about what information was stolen and how that data might be exploited. I am monitoring the situation closely and urge any consumers who may have been impacted to enroll in the free credit monitoring service Ticketmaster is providing, and be vigilant of their bank accounts for any suspcious activity.”

Photo Credit: Ashley King

Just days after notifying customers of the Ticketmaster data breach, Live Nation encounters ‘dynamic pricing’ from the ShinyHunters hacking group. The $1 million ransom has increased to $8 million after the group reveals Taylor Swift Eras Tour ticketing data is part of the leak.

Speaking on a dark net forum with screenshots confirmed by HackRead, the group claims to have stolen 193 million ticketing barcodes. They include 440,000 Taylor Swift tickets, valued at $22 billion. Posted in a thread on Breach Forums titled “Ticketmaster event barcodes ‘Taylor Swift’ pt 1/65000” the group suggests perhaps instead of performing on tour, Swift may perform in front of Congress due to the breach.

The hacking group also alleges that initially Live Nation was willing to pay the $1 million offer to keep the data breach under wraps. After combing through the data, the group decided to release a July 4th drop and increase their ransom ask to $8 million.

“Due to the nature of company ending exfil event.. [we] no longer accept $1 million as we found hot to make way more expensive and insurance surely accepts this; we restart negotiations at $8M let the negotiator and insurance know. Otherwise for buyers, $8M and you’re going first.”

ShinyHunters revealed the extensive nature of the Ticketmaster data hack in this forum post which includes:

• 980 million sales orders
• 680 million order details
• 1.2 billion party lookup records
• 440 million unique email addresses
• 4 million uncased and de-duped records
• 560 million Address Verification System detail records
• 400 million encrypted credit card details with partial information

ShinyHunters also claims that the Ticketmaster data breach is the largest publicly disclosed non-scrape breach of customer Personally Identifiable Information to date. The Taylor Swift ticketing data exposed as an example of the data taken appears to include ticket sales data for an Eras Tour event at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. That event is a three-night affair on November 1, 2, and 3, 2024.

The data captured by the hacking group includes barcode values and seat details, which means counterfeit tickets for these seats could be created and sold fraudulently. We already have an example of something similar happening at a Bad Bunny concert in Mexico City in 2022—leading to mass chaos as legitimate ticket buyers were turned away.

The exposed data also includes host account creation dates and VAX account numbers, which could be used to identify and exploit user accounts. With detailed personal information, attackers can create convincing phishing emails or social engineered attacks to target ticket buyers whose data was taken. Huge swaths of personally identifiable information is contained in this data breach, which may be the biggest since the Equifax hack.

Photo Credit: Ashley King

Weeks after admitting it experienced a data breach, Ticketmaster is now getting around to informing its customers. Unfortunately, we’re left with more questions than answers.

Ticket buyers were greeted to an email with the subject, “Data incident related to transactions in North America” from Ticketmaster. “We wanted to inform you that Ticketmaster recently discovered unauthorized activity in a third-party cloud database that contained limited personal information of some customers who bought tickets to events in North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico).”

“The database held details such as email, phone number, as well as other personal information you provided to us including payment card information such as encrypted credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates. Your Ticketmaster account remains secure.”

Digital Music News reported on the Ticketmaster hack on June 18, which occurred after a single Belarusian contractor for Snowflake was compromised. Snowflake is a cloud data storage firm used by many companies, with 165 customers impacted alongside Ticketmaster. Other victims of the data breach include Santander, Lending Tree, and Advance Auto Parts. The hacking group ShinyHunters claim to have lifted a 1.3TB database from Ticketmaster.

Ticketmaster says it is working with industry-leading cybersecurity experts, the relevant authorities, companies, and banks. The ticketing service is offering those impacted 12 months of credit monitoring service from TransUnion to spot potential fraud caused by the data leak—but only if you enroll 90 days after receiving the notice. It took Ticketmaster more than two months since reports of the breach to inform customers they were impacted.

Both Live Nation and Ticketmaster are facing a lawsuit over the data breach filed by California residents Cynthia Ryan and Rosalia Garcia. That lawsuit alleges that Live Nation and Ticketmaster failed to properly secure their personal information including full names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, ticket sales, and event details—including partial payment details. The information was then made available for sale on the dark web for $500,000.

“Compromised payment data includes customer names, the last four digits of card numbers, expiration dates, and even customer fraud details,” the lawsuit alleges. A Live Nation regulatory riling released in May reveals the company faced a “criminal threat actor” who tried to sell Ticketmaster data on the dark web. Live Nation says it is currently investigating the breach.

Photo Credit: Diddy by Shamsuddin Muhammad / Reckless Dream Photography / CC by 2.0

Diddy gets dumped by powerful NYC entertainment and media law firm Grubman, Shire, Meiselas & Sacks as he faces mounting sexual assault allegations.

Manhattan’s premier entertainment and media law firm, Grubman, Shire, Meiselas & Sacks, which represents the majority of big-name artists in the music industry, has dumped disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs as a client in light of numerous sexual assault allegations against him. The news comes after reports over the weekend that Lady Gaga told the firm to either drop Combs, or she would walk away.

“The report that the decision was the result of client pressure just isn’t true,” a spokesperson for the firm told The NY Post, asserting that the decision to part ways with Combs was in the works for “a number of months,” due to mounting sexual assault allegations against him. Further, a source close to Lady Gaga told Page Six that her conversation with the firm “never happened.”

Combs was the firm’s client for over 20 years. He was a personal friend of attorney Allen Grubman, and was even known to stop by his home in the Hamptons before the rapper became persona non grata in the music industry. Grubman, a founder of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, was the first practicing lawyer to be inducted in November 2022.

Regardless of the firm’s assertion that it was already planning to part ways with Diddy, if there’s any truth to the reports that Lady Gaga threatened to walk away, the firm would have undoubtedly been quick to take action. An exit by the “Poker Face” singer could spell disaster for the law firm, setting off a domino effect of other prominent artists running for the door.

Combs, who is still under federal investigation for allegations of sex trafficking and other crimes, notably scrubbed his Instagram account last week. That follows NYC Mayor Adams revoking Combs’ key to the city, and the City of Miami Beach withdrawing its previously announced “Sean Diddy Combs Day.” Both come just weeks after a surveillance video leaked of the disgraced rapper beating his ex-girlfriend.

Photo Credit: Diplo’s Instagram

Diplo takes to Instagram to respond to the allegations that he has been distributing “revenge porn” of a Jane Doe, who is currently suing him in California federal court.

DJ and producer Diplo, who is being sued for the alleged distribution of revenge porn, took to Instagram to respond to the news — alongside photos and video clips of him having a blast in Europe. A New York woman identified as Jane Doe filed the lawsuit against him in California federal court on June 27.

“Don’t believe what you read in the news. I don’t own a 100 million dollar mansion, I didn’t pay 450k euros to rave in Ibiza, and I didn’t send dirty Snapchats in 2017,” wrote the 45-year-old Diplo, whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz. The post accompanied a shirtless photo of the DJ and several clips of him enjoying the summer and playing at his recent shows in Athens, Croatia, and Prague. “Let’s talk about how lucky I am to party with you guys and how good the raves are here in Europe.”

Jane Doe’s complaint alleges that she began communicating with Diplo on Snapchat in April 2016, when she was 21 and the artist was 37. During that time, “Diplo maintained continuous contact with [Doe], exchanging pornographic images with her.”

That June, the two met in person for the first time, according to the complaint, beginning an “intimate relationship” that continued until October 2023. Throughout the relationship, Jane Doe says they had sex and exchanged “intimate and/or nude photographs and videos.” She claims she “made it known that she did not want [Diplo] recording them engaging in sexual activities without her explicit consent,” and did not want him to “distribute images and/or videos to third parties,” and never provided consent to do so.

In November 2023, Jane Doe says a woman reached out to her to tell her she was “in possession of images and videos” of her and Diplo having sex. She says she allegedly received “the intimate material” from Diplo via Snapchat in October 2018. Doe’s complaint clarifies that she did not know the woman prior to their contact in November.

The filing says Doe reported Diplo to the New York Police Department, and that police issued a warrant for his arrest. The NYPD office of the deputy commissioner of public information has confirmed to Pitchfork that there is a “criminal complaint on file for unlawful dissemination for a suspect with the name of Thomas Pentz, which is currently being investigated by NYPD detectives.”

According to the complaint, Jane Doe believes Diplo has continued distributing the intimate images and videos from 2018 into the present. “Plaintiff has and will continue to suffer personal injury from the disclosure and/or distribution of the intimate images and/or videos,” the lawsuit states. “The permanent harm she proximately suffers includes, but is not limited to, extreme and severe emotional distress with physical manifestations, anxiety, depression, and loss of privacy.”

Bryan J. Freedman, Diplo’s attorney, said in a statement to Vanity Fair, “Time and again, Wes has been targeted by a group of untrustworthy individuals and their unscrupulous lawyers, cobbling together falsehoods in search of a meritless payday.”

“This suit seems to be just more of the same, which is why we have no reason to believe that this will end any differently than all the others,” he concluded.

Diplo has been involved in a separate legal battle with a woman named Shelly Auguste since 2020, which has twice involved her accusing him of distributing revenge porn. He has not been criminally charged over the allegations. A related civil trial is scheduled for January 2025.