Michael Jackson estate sues HBO over documentary

LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson's estate filed a $100 million lawsuit against HBO on Thursday over plans to air a documentary that alleges the singer sexually abused two young boys.

The 53-page suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims HBO was violating a "non-disparagement" agreement by airing "Leaving Neverland," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year.

"Michael Jackson is innocent. Period," the suit says. "In 2005, Michael Jackson was subjected to a trial -- where rules of evidence and law were applied before a neutral judge and jury and where both sides were heard -- and he was exonerated by a sophisticated jury.

"Ten years after his passing, there are still those out to profit from his enormous worldwide success and take advantage of his eccentricities," it adds.

The four-hour, two-part documentary that is set to air next month includes the testimonies of two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who say the King of Pop sexually abused them when they were seven and 10.

In a statement, HBO said it planned to broadcast the documentary as scheduled.

"Despite the desperate lengths taken to undermine the film, our plans remain unchanged," the statement sent to AFP reads. "HBO will move forward with the airing of 'Leaving Neverland,' the two-part documentary on March 3rd and 4th.

"This will allow everyone the opportunity to assess the film and the claims in it for themselves."

The lawsuit contends that HBO in 1992 aired a concert in Bucharest from Jackson's "Dangerous" world tour and at the time signed non-disparagement provisions that prevent the streaming service from harming Jackson's reputation.

"In violation of both basic norms of documentary journalism and the explicit terms of the agreement, HBO has disparaged Jackson's legacy by airing a one-sided hit piece against Jackson based exclusively on the false accounts of two proven, serial perjurers," the suit states.

It asks the court to compel HBO to take part in a non-confidential arbitration that could cost the company $100 million if found liable.

Jackson, who died on June 25, 2009 after being given an overdose of the anesthetic propofol, faced multiple allegations of child sex abuse during his lifetime.

In addition to his 2005 acquittal the performer paid a $15 million court settlement in 1994 over allegations involving another child.

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Angelina Jolie wants divorce finalized by end of 2018

LOS ANGELES - Angelina Jolie on Tuesday sought to move forward with her long and sometimes bitter divorce from Brad Pitt, which has yet to be finalized after almost two years.

Jolie's attorney filed papers in Los Angeles Superior Court saying the actress wanted a judgment "returning the parties to single status during calendar year 2018."

The document also said that Pitt has "paid no meaningful child support since separation" and said that although informal arrangements had been made with him, payments "had not been regularly sustained."

Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016, ending two years or marriage and a 10-year romance that had made the pair one of Hollywood's most glamorous and powerful couples. They have six children for whom she is seeking primary custody.

Mindy Nyby, a spokeswoman for the actress, said on Tuesday that the court filing was intended "to provide closure to the marriage in a way that clears a path towards the next stage of their lives and allows her and Brad to recommit as devoted co-parents to their children."

Pitt's representatives declined to comment. A source familiar with the matter, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said that "Brad is someone who fulfills his commitments."

The divorce filing, citing irreconcilable differences, triggered a bitter custody dispute during which Pitt was investigated and cleared of child abuse. Final custody arrangements have yet to be agreed.

The "Moneyball" actor said in an interview last year that he had quit drinking, was undergoing therapy and that he and Jolie had decided to abandon "vitriolic hatred" and work together to sort out their issues.

Pitt has kept a low profile in the past two years, while Jolie has recently been filming a sequel to fairytale drama "Maleficent" in London and directed a 2017 film about the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia in which more than one million people died. Their eldest son Maddox was adopted from Cambodia in 2002.

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Deeply indebted Lisa Marie Presley and manager in dueling lawsuits

LOS ANGELES - Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of Elvis Presley, says she is facing financial ruin and has filed a $100 million lawsuit accusing her former business manager of negligence and mismanaging her finances.

Her ex-manager has filed his own lawsuit, accusing Presley, 50, of squandering her famous father's inheritance because of her lavish lifestyle. The lawsuit seeks $800,000 in unpaid bills.

The dueling lawsuits, filed earlier this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, follow the collapse in 2016 of Presley's fourth marriage and her announcement that she was $16 million in debt.

Presley was just 9 years old when Elvis died in 1977, leaving her his sole heir. Her affairs have been managed by Barry Siegel since 1993, when she came into her inheritance through a trust.

Her lawsuit said Presley's "11-year odyssey to financial ruin" began in 2005 and alleged that as result of Siegel’s actions, "Lisa has been damaged in an amount that has not yet been fully ascertained, but is believed to be in excess of $100 million."

The 2005 deal she was referring to involved income from Elvis' former home Graceland and his intellectual property rights.

The lawsuit said that by 2016, the trust was left with $14,000 in cash and over $500,000 in credit card debt.

Siegel's lawsuit said Lisa Marie has "twice squandered" her inheritance and she had been repeatedly told to curb "her spendthrift ways."

Siegel's attorney, Leon Gladstone, said in a statement on Friday that the 2005 deal Presley was complaining about "cleared up over $20 million in debts Lisa had incurred and netted her over $40 million cash and a multi-million dollar income stream, most of which she managed to squander in the ensuing years."

"It’s clear Lisa Marie is going through a difficult time in her life and looking to blame others instead of taking responsibility for her actions," Gladstone said.

Presley launched her own career as a singer in 2003 and has released three albums to mixed success. She is better known for her two-year marriage to singer Michael Jackson and her 108-day marriage to actor Nicholas Cage.

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J&J Baby Powder maker wins California lawsuit over cancer claim

A California jury on Thursday ruled in favor of Johnson & Johnson in a lawsuit by a woman who said she developed the cancer mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos in the company's talc-based products including J&J's Baby Powder.

The Los Angeles Superior Court jury's verdict came in the first trial centering on claims that J&J's talc products contained asbestos. J&J is separately battling thousands of cases claiming those products can also cause ovarian cancer.

The verdict came in a lawsuit by Tina Herford, who said she developed mesothelioma after using J&J talcum powder products that her lawyers claimed contained asbestos.

Reuters watched the verdict through an online broadcast by Courtroom View Network. The jury also found in favor of talc supplier Imerys Talc.

J&J in a statement welcomed the verdict. J&J said it believed that setbacks dealt to individuals pursuing ovarian cancer cases had "forced plaintiff attorneys to pivot to yet another baseless theory."

"Johnson's Baby Powder has been around since 1894 and it does not contain asbestos or cause mesothelioma or ovarian cancer," J&J said.

Chris Panatier, Herford's lawyer, in an email cautioned against reading too much into a single verdict.

"It is a matter of time before juries begin holding them to account," he said.

The verdict came as a federal jury, separately, ordered J&J to pay $247 million to six patients who said they were injured by defective Pinnacle hip implants.

Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer closely associated with exposure to asbestos. It affects the delicate tissue that lines body cavities, most often around the lungs, but also in the abdomen and elsewhere.

Herford's lawyers contended that internal J&J documents showed the New Jersey-based company for decades was aware of the presence of asbestos in the talc that was used in its products but kept selling them anyway.

J&J faces lawsuits by around 5,500 plaintiffs nationally asserting talc-related claims, largely based on claims it failed to warn women about the risk of developing ovarian cancer from the products.

In 5 trials in Missouri involving ovarian cancer lawsuits, juries found J&J liable 4 times and awarded the plaintiffs $307 million. In California, a jury awarded a now-deceased woman $417 million.

But in October, J&J scored major victories when a Missouri appellate court threw out the first verdict there for $72 million and a California judge tossed the $417 million verdict.

The case is Herford et al v. AT&T Corp et al, Los Angeles Superior Court, No. BC646315.

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Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose, two others, accused in lawsuit of rape

Derrick Rose, the 2011 National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, is being sued by a former girlfriend who alleges he and two friends drugged and gang-raped her in 2013.

Rose's accuser, identified only as Jane Doe, said she and the three-time All-Star Chicago Bulls guard dated from 2011 to 2013.

In August 2013, she said, Rose and two friends invited her to Rose's home in Beverly Hills, California, where they slipped a drug into her drink with the aim of raping her.

The woman said she escaped the house but that Rose and his friends broke into her apartment later that night and gang-raped her while she was incapacitated, it said.

Rose's accuser, who is seeking unspecified damages, said she waited for two years to file the suit because she was "ashamed and embarrassed" of what happened.

"I am just focusing on staying healthy and getting ready for the season," Rose, 26, said in a statement on Thursday. "I am not going to comment other than to say: I know the truth, and am confident I will be proven innocent."

The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

A spokeswoman for Rose said in a statement the "plaintiff's allegations are completely false and without any factual basis."

"This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to shake down a highly respected and successful athlete," the statement said. "Mr. Rose was in a non-exclusive, consensual sexual relationship with the plaintiff for over two years."

"We have complete confidence that the case will be dismissed and that Mr. Rose will be vindicated. This lawsuit is outrageous."

Rose, who missed a portion of last season because of a knee injury, averaged 17.7 points, 4.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game in 51 games.

"We just learned about this matter and do not know all the facts," the Bulls said in a statement. "It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time." (Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Peter Cooney)

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Fil-Am appointed as California superior court judge

CALIFORNIA – A Filipino-American was among the 19 judges appointed to the superior court by California Governor Jerry Brown.

Fil-Am judge Julian Recana served as a district attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for 16 years.

He obtained his economics degree from UC Berkeley and Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School.

Recana is a lifetime member of the Philippine-American Bar Association and was awarded the 2015 Prosecutor of the Year by the National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association.

This appointment is a father-and-son success for Recana’s father, judge Mel Recana, who was also appointed by governor Brown 34 years ago and he became the first Fil-Am judge in the country.

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Kanye West set to complete community service over photographer assault

Kanye West has nearly completed the community service hours imposed on the rapper after he pleaded no contest to charges that he assaulted a photographer outside Los Angeles International Airport, his attorney told a court on Tuesday.

West did not appear at the progress hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court, but his attorney Blair Berk said at the hearing that her client has completed 228 out of 250 hours of community service and will likely finish the rest by a Sept. 15 court date, allowing him to fulfill the terms of his probation.

West was involved in a fight outside of Los Angeles International Airport in July 2013 with photographer Daniel Ramos, an incident that followed a 2008 encounter he had with a photographer at the airport that had resulted in his arrest.

In a video posted by celebrity news website TMZ of the 2013 incident, the rapper appeared to lunge at Ramos, and prosecutors accused him of trying to take equipment from the photographer.

West, who has been in the spotlight since his 2004 album "The College Dropout," started garnering even more frequent paparazzi attention when he began dating reality TV star Kim Kardashian in 2012. The couple has since married and they have a daughter, North West.

In 2013, West pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and grand theft charges stemming from the incident. In March 2014, he was sentenced to two years of probation, which included a requirement to complete community service and anger management counseling.

Berk told Reuters on Tuesday that the rapper has completed all of his anger management counseling.

West last year avoided a civil trial over the fracas when he settled a lawsuit brought by Ramos.

(Reporting by Phoenix Tso, Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Eric Beech)

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Sharon Stone sues Filipina nanny over unpaid loan

LOS ANGELES - Sharon Stone has counter-sued her Filipina former nanny, who is pursuing the US actress for wrongful dismissal and harassment including racist abuse, new court documents show.

In a breach-of-loan-agreement action filed in Los Angeles Superior Court this week, the "Basic Instinct" star says Erlinda Elemen owes $9,500 of a $12,500 loan she made to her in 2010.

Elemen, who worked as a live-in nanny for Stone until she was sacked in 2011, repaid $3,000 between August 2010 and January 2011, but then stopped repayments to the 55-year-old actress.

Her lawyers announced last year that she was suing the actress. A judge has ruled that the former nanny had provided enough evidence to support her charges of harassment, failure to prevent harassment, retaliation and wrongful dismissal.

Stone's lawyers sought to have the case -- which has a tentative trial date of July 30 -- dismissed, arguing that comments by the actress did not amount to harassment.

"All we have is that Ms Stone made comments about Filipino food, Filipino accents," said lawyer Daniel Gutenplan.

When the lawsuit was announced in May, the actress's publicist slammed the legal action as "absurd," claiming the ex-nanny was simply trying to "cash in" on Stone.

The lawsuit claimed the star equated being Filipino with being stupid, and ordered her not to speak in front of her children so they would not "talk like you."

Stone also banned Elemen from reading the Bible in the actress's home, even though the live-in nanny looked after the actress's three children and frequently traveled with them.

Elemen, who was hired in October 2006 and was promoted to head live-in nanny two years later, was dismissed in February 2011, after Stone learned she was paid overtime when traveling with the children and on holidays.

In 2011, the actress was ordered to pay $232,000 in compensation to a worker who injured his knee after slipping and falling in her backyard in 2006.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Investors sue film financier David Molner, alleging misappropriation of funds

Film financier David Molner has been hit with a lawsuit by investors who've accused of him fraud and breach of contract.

In a complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court this week, investors alleged that Molner plundered a Cayman Islands-based film fund he controlled, Aramid Entertainment Fund Ltd., and used it as a "personal piggy bank for himself and the entities he controlled." Aramid was established in 2006.

The lawsuit alleged that Beverly Hills resident Molner and his associates hid Aramid's financial woes from auditors and took out more than $60 million from the fund to pay fees to themselves and make loans to entities they controlled. The "looting" left the fund in such dire shape that it was delisted from the Cayman Islands Stock Exchange in March.

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