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Wednesday, November 10 2010 |
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A lawsuit against rapper Rick Ross and other defendants for allegedly profiting off a name and image was dismissed earlier this month in Los Angeles by a judge in the United States District Court for Southern California.
According to news reports, the plaintiff, "Freeway" Ricky Ross, was convicted of running a drug empire that covered Los Angeles in the 1980s and 1990s. He became nationally known when he was linked to the CIA's "Iran-Contra" political scandal and had been the object of scorn for many prominent politicians.
Earlier this year, the incarcerated drug dealer Freeway Ricky Ross filed a lawsuit against the rapper seeking $10 million for alleged infringement on Freeway Ricky's intellectual property rights, including trademark violations, unfair competition and misappropriation of his publicity rights. The case against rapper Rick Ross (born William Roberts Leonard II) and rap mogul Jay-Z was dismissed, despite the rapper’s concession that he did derive his stage name from the infamous drug kingpin.
The official verdict for the case's dismissal: "In support of his trademark claims, Plaintiff alleges that his name was well known in the drug trade and by law enforcement segments of the urban crime, rap and black [community] because he did business as Rick Ross, until he was arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated in federal prison. This illegal activity ... [does] not provide support for Plaintiff having a valid trademark for his name."
—Source: Torontosun.com |
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Wednesday, November 03 2010 |
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A Northwest Florida man was arrested a day after he robbed a bank at gunpoint.
Jorman Sampaio, 26, walked into the Union State Bank carrying a silver handgun. After making the employees get on the floor, Sampaio left with about $6,000. On his way out the door, he dropped a surgical-style glove on the bank floor. While the investigators combed the scene, a man found a wallet in the street near the bank.
Investigators used the image from Sampaio’s ID card to create a photo lineup, from which employees identified him with relative certainty to be the bank robber. When lawmen executed a search warrant at his home, they found a surgical glove consistent with the one found at the bank, a silver semi-automatic handgun and cash.
Sampaio was booked into the county jail.
—Source: nwfdailynews.com |
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Wednesday, October 27 2010 |
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A mom is suing "The Tyra Banks Show" after her daughter falsified documents to appear on the show.
Last October, 15-year-old Jewel (last name withheld), responded to a solicitation on the talk show's website searching for guests for an upcoming show about sex addicts. After signing her mother's name to the consent and release forms and sending them in, Jewel was flown to New York to appear on the show. Jewel's mother, Beverly McClendon, is suing the show and its distributor for $3 million, claiming she knew nothing about her daughter's plans, never gave her permission, and even filed a missing person report.
In a television interview with the Early Show, Jewel admitted, "I was infatuated with Tyra Banks, watched her show every day and just wanted to try it out."
When interviewed about her daughter's behavior, McClendon said when Jewel asked her to go she "emphatically stated, 'No. Absolutely not.'"
Wanda Jackson, McClendon and Jewel's lawyer, added, "I mean, she's a precocious teenager, so she's been a little defiant, as many teens have been and are. Many of us have done things and when we look back, they weren't the best decisions to make. But, that's not our issue. Our issue is this was done without this mother's consent. Or knowledge. ... My 10-year-old signs his report card when it's bad. That's what kids do sometimes. So, you have to have controls in place ... and that's what we're talking about: negligence, extreme negligence. You've got to have controls in place and, in this day and age, with technology and the Internet, she goes online. They fax the consent and release forms. She signs, faxes them back. Too loose, just extreme negligence for a powerhouse, such as that show and that production company."
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and asks for $1 million in compensatory damages and $2 million in punitive damages. It also asks the court to bar the episode from ever being aired again on television or online.
—Source: cbsnews.com |
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Wednesday, October 20 2010 |
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A Long Island (NY) woman is suing a New York concert hall after being denied access to the restroom.
Lindsay Ekizian was 35 weeks pregnant when she begged the Hammerstein Ballroom building supervisor to allow her to use the ladies room after a comedy show at the Midtown venue. According to her lawsuit, management didn't care that she was 35 weeks pregnant, with a baby pressing on her bladder.
"There's a bathroom at the end of the block," the supervisor allegedly told her.
According to news reports and the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit, Ekizian didn't make it to the restroom and she blames Hammerstein management for the humiliation of wetting her pants.
The Hammerstein Ballroom refused comment.
—Source: New York Post |
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Thursday, October 14 2010 |
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A transgender woman is suing the LPGA over a requirement which states all competitors must be "female at birth."
Lana Lawless, a 57-year-old who underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2005, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco claiming the policy violates California civil rights laws. Lawless, a retired police officer, won the women's world championship in long-drive golf in 2008 with a 254-yard drive into a headwind. This year, Lawless was ruled ineligible because the sponsor of the event, Long Drivers of America, had changed its policy to mirror that of the LPGA.
The lawsuit against the LPGA also names Long Drivers of America and several of its sponsors, and seeks an unspecified amount in damages and a permanent injunction preventing the tour from holding tournaments or qualifying events in California as long as it continues to exclude transgender people.
“It’s an issue of access and opportunity,” Lawless said in a telephone interview Tuesday. “I’ve been shut out because of prejudice.”
Lawless claims she has no competitive edge over other female golfers.
—Source: The New York Times |
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