Tag: LEGAL

The racketeering and gang conspiracy trial against Young Thug and five associates in Atlanta, Georgia—already the longest criminal trial in Georgia history at 18 months, with more days to follow—has been paused indefinitely due to alleged misconduct by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville, reports The Washington Post. Earlier today, Judge Glanville announced that the case would not proceed until another judge decides whether he should recuse himself from overseeing the trial. This follows accusations from defense attorneys claiming that Judge Glanville held a secret meeting with prosecutors and key witness Kenneth Copeland to pressure him to testify, which the attorneys argue was improper and unconstitutional.

Earlier today, Glanville made the hearing public and announced plans to release the full transcript of his meeting with Copeland “so everyone will have a chance to look at it,” but then reversed course, notes The Washington Post. Glanville then said he would refer recusal motions to another judge to determine whether or not he should remain on the case.

Brian Steel, Young Thug’s lead attorney, previously questioned Glanville about the meeting and refused to reveal who informed him of it. As such, Steel was found in criminal contempt last month and ordered to serve 20 weekend days in jail. Disputes over Copeland’s testimony and evidence issues have also delayed testimony, with jurors last hearing statements on June 17.

Today marked the 100th day of proceedings since opening statements. Young Thug’s trial has been prolonged by a myriad of issues, most notably a jury selection process that took a grueling 10 months and, barely two weeks after the trial finally started in late November, another delay after one of Young Thug’s co-defendants, Shannon Stillwell, was stabbed in jail and hospitalized; Stillwell survived the attack. Prosecutors still aren’t halfway through their projected witness list, which includes over 200 people, and the trial is expected to last into 2025, notes The Washington Post.

Young Thug faces numerous charges, mostly based on the allegation that he led the Young Slime Life (YSL) gang, with ties to the national Bloods organization. In opening arguments, Adriane Love, the chief deputy district attorney for Fulton County, told the jury that YSL “moved like a pack,” with Young Thug “as its head,” while seeking to dominate the Atlanta area. The defense countered by claiming that YSL is simply a record label whose artists adhere to the conventions of rap music, presenting entertaining accounts of criminal life that its practitioners do not in fact carry out.

Steel previously said that Young Thug has “committed no crime whatsoever.” During opening arguments, he added that the rapper’s music tells a rags-to-riches story, from “depression, despair, hopelessness, and helplessness” to wealth and acclaim, and claimed Thug was now being exploited by the true criminals who would testify against him.

The judge has also allowed prosecutors to submit song lyrics as evidence, a controversial legal method that analysts have discredited.

In a statement shared with Pitchfork, one of Jane Doe’s attorneys, Micha Star Liberty, called the lawsuit “a vital step towards justice, highlighting the necessity of protecting the rights of those who have been exploited.”

Another of Doe’s attorneys, Helene M. Weiss, added, “Our client deserves justice, and she’s hopeful that this litigation may serve as a catalyst in ending the defendant’s repeated victimization of women once and for all. We cannot allow survivors of image based sexual abuse to be silenced.”

Diplo’s attorney, Bryan J. Freedman, 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.” He continued, “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.”

Last year, a California woman named Shelly Auguste filed a police report with the Los Angeles Police Department against Diplo, alleging that the musician distributed nude photographs of her without permission. According to Vanity Fair, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office said “the matter was deemed unable to prosecute.”

Auguste has been involved in a legal battle with Diplo since 2020, and she has twice accused him of distributing revenge porn. Diplo was also not charged criminally over the first allegation of revenge porn distribution.

Auguste is also suing Diplo for sexual battery, defamation, and more. She filed her lawsuit in 2021, leading Diplo to deny her allegations. A civil trial is scheduled for January 2025, per Vanity Fair.

Diplo, in turn, is suing Auguste for stalking, trespassing, and distributing private materials. The lawsuit, filed by Diplo in April 2021, alleges Auguste to be “dangerously unstable,” and claims she “made relentless efforts to communicate with him” after he ended their relationship, including through fake social media accounts.

In a statement shared last year with Pitchfork, Bryan J. Freedman said, “For more than three years, Shelly Auguste has been orchestrating an ongoing smear campaign against Wes—and this is just more of the same.”

Freedman added, “Now, Ms. Auguste is at it yet again. But Wes will defend himself, and, just as he has done every time Ms. Auguste has defamed, harassed and attacked him and his family, he will win.”

If you are being sexually harassed, you can report it to the authorities at your job, school, or local law enforcement. For more information go to https://www.rainn.org/ThatsHarassment

In February, after winning three trophies at the 2024 Grammy Awards, Killer Mike was arrested at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena and booked for misdemeanor battery following an incident with a security guard. The Los Angeles city attorney’s office has now declined to file and pursue formal criminal charges against the Run the Jewels artist, TMZ reports.

A representative for Killer Mike confirmed to Pitchfork that the rapper is not being charged. Pitchfork has also reached out to representatives for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office for comment.

Justin Timberlake was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated last night in New York, TMZ reports. The singer was briefly detained before being released without bail this morning, following a brief court appearance. Pitchfork has emailed his lawyer for comment.

Timberlake was trying to drive home from a party in the Hamptons when police noticed him miss a stop sign and swerve out of his lane, police told TMZ. He declined to take a breathalyser and failed a field sobriety test: to stand on one leg and do a walk-and-turn. He is scheduled to appear in court again on July 26.

Travis Scott, Live Nation Entertainment, and other defendants have settled the last remaining wrongful death lawsuit they were facing in the wake of the 2021 Astroworld tragedy, the Houston Chronicle reports. The lawsuit was filed by the family of Ezra Blount, the youngest victim of the crowd crush. In a statement to the Houston Chronicle, S. Scott West, an attorney for the Blount family said, “The family is happy to resolve its claim against all defendants following the death of their son, Ezra. They look forward to continuing the process of healing and never forgetting.”

Ezra Blount was just 9 years old when he attended the Astroworld festival with his father. He was trampled during the crowd crush and placed in a medically-induced coma. He died in the days after the festival, becoming the 10th victim of the crush.

Scott and his co-defendants settled many of the wrongful death lawsuits earlier this month. The Blount family’s case had remained unresolved, and a trial date had been set for September.

Following an investigation that took nearly two years, a Texas grand jury declined to indict Travis Scott on criminal charges related to Astroworld. There is still active civil litigation against the rapper, and he is scheduled to go to trial in October.

Lampros claims that, in or around 1998, she “found the courage to end her relationship with Mr. Combs.” She reencountered Diddy in 2000 or 2001, however, and the musician “began apologizing for his past behaviors; he started telling her that he was a changed man,” the lawsuit states. “He then showered her with compliments, telling her how good she looked and kept reminiscing about their prior sex life. He then began dropping hints about them having sex. Ms. Lampros rejected his advances.” The fourth alleged assault occurred after Diddy’s apparent apology when he “violently grabbed [Lampros] and forced himself onto her. He began kissing her and touching her against her will.”

Formally, April Lampros is suing Diddy for battery, assault and sexual assault, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and a violation of New York’s Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act.

Pitchfork has reached out to Lampros’ attorney and representatives for Diddy for comment.

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sued several times since last year for alleged sexual assault. The first major lawsuit came from his former girlfriend Cassie, who accused Diddy of physical and sexual assault. The lawsuit was settled the day after it was filed, with Diddy’s lawyer saying, “Mr. Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims.”

More recently, CNN released hotel surveillance footage that showed Diddy physically assaulting Cassie in 2016. Diddy posted an apology video, and Cassie, in a rare public statement, thanked people for their support of her. “Thank you to everyone that has taken time to take this matter seriously,” she wrote. “My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in.”

As for active litigation, Diddy is being sued by Joi Dickerson-Neal (who accuses the producer of assault, battery, sex trafficking, and more), Liza Gardner (who claims that Diddy and R&B singer Aaron Hall sexually assaulted her and a friend in the early 1990s), a Jane Doe (who says that Diddy, former Bad Boy Entertainment president Harve Pierre, and an unnamed third person “sex trafficked and gang raped” her in 2003 when she was a 17-year-old high school student), the music producer Rodney Jones Jr. (who alleges that Diddy sexually assaulted and groomed him), and former model Crystal McKinney (who, just this week, sued Diddy for sexual assault).

Along with the civil lawsuits, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) raided Diddy’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami in connection with a federal sex trafficking investigation.

Diddy has denied allegations of sexual assault, stating, in December, “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault, we encourage you to reach out for support:

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
http://rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)

Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741

Last week, on Friday, May 17, a federal judge dismissed a sexual assault lawsuit against former Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow, according to court records viewed by Pitchfork. The judge—Analisa Torres, of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York—dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, meaning the case can be refiled.

The lawsuit was dismissed after the plaintiff, a woman identified as JAA Doe, asked the court to throw out the case. Doe, who had alleged that Portnow assaulted her in New York in 2018, cited the sudden resignation of her attorney and concerns that a court would grant a motion by the prosecution to reveal her identity, among the reasons she wanted her complaint dismissed.

In a statement shared with Pitchfork, Portnow called Doe’s claims “false and without merit,” and said, “I look forward to moving on with my life and continuing to work on meaningful projects.”

When reached by Pitchfork, JAA Doe’s former lawyers declined to comment. Pitchfork has also reached out to representatives for the Recording Academy.

A judge has granted permission for Brian Wilson’s family to place the Beach Boys star in a conservatorship, The Associated Press reports. The decision follows a filing, in February, by Wilson’s daughters, which cited a “major neurocognitive disorder” as the reason for their proposal; doctors confirmed in court that he is taking medication for dementia.

At the family’s request, two longtime members of Wilson’s management team—publicist and manager Jean Sievers and business manager LeeAnn Hard—will run the conservatorship. Wilson consents to the arrangement and trusts the two women, an attorney told the court. The move follows the death, in January, of Wilson’s wife, Melinda, who had been caring for him.

As part of the ruling, all seven of Wilson’s children will receive updates and be consulted on healthcare decisions. Wilson, 81, will remain living in his home, and a trust continues to handle his financial assets. Doctors said the move would allow Wilson to keep up his daily routine while ensuring the necessary care. In a statement shared on Wilson’s Instagram in February, the family added that the arrangement would enable Wilson to “work on current projects as well as participate in any activities he chooses.”