By PHATLAW Staff

NEWS FLASH!  Celebrity gossip site TMZ.com reports that Lindsay Lohan, America’s red-headed sweetheart, was allegedly coked out of her gord when she crashed her Mercedes convertible into a curb this past Memorial Day weekend.

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By PHATLAW Staff

TMZ.com is reporting that Larry Birkhead aka Anna Nicole Smith’s baby’s daddy has lodged a formal complaint against his former attorney, Debra Opri.  PHATLAW readers may recall the saga behind the Opri-Birkhead civil litigation.  Opri sent Birkhead a legal bill totaling over $600,000 for representing him in the Dannielynn custody battle.  Opri’s bill for “legal services” reportedly contained charges for lobsters, her husband’s dry cleaning, a trip to the Outback Steakhouse and approximately 30 hours related to her attendance at Anna Nicole’s funeral in the Bahamas.  Working hard or hardly working?  You decide.

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By PHATLAW Staff

Paris Hilton was released from jail this week and is surely savoring her freedom.  However, if Tom Sizemore has taught us one thing in recent weeks it is that freedom after being released from incarceration is often short lived.  Paris Hilton will be on probation until March 2009 provided she maintains her “good behavior.” This begs the question:  Can Paris really make it on the straight and narrow or is she doomed to fall back in to her old sex tape making and partying ways like so many before her? Read the rest of this entry »

By PHATLAW Staff

New York’s 40/40 Club made famous by Shawn Carter a.k.a. Jay-Z has been named in a lawsuit filed by Broadcast Music, Inc. (“BMI”) on behalf of several musicians including Michael Jackson, Kayne West and R. Kelly.  The lawsuit, filed in federal district court located in Manhattan, claims that the NYC hotspot failed to pay royalties to the popstars whose songs it played.  While Jay-Z is not named in the lawsuit, part owners, Desiree Gonzalez and Juan Perez, are named.

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By PHATLAW Staff

According to TMZ, Wes Craven, the legendary horror film director of gems such as Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream, has filed suit against has been comedian Pauly Shore.  Read the rest of this entry »

By PHATLAW Staff

Motley Crüe, one of the world’s greatest bands (in a certain PHATLAW staff member’s opinion), filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that one of its managers, Carl Stubner has engaged in “self-dealing” and “divert[ed] revenue from the band.”

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By PHATLAW Staff

According to some law school professors we had who probably never even practiced law, over 90% of lawsuits filed today settle without ever going to trial.  Our own practice experience has shown this stat to be true…cases rarely, if ever make it in front of a judge/jury for a full blown trial these days.  Some attribute this to tort reform, others the skyrocketing costs of litigation…PHATLAW attributes it to cowardice. Read the rest of this entry »

By PHATLAW Staff

After 12 years, the legal drama over the O.J. Simpson verdict has not died down. PHATLAW has learned that the suit, tie, and shirt worn by Simpson at his 1995 acquittal of murder are on sale. Alfred Beardsley, a sports memorabilia dealer, has obtained the suit and is reportedly auctioning it (along with the shirt and tie) to the highest bidder. Beardsley has been reported as saying that he believes he can get $125,000 for the infamous suit. Read the rest of this entry »

By PHATLAW Staff

Kristy Swanson was arrested for assault yesterday in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.   Swanson allegedly assaulted Marcia O’Brien, the ex-wife of Swanson’s current beaux and baby’s daddy Lloyd Eisler.  The alleged incident reportedly occurred while Swanson accompanied Eisler on a visit of the two children he has with O’Brien.  Swanson voluntarily turned herself into police in connection with the charges, was arrested, and released on bail.  Little more information was available regarding the alleged incident.  However, Swanson’s publicist indicated that she intends to file an assault charge of her own against O’Brien.

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By PHATLAW Staff

On Friday, David Hasselhoff was awarded primary physical custody and sole legal custody of his two daughters, Haley and Taylor.  Hasselhoff’s ex-wife, Pamela Bach, was allowed to have the kids every other weekend and dinner on Wednesday nights. The Judge was willing to award the parents a 50/50 split on custody if Bach attended anger management classes and submitted to regular drug and alcohol tests. When Bach refused to submit to such tests, the Judge awarded The Hoff predominant custody.

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