Flare-up in 50 Cent House Hearing
A New York judge is all fired up over 50 Cent’s suspicious home blaze.
State Supreme Court Justice Carol Edmead has prohibited the rapper from selling or otherwise disposing of what’s left of his Long Island property pending a resolution in Fiddy’s ongoing legal battle with ex-girlfriend and baby mama Shaniqua Tompkins.
The suspicious May 30 fire destroyed his $2.4 million home. Fiddy, who has been embroiled in litigation with Tompkins for months, had been trying to evict her and their 10-year-old son, Marquise, from the property at the time of the conflagration.
Edmead futher ordered 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, to put all insurance proceeds from the fire into a trust account that should not be accessed until the legal action is resolved.
While Fiddy has owned the home for the better part of a decade, Tompkins filed suit against the rapper in April, claiming he promised the premises to her and their son.
Still in Solitary, Nick Hogan Phones in Lawsuit
Nick Hogan does not want to be singled out by Florida’s Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department. Except when he does.
The Hulkster’s son, currently serving an eight-month sentence for felony reckless driving stemming from a crash that left his friend in critical condition, has filed a civil suit against the department for releasing recordings of his private phone conversations.
News of the suit surfaced on the same day a judge denied the younger Hogan’s request to be removed from solitary confinement because it’s causing him “unbearable anxiety.”
Hmm. Perhaps that’s why it’s called punishment.
Officials said the 17-year-old, whose real name is Nick Bollea, was originally separated from other inmates because he is, until his July 27 birthday, a minor. This, despite him being convicted in adult court.
The rejection and subsequent alone time shouldn’t smart the teen too much, however, as he seems to prize his privacy above all else.
Attorneys for Bollea have filed a civil suit against the Sheriff’s Office for what they claim is a violation of his privacy rights, after the office released a series of phone conversations between the jailbird, his wrestler father and his mother.
Pinellas County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Marianne Pasha told News that the family had fairand frequentwarning their calls were being recorded.
“During the phone calls, there is a recording that comes on reminding callers that their call is being recorded,” she said. “All calls from the jail are collect calls and all persons involved in the calls are advised that the call is being taped.”
However, the Bolleas should feel free to go at it now.
“We cannot comment on this case because there is now litigation pending,” Pasha said. “And we will also not be able to release any more calls while this litigation is pending.”
Bollea’s attorneys, meanwhile, also claim the Sheriff’s Department allowed a news crew to film him against his wishes during a family visit. His attorneys claim that none of the releases should have been allowed, as none of the communiqués could be considered “public record.”
“It’s unfortunate that we are required to file a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Office to compel them to follow the law and respect the privacy rights of a juvenile and his family,” attorney David Houston said. “A judge’s order should not be required to stop the Sheriff’s Office from putting Nick, his family and their most intimate thoughts on public display.”
Attorney Morris “Sandy” Weinberg agreed, adding that “Nick only asks that he be treated no differently than the other inmates at the Pinellas County Jail. Instead, the Sheriff’s Office has singled him out by the unprecedented release to the media of his personal calls with his family and the intrusion into his family visitations by the media.”
In the series of recordings released to the media, Bollea complains about the size of his cell, calls friend John Graziano, currently in critical condition as a result of the accident for which Bollea is serving time, a “negative person,” and also asks his father to secure a deal for him to appear in a reality show once he’s released from jail.
In response, Kim Kohn, one of the attorneys representing Graziano, tells News, “We are not both not surprised by the filing of the motion nor the judge’s decision to deny the motion.”
Dennis Quaid Takes a Stand on Twins’ Behalf
Dennis Quaid was a man on a mission today.
Motivated by the pain experienced by his own family, the actor testified before Congress Wednesday about the overdose of blood thinners his newborn twins were given at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in November, which led to his current lawsuit against heparin maker Baxter Healthcare Corp.
Taking away individuals' rights to take pharmaceutical companies to court and hold them accountable for their actions would turn consumers into "uninformed and uncompensated lab rats," Quaid said.
In an effort to ward off costly, time-consuming litigation, the Food and Drug Administration has argued in the past on the behalf of the drug makers that federal regulation supersedes the need for state action.
But Quaid, having seen firsthand that government oversight leaves plenty of room for error, doesn't agree.
"Like many Americans, I believed that a big problem in our country was frivolous lawsuits," Quaid testified. "But now I know that the courts are often the only path to justice."
Bonaduce Keeping Something Private for a Change
Would you believe Danny Bonaduce has agreed to not publicize some aspects of his life?
A Los Angeles judge signed off Friday on a motion to seal the taped depositions given in former Survivor castaway Jonny "Fairplay" Dalton's assault lawsuit against the Breaking Bonaduce star stemming from their run-in at Fox Reality Channel's Really Awards last year.
In his October lawsuit, Dalton maintains he sustained dental injuries and emotional and physical distress when Bonaduce threw him to the ground during filming. Dalton contends that Fox and production company Natural 9 Entertainment are also liable for damages.
"This matter has generated interest from the media which has no bearing on the merits of this litigation," argued attorneys for both shrinking violets in their joint filing to keep the deposition and other confidential information, such as medical and financial records, under wraps.
Sort of like how an entire network devoted to reality programming has no bearing on the betterment of society.