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Warner Bros. Discovery Beats Investor Suit Over Inflated Subscriber Figures
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Business
The Messenger Sued by Ex-Workers Over Mass Layoffs Without Notice
Hundreds of workers at the national digital news site were laid off Thursday without severance.
BY Winston Cho -
Business
Jackoway Austen Promotes 5 to Name Partners (Exclusive)
Michael Auerbach, Jeff Hynick, Kimberly Jaime, Ryan LeVine and Peter Sample will now have their names on the door of the leading entertainment law firm.
BY Borys Kit -
Business
Disney Appeals Loss In Lawsuit Against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Over Special Tax District
A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit and found that Disney cannot bring a lawsuit against DeSantis and his allies who assumed control of the special tax district that governs Walt Disney World.
BY Winston Cho
THR, Esq's Latest News
Warner Bros. Discovery Beats Investor Suit Over Inflated Subscriber Figures
Warner Bros. Discovery and its top brass will not have to face a lawsuit from investors accusing them of hiding adverse financial information about the company’s prospects leading up to the 2022 merger of Discovery and AT&T’s WarnerMedia. U.S. District Judge Valierie Caproni on Monday found that WBD didn’t overstate subscriber figures and was not […]
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The Messenger Sued by Ex-Workers Over Mass Layoffs Without Notice
Just a day after folding, embattled startup The Messenger has been sued by former employees. The proposed class action, filed in New York federal court Thursday, alleges that the Jimmy Finkelstein-led news outlet failed to give more than 300 employees proper notice of their terminations in violation of the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification […]
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Jackoway Austen Promotes 5 to Name Partners (Exclusive)
Jackoway Austen, one of the most prominent Hollywood entertainment law firms that represents such bold-faced names as J.J. Abrams and Margot Robbie, has promoted five partners to the door. Effective immediately, Michael Auerbach, Jeff Hynick, Kimberly Jaime, Ryan LeVine and Peter Sample are named partners in the 47-year-old firm. The quintet joining existing partners Jim […]
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Disney Appeals Loss In Lawsuit Against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Over Special Tax District
Disney is appealing its loss in a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who allegedly violated the entertainment giant’s First Amendment rights by taking over a special tax district with the authority to control development around its theme park. In a notice filed on Thursday, Disney challenged a ruling dismissing the suit to a federal […]
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Disney Lawsuit Against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Dismissed By Judge
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from the Walt Disney Co. against Ron DeSantis that may decide the entertainment giant’s authority to control development around its sprawling theme park. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, in an order issued on Wednesday, found Disney “lacks standing to sue the governor” and DeSantis’ handpicked board that now […]
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George Carlin Estate Sues Creators of AI-Generated Comedy Special in Key Lawsuit Over Stars’ Likenesses
George Carlin’s estate is suing over the release of a comedy special that uses generative artificial intelligence to mimic the deceased comedian’s voice and style of humor. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court Thursday, accuses the creators of the special of utilizing without consent or compensation George Carlin’s entire body of work consisting of […]
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Robert Kirkman ‘Invincible’ Ownership Lawsuit Settles Just Ahead of Trial
A legal battle between comic creator Robert Kirkman and an artist who says he was tricked into abandoning his copyright to Invincible has settled. Lawyers for Kirkman and William Crabtree, a colorist for the first 50 issues who claims he co-created the series, notified the court of an agreement to resolve the case, according to […]
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Ramones Biopic Caught In Crossfire of Heirs’ Clash In Court
A dispute between the heirs to the Ramones’ estates has culminated in a lawsuit, with one side accusing the other of effectively shutting down the company that controls the group’s intellectual property rights while unilaterally greenlighting a biopic of the rock band. Linda Ramone, widow of Ramones’ guitarist Johnny Ramone, accuses Mitchel Hyman, lead singer […]
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Vince McMahon Sued Over Sex Trafficking Claim By Former Employee Who Took Hush Money Payments
WWE founder Vince McMahon and a former executive have been sued for sex trafficking and battery by a ex-administrative employee, who questioned the extent of the company’s investigation into hush money payments after she wasn’t interviewed despite stating her cooperation. Janel Grant, in a lawsuit filed in Connecticut federal court on Thursday, said she was […]
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Fox News, Smartmatic Handed Wins in Dueling Claims Over Election Falsehoods
Fox News’ last-minute decision to pay nearly $800 million to avert a trial over accusations it defamed Dominion Voting System by broadcasting false statements that the 2020 presidential election was stolen is paying off. A New York state supreme court judge, in an order issued Wednesday, found that Smartmatic must face Fox News’ counterclaims accusing […]
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Netflix Settles Defamation Suit Brought By Cuban Exiles Over Spy Thriller ‘Wasp Network’
Netflix has settled a defamation lawsuit brought by the head of a Cuban exile organization, who accused the streamer of falsely portraying him as a terrorist and drug trafficker in Olivier Assayas’ political spy thriller Wasp Network. Lawyers for Brothers to the Rescue leader Jose Basulto and Netflix notified the court of a deal to […]
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‘Pokémon’ and ‘Palworld’ Have a Lot In Common. Copyright Law Says That’s Likely Legal
Pokémon with guns. What a concept. On Jan. 19, Japanese game studio Pocketpair released Palworld to blockbuster numbers. An enormous audience flocked to the open-world survival title, which allows players to outfit cute, animal-like creatures with assault rifles or rocket launchers. Almost overnight, the game evolved from an obscure indie project mocked as a dystopian […]
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SiriusXM Beats Breach of Contract Lawsuit From James Van Der Beek Over Podcast Deal
SiriusXM and Stitcher will not have to face a lawsuit from former Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek accusing them of reneging on a $700,000 podcast deal. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Broadbelt, in a tentative order issued on Friday, dismissed the suit, finding that the audio giant “did not enter into a […]
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Fighters Win Key Ruling Clearing Way For Legal Bout With TKO Group’s UFC
A legal showdown between Ultimate Fighting Championship and more than 1,200 fighters suing for wage suppression is headed to trial. A federal judge, in an order issued on Thursday, turned down a bid to dismiss the lawsuit accusing UFC of engaging in an illegal scheme to build and maintain a monopoly by systematically eliminating competition […]
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Las Vegas Show ‘MJ Live’ Sues Michael Jackson Estate Over Trademark Dispute
Las Vegas jukebox show MJ Live is suing the estate of Michael Jackson, accusing the late pop star’s lawyers of infringing the show’s intellectual property. The suit, filed on Wednesday in Nevada federal court, arises from allegations that the estate threatened legal action against the show for use of the King of Pop’s likeness during […]
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Alec Baldwin Indicted Again With Involuntary Manslaughter in ‘Rust’ Case
Alec Baldwin has been indicted in the fatal shooting of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after a grand jury presented with a new investigation into the incident recommended charging the actor and producer of the low-budget Western. Baldwin is expected to be charged by New Mexico prosecutors, who initially dropped the criminal case to review new […]
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