U.S.District Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

A federal jury in Manhattan has sided with Ed Sheeran in the plagiarism trial that saw the pop songwriter accused of stealing elements of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” in the writing of Sheeran’s 2014 track “Thinking Out Loud.” The suit was brought by heirs of the estate of Ed Townsend, a writer of “Let’s Get It On.” They contended that “Thinking Out Loud” used specific musical elements such as harmony and melody of “Let’s Get It On.” A video of Ed Sheeran performing a mash-up of “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On” was used as evidence, though the singer testified that he and the song’s co-writer Amy Wadge were in fact inspired by Van Morrison’s music. Read Next: Ed Sheeran says he’ll retire from music if he loses Marvin Gaye plagiarism lawsuit Deliberations began on Wednesday (May 4) after the conclusion of the testimony.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Ed Sheeran was found not liable Thursday in Manhattan federal court on a copyright claim alleging that he lifted key elements from the Marvin Gaye ’70s hit “Let’s Get It On” for his own “Thinking Out Loud.” The verdict that found him not liable for copyright infringement came after just a few hours of deliberation Thursday. Standing outside the courtroom, Sheeran read a statement for reporters that made it clear how frustrated he felt at being accused of plagiarism and having the case reach trial. “It looks like I’m not going to have to give up my day job after all,” Sheeran said, alluding to a statement he’d made on the stand earlier this week suggesting that he would feel compelled to quit music if the verdict went against him.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Testimony wrapped up in the Ed Sheeran copyright infringement trial at the end of the court day Wednesday, as the judge sent the Manhattan jury into deliberations with a pointed admonition: “Independent creation is a complete defense, no matter how similar that song is.” U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton’s instructions may have left a high bar in the jury’s minds for just how much evidence the plaintiffs’ attorneys needed to have established to prove that Sheeran and his co-writer actually copied Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” when they wrote the pop hit “Thinking Out Loud.” According to Insider, Stanton told jurors that the lawyers for the heirs of Gaye’s co-writer, Ed Townsend, needed to “prove by a preponderance of the evidence… that Sheeran actually copied and wrongfully copied ‘Let’s Get It On'” — as opposed to the coincidental, negligible similarities argued by Sheeran’s attorneys.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic A copyright trial in a Manhattan federal courtroom pitting Ed Sheeran against the heirs of a co-writer of Marvin Gaye’s classic “Let’s Get It On” saw the pop star taking the stand Tuesday, offering strong retorts to attorneys’ arguments that he had stolen elements of the 1970s hit for his own “Thinking Out Loud.” One piece of evidence that the judge had left in limbo in pre-trial hearings was a fan-shot video of Sheeran mashing up the two songs in concert in 2014. U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton, who had previously left the matter of whether to allow the medley unresolved, ultimately ruled Tuesday that a 30-second clip be played, despite Sheeran’s attorneys’ argument that it was “irrelevant and prejudicial.”

Fox News has reached a settlement with Venezuelan businessman Majed Khalil, who filed a defamation lawsuit over a Lou Dobbs tweet and broadcast linking him to rigging the 2020 presidential election.

signed into law in 2021.However, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, saying they would have granted Morrisey’s request.A federal judge previously blocked the law from taking effect while a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ban proceeds.The plaintiff in the case, 12-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson, is a transgender girl who tried to join her middle school girls’ cross-country team, but was informed that she would be barred from the team due to the law prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in female-designated sports.Pepper-Jackson sued state officials, her local school board, the West Virginia Board of Education, and the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, arguing that the law is unconstitutional and discriminatory.In July 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Goodwin, of the Southern District of West Virginia, issued an injunction blocking the law from taking effect on the grounds that Pepper-Jackson was likely to prevail in her claim that the law is discriminatory.Six months later, Goodwin rejected Pepper-Jackson’s claim that the law violates Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination, finding the ban constitutional and asserting that the state had a legitimate interest in ensuring cisgender female athletes are not disadvantaged by having to compete against athletes assigned male at birth.

A Brooklyn drug dealer pleaded guilty Wednesday to providing “The Wire” actor Michael K. Williams with fentanyl-laced heroin, causing his death.

 star Michael K. Williams pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple drug charges, the Justice Department announced. Irvin Cartagena, 39, who also goes by the name «Green Eyes,» pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and fentanyl analogue, according to a news release from the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

A year and a half after Michael K. Williams’ death, the man who sold The Wire star the drugs that killed him has plead guilty.

A federal judge in Tennessee has blocked the state’s anti-drag law from going into effect for 14 days. Photo: United States District Court, Western District of Tennessee.

A royal victory. Meghan Markle has won the defamation lawsuit filed against her by half-sister Samantha Markle.

It’s another legal win for Meghan Markle.

Suspended Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas was convicted today of federal bribery and conspiracy charges, along with mail and wire fraud, stemming from his time serving on the county Board of Supervisors and accommodations provided to his son by a then-USC dean.

Kyle Chrisley has been arrested two months after his dad, Todd Chrisley, and stepmom, Julie Chrisley, reported to prison for tax evasion, Us Weekly can confirm.

Former "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" star James "Tim" Norman was sentenced to life in prison Thursday in St. Louis after being convicted of arranging the 2016 murder of his nephew Andre Montgomery, Jr, 21, in order to collect a life insurance payment. In September, Norman was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit fraud.The 43-year-old starred alongside Montgomery in the long-running OWN reality show about their family’s soul food business in St.

Disgraced singer and producer R. Kelly was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison on charges of child pornography and enticement of minors for sex on Thursday. The 56-year-old will serve all but one of those years simultaneously with a 30-year sentence on racketeering and sex trafficking convictions.

R. Kelly was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison for child pornography and enticement of minors for sex but will serve all but one of those simultaneously with a 30-year sentence on racketeering and sex trafficking convictions.

UPDATE: Film producer Dillon Jordan was sentenced in New York City today to the maximum of five years in prison for running a high-end prostitution ring. He was sentenced in New York for providing women to clients and organizing sex parties in the US and abroad.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes attempted to leave the US shortly after she was convicted of fraud last year, prosecutors claimed in a court filing this week.

A day after a federal judge ordered Donald Trump and his attorney to pay nearly $1 million in sanctions for filing a quickly dismissed lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and 30 others, the former president dropped a case against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Yesterday, Universal’s troubles suddenly weren’t so far away, at least when it comes to Ana de Armas’ absence from the 2019 Danny Boyle directed flick Yesterday.

The battle between Live PD and On Patrol: Live producer Big Fish Entertainment and A&E Television Networks is heating up.

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order dissolving the trusteeship of NABET-CWA Local 41, which represents broadcast technicians at ABC, NBC Telemundo, Univision and ESPN in Chicago.

Attorney Michael Avenatti, once a cable news fixture for his commentary on Donald Trump, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for defrauding clients and for obstructing an IRS collection effort.

UPDATED,  2:40 PM: Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison following her January conviction on fraud and conspiracy charges related to her company’s failed blood-testing technology.

Paramount has come up short in its effort to ground a Top Gun: Maverick copyright lawsuit.

UPDATE: Disney and 20th Television no longer face a disparate impact claim in a lawsuit brought by actor Rockmond Dunbar. 

SAG-AFTRA and the WGA East, which together represent thousands of broadcast and digital reporters, say they’re “deeply distressed” by a federal judge’s ruling that would allow Starbucks to subpoena a wide range of communications between workers seeking to unionize and journalists reporting on their organizing efforts.

Former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon has been sentenced to four months in prison for ignoring subpoenas from the Congressional committee investigating the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Bannon also was fined $6,500. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols agreed to delay the sentencing while Bannon appeals, “as long as the appeal is timely,” according to Politico.