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The saga surrounding the shooting of the Houston Hottie continues. Tory Lanez, real name Daystar Peterson, filed a motion in order to get a new trial after he was found guilty for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, real name Megan Pete. Peterson's attorneys, Jose Baez and Matthew Barhoma, cite multiple grounds in paperwork filed on Wednesday. One of the claims allege that the judge allowed jurors to view a September 2020 Instagram post from Peterson's personal account that claimed Kelsey Harris, Pete’s former friend and assistant, was not the shooter. According to the filing obtained by Rolling Stone , Peterson's content creator, Joshua Faria, claimed that he was managing Peterson's Instagram at that point. He was the one who replied “that’s not true” to a comment on The Shade Room’s post accusing Harris of being the shooter. His attorneys allege prosecutors ambushed them with the post in the middle of the trail. They also state that the judge shouldn’t have blocked the post as the defense didn’t have enough time to figure out who wrote the reply. They say the post amounted to an admission from Lanez that Harris wasn’t the shooter, which is an issue as their whole defense was that Harris shot and injured Pete. “The court erred on numerous questions of law in allowing the People to introduce this post, depriving defendant of a fair trial,” the motion read. “The only acceptable remedy for this miscarriage of justice is a new trial.” Peterson was convicted on all three charges against him and he’s facing more than two decades behind bars. At a hearing in January, Peterson’s lawyers successfully requested to delay sentencing until April so they could review trial transcripts and fully prepare a motion . The motion echoes Peterson’s frustration with how the trial unfolded. According to Rolling Stone , a close source to Peterson said the singer wanted to take the witness stand, but he was dissuaded by his lawyer at the time, George Mgdesyan. Peterson came to regret the decision, though the move would have been risky. Prosecutors will likely file a reply to the motion ahead of the April 10 sentence hearing.

The details surrounding the “Creed III” actor’s continue to come out, unraveling a web of information. Social media explosively reacts. Jonathan Majors, who starred in “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantaumania,”was arraigned for an alleged domestic dispute with a woman, allegedly his girlfriend. According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Majors was brought in on assault and harassment charges. The complaint against the actor alleges that he struck the woman with an open hand, which caused pain and a laceration behind her ear. It claims he put his hands around her throat, causing bruising and pain. Majors’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry, spoke on the incident via a statement to CNN. According to Chaudhry, Majors denies assaulting the woman. “Around 11 a.m. on March 25, 2023, Jonathan Majors called 911 out of concern for the woman’s mental health,” Chaudhry said. “The police arrived with the paramedics, as in standard procedure, and arrested Mr. Majors due to an NYPD protocol requiring arrest in certain circumstances.” Chaudhry claims that hours after the incident, the woman sent text messages to Majors. In screenshots provided by Chaudhry, the woman allegedly wrote that she was assured Majors wouldn't be charged. She allegedly apologizes for the incident. “I’m so sorry you’re in this position. Will make sure nothing happens about this,” the woman allegedly wrote. “I told them it was my fault for trying to grab your phone.” The woman allegedly wrote how she was angry about Majors’ arrest and that any charges placed on him won’t have her blessing. The texts state that strangulation didn’t happen and the charge “should be removed immediately.” “I also said to tell the judge to know that the origin of the call was to do with me collapsing and passing out and your worry as my partner due to [prior communication],” the texts read. Social media users react to Majors' arrests as well as the release to the alleged text messages. Many people didn't feel the messages cleared Majors' name. The alleged victim has not been named throughout the ordeal. The Manhattan District Attorney has an active investigation on the matter and they cannot make further comments.

The actress opens up on a podcast about her exit from the HBO hit show. “Euphoria” actress Barbie Ferreira sat down with the “Armchair Expert” podcast and spoke about her exit from the show after only two seasons. Ferreira announced her exit last August via an Instagram story post. “After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye,” the post read. The post came after reports of the actress clashing with the show’s creator, Sam Levinson, throughout the filming of season two. Fans noticed that Barbie Ferreira’s character, Kat Hernandez, wasn’t featured as much as before. “I kind of got sucked into this drama that I never asked to be in and that I’ve never talked about. I’m of the mindset that if it doesn’t exist I’m not going to address it because then I’m adding fuel to it,” Ferreira said on the podcast. “It’s taken on a life of its own. Don’t believe everything you read.” She explains that she didn’t walk off the set, rather she sprained her ankle and she had to get an X-Ray. Ferreira confirms that her exit was a mutual decision simply due to her storyline running out of gas. “I don’t think there was a place for [Kat] to go,” Ferreira explained. “I think there were places she could have gone. I just don’t think it would have fit into the show.” During the nine months of filming, Ferreira implies that she wasn’t able to work on other projects for a majority of that time. It didn’t make sense for the actress to commit to a project if her part continued to be limited. “I feel like with season two and certain parts of it, I felt was a kind of struggle for both parties,” Ferreira explained. “Sam, me…it was a struggle to find the continuation.” Ferreira notes that Levinson writes for things he relates to, and Kat isn’t a character he relates to. The third season of “Euphoria” is set to start filming later this year with a possible return in 2024.

As fans stayed up late to watch the drama unravel, the live aspect of the reunion fell through. Netflix officially announced on Twitter that the live reunion for the fourth season of "Love Is Blind" won't be live. The streaming giant made the announcement an hour and a half after the event was scheduled to go live. The announcement comes after viewers ran to social media to voice frustration about the live event not properly streaming. "...we are incredibly sorry that the Love is Blind Live Reunion did not turn out as we had planned," the tweet read. Netflix promises that the reunion will be filmed and uploaded onto the streaming service "as soon as humanly possible." The specifics of what caused the delay weren't mentioned, but many would chalk it up to technical issues. Fans anxiously anticipated the live reunion due to the drama that unfolded throughout the season. For one, there were a few breakups – three to be exact. The first one happened between Zack and Irena as they didn't make it out of the couple's retreat in Mexico together. Zack ultimately proposed to and married another woman named Bliss. Another breakup happened during the fitting: Jackie, who was engaged to Marshall, didn't show up to her dress fitting. She went on a mini date with Josh, who she had broken things off with to be with Marshall. Jackie and Josh were absent from the reunion and the duo had started dating, according to People. The last couple to break up did so at the altar. Micah and Paul broke off their relationship at their wedding, though we don't know if they are still together. According to TODAY, they have not confirmed the status of their relationship. Another piece of drama will deal with Micah and Irena's mean girl attitudes. Fans ran to social media to call out the duo's mean girl tendencies during their times in the pods. The fourth season of the experimental show originally aired March 23, 2023. Netflix did not specify an airing date for the pre-recorded reunion.

The supposed-to-be live reunion special still provided the much anticipated drama despite technical troubles. What was supposed to be Netflix’s second live event, the reunion for the fourth season of “Love Is Blind” aired a day later due to technical issues. Despite the delay, the reunion left no stone unturned as the hour-and-a-half special tackled all of the drama and controversies of the season. Here are the five takeaways from the reunion special: The Love Triangles Carried Most of The Drama A main topic of discussion was the three love triangles. One love triangle features Kwame Appiah, Chelsea Griffin, and Micah Lussier. During the season, Kwame was torn between the two women, but Micah eventually broke off the relationship during their time in the pods. Kwame and Chelsea made it to the altar and they are still together to this day. In a never-before-seen clip, played during the reunion, Chelsea and Micah have a conversation about an inappropriate joke made during a pool party with all of the couples. As Kwame, Micah, and a couple of others gathered for a round of drinks, Micah jokingly makes a toast to her and Kwame's breakup. “To a failed proposal.” – Micah Lussier The joke was clearly aimed at the couple’s breakup, which upset both Kwame and Chelsea. Also, Micah and Kwame had a lengthy poolside conversation that made Chelsea uncomfortable. The unaired conversation between Chelsea and Micah ended in an understanding where both seem to move on from the situation. Though, host Vanessa Lachey pointed out a statement from Chelsea during the conversation. “You said you were going to break up with him. He told me he was going to break up with you,” Chelsea said. Kwame explains that their breakup was a long time coming. For one, they had a couple of dates that ended early. He went as far as writing a breakup letter in his notebook. He also apologized to Chelsea and her family for allowing the entire situation to go as far as it did. Another love trio featured Bliss Poureetezadi, Zack Goytowski, and Irina Solomonova. Throughout their segment of the reunion, Bliss called out Irina for her treatment of Zack. “He told me every little detail. I was prepared to see it, but I wasn’t…I was very shocked, honestly, and I was super disappointed,” Bliss said. “I just really hope that you grow from this. It’s just sad to see someone so wonderful be treated so poorly.” Another point of contention was when Zack and Irina broke up during the couple’s retreat in Mexico. During the breakup, Irina said she was ready to leave Zack the moment she saw him. She explains that it had nothing to do with looks, rather it was a gut instinct. “I felt that when I saw Zach, it was an instant [discomfort],” she explained. “It didn’t feel comfortable.” According to Irina, producers told her to still go to Mexico and tell Zack in-person. She went to Mexico with Zack and waited to see if her feelings would change. She also claims that she felt trapped in the fact that she couldn’t tell Zack her true feelings. Interestingly enough, she managed to express those feelings in a direct message on social media to Bliss. Irina told Bliss that she dodged a bullet – a reference to Zack choosing Irina over Bliss during the height of their love triangle. Irina and Zack were still together at that point. However, according to Bliss, Irina told Zack to work things out with Bliss. Speaking of the love triangles, the last one features Jackelina Bonds, Marshall Glaze, and Josh Demas. Perhaps, this one is the messiest of them all. Jackie dated both men in the pods, but ultimately settled down with Marshall. During the season, Jackie failed to show at the dress fitting while Marshall still showed up for his suit fitting. She ended up on a coffee shop date with Josh, instead. Neither she or Josh showed up to the reunion, though, they were interviewed on Zoom by co-host Vanessa Lachey. Marshall Handled the Allegations the Best He Could: With Grace During that interview, Jackie claims that she and Marshall were broken up before the fitting and before she went on that date. The last straw for Jackie was when Marshall allegedly called her a derogatory term when they were signing their marriage certificate. She also alleges that Marshall asked for the ring back in order to propose to another woman from the show. Josh chimes in regarding this other woman from the show, saying that she and Marshall broke up two weeks after filming ended. Jackie also spoke to her and Marshall’s breakup and ring situation on social media. Once the interview was shown at the reunion, Marshall didn’t have much to say at first. “I think that a lot of people want me to be reactionary. And, I think it’s just best to let them have their moment,” Marshall said. He admits that it’s hard to tackle everything in a three-minute video, especially after seeing it only once. With Vanessa Lachey’s "help," he tackled all of Jackie's allegations. When he was meeting her family, she was alleging that he may secretly be gay. She had secretly suspected this in leaked text messages to her friends, which one of her friends leaked to social media after the season ended. Marshall quips that she had a strong jawline, so she could have previously been a man. He admits that the response wasn’t appropriate, and that the joke went too far. Though, he denies calling Jackie a derogatory term. Regarding the ring, Marshall said that he wanted it back because it was a symbol of his love, and he felt she didn’t deserve to have that special symbol. It had nothing to do with the other woman he dated, whose name is Kacia. They had a connection in the pods, and it obviously fizzled out. He only went on one date with Kacia. Marshall gives a monologue to Jackie, saying that they both deserve to move on from the entire situation. He also stated how he felt slighted on two occasions, once at the altar and another at the reunion. Zack Was the Voice of Reason, Especially Towards Micah and Irina For starters, Zack Goytowski alleged that Irina Solomonova didn’t take the relationship seriously. Irina disagrees with the sentiment, stating that there’s a reason she chose him. She asserts that he was the best guy that she met on the show, and that she came with intention while staying true to herself. Though, the drama with Irina didn’t end there. She was called out for her mean girl ways, alongside her right-hand-woman, Micah Lussier. Following Bliss calling her out, Zack came in with how Irina did more than what the camera could capture. “You did a lot of things that hurt a lot of people including me. And, I mean, you see 10 percent of it on the camera,” Zack said. “There was so much that happened that was just unbelievable. If we’re real, you went on the show to get famous.” After exclamations, laughter, and slight cheers from the crowd, Zack proceeded to say he forgave Irina for her actions. He explains that the whole entire cast has done stupid or ridiculous that the viewers will get on them for. “Everybody who made a mistake on the show, it has been punishment enough for the entire world to see them at their worst,” he said. Throughout that speech of forgiveness, he notes that he had receipts, which he posted to Instagram. The post features the story of his relationship with his mother, who was an alcoholic and later died. He ends his speech to Irina by stating his forgiveness and hopes for the rest of the world to do the same. When it came to Paul Peden’s relationship with Micah Lussier, it didn’t end well as PEden was the one to say no at the altar. One reason that he gave was he didn’t see Micah as mother material. “I think it’s very possible that the reason why I couldn’t see that in her was that I wasn’t inspiring that in her,” Peden said. “You know she didn’t feel comfortable showing that side of her.” As Vanessa extensively questioned Peden on his statement, Zack whispered something in his ear. When asked about his opinion and why he whispered in Peden’s ear, he said: “What I whispered to Paul was, what was happening behind cameras is not what you’re seeing.” He further explains that Micah’s words behind closed doors don’t match the one she says publicly. He alleged that people told him that she didn’t want to marry Peden in the first place. Also, she never truly defended Peden and Zack claims that she’s out to make Peden look bad. Micah denies the allegations, and she notes that people shouldn’t believe the official edit of the show. Bliss clarifies Zack’s words, saying that there are situations that happen beyond what the cameras can capture. “There have been women that told me that in the conversations they had with her, very rarely did she ever mention actually getting married to Paul,” Zack said. Lacheys Were Lackluster Hosts, Social Media Calls for the Hamiltons as Possible Replacements Throughout the reunion special, the Lacheys didn’t live up to their hosting duties. There were moments that some people on the cast didn't face as much heat as they should have. In one instance, Vanessa’s interview with Josh and Jackie was too focused on Jackie's allegations. Not once, as far as what was included in the final edit, did Vanessa ask about the leaked texts. Not asking about those texts didn’t allow Jackie to explain her suspicions. Another moment was when she was questioning Paul on Micah’s behalf. It easily came off that Vanessa was Micah’s mouthpiece and it appeared biased. At the end of the questioning, Vanessa turns to Micah and asks if everything Paul said made sense or if she was just as confused as herself. “Is that making sense and settling with you, or are you as confused as I am?” – Vanessa Lachey Even though that received some laughter from the audience, Vanessa seems to be steering the conversation in favor of Micah. Not only that, social media users point out how she reacted to Marshall when he said he didn’t remember everything from Jackie and Josh’s interview. Many social media users called for the Lacheys to be replaced by the longtime couple of the first season of “Love Is Blind,” Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed-Hamilton. A TikTok user went as far as making a compilation of Vanessa’s not-so-good moments during the reunion. As far as Nick Lachey, he didn’t have much of a voice. He essentially faded into the background and Vanessa took the wheel. Netflix Didn't Have the Capacity to Handle Huge Live Audiences Due to Unseen Bug According to Netflix’s co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters, more than 6.5 million people tuned into the delayed reunion. Due to technical issues, the reunion special became available 19 hours after it was meant to stream live. During a prerecorded Q1 earnings interview on April 18, Sarandos explained what went wrong. “We’ve got the infrastructure. We had just a bug that we introduced, actually, when we implemented some changes to try to improve live-streaming performance after the last live broadcast, Chris Rock[‘s ‘Selective Outrage’] in March,” Sarandos said. “We just didn’t see this bug in internal testing because it only became apparent once we put multiple systems interacting with each other under the load of millions of people trying to watch ‘Love Is Blind’.” The reunion marked the streaming service’s second live event after Chris Rock’s comedy special, “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.” The comedy special reached no. 8 on Netflix’s Top 10 list within its first week. Netflix is also set to stream the SAG Awards live next year via its YouTube channel.

Another season of "Baddies", "Joseline's Cabaret", and "Blueface & Chrisean: Crazy in Love" are on their way. The streaming service named after the Greek God of the sky recently announced the season renewal of three of its most popular shows. "Joseline's Cabaret", "Baddies", and "Blueface & Chrisean: Crazy in Love" will receive another season with Zeus Network. Two of the shows will be on the move with "Joseline's Cabaret" heading to New York and "Baddies" traveling the entire east coast. Each of these shows have dealt with their fair share of controversy. "Joseline's Cabaret: Las Vegas", the third season, featured a chaotic reunion and a subsequent lawsuit against Joseline Hernandez and her husband Ballistic Beatz, real name Robin Ingouma. Castmates Amber Ward and K. Kapri spoke about what actually happened during the reunion in an Instagram Live session. “Yes, I’m in the hospital because Joseline kicked me and Ballistic attacked me,” Amber Ali said. “I came to the hospital because my ribs are very bruised. Because Joseline had some big…boots on and she kicked me.” Ali proceeds to show the bruises, explaining that she wants to make sure her ribs weren’t broken. She then discussed the legal action she planned to take on Hernandez and Inguoma. “We’re going to handle this in court,” Ali said. “He’s going to jail, no questions asked. I’m not stopping. And, I’m going to get an order of protection on him. I’m doing everything.” K. Kapri alleged that the couple were felons and that Hernandez was under the influence of drugs. She alleged that this is the reason they left as soon as filming for the reunion wrapped. “You know they left, because he’s a felon. They’re felons. They left and got on the plane tonight. She’s a felon and she was high off coke,” K. Kapri said. “While the police were there, if any of us told them to test her there, she would have went to jail.” Ali explained she may sue Zeus Network as well because they let Ingouma and Hernandez leave. She alleged the network wanted to protect the couple from getting arrested. However, she later dropped the $25 million lawsuit against the couple and the streaming service. On May 17, 2022, she posted a statement to Instagram that read: “Thank you to all of my fans that have my back! After deep thought, I am no longer seeking legal action against [Zeus Network], Joseline, or Ballistic for what took place at the reunion.” Some social media users speculated that Ali was paid to drop her lawsuit. "Baddies East" serves as the fourth season of the "Baddies" series, which is a spinoff of the hit show, “Bad Girls Club.” The series began on OnlyFans before Zeus Network officially picked it up. "Baddies West", season three of the series, ended in chaos as well. The cast of "Baddies West" included Tommie Lee from Love & Hip Atlanta and Stunna Girl, a Sacramento rapper who auditioned for the show. During the second portion of her audition, Stunna Girl had an argument with Sukihana, another rapper known for her time on Love & Hip Hop Miami. As Stunna Girl and Sukihana’s argument turned physical, Tommie Lee threw a drink and tried to swing on Stunna Girl. This began a season-long beef that ended in a chaotic season finale. During the finale, the cast were doing a club appearance in San Francisco. Several fights broke out, someone threw a shoe during the cast’s performance, and the club was ultimately sprayed with mace. As the cast found their way out of the club, people associated with Tommie Lee attacked Stunna Girl, ending with the duo eventually fighting one another. The Sacramento rapper changed her outfit and returned with her boyfriend, who had a gun. He shot the gun towards the "Baddies West" bus and the crowd surrounding it. Auditions for "Baddies" East will happen on May 12 in Washington, D.C. On the registration form for the audition, it spells out that they “take the health and safety of our contestants, cast, and crew extremely seriously.” It spells out how physical alterca tions, weapons, and drugs are not allowed. Though, the registration has closed due to the overwhelming response. “Blueface & Chrisean: Crazy in Love” is the newest show in Zeus Network’s lineup as the upcoming season will be its second. The show caused quite a stir as many believe the show glorified toxic relationships. Others appeared to enjoy the entertainment the show appeared to bring. The release dates for the upcoming seasons haven’t been announced as Zeus Network is currently airing “Bad Boys Texas” and soon the reunion for “Baddies West.”

A$AP Rocky used a woman’s face to get over a railing to get to the Met Gala. He later apologized. As celebrities made their way to this year’s Met Gala, A$AP Rocky made quite the entrance. In a viral video, the Harlem-born rapper is seen making his way through a crowd of unknowing fans. Dawning an all-black outfit, topped off with a hoodie and sunglasses, he’s seen struggling to get onto the red carpet leading into the Carlyle Hotel. As he makes his way to the railing, he uses a woman’s face to help him over the railing. He subsequently knocked the woman's glasses off of her face. The woman has been identified as Madelyn Llanes. During the Met Gala, she tweeted about the incident. “[A$AP] Rocky just literally jumped over me,” the tweet read. A day later, the rapper formally apologizes via a tweet of his own . “LOL MY FAULT SWEETHEART," his tweet read. A Nick Minaj fanpage, @MELINKA , later claimed to be Llanes in a a viral tweet of their own. "-I it was me...," the tweet read. They doubled down with a follow up tweet, claiming that everything is "all good." The follow up tweet features a photo of Llanes and her friend. They later admitted that they "had to get a hit tweet," a phrase referring to when a tweet goes viral. Another user had called them out on using Llanes' photo and falsely claiming to be her. The 2023 Met Gala occurred on Monday, May 1 with its theme of Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty . A$AP Rocky arrived with Rihanna in a Gucci ensemble: a suit and tie on the top with a plaid kilt, bedazzled jeans, and steel-toed shoes on the bottom half. He wears shades, a nod to Lagerfeld's iconic look. Rihanna dawned a white Valentino dress with a white ruffled cape. Fellow celebrities arrived in corsets, dramatic gloves and capes, as well as feline inspirations.

Along with other popular VH1 shows, LHHATL switches networks after 10 seasons. Along with “Couples Retreat” and “Caught in the Act: Unfaithful,” “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” will move from VH1 to its new home of MTV. Parent company Paramount said it wanted new audiences for these shows, which are now produced by Lashan Browning’s Antoinette Media. Deadline reports that Browning secured an investment from Paramount, who has provided a “substantial equity investment,” and Browning retained a majority stake. The move is surprising as the rating for both “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” and “Love & Hip Hop: Miami” helped VH1 to its highest Monday primetime in over two years. In spirit of the move, MTV launched “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta ‘Run It Back.’” The clip-show features cast members of the show rewatching moments from the show’s inaugural season. With many cast members returning for the new season, there are a few newcomers on the upcoming season. For one, Erica Banks, the voice behind the “Buss It” TikTok challenge will be one of the newcomers. Amy Lucciani Popular, an influencer and rapper, and Jessica White, a runway model and Nick Cannon’s girlfriend, are also newcomers to the show. “MTV Couples Retreat” follows couples attending a retreat. Couples are pushed to rediscover each other, with the help of unconventional guest experts. The series premiered on May 2 at 9 p.m. Tami Roman’s “Caught in the Act: Unfaithful” features the reality star helping suspicious lovers catch their partners in the act of being unfaithful. The show was renewed for its sophomore season in July 2022, with show prep beginning in August 2022 . Season 11 of “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” will follow a documentary approach to its storytelling. It will also be a part of MTV’s Tuesday Night Takeover, premiering on Tuesday, June 13.

Reports claim the “Run It” singer jumped the R&B legend with his crew after a war of words. Chris Brown and Usher were seen arguing at the Skate Rock City in Las Vegas, which allegedly led to a violent scuffle outside. TMZ obtained footage of the argument inside the skating rink, though the fight has yet to be confirmed. The argument between the two singers allegedly began when Brown attempted to speak with Teyana Taylor. For some reason, Taylor was ignoring the “Under the Influence” singer. Brown began cursing at Usher and Taylor, though most of his energy shifted completely to Usher. Brown and his crew soon exited the facility with Usher taking off his skates and following them. According to an alleged eyewitness, Usher went behind a string of charter buses in the parking lot. Usher allegedly emerged with what appeared to be a bloodied nose. The alleged incident has yet to be confirmed as Taylor, Brown, and Usher have been radio silent on the situation. Though, Usher doesn’t appear to have any signs of a broken nose or any injuries in his Instagram stories, which featured a performance he did for the Lovers and Friends festival while in Las Vegas.

T.I. and Tiny copyright infringement lawsuit against the company didn't fall in their favor. On Friday, a jury ruled in favor of MGA Entertainment, a toy company based in Los Angeles, in a $100 million lawsuit brought on by hip hop moguls T.I. and Tiny. The jury took less than two hours to conclude that the 31 dolls featured in the lawsuit didn’t infringe upon or misappropriate the likeness of the OMG Girlz, a trio that included Tiny’s daughter, Zonnique Pullins. T.I. and Tiny alleged that MGA styled dolls based on outfits worn by members of the OMG Girlz. According to Meghann Cunniff, their lawyer John Keville notes that he will pursue post-verdict litigation. In his closing arguments, Keville said: “This case is about whether a big company can infringe [on] the creative works of others…that they think are small, that they think are not famous enough, that they think won’t be able to fight the billion-dollar company.” Lawyers for MGA argued that the group didn’t have unique trade dress and they embraced hair colors and fashions that were popularized before their creation, claiming they were trend followers. The jury defined the trade dress as such: “Counter-Claimants, on behalf of the OMG Girlz (and hereinafter, the “OMG Girlz”), have brought a claim for trade dress infringement. On the OMG Girlz’ claim for trade dress infringement, the OMG Girls have the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence each of the following elements: The trade dress at issue, consisting of: the name “OMG GIRLZ” coupled with combination of vibrant hair color in non-monochromatic and contrasting hues—primarily in bright pink, vivid purple, and shades of blue—contrasting wavy and straight hair styling and experimental, fun, urban, and edgy wardrobes and makeup, layered clothing, voluminous skirts (i.e., tutus and other poofy skirts), and bold over the top clothing and accessories is distinctive or has acquired secondary meaning; The OMG Girlz own the trade dress; The trade dress is nonfunctional; and The MGA Parties used trade dress similar to the OMG Girlz without their consent in a manner that is likely to cause confusion among ordinary consumers as to the source, sponsorship, affiliation, or approval of the MGA Parties’ goods.” MGA CEO Isaac Larian told reporters after the trial that he took the case to trial in order to protect his employees and their creativity. Though, the verdict brought mixed feelings for the self-made billionaire. “I’m not happy because I wasted a lot of time, energy — my employees’ time, energy — to deal with an extortion. They knew from the beginning they don’t have a case, and they brought it anyways. And they picked on the wrong guy,” Larian said. When T.I. and Tiny left the courthouse, with OMG Girlz members Zonnique Pullins, Bahja Rodriguez, and Breaunna Womack, they only spoke with one reporter. “It’s horrible, but whatever,” Tiny said to Law360. T.I. said he wants to hear what the jury has to say before officially giving an opinion, though, he respects the verdict. He mentions how he’s proud of everyone involved, especially the girls, his wife, and the team of attorneys. “You can’t just lay down and take it. If you see, feel, believe and know for a fact that your intellectual property has been infringed upon, that your rights have been violated, you go through whatever means you can to take it as far as you can to defend yourself, your honor and protect your rights. That’s strength. I’m not discouraged because I know from which my blessings come. And with or without that, we gonna be straight,” the rapper said. During the trial, Keville questioned the company’s approach to litigation, specifically their legal battle against Mattel, Inc. According to Mattel, Carter Bryant, the producer of Barbie, sent sketches and a preliminary sculpt for the Bratz line of dolls while he was still employed at Mattel. The company claimed Bryant violated his employment agreement by taking his ideas to MGA. Larian makes a clear distinction between MGA’s legal battle against Mattel, Inc. and its battle against the OMG Girlz. “One is copyright. One is an extortion case, where your client lied and said that we were trying to do a license with them. And none of our dolls look like your characters,” Larian said. T.I and Tiny attempted to persuade a jury that the dolls were examples of cultural appropriation and theft of intellectual property. The initial suit was declared a mistrial, after MGA argued that the cultural appropriation accusations ruined the opportunity for a fair trial. The OMG Girlz were active from 2009 until 2015. Upon their breakup in 2015, each member pursued a solo career. The group reunited as a trio , without Lil Wayne's daughter Reginae Carter, during the Great Xscape Tour.

The singer/dancer was arrested after allegedly hitting someone with her SUV while driving intoxicated, causing major injury. “Dominican Mami” singer DaniLeigh, real name Danielle Leigh Curiel, found herself arrested early Tuesday morning for an alleged hit-and-run while driving intoxicated.. According to the Miami Beach Police Department arrest report, Curiel was seen driving a Mercedes-Benz G550 down Washington Avenue. She was allegedly speeding as well as weaving in and out of traffic. Police said she hit a moped rider near 11th Street and continued driving without slowing down or stopping. Crazy enough, the crash happened just outside the Miami Beach police headquarters. An officer pulled Curiel over near 16th Street after she did not want to stop at first. The report states that her car smelled of alcohol and her motor skills were “sluggish.” Curiel then claimed that she never hit anyone and she hadn’t consumed any alcohol. Police then conducted two separate breathalyzer tests, which both came back more than twice the legal limit (0.145% and 0.148%). Police later found an empty bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila in Curiel’s car. The moped rider survived the incident, though, they suffered a kidney laceration and a spinal fracture. Not only does Curiel face a felony hit-and-run charge, she faces two drunken driving citations.

The “That 70s Show” actor found guilty for raping three women he met through Scientology. Actor Danny Masterson was found guilty on two counts of rape on Wednesday, ending a years-long legal battle. The charges regard Masterson sexually assaulting three women he met through the Church of Scientology. After a week of deliberations, the jury was convinced that Masterson sexually assaulted two women in his Hollywood Hills home in the early 2000s. Jurors hung on a third count stemming from allegations made by Chrissie B., who was once Masterson’s longtime girlfriend. The panel was leaning toward a guilty verdict on that count but was deadlocked with a vote of 8—4. Though, the jury’s vote was in favor of conviction. Soon after the guilty verdict was announced, an audible gasp came from Masterson’s family, specifically his wife, Bijou Phillips. According to the Los Angeles Times, she sobbed heavily as Masterson was led away in handcuffs. Defense lawyer Phil Cohen asked the judge to consider Masterson’s age as well as the fact that the crimes happened 20 years ago. Judge Charlaine Olmedo denied the request for Masterson to be bailed out until the sentencing hearing. His sentencing hearing will be held in August of this year as he faces up to 30 years behind bars. The jury previously deadlocked on all counts against Masterson during a trial last year, with most leaning toward an acquittal. Prosecutors sought a retrial, and this time around, they focused on Masterson preying on members of his church and using drugs to make them vulnerable before each assault. In the first trial, the three women testified that they felt weak or woozy, and had little memory, after taking a drink that Masterson prepared. Though, prosecutors didn’t overtly claim that Masterson fixed the drink to disable the women. During the second trial, they made the overt claim that the actor drugged the women. “They were all drugged,” Prosecutor Ariel Anson argued. “The defendant drugs his victims to be in control. He does this to take away these victims’ ability to consent. This is not about consent. This is not about the defendant misunderstanding these victim’s signals. When he drugs them, he’s able to completely physically control them. You don’t want to have sex? You don’t have a choice… The defendant makes that choice for these victims and does it over and over and over again.” Cohen said it’s not a drugging case as there’s no tangible evidence of said drugging. He argued that the women “tweaked” their stories to fit the narrative of rape. He alleged that the women met with one another and discussed the case. “A woman has an absolute right to say no,” Cohen said. “But when the ‘no’ comes 16 years, 17 years later…that’s a very, very scary scenario.” Not only did Cohen attempt to discredit the women's stories, Masterson's publicist Jenni Weinman did as well. While speaking with one of Masterson's accusers, Weinman argues that Chrissie Bixler, one of the witnesses of the cases, was dating Masterson at the time, so Masterson couldn't have raped her. The Church of Scientology has made its presence known since the Los Angeles police began its investigation into the actor in 2017. At that time, Masterson dismissed the claims as an attempt to slander the religion. Throughout the case, the three women testified that they were either discouraged from contacting law enforcement by Scientology officials or they were told the incidents weren’t rape. Each victim feared that reporting Masterson would lead the church to label them “suppressive persons.” Being labeled as such would make them enemies of the church and cause their families to cut all contact. Scientology officials repeatedly denied prohibiting members from cooperating with police. Though, after a 2021 preliminary hearing, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo ruled the church has “an expressly written doctrine” that discourages members reporting other members to law enforcement. The church disagreed with the ruling. Scientology spokeswoman Karin Pouw said church policy “explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land, including the reporting of cri mes. This is blatantly clear in the documents we understand were put before the Court — and many others.” In addition to the women’s allegations about the Church of Scientology, it has been revealed that a church attorney obtained discovery materials in the case last month. The revelation has sparked an LAPD investigation and allegations of impropriety from prosecutors. The materials obtained by Vicki Podberesky allegedly include redacted text messages exchanged between Masterson’s accusers and LAPD investigators. A hearing to determine how Podberesky got the materials was scheduled for Wednesday, but was rescheduled due to ongoing deliberations. The hearing is expected to take place next week. Podberesky claims that she obtained the documents legally and did nothing wrong. Though, she declined to explain how they got into her possession. The Church of Scientology hasn’t commented on the matter, yet.