All articles tagged with #courts and crime
California jurors awarded housekeeper Maria Avila $12.9 million for injuries from a December 2020 dog attack at Chris Brown’s Tarzana home, plus $885,000 to Avila’s sister for emotional distress and $50,000 to Avila’s husband; Brown and his company Black Pyramid LLC were found liable for negligence, totaling about $13 million after more than five years of litigation.
The body of a newborn was found in a portable toilet on the Electric Forest Festival grounds in Rothbury, Michigan, discovered by a restroom vending company employee during routine maintenance on June 28. The Michigan State Police are investigating and asking for information from the public, while organizers expressed heartbreak and urged people not to speculate on social media as the probe continues.
Comedian Carlos Mencia was arrested in Los Angeles County on 12 felony counts of tax evasion (six for failing to file personal tax returns with intent to evade, six for failing to file corporate taxes for Nedlos Entertainment, Inc.). Prosecutors allege he failed to report about $8.7 million in personal and corporate income from 2019–2024 and owes more than $300,000 in California taxes. Arraignment is scheduled for June 22, with bail set at $250,000; if convicted, he faces up to 11 years and four months in state prison.
A Los Angeles judge granted Sabrina Carpenter a five-year restraining order against William Applegate after he testified he is part of a 'classified military government program' and believes Carpenter must be contacted to save the world; Carpenter had described Applegate’s trespassing and stalking at her homes, and the court’s order requires him to stay at least 100 yards away from Carpenter, avoid contact, and not possess firearms until June 17, 2031, following an emergency TRO and his May arrest, with ongoing criminal proceedings noted.
Rapper Mystikal, real name Michael Ty ler, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pledging guilty to third-degree rape stemming from a 2022 incident at his Louisiana home; the plea deal spared him a potential life sentence that could have arisen from the original first-degree rape charge, and the victim testified about the assault. He has a history including a 2003 sexual-battery conviction and faced additional charges in 2022 that were resolved through the plea.
Matthew Perry’s live-in assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to distribute ketamine that contributed to the actor’s death in October 2023; prosecutors said he obtained, administered, and concealed ketamine doses for Perry, while Perry’s family condemned him as a “monster.” Co-defendants in the case received shorter or longer penalties, including a 15-year sentence for the “Ketamine Queen” Sangha and prison terms for others, as Perry’s death was ruled an acute ketamine overdose.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner released Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s autopsy findings, ruling her death the result of multiple penetrating injuries to the torso (including a liver‑perforating wound and a left chest wound) and classifying it as homicide. Postmortem toxicology showed a low level of ethanol and presumptive positives for benzodiazepines, methamphetamine, and MDMA, though these did not appear to cause the death. The release follows the murder charge against D4VD (David Burke) and related counts tied to Rivas’ death, with authorities detailing the dismembered remains and Burke pleading not guilty as the case moves toward a preliminary hearing.
R&B singer D4vd (David Burke) pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles court to the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, plus charges of sexual abuse with a minor under 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains. A judge ordered him held without bail. The case includes special-circumstance allegations—murder of a witness, murder for financial gain, and lying in wait—and, if convicted, could yield life without parole, with the death penalty under consideration later. The investigation followed the discovery of Rivas Hernandez’s dismembered body in the front trunk of Burke’s impounded Tesla, and authorities say she was a witness in a prior probe into Burke’s alleged lewd acts with a minor. Burke’s attorney denied guilt and requested a speedy evidentiary hearing.
Rapper Pooh Shiesty (Lontrell Williams Jr.) was denied bail in a Dallas federal case tied to kidnapping and robbery at a recording studio involving Gucci Mane. Prosecutors say he traveled from Memphis with eight others, used an AK-style pistol to force Gucci Mane (Radric Davis) to sign paperwork terminating his contract, and robbed several people of jewelry and cash. Williams allegedly violated home detention by being at the scene; nine defendants face conspiracy-to-kidnap charges with a potential life sentence. Williams’s lawyer questioned the evidence, citing no contract or video of a signing, while the judge found credible evidence and a flight risk, ordering detention until further proceedings.
Jasveen Sangha, the 'Ketamine Queen,' was sentenced to 15 years in a Los Angeles federal prison for supplying ketamine—including the dose linked to Matthew Perry’s death—after pleading guilty to five counts; prosecutors said she was among the most culpable in a network that included doctors and Perry’s aide, who delivered and administered the drug; she supplied 51 vials to the aide, who gave Perry injections the day he died. She’ll also face three years of supervised release, drug testing, and restrictions on encrypted messaging.
A California jury rejected Media Rights Capital’s $29.5 million insurance claim tied to Kevin Spacey’s ouster from House of Cards, ruling that Spacey’s 2017 diagnosis of sexual compulsive behavior was not the predominant cause of the production losses; the 10-2 verdict favored the insurer, with jurors saying reputational harm and public allegations were other key factors in the decision.
Kevin Spacey testified in a California civil trial over an insurance claim tied to the House of Cards hiatus, confirming a 2017 diagnosis of “sexual compulsive behavior” after voluntary rehab at The Meadows. He read the psychiatric summary aloud, said there was no medical basis to challenge the diagnosis, and defended the treatment aimed at addressing sexual behavior and boundaries, while disputing certain doctors’ notes. The case pits Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company against Spacey’s former show's production company over coverage and losses, with Spacey having previously been involved in arbitration that led to a $31 million payment (reduced in a later settlement) in exchange for medical records and testimony.
In a Los Angeles civil trial over injuries from the Malibu mansion demolition, Tony Saxon testified that Kanye West ordered him to live at the construction site around the clock, woke him at 3–4 a.m., and added 24/7 security duties while overseeing gutting of the Tadao Ando–designed home bought for $57.3 million. Saxon showed jurors text messages with Ye detailing updates, budgets, and a low-profile, permitless approach to the project; Ye’s team claims Saxon was an unlicensed contractor. The case, part of a wave of employee lawsuits, is set to continue with Ye and Bianca Censori expected to testify over the next two weeks.
Actor Timothy Busfield was released from an Albuquerque jail after a two-hour hearing on charges of criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse tied to twin actors on The Cleaning Lady; prosecutors argued for detention due to the seriousness of the allegations, while defense cited presumption of innocence, referencing a polygraph test and letters of support, with the judge ordering no contact with the accusers and allowing travel out of state pending trial.
Former West Wing actor Timothy Busfield is in New Mexico custody after being charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse related to twin child actors on The Cleaning Lady; he denies the allegations and says he passed a polygraph, while investigators allege grooming and inappropriate touching on set; a Warner Bros. independent investigation reportedly found no substantiation; the case follows earlier uncharged allegations and has prompted industry fallout, including shelving TV episodes and dropping his agency, with Busfield's wife Melissa Gilbert publicly supporting him.