This article was originally published on TrendExposed
Let's face it, lawsuits are, for some reason, really interesting. There's just something inexplicably fascinating about two people duking it out in a high-stakes legal battle. But what's even more interesting than regular lawsuits are celebrity lawsuits, and believe us when we say that there have been some totally bizarre and engaging legal cases over the years. Scroll through this article to check out some of the most unforgettable high-profile lawsuits of all time!
Kendall Jenner and the Notorious Fyre Festival Scandal
Okay, so those who know what the Fyre Festival was tend to not shut up about it, and rightly so. It was a crazy ordeal, for sure. Basically, the festival was advertised as a high-class, first-rate, luxurious, and exclusive music festival, the tickets for which were extremely pricey. The festival ended up being a total farce, and a lawsuit was shortly filed against the organizers of the festival and the celebrities who promoted it.
The most striking target of this lawsuit was none other than Kendall Jenner who had to pay approximately $90,000, although she had received around $275,000 for promoting the festival. Crazy.
The Ariel Winter Family Lawsuit
Many of us know and recognize Ariel Winter for her iconic role as Alex Dunphy on the hit sitcom Modern Family. What many people don't know, however, is that Winter's family got themselves into quite the lawsuit. Ariel's mother actually sued the actress' business partner and professional associate Matthew Borlenghi. What for, you ask? Well, there's no easy way to tell the story without picking sides, but get ready for something juicy.
Apparently, Ariel's mother sued said Matthew Borlenghi, Ariel's partner in business, for defamation. According to her, he labeled her as an "abusive monster". Ouch, we definitely get why someone would be upset about that.
That Time Goop Went Against the State of California
Remember Goop? Gwyneth Paltrow's wellness company? Remember that time they got in some serious trouble with the state of California? Yeah, it was pretty wild. A group of officials from the California Food. Drug, and Medical Device filed a lawsuit against Goop for unsubstantiated claims regarding their products, which they claimed were healthy for various reasons that the state of California did not agree with. The item that got the most flack for this was the Vaginal Jade Egg.
Now, we're definitely no legal experts, but it is of our humble opinion that one should not be picking fights with an entire state and its representatives. There's just no way you're winning that one.
The Apple Fell Far From the Tree
Elusive singer-songwriter Frank Ocean may not have the most public of personas, but he is definitely one of the most recognizable and influential names out there. Given the fact that people seem to not know a lot about the guy, it may not come as a surprise that most people don't know that Frank Ocean's own dad had actually sued him for approximately $14.5 million. What's even weirder is that it all started with a Tumblr post.
Frank had opened up about his estranged father's abusive comments towards a transgender waiter. The father vehemently denied having ever said such things. The whole thing turned into quite the legal fiasco.
LeAnn Rimes Vs Her Father
It's hard to imagine a worse feeling than having to fight a battle in court against your very own father. To most people, such a thing is truly unfathomable. Not for LeAnn Rimes, however, who had to do just that. The two had apparently been going through an ongoing legal feud for years. According to Rimes, her father had actually taken millions of dollars of her earnings from when she was but a teenager.
This didn't sit well with LeAnn. However, it seems as though the father himself wasn't too satisfied with how the whole thing played out, given that he countersued LeAnn. Ouch.
Sofia Vergara's Sci-Fi Lawsuit
Okay, you may just want to buckle up for this one, because it's a bit of a wild ride. Sofia Vergara's lawsuit consisted of what we can only call some real futuristic stuff. What happened was this: Vergara was actually sued by her ex-fiance over the custody of her two frozen embryos. Yeah, how's that for a bizarre lawsuit; pretty sure the judge had a hard time figuring that one out.
It totally makes sense that something like this would have to be sorted out in court, and yet it's so weird at the same time. The two embryos even had names: Emma and Isabella.
Even Olympians Have Legal Issues
As it turns out, winning Olympic gold isn't enough to live a trouble-free life these days. If anybody knows that, it's Tianna Madison, who had the pleasure of having to go through the misfortune of fighting a legal dispute against her own parents. According to the olympian, her parents had committed two wrongdoings against her: mismanaging her finances, and also allowing her molester to enter their home. Something people shouldn't have to go through.
Though she publicly stated she would, she never actually went through with the lawsuit. Her parents, however, one-upped her and actually sued her for a hefty $25,000 for humiliating them.
The Infamous Case of Johnny Depp Vs Amber Heard
After trying and failing to successfully sue the British tabloid The Sun for calling him a wife-beater, Depp went on to prepare for a much bigger case against his ex-wife Amber Heard herself. Depp is suing Heard for defamation, claiming that she had made false claims of abuse to various media outlets. The court proceedings have conjured quite the storm in the public eye, who seem, for the most part, to be siding with Depp.
It is worth mentioning, however, that it is the judge and the jury who will eventually decide the winner of this court case. Until then, however, we'll keep watching the case with anticipation.
Blac Chyna's Messy Departure From the Kardashians
The dispute between Blac Chyna and the Kardashians is very well known given just how much of the Kardashian's private life has been made, well, not so private anymore. Chyna had filed a lawsuit against her ex-fiance Rob Kardashian and his immediate family for damaging her brand. Things truly got out of hand, however, when Rob allegedly posted naked photos of her on various social media. All but legal pandemonium ensued.
It seems as though things are approaching what can only be termed as some sort of compromise, seeing how both Chyna and her ex settled on a custody agreement for their kid.
Ted Levin Against the Family Business
So while most of us know Ted Levin from his unforgettable role in the blood-chilling Silence of the Lambs, it seems as though his real-life issues may be just as scary, if not existentially, then fiscally. Apparently, the actor was sued for by both his brother and sister for his mishandling of their family restaurant, which he reportedly sold. Allegedly, Levin had allegedly sent his siblings some very off-kilter emails.
Apparently, these were enough to constitute some form of harassment according to the two who sued Levin. One of the weirder legal disputes, given how it all revolved around a family restaurant.
Chris Perez's Issues With the In-Laws
Chris Perez has had quite the career. He has worked as a singer-songwriter, all-around musician, and author. Yet, despite his impressive display of achievements, what the man is most known for is his relationship with his ex-wife, Selen, the frontwoman of the musical group he played in, Selena y Los Dinos. Unfortunately, Selena passed away untimely, leaving Perez to live by himself, without his beloved Selena at his side. Truly sad.
Things went from bad to worse when Selena's family sued Perez for using video footage of her in a series despite her case not being solved yet. It surely must have been hard for everyone.
Leighton Meester's Mom Troubles
Leighton Meester is most known for her iconic role in Gossip Girl, but most people don't know that she was involved in some serious legal action. Leighton's family was involved in legal action regarding her brother's high medical expenses. Leighton, being who she is, gave her mother approximately $7,500 a month to fund this cause. To her dismay, she found out that her mom had been using the money for plastic surgery.
That's when Leighton actually sued. What's even more bizarre is that her mother counter-sued her for tarnishing her "happiness." In the end, it was Leighton who won the court battle.
Oprah Winfrey: Poetry Burglar
Okay, so let's get one thing straight, it's pretty much a fact of the modern world that people are generally not into poetry. It just isn't for everyone, we presume. Or, at the very least, a hefty amount of people don't really get what's appealing about poetry. That is exactly why this entire court case is so intriguing. What happened was that some random poet sued Oprah for, get this, a trillion dollars.
Needless to say that the case was dismissed very quickly. We're not sure what exactly went on with the whole stealing poetry thing, but one trillion dollars? Yeah, no way.
Just Another Jordan Clone
Given just how big of a role Michael Jordan has played in popular culture in recent years (which, needless to say, also includes his iconic Nike shoes), we can see why people may have tried to mold themselves in his image. He is, after all, some sort of a role model. Portland resident Allen Heckard, however, may have taken this the wrong way, as he sued Michael Jordan for looking like him.
The man was absolutely fed up with being misrecognized as Michael Jordan, and sued the basketball legend for a staggering $416 million. Yeah, we were surprised too when we first heard that.
Meghan Markle's Quite the Trouble Stirrer
In 2019, the one and only Meghan Markle filed a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers (who are the publishers of such notorious British outlets as The Sun) for publishing a handwritten letter she had sent to her estranged father, claiming that the publication was a blatant bleach of her privacy and rights. Associated Newspapers, on the other hand, claimed that the letter wasn't a personal document, but originally intended for PR use, therefore justifying its publication.
The contents of the letter consisted of Meghan pleading with her father to stop posing for paparazzi photographs. Eventually, the court sided with Meghan Markle, who went on to criticize the "tabloid industry" following her win.
Shai Labeouf's Against FKA Twigs
The case of FKA Twigs against Shai Labeouf is definitely one hard to swallow. FKA Twigs had accused Labeouf of domestic abuse, citing several instances of supposed violence, including sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional trauma. Quite a few disturbing anecdotes are going around the internet regarding what exactly happened, but we'll leave them out of this article, but we will say that FKA Twigs' account of the whole relationship to TIMES is definitely hard to read.
There is no easy way to talk about these kinds of issues. All that's left to say is that it is extremely unfortunate that these things happen, and we wish the best for those involved.
Billionaire Is A Big Word
When people say "let's not argue about semantics," they usually mean: let's not exhaust ourselves bickering about the definition of some particular, nit-picked words, because we'll never reach an agreement if we do that. One could say, however, that that's kind of what Timothy O'Brien did in his book Trumpnation: The Art of Being Donald when he argued that Trump wasn't actually a billionaire, but a millionaire, citing several sources to back up his claim.
Trump didn't take kindly to this at all, and promptly sued the author. The case was dismissed by a lower New Jersey court that claimed the author hadn't truly or willingly caused "malice".
Shaq's Rated-R Tape
Who knew the famous basketball legend, the iconic Shaquille O'Neal himself was into the art of filmmaking? Well, a certain type of films, to be specific. You know what we mean. That is. at least, what Shaq's former business partner had claimed. The story according to saId partner goes like this: Shaq had sent a bunch of thugs to rough the partner up when he had threatened to release the video to the general public.
The judge, however, wasn't too interested in hearing the man's claims. It seems as though the public will never know what really happened. Truth be told, that might just be for the better.
Chris Rock Against the Pride of Hungary
Okay, this one is a bit dark, so anyone who isn't interested in reading things about sexual assault should probably move on to the next item in the article. Hungarian model Monika Zsibrita claimed that actor and comedian Chris Rock had raped her and caused her pregnancy. Allegedly, Chris Rock hired a private investigator in order to help refute the claims. The two settled the whole ordeal confidentially in a private agreement.
But the whole thing was reignited when Chris Rock publicly stated that the whole ordeal was a part of a paternity scam. Zsbibrita promptly sued Rock for breaching the confidentiality agreement.
Elvis Lives On?
It's pretty well known by now that there are quite a lot of people who believe that Elvis Presley, King of Rock n' Roll, never truly died when he allegedly did. Yeah, talk about people not going through the stages of grief. Anyway, one person was so adamant in his belief, that he actually sued Elvis Presley enterprises, claiming that The King faked his death to escape various obligations and burdens.
How did this guy know that Elvis was actually alive? Well, according to him, he had been receiving frequent phone calls from The King himself. Yeah, that's definitely going to be hard to prove in court.
Who Is Lisa Marie Presley?
We're not sure why exactly there's so much controversy and conspiracy revolving around the Elvis family, but it is what it is, we guess. No point in arguing with reality. That, however, is definitely something native Swede Lisa Johansen had trouble accepting. According to her, Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis' daughter, had actually falsely assumed her identity. In other words, she claimed Elvis' daughter was an impostor. Yeah, girl, this isn't Among Us.
She then tried to sue the Elvis estate for a whopping $130 million for all the emotional damage the whole ordeal had caused her. Definitely one of the weirder cases out there.
American Apparel Have Got A Little Crush
Apparently., the LA-based clothing brand American Apparel had contacted Woody Allen in the hopes of getting nude photos of his wife, Soon-Yi-Previn. We're not exactly sure how things got to that stage, but it's clear that the whole thing is a complicated ordeal. At one point, Allen had actually sued the clothing brand for using an unauthorized image of his on a public billboard. Not sure they would do something like that.
The brand responded by saying that Allen's image wasn't worth that much anyway given all the well-known drama around his relationship with his step-daughter. We're pretty sure that didn't do much in court.
The IPods Reign Supreme?
So picture this. It's 2009. Life, generally, is pretty good. The sun's out, the birds are chirping, and the iPhone is making rounds and making technology nerds across the world incredibly excited. That's when you decide to strike. You are, for the purpose of this narrative, some guy named Franz A. Wakefield, and you have decided to sue both Steve Jobs and Jessica Parke for stealing the whole iPhone thing off of you.
Why was Jessica Parker involved? Well, that's a great question, seems as if she isn't credited with inventing the iPhone. Wakefield and she agreed that she would get a percentage of the profits if she would endorse his version of the iPhone.
The Ungodly Power of Magicians
Okay, so if there's one thing that pretty much everyone knows and accepts regarding magicians, it's that a magician (or at the very least, a good magician) never reveals the secrets behind his tricks. That's just the whole charm of magic. Well, some people have got beef with that. Cristopher Roller filed a lawsuit against David Blaine and David Copperfield, demanding that they reveal the secrets behind their tricks and give him 10% of their earnings.
The reasoning behind the thing was pretty wild: Roller insisted that the magicians were bending the laws of physics, therefore conjuring godly powers. The problem as he saw it was that he was the one, true god. Therefore, they were stealing his powers. Yeah. Wild.
Budwheiser's Portrayal of Women
Truth be told, we can think of quite a few reasons why somebody might get offended by a Budweiser commercial and try his hand at sueing them. Not to say that we're condoning that behavior or that there's something to it, we're just pointing out how something like that could happen. What did happen, however, definitely took us by surprise. Richard Overton tried suing Budweiser on the grounds of false advertising.
What they were advertising, according to him, was the fact that beautiful women would pay mind to average-looking, regular men such as him. This. he said, caused him much financial and emotional damage.
Michael Jackson Fan Sues MSNBC
When somebody produces a series, they usually don't get it made. That's just the harsh reality of the entertainment industry. Sometimes, however, things get a bit dirtier than just flat-out rejection. Evert Wattson had filed to sue MSNBC when they allegedly and partially stole his idea for a documentary revolving around Michael Jackson. It definitely was a huge ordeal, the specifics of which are still unclear as to this date.
This just goes to show you how harsh it can be to make it as a screenwriter in this day and age. It's not enough to have a good idea, apparently.
The Batman-Turkey Scandal
We all know Batman. We all love Batman. There really isn't a Turkish citizen who hasn't heard of Batman. Why Turkey, you may ask? Oh, you thought we were talking about Batman, the comic book hero? No, we were talking about Batman, the Turkish city! A common mixup, really, and one that Huseyin Kalkan, mayor of the city of Batman had decided to take into his own hands when he tried to sue Cristopher Nolan and his colleagues.
He had accused them of using the city's name without permissionW and also blamed them for the city's high murder and suicide rate. The whole thing seemingly ended pretty quickly
Drive Wasn't For Everyone
So, we get the whole point about this one. Nicolas Winding Refn's cult masterpiece Drive, which starred Ryan Gosling, definitely made itself seem as though it were a fast-paced, action-oriented car flick. That was the way it was portrayed by some of the trailers. That is, at least, according to Sarah Deming, who sued the distributing company for Drive claiming that the movie wasn't anything like The Fast and the Furious, as it was advertised to be.
We're not sure how it was truly advertised, but we can definitely agree that the film is not like The Fast and Furious series. It's a slow. character-oriented, and frankly kind of weird, drama.
Who Knew This About "Knowing"? Get It?
Okay, so first of all we're truly sorry for that horrendous joke, we don't know what came over us. Now back to the matter at hand: The lawsuit we're talking about is actually between two companies - Global Findability, and the film's distributing company Summit Entertainment. Global Findability claimed that some of what was shown in the film Knowing featuring Nicolas Cage's trailer actually infringed actual geocoding technology patented on their name. That's crazy!
So either the people who wrote this movie did some very thorough and accurate research, or they just happened to make up something that actually made a lot of sense.
When Film Dictates Reality
The film Natural Born Killers seems to have been involved in quite a bit of controversy regarding some of its real-world influence and implications. When Pasty Byrers was rendered quadrapaledic following a store robbery, she had first sued the robbers. Then, after thinking about it for a while (we guess), Byers decided to also sue both Time Warner and Oliver Stone, the man who directed the film Natural Born Killers.
As it turns out, the robbers had been watching the film on repeat in the days before the robbery. Byers claimed that the film actually inspired the robbery. The lawsuit against the those affiliated with the film was eventually dismissed.
"Monster In-Law" Was Just A Tad Bit Too Realistic
Anybody who has ever watched a film and unexpectedly ended up crying his eyes out or just sitting there stone-faced, asking himself "how they could have known", knows that some films hit way too close to home. While most of us just dismiss the thought, one North Carolinian woman thought as though the film Monster In-Law, starring Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez, was way too similar to a script she herself wrote about her issues with her mother-in-law.
Given just how many people have problems with their in-laws, we are going to go out on a limb and guess that the script was, despite the suer's claims, original. What do you think?
Tragedy at the Festival: Travis Scott Vs Astroworld Fans
The tragedy that ensued at Astrowold shall definitely go down in history as one of the most extreme and unfortunate cases of irresponsible conduct and neglectful organization. The concert in November 2021 claimed the lives of 10 innocent fans who came to the show looking to enjoy the music. Countless other fans were also injured, and Travis Scott, who not only headlined the festival but also produced it, is now facing hundreds of disparate lawsuits.
Sources close to the rapper and musician claim that he was unaware of the tragedy until several hours after the show had ended. Public opinion, however, is divided on this matter.
Family Feud: Spears Against Spears
What's there to say about the Spears dispute that hasn't been said already? Films have been made covering the whole thing, which makes sense, given just how huge and convoluted the lawsuit truly is, and how long it's been going on. The gist of it was that since Spears rose to stardom at such an early age, her father was given unthinkable legal control over her own life and earnings.
It was only in 2021 when the pop star finally broke free from her admittedly harsh contract, much to the joy of her fans, who have been her most fierce advocates for years now.
Nicky Minaj Against Tracy Chapman
Lawsuits between modern-day musicians are usually cut from the same cloth. This lawsuit, at its core, is no different; what's at stake here is the intellectual property of a song that was allegedly sampled without any authorization by the artist who originally wrote it, that artist being Tracy Chapman. The lawsuit ended in 2018 when the two settled on an agreement for approximately 450 thousand dollars. That is a lot of money.
It just goes to show how much modern-day music is in debt to the artists of the past that Minaj was willing to pay such a fee to keep her song available.
The Dickinson-Cosby Dispute
It was in 2017 that former supermodel Janice Dickinson proceeded to renew her legal battle against Bill Cosby, this time also going for Cosby's lawyer for defamation. The heart of the legal dispute revolves around Dickinson's allegation that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in the 1980s. Cosby's lawyer, Singer, went on a roll, threatening to sue anyone who dares to give Dickinson a platform to voice her claimns. Truly hard stuff.
The whole thing got messy pretty quickly, and Singer tried to dismantle the lawsuit through legal action of his own. That, much to his dismay, did not work, and the case went on.