Two years ago Eminem beat up a guy in a strip club. No big surprise, right? Right. We haven’t heard a lot from Eminem in a while, but it makes sense that when we would, it’d be for some kind of fight. Well even though the guy laid low for a couple years, he’s decided that NOW is the time to sue the rapper – for the gigantic sum of $25,000.

A man has sued Eminem, claiming the rapper punched him two years ago while they were in the bathroom of a Detroit strip club.

The Detroit News reports Miad Jarbou of Royal Oak filed the lawsuit Thursday in Oakland County Circuit Court seeking more than $25,000 in damages. The suit claims Eminem punched him July 13, 2006, at Cheetah’s On the Strip Gentlemen’s Club.

Eminem spokesman Dennis Dennehy declined to comment Friday on the lawsuit.

Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, wasn’t charged following reports of an incident at the club in 2006.

The strip club is located on Eight Mile Road, the border between Detroit and the northern suburbs made famous by Eminem’s hit 2002 film “8 Mile.”

[From the Huffington Post]

The incident happened after Jarbou and a friend approached Eminem for an autograph in the club’s bathroom. The rapper was at the urinal, and his bodyguard turned Jarbou away. According to his account, he was trying to explain to the bodyguard that he wanted to meet Eminem when the rapper turned around and punched him.

He’s claiming the classic lawsuit issues due to the incident; that he’s undergone physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, has dealt with ongoing serious injuries requiring medical treatment and suffered embarrassment, humiliation, the burden of medical expenses, wage loss and other economic and non-economic damages. So pretty much that one punch ruined his whole life.

Normally I’d think a lawsuit over this was stupid, but the guy’s only asking for$25,000. That’s like a weekend in Vegas to Eminem. I’m surprised he hasn’t just paid it. It seems fair for punching a guy for pretty much no reason.

Images thanks to PR Photos.

If there is one person in Hollywood who doesn’t deserve a break, even after serving prison time and being treated like a pariah by most of his old good-time party pals, it’s Joe Francis. This guy gives the term “scumbag” a new meaning, getting rich by preying on drunk college girls who will be ashamed and embarrassed for the rest of their lives. So any time I read about Joey Boy taking yet another financial beating, it pretty much makes my day. The Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas has been publicly pursuing several celebs with outstanding gambling debts lately, including NBA stars Charles Barkley, who owed the casino $400,000 and Alonzo Mourning. Now, they’re setting their sights on Francis, who allegedly owes the casino $2 million.

“Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis’ legal problems increased after the Wynn Las Vegas filed a $2 million lawsuit against him for unpaid gambling debts dating back to February 2007.

The Strip resort filed the suit Friday.

“As far as Mr. Francis is concerned, his obligations to the Wynn hotel have been fully lived up to per prior agreements,” a spokesman for Francis said today.

A Wynn Las Vegas representative declined to comment.

Francis is currently free on bail pending his trial on tax evasion charges in Reno. A trial date has not been set.

[From ReviewJournal.com]

Hey, look, the economy is rotten and these casinos are no doubt taking a beating right now. They can’t let these so-called high rollers rack up hundreds of thousands or even millions in debt and get away with it. These guys are lucky it’s not the old days of Las Vegas, or Joe would have a lot more to worry about than a lawsuit. Someone might come along and wreck those pretty fake teeth of his, or worse. Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

Joe Francis and Spencer Pratt are shown at the release party for the second issue of Girls Gone Wild Magazine on 6/4/08, thanks WENN photographer Rachel Worth.

Iconic 80s electronic band Devo is suing McDonalds for copyright infringement over a Happy Meal toy included as part of an American Idol promotion. The toy featured Devo’s trademark plastic tiered red funnel hat, distinctive glasses, and orange jumpsuit and was named “New Wave Nigel.” Devo popularized that unique look in the video for their 1980 hit “Whip It,” and they say McDonalds is blatantly ripping them off, plus they say they just don’t like them or American Idol, so they’re “doubly offended.”

Eric Whelchel at Blog Critics points out that Devo isn’t advertise to being used for commercial advertisements, so it’s likely that they’re just understandably pissed that they’re not getting paid:

Devo is currently riding the artistic integrity highway in explaining its legal action. Bassist Gerald Casale, credited with creating the band’s unique look, is quoted as saying that McDonald’s “didn’t ask us anything. Plus, we don’t like McDonalds’, and we don’t like American Idol, so we’re doubly offended.”Nevertheless, it’s somewhat difficult to accept this assertion at face value. Despite its carefully crafted image as a band that mocked and criticized commercialism, Devo hasn’t shied away from using its image or music in commercials. The band appeared in a 1984 ad for Honda scooters, and later recorded a new version of “Whip It” for Swiffer television commercials (though Casale has since stated the band regrets that decision). Clearly, Devo won’t ever be confused with Tom Waits regarding their views on licensing their songs (or themselves) for commercial use.

With this history in mind, Casale’s comment that McDonald’s “didn’t ask us anything” is curious. Those cynics among us could interpret that to mean that Devo might have approved the idea, had they been asked and, it can be inferred, been given a cut of that sweet Big Mac baksheesh.

[From Blogcritics.org]

You can’t blame them for suing over this toy. It’s just like the look they pioneered and they should have received some kind of compensation. I searched the US Patent and Trademark Office and the Copyright Office and they have plenty of trademarks and copyrights on their music, lyrics, videos and name, but I couldn’t find anything specifically related to their look. Maybe I just don’t know what to look for.

Devo is currently comprised of five members, including four original members who happen to be two sets of brothers. They’re still recording and making a living off their music. The youngest and newest member is 35 year-old drummer Josh Freese, with the original four members all in their mid to late 50s.

In 2007, Devo recorded a song that was featured in a Dell commercial called “Watch Us Work It.” They were working on a new album, which has been slightly delayed. Their last studio non-compilation album was out in 1990, although they’ve released several greatest hits CDs and video game soundtracks.

Devo is touring this summer, and has done dates in the US and Europe so far. They are scheduled to play throughout Australia and Japan in the next two months.

There’s a band called “Devo 2.0” which is made up of child singers, including three girls, who’ve re-recorded Devo songs for Disney. The band is fully sanctioned by Devo and properly licensed. They’ve got to make a buck somehow. [Details of Devo’s career paraphrased from Wikipedia]

Here’s “Whip It”

Image below is of Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh performing at the 2007 Benicassim Festival in Spain, credit Corentin Lamy via Wikipedia. Header images via Andy on The Roll and brocknroll.wordpress.com. Inset image from Letterarms.blogspot.com.

Rob Lowe was sued for sexual harassment this spring by a nanny who worked for his family for seven years, returning once on her own volition. The nanny, Jessica Gibson, 24, is being represented by aggressive press-hungry celebrity attorney Gloria Allred. In a less than credible appearance on The Today Show, Gibson grinned guiltily and laughed inappropriately while Allred answered most of the questions, holding her hand and controlling the interview.

Allred managed to rustle up another nanny to file suit against the Lowes for sexual harassment, and in the press conference she held with the shaking, sobbing nanny Allred spoke the entire time, holding the poor woman by the shoulders. Allred actually covered the woman’s mouth when she tried to speak.

While Jessica Gibson says Lowe exposed himself to her and groped her, the other nanny accuses his wife of creating a hostile work environment by openly discussing her sex life and occasionally walking around naked. Neither Gibson or the other nanny mentioned the supposed harassment to any of their superiors or lodged a complaint prior to filing these lawsuits.

Now Lowe’s legal team has submitted three declarations to the court from various people who worked for his family which make it clear that Gibson is a less than credible witness. The most damning statement comes from her own sister.

Jessica Gibson’s sister: She was doing it because the Lowes owed her money
Jamie Gibson Sprovieri worked as estate manager for the Lowes for four years, and indicated that her sister was hoping to settle the case for a hefty sum. Her statement claims that not only did her sister never tell her about the alleged harassment or even complain about Lowe prior to filing suit, but that she also told her that she wouldn’t have sued if the Lowes would have paid her $200 they owed her.

In or about March, 2008, Jessica told me that she had sent the Lowes a demand with a complaint because she was alleging that Rob Lowe had been sexually harassing her. Jessica told me that she had made the demand through an attorney named John Richards and that she was asking for $1.5 million. Jessica said that she decided on $1.5 million because she had heard that another well-known actor had paid that amount to a woman who threatened to bring a sexual harassment claim against him.

During the conversation described above, Jessica also told me that if the Lowes had just paid her the $200 that she said they owed her, none of this would have happened. I understood her comment to mean that she would not have made a demand against the Lowes for $1.5 million or accused Rob Lowe of sexual harassment if they would have just paid the $200.

This conversation was the first time that Jessica had ever said anything to me about Rob Lowe doing anything that she thought was inappropriate. In fact, she had never complained to him to me before this conversation.

[From PDF of Jamie Gibson’s declaration available on TMZ.com]

Chef says Jessica Gibson hit on him relentlessly, was a sex predator
In another recently filed declaration, a chef who worked for the Lowes in London says that Jessica was sexually inappropriate and acted like a “predator.” The chef says he resisted her advances and told her multiple times that he had a girlfriend, but she wouldn’t let up and even sang that stupid “Dontcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me” song right to his girlfriend’s face.

I observed from the first day that Jessica arrived in London… that she had an overly flirtatious manner and appeared to be somewhat of a sexual predator. Within hours of her arrival, she had changed into hot pants and was laying on the kitchen floor with her legs open in a very suggestive manner. Her conduct made me feel uncomfortable because I felt it crossed personal boundaries especially considering that we had only known each other for a few hours…

When my girlfriend was around, Jessica would be flirtatious with me and create the impression that something was going on between the two of us. On John Owen’s birthday at Pizza in the Park she sang the lyrics to the Pussy Cat Doll’s “Don’t cha…” to my girlfriend across the table while looking at her and then me.

[From PDF of James Maclear’s declaration, available on TMZ.com]

48 year-old tennis instructor: I got some of that but she was crazy
And the most entertaining declaration comes from a 48 year-old tennis instructor who worked with the Lowe children when they lived in England. He admitted he was having an affair with Jessica, but said he made it clear that he had a longterm girlfriend and wasn’t about to leave her. The needy girl also sang “Dont cha” by the Pussycat Dolls in an unoriginal and desperate bid for his affection. He described another incident in which she took off her pants in the kitchen and wanted him to have sex with her when the boys she was supposed to be watching were in the house and apt to walk in.

Jessica told me shortly after we first met that she was interested in me. I was flattered that a twenty-two year old woman would have such an interest in me. I was forty-eight at the time. I made it clear to Jessica that I was in a serious relationship and I would not break up with my girlfriend.

During the following few months that I knew Jessica, she was very forward with me and did not seem concerned with being discreet. For example, on one occasion in the evening when Matthew and John Owen and [sic] were running around in my employer’s home, I walked into the kitchenette area. Jessica was standing in the kitchenette and had taken off her pants and underwear and invited me to have sex even though the boys were in the general area. I was shocked by her audacity. I told her that we could not do that and walked out of the room…

It had become apparent that Jessica was struggling with the fact that I would not end the relationship with my girlfriend. Jessica was taking the relationship with me more seriously. For example, on one occasion, she started singing “don’t you wish your girlfriend was hot like me,” the lyrics to a popular song at the time, when I was around. She would also tell me that she loved me on a number of occasions.

[From PDF of Nigel Armstrong’s declaration available on TMZ.com]

Of course the tennis instructor says that Gibson never gave him any indication that Rob Lowe was inappropriate with her in any way.

There are more semi-salacious legal documents related to the case on TMZ, including a declaration by Rob Lowe’s wife Sheryl in which she says Jessica came to see her husband while wearing just a towel and tried twice to get him to put sunblock on her. There are also dumb text messages between Jessica and her boyfriend from earlier this year. She calls her employer Sheryl crazy and the boyfriend jokes that they should beat up the Lowes, steal their jewelry and escape to Mexico.

The Lowes are also suing Gibson, and say she is in violation of a confidentiality agreement and is lying. Their case just got a hell of a lot stronger.

At first, it seemed like he’d leaked the sex tape himself, but now it looks like “Mini-Me” Verne Troyer prefers to keep his bedroom activities private after all. The actor is seriously pissed at TMZ and is suing the site for posting stills and clips from the tape earlier this week.

Verne Troyer has filed a $20 million lawsuit, claiming TMZ violated his rights by publishing and airing portions of his sex tape.

In the suit, filed today in U.S. District Court in downtown L.A., Troyer claims TMZ violated his privacy rights and infringed on his copyright and trademark by running portions of the tape on TMZ TV and TMZ.com. He also alleges TMZ violated his right of publicity and misappropriated his name and likeness.

Troyer says the tape was stolen and ended up in the hands of Kevin Blatt, the guy who distributed “One Night in Paris.” Blatt is also named as a defendant.

In addition to damages, Troyer wants an injunction prohibiting further dissemination of the video.

Calls to TMZ were not returned.

[From TMZ]

No word yet on who may have stolen the tape. It sounds like Verne might be hanging out with some less-than-trustworthy people these days- and that person knew just where to go with a sex tape. Meanwhile, TMZ might be getting sued, but it’s not stopping them from finding out more about Verne’s co-star in the tape. Apparently she’s a 22-year-old aspiring model from Kentucky who really thought Verne was in love with her. Poor kid.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Verne Troyer and his sex tape co-star are shown at the MTV Movie Awards on 6/1/08. I bet he broke up with her and she’s the one who released the sex tape and all the personal photos to TMZ.

In early July of 2006, Woody Harrelson grabbed a paparazzo by the neck and br when the guy wouldn’t stop taking photos of him out with a group of women. Most of the exchange was caught on videotape and posted to TMZ shortly afterwards. There were visible scratches and broken skin on the back of the photographer’s neck.

The photographer filed a criminal complaint at the police station, and the LAPD said they were investigating the incident but not much more was heard about it.

Right before the two year statute of limitations runs out, the photographer is predictably suing Harrelson. Along with claiming that 46 year-old actor choked him and broke his camera, he also says Harrelson ordered his bodyguard to attack him. The photographer wants a whopping $2.5 million:

Woody Harrelson has been sued for $2.5 million by a paparazzo who accused the actor of assaulting him and breaking his video camera two years ago.

According to a lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Josh Levine was filming Harrelson in Hollywood late one night in June 2006. He alleges the Academy Award-nominated actor choked him, broke his video camera and ordered his bodyguard to attack him.

Levine’s suit says he still has mental, physical and emotional pain from the encounter. He is also suing the unidentified bodyguard.

Harrelson’s publicist could not immediately be reached for comment.

[The Associated Press via Huffington Post]

It seemed pretty obvious to me at the time I assumed at the time based on his aggressive behavior that Woody was cheating on his wife, who had just given birth to their third daughter a month before. Why would he get so upset at being photographed unless he was up to something? (Update: as many of you mentioned, I made the assumption that Woody was cheating based on the way he objected to being photographed. There was little basis for this and I should have phrased it better.)

The photographer definitely deserves compensation for his injuries and broken equipment, but $2.5 million? I see this being settled out of court for five figures, and that’s probably what the victim is hoping for too. It’s not like a jury is going to be incredibly sympathetic toward a paparazzi photographer, even if Harrelson was clearly in the wrong.

Woody Harrelson is shown at the Semi-Pro premiere on 2/19/08, thanks to PRPhotos.

I hate ridiculous lawsuits more than I hate anything else in the world. Or until I think of something new to hate tomorrow. A woman is suing Victoria’s Secret for an eye injury she sustained while putting on a thong. She says one of the little metal decorative pieces – or a fastener used to attach it – scratched her cornea. She’s unclear how it happened – I’m assuming there was some sort of ricocheting involved.

A Los Angeles woman is suing the lingerie-producing giant Victoria’s Secret over a thong gone wrong. Fifty-two-year-old Macrida Patterson, who works in parking enforcement for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, says she suffered a scratched cornea after either a pendant or a metal fastener snapped off a pair of panties and struck her in the eye.

“It does seem sort of unbelievable at first,” said Patterson’s attorney, Jason Buccat. But, he said, his client’s injuries will “affect her for the rest of her life.”

Tammy Roberts Myers, a Victoria’s Secret spokeswoman, said the company had not seen the lawsuit and had no comment.

[From ABC News]

Sometimes these embarrassing “how could anyone possibly do that?” type injuries sound dumb but actually have merit. When I was in school one of the lawyers from the infamous McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit spoke to my law class.

When he explained the whole thing – from the cup’s flawed design to the coffee that was routinely kept hotter than boiling – you saw that the case really was legitimate. And then he showed us pictures of the woman’s injuries, which still make me sick to this day. The boiling water left wounds in her thighs that were inches deep. So I always try to keep that in mind when the media latches onto some seemingly stupid lawsuit.

That said, this sure sounds like bullshit. I think that if nothing else, this lady needs to get a new lawyer. He comes off as an idiot, repeating the same trite phrases over and over again. I really wanted to smack him and hold a pillow over his head after about 20 seconds. And his whole “We just want to make sure our client is taken care of” thing – dude you’re suing over a thong injury. Don’t act like this is just about your client’s health and well-being. You’re here for cash and 10 seconds of fame. And now you’ll forever be known as the thong lawyer. Well played.

One of the things I find eternally confusing about Hulk Hogan is how he manages to be holier-than-thou. That’s a pretty tough attitude to pull off, especially for someone who has sported a bleached-blond mustache for the last thirty years. Hulk went on Larry King to talk about his suck-ass family – specifically his worthless son Nick, whose drunken drag racing accident left passenger John Graziano a vegetable for life. Nick is currently serving an 8 month sentence in the Pinellas County Jail – and he’s done nothing but bitch and wine about it the whole time.

For whatever reason, Hulk thought it’d be a good idea to go on Larry King. I’m guessing the delusional dad thought he’d go on to clear the air and show everybody just how wrong they are. Unfortunately for Hulk, all he did was remind us of what an asshole he is. Now we know where Nick gets it.

Hulk Hogan almost broke down last night on “Larry King,” but his outrageous behavior over his derelict son’s criminal behavior was in full blossom.

For starters, Hulk said he felt Nick’s accident, which put friend John Graziano in a vegetative state, was God’s plan to make John a better person.

As for Larry…..no questions about Hulk going to Hooters after the sentencing, no questions about rubbing his daughter’s ass, no questions about Linda saying she was the real victim. Oh well.

[From TMZ]

Hulk also accused the media of being unfair to the family, saying he called it “Tabloid terrorism.” He looks pretty proud of himself for his alliteration, too. He claims that the public knows his “focus is on John,” and that the media has been unfairly harsh on Nick. Because anyone who doesn’t mollycoddle his kids like he does is obviously irrational.

The most annoying part of the holier-than-thou shit is that Hulk claims that he believes in God and God is clearly trying to teach Nick a lesson and make John Graziano a better person. The Hogans have often alluded to John being some sort of terrible person who was deserving of divine retribution. I’m pretty sure that every time they do that, a new level of Hell is created just for them.

Nothing has come out in the press indicating that John Graziano was anything other than a nice, normal guy – an Iraq war vet. John’s father pointed out that Nick Hogan managed to do to John what Iraq couldn’t – nearly killing him. Hopefully the Grazianos will be able to sue the Hogan’s for every penny they’ve got. I really wish there were a way to throw Hulk and Linda Hogan in jail for being such crap-ass parents and saying such horrible things since the crash. But since there isn’t, hopefully scrimping to make ends meet for the rest of their lives will teach them a little humility.

Speaking of which – Linda is trying to put Hulk in jail too.

Linda Hogan wants Hulk to spend time with Nick — behind bars. Linda is asking a judge to cite the Hulkster with contempt of court, because he allegedly didn’t ante up money for a $4.2 million Vegas condo, as required by the judge. Yes, the judge ordered Hulk to pay for a party pad. We love the law.

The condo was in escrow when the divorce was filed and the court order required both Hulk and Linda to close the deal and then put the asset in the community pot. Linda has put her share in but Hulk hasn’t.

And here’s the kicker. In the legal papers, Linda is asking the judge to throw Hulk’s ass in the Pinellas County Jail, where Hulk and Nick can sure scheme to hatch the post-pokey real-ality show. Dis and gusting.

[From TMZ]

Here’s a clip of Hulk on Larry King last night. Let the outrage begin.

29 year-old Actress Anne Hathaway’s boyfriend, Italian cad Raffaello Follieri, won’t be charged for writing a $250,000 bad check in March. The guy he wrote the check to has dropped the charges after he eventually got paid by Follieri.

Last year Follieri was sued for $55 million by billionaire Ron Burkle for spending company money from a charity he set up with Hathaway. Burkle accussed Follieri of “wilfully and systematically misappropriating” around $1.5 million to keep Hathway in a lavish lifestyle that included private jets, a penthouse apartment, and five star restaurants and hotel stays.

Follieri settled that lawsuit last month for around $1.3 million.

He may be in the clear, but this probably won’t be the last time this guy is shady with money. Bang! Showbiz notes that he’s been dating 25 year-old Hathaway for four years and that she said “I love Raffaello with everything, and I don’t know how I could ever be with anyone else, ever.” Open your eyes, girl. You’re a beautiful successful actress and deserve an honest devoted man. Follieri looks charming like a snake while it circles its prey.

[Story details from Bang! Showbiz found on AZCentral via Fark]

Anne Hathaway and Raffaello Follieri are shown at the Oscars on 2/24/08, thanks to WENN.

Uma Thurman must be getting pretty sick of courtrooms. After testifying in the trial of her stalker last week, you’d think she’d want to keep away from anything having to do with the legal system for as long as possible. Unfortunately for Uma, she’s being countersued by French cosmetics company Lancome, and will probably spend a good deal of time continuing to deal with lawyers for the foreseeable future.

Uma sued Lancome for continuing to use her name and image after her contract with them expired. Instead of just saying “Oops, our bad,” Lancome said they didn’t knowingly use it. Which would still make you think the error is theirs. But instead of just owning up to it, they’re countersuing Thurman.

You don’t use Uma Thurman’s face without paying for it, as cosmetics giant Lancôme is discovering. Uma was the former face of the beauty company and reportedly wants $1 million for the alleged use of her picture in foreign ads after her contract expired in 2005. Lancôme is hitting back with a lawsuit, maintaining that it never “knowingly or intentionally” continued to use her pictures and looking to have a judge preemptively rule that the company didn’t wrongfully use her image.

However, Uma’s attorney, Burt Fields, counters, “Look at the huge free benefit Lancôme gets from using her. The French want to accept that benefit without paying for it. Obviously, the French have decided they won’t even try to resolve this amicably. So they have filed this sneak attack.” Lancôme’s lawyers do say they’re open to a settlement.

[From In Touch]

I think wherever Burt Fields says “the French” he really means Lancome. I’m assuming the guy isn’t actually accusing an entire nation of “sneak attacks” and not paying for stuff. I find the lawsuit a little confusing. It sounds like Lancome is admitting that Thurman’s image was used, they’re just saying they didn’t do it on purpose. So… they’re suing her WHY?

People reports that Uma’s picture was used on websites in Asia and some Canadian billboards. Lancome is arguing that third parties did it, so it’s not their fault. To me, that sounds like a nice defense in Uma Thurman’s lawsuit… but it still doesn’t explain the need to countersue her.

Here’s Uma with Arpad Busson at the 2008 Wings Worldquest Women of Discovery Awards Gala in New York City on March 5th. Images thanks to PR Photos.