HOLLYWOOD—Lawsuits are very common among celebrities. Last year was a rollercoaster ride for many A-list celebrities as they made headlines after landing in legal trouble. While some celebrities await trial, others remained in the news throughout the year with their legal woes in courtrooms that hooked audience worldwide. Who could forget about the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial, while others remained in the news throughout the year with their legal thrillers in courtroom.
From Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s explosive libel case to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s legal fight over Chateau Miraval. Plenty of drama. After a six-week long bombshell trial, the jury ruled the verdict in Depp’s favor as he won all three defamation claims in his case brought against his ex-wife. Depp was awarded $10.35 million in damages while Heard won only one of her three claims that her ex-husband defamed her and was awarded $2 million in compensatory damages. The legal thrill did not end there as Depp and Heard both filed an appeal against each other’s win.
In the case of Brad Pitt, he filed a lawsuit last year against his ex-wife Angelina Jolie over their once jointly owned vineyard in the south of France, Chateau Miraval. The former flames had brought a controlling stake in the said vineyard in 2008 and decided that they would not sell their stakes without consulting each other. The “Maleficent” star sold her interests in the Chateau Miraval, following her messy divorce from Bard Pitt in 2016, to Russian liquor giant Stoli enraging the Bullet Train actor.
Pitt claimed that Jolie did not ask him before selling her shares to Tenute del Mondo, owned by businessman Yuri Shefler, who was referred to in an court document as “an aggressive third-party competitor.” Jolie then filed a $250 million cross-complaint via her former company, alleging that Pitt wanted to take over the company as payback for their divorce and their child-custody battle. The legal battle went from nasty drama to nuclear after Jolie herself filed a cross-complaint against Pitt claiming that the actor physically abused her and her kids during their 2016 plane fight.
We also had the horrific shooting incident on the sets of “Rust” in 2021 that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, her family filed a wrongful death suit against Alec Baldwin. Back in October 2022, Alec Baldwin reached an undisclosed settlement, according to which, the husband of Hutchins will be an executive producer on the film. Balwin sued the armorer, Hannah Guitierrez Reed, and three other crew members who worked on the set of the unfortunate movie citing their negligence in providing him with a gun that discharged.
Shakira landed in trouble after her split from Gerard Pique when she was called out by the Spanish state prosecutors to serve eight years in prison over alleged tax fraud. The singer is accused of not paying $14.7 million in tax income between 2012 and 2014, a period in which Shakira’s reps say she did not live in Spain. Ed Sheeran was involved in a copyright case over his 2017 hit track “Shape of You” after Sam Chokri and producer Ross O’ Donoghue accused him of plagiarism. After an 11-day trial, the judge ruled he had neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied Chokri’s song.
Currently, on trial is Gwyneth Paltrow. A man is suing the actress over a ski accident. Terry Sanderson, 76, said it sounded “like someone was out of control” and he had never been hit so hard skiing. He accused the actress of being responsible for the 2016 crash and is seeking damages of $300,000. Miss Paltrow, 50, has denied being responsible and countersued for $1 and her legal costs. A ski instructor told the jury on March 27, 2023 that the actress was not a reckless skier.
Miss Paltrow testified last Friday, had said the incident in Park City, Utah, left her with a sore knee and she got a massage afterwards. The accuser told the court he has medical issues that had changed his relationships with his children, as well as contributing to his split from his partner and losing friends. He initially sought $3.1 million over what he deems as a “hit and run,” but that lawsuit was dismissed last May. The trial continues, as of press time.
Rose’s Scoop: Jacob & Co. revealed on March 27, 2023, the $20 million dollar watch, with an 800-carat-yellow diamond watch.
