From Media & Entertainment Law360

TOP NEWS

Disney Can’t Dismiss Fla. Land Dispute With DeSantis Board

By David Holtzman

A Florida state judge on Friday denied Disney’s attempt to dismiss or stay a case filed against it by a Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed tourism board seeking to revoke the company’s control over thousands of acres of land near Orlando.

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Jailing SBF Only Way To Stop Witness Intimidation, Feds Say

By Lauren Berg

No bail conditions have been enough to stop FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried from trying to intimidate witnesses ahead of his trial on charges that he looted the now-bankrupt exchange, prosecutors told a Manhattan federal judge on Friday, reiterating their request that the fallen crypto boss be confined to jail.

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50 Cent Appeals Reed Smith Legal Fees And Malpractice Win

By Christine DeRosa

Rapper Curtis James Jackson III, known as 50 Cent, has appealed a Connecticut federal judge’s decision affirming a bankruptcy judge’s ruling forcing Jackson to pay prepetition legal expenses to Reed Smith LLP and a former partner he fired before an underlying trial.

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NJ Atty To Mobsters, Celebs Remembered As Legal Legend

By Chart Riggall

Miles Feinstein, a giant of the New Jersey defense bar who earned acclaim and admiration as much for his courtroom showmanship as his legal brilliance, died last week at the age of 82.

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Feds Call Mar-A-Lago Transparency Request ‘Extraordinary’

By Ivan Moreno

Prosecutors on Friday opposed what they called an “extraordinary request” by media organizations for periodic updates on whether more parts of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit can be unsealed in connection with Donald Trump’s classified documents case, saying it would interfere with trial preparations.

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Analysis

NFL Punted A Controversial Owner, But Not The Legal Fallout 

By David Steele

The National Football League sidelined one of its biggest legal headaches with an immediate imposition of a $60 million fine on Daniel Snyder following the $6 billion sale of his Washington Commanders, but concerns raised about the league’s conduct throughout the dark chapter signal continued liability issues.

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Rising Star: Bird Marella’s Kimberly A. Meyer

By Emmy Freedman

Kimberly Meyer of Bird Marella Boxer Wolpert Nessim Drooks Lincenberg & Rhow PC has represented high-profile clients including Scarlett Johansson, in her battle against Disney over its “Black Widow” release, and helped the creators and stars of the TV show “Bones” get a massive payday in arbitration with Fox, earning her a spot among the entertainment law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 Rising Stars.

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LEGAL ETHICS & MALPRACTICE

Feds Seek Atty DQ In $1B Fraud Case Involving Bannon Ally

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge said Friday she will consider a bid to disqualify an attorney representing a jailed Chinese national accused of helping businessman and Steve Bannon ally Ho Wan Kwok perpetrate a $1 billion fraud, after prosecutors said the lawyer once investigated Kwok.

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Conn. Court Clarifies Ruling In Alex Jones Atty’s Error Case

By Brian Steele

Connecticut’s intermediate appellate court explained on Friday why it dismissed a Superior Court judge as a party in a challenge to attorney Norm Pattis’ stayed six-month suspension and ruled that the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel could remain as a defendant-in-error.

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Immigration Atty’s Bid To Toss Defamation Suit Ruled Too Late

By Rae Ann Varona

An intermediate Texas appellate court has revived a Venezuelan legal consultant’s lawsuit accusing a Florida immigration attorney of defaming him in a news exposé on purported immigration law “scammers,” saying the attorney acted too late when seeking to toss the lawsuit.

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Writer Drops $1M Copyright Suit For Taylor Swift ‘Lover’ Book

By Jasmin Boyce

A Tennessee federal judge has agreed to toss an author’s $1 million copyright suit against Taylor Swift over graphic design elements in a book accompanying the musician’s 2019 album “Lover,” a day after the writer moved to end the case.

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DC Circ. Tosses Webcaster Royalty Rate Challenges

By Katie Buehler

A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday denied a trio of challenges to the federal Copyright Royalty Board’s latest hike in royalty rates webcasters must pay to play audio recordings, finding SoundExchange and two radio trade groups failed to prove that the board’s decision was unreasonable.

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PRIVACY & CONSUMER PROTECTION

Privacy Developments To Watch In Rest Of 2023

By Allison Grande

California and Colorado regulators’ approaches to state privacy law enforcement will attract much attention in the coming months, along with rules governing the use of artificial intelligence and online tracking technologies. Law360 looks at some of the top privacy issues to pay close attention to in the closing months of 2023 and beyond.

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Meta Says It Can’t Be Blamed For Misuse Of Pixel Software

By Caleb Symons

Meta Platforms Inc. defended itself on Thursday from a putative class action involving a product the company markets to web developers, describing its Pixel software as a “commonplace internet analytics tool” not prone to causing privacy issues if used responsibly.

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