Tag Archives: settlement

Satellite Radio Has Serious Problems

“God I love being a turtle.”

Contrary to popular belief, music is never really free; just ask a musician. The satellite radio company Sirius XM was sued over copyright and trademark laws by a 1960s band called The Turtles. With the passing of federal copyright protection for recorded music in 1972, the royalties for music made before that date have been a hot button issue. The band claims that its’ music was broadcast on satellite radio without any compensation or consent of the creators. A series of lawsuits were filed against both Sirius XM and Pandora Media in New York, Florida, and California, with the band seeking about $100mm worth of damages. Read more

Billion Dollar Divorce for Oklahoma Oil Man

Money

Harold Hamm, named by Forbes as the 24th richest man in the world, is set to pay one of the biggest divorce settlements in history to former wife Sue Hamm. Mr. Hamm owns the largest piece of the nations most oil-rich land in North Dakota. “Mr. Hamm, who has described himself as “more hardheaded than other people,” did not have a particular document that is all but standard now whenever tycoons wed: a prenuptial agreement”. After the 9-week trial, Sue Hamm will now be amongst the richest women in the country. Mr. Hamm is required to pay his ex-wife one-third of the total settlement ($320 million) by the end of this year. Read More

Offside: Lawyer Sued While Buying Soccer Club

Golazo, or no-lazo?

Although Italian sports have a reputation for being less-than-upfront, this time the trouble is being caused in America. Joe Tacopina, the rockstar lawyer who has represented the likes of Alex Rodriguez, is being sued by a former client at a very inconvenient time. Tacopina recently arrived in Bologna, Italy and is entering the final stages of purchasing the soccer club Blogona F.C. 1909, known as Bologna. According to reports, the lawsuit was filed with the intention to freeze Mr. Tacopina’s assets while he is abroad and looking to become a part owner of the franchise. The suit also claims the plaintiff was misled by the defendant, who was searching for representation in Connecticut (Mr. Tacopina is not registered to practice law in that state). The suit was officially filed in New York City. Read more

Calling All Energy Drinkers!

Wings not included!

Contrary to popular belief, Red Bull does not actually give you wings. “The energy drink company recently agreed to pay consumers more than $13 million to settle a proposed U.S. class-action suit accusing the beverage maker of false advertising”. Anyone who purchased one can of Red Bull between January 1, 2002 and October 3, 2014 is entitled to $10 cash, or $15 in Red Bull products. There is no proof of purchase required to be included in the settlement. Final court approval of the proposed payouts is set to be decided May 1, 2015. Read More

Snapchat Settles With Ousted Co-Founder

But first…

After a long legal battle, Snapchat has come to a settlement with Reggie Brown, who claimed he was a third co-founder of the wildly successful company. “His suit alleged that he had been a third co-founder alongside CEO Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, the technology chief, and that they had kicked him out one month before the photo-sharing app launched in July 2011″. Spiegel and Murphy recently admitted that they did not come up with the idea for Snapchat on their own, and Brown was involved in the process. The company is now valued at $10 Billion, when Brown filed the lawsuit in February 2013 it was valued at $70 million. The terms of the settlement have not been released.