Living life in Hollywood can make it difficult to maneuver the avenues of fame. The lifestyle of the rich and famous is full of ups and downs, both personal, professional, and financial. The wildlife of celebs leads them into many pitfalls and precarious situations, many of them ending up in legal trouble in the process. Because celebs are usually very wealthy, when they get into legal issues, people tend to try to take them for all their worth. When on the other spectrum, some celebs have taken other celebs to court and racked up on large sums of money. While some of these issues may be trivial, other celebrity lawsuits have been over serious allegations. A few of the most prominent lawsuits have been able to shed light on very needed topics, such as racism, sexual harassment, and more. If you are ready to learn more about these infamous legal battles, read on to learn about these 6 biggest celebrity lawsuits over the years.
Nicki Minaj vs. Tracy Chapman
Back in January of 2021, the legal battle between Nicki Minaj and Tracy Chapman finally came to a close. Chapman sued Minaj over the unauthorized use of his song “Baby Can I Hold You?” which Minaj said she had no clue was sampled in one of her songs. She wanted Chapman to let her have rights to the song to keep her album from being delayed, but Chapman only ended the dispute two years later after accepting a $450,000 settlement from Minaj.
FKA twigs vs. Shia LaBeouf
In December 2020 it was released that FKA twigs was suing LaBeouf for what she called “relentless abuse” during their relationship, which included sexual assault and battery and emotional distress. Another one of LaBeouf’s exes Karolyn Pho has corroborated her story with similarly harrowing descriptions of their relationship. Online accounts say that LaBeouf would not allow FKA twigs to wear clothing to bed and would throw a fit if she looked male waiters in the eye.
Kelly Clarkson vs. Starstruck Management
In a turn of events that involved both her professional and personal life, Kelly Clarkson sued her former management company called Starstruck Management. This was especially taxing as this suit targeted her ex-husband Brandon Backstock, and his father Narvel Blackstock, both agents for Starstruck. But not only four months prior, Kelly Clarkson had also just divorced Brandon after seven years of marriage. The lawsuit began after Starstruck claimed that Clarkson owed them unpaid management fees in a total of $1.4 million. All this is taking place while Brandon is hoping to get $5 million in spousal support from Clarkson.
Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi vs. Edelson PC
Erika Girardi aka Erika Jayne, a star of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, filed for divorce from her husband of 21 years Tom Girardi. According to class action firm Edelson PC, this was just a farce to keep their money protected from Edelson’s class action suit against them. The firm is representing several individuals who are former clients of tom Girardi, and the family of victims of the Lion Air flight 610 that crashed in 2018. According to the suit, Tom embezzled the relief funds from his clients to possibly support this wife’s lavish lifestyle.
Johnny Depp vs. ‘The Sun’
Johnny Depp sued a British tabloid called The Sun for calling him a “wife-beater,” in reference to his former marriage with Amber Heard. In November 2020, it was official that he lost the suit. Now he is preparing for a 50 million dollar case against his ex-wife Heard for defamation of character.
Meghan Markle vs. Associated Newspapers
In October of 2019 began a lawsuit between Meghan Markle and Associated Newspapers for publishing handwritten correspondence between her and her father. The suit claims that the published letter violates the Data Protection Act, by misuse of private information and infringing on copyrighted material.
