Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers, who filed for bankruptcy as part of their search for new ownership, are caught in a bit of a rundown.  MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has vocally supported one prospective group, led by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, stating, “Baseball has always had the right to select its ownership. There’s no doubt in my mind that we have the right to select ownership, and we will do that.”

This position taken by MLB has upset the creditors of the Rangers, who believe that the Ryan group does not have the most competitive bid for the team.  One of Selig’s lawyers threatened on a conference call that if the Rangers did not sell to the Ryan group, then MLB would take over the franchise–except in much more salty language.

Though the Rangers are only one of three remaining teams to never play in the World Series, the ownership issues are one Texas-sized fiasco for Major League Baseball, and bankruptcy attorneys all across the Lone Star State should take notice.

It was reported on Tuesday by British Media that George Michael was recently arrested after crashing his car in London. The British Broadcasting Corporation released a statement claiming that the 47-year-old singer was arrested on the fourth of July after his car crashed into an upscale building in the residential area in North London known as Hampstead.

The Metro Police report that they arrested a man in his forties without releasing any names. The only reason given at the time was that the individual had led police to believe that he was unfit to drive. They say the “unidentified” man was taken to the local police station in the area and quickly released on bail after other inquiries were investigated.

George Michael’s publicist declined to comment on the matter when questioned this past Tuesday. In case you were wondering why, it may be because just last year Michael’s singer was interrogated by the police after his car slammed into a tractor trailer. Michaels was quickly released from that situation, however who could forget in 2007 when he was charged with driving under the influence of drugs, resulting in a suspension of his license for two years.

It sure seems like at this point, George Michael could definitely use a reputable car crash attorney due to all the damage he has done behind the wheel. With all the problems he has recently run into, it only seems to be in his best interest; that or stay out of a motor vehicle all together!

Wells Fargo Southeast, the insurance of the Hogan family reported that they only paid an amount of $250,000 to John Graziano, who is now severely disabled due to Nick Hogan and his foolish driving that led to the car crash which injured Mr Graziano

The problem here is that Hulk believes that the $250,000 dollar policy limit had exposed his pockets leaving him with a personal liability when the case was settled. Hogan claims that insurance reps at Wells Fargo never advised him or anyone in his family about changes in his policies when his children were added to the policy. The reason for the changes is because teenage drivers pose a larger risk when it comes to being insured, which is something this World Championship Wrestler says he had no idea about.

The lawsuit does not disclose the actual amount that the Hulk Hogan paid out to settle with the Graziano family, although no amount of money can make up for being responsible for another person becoming a parapolegic. Hopefully Hogan can find himself a reputable Bad Faith Insurance Expert to help him win this case. The beloved wrestler is going to be suing the company for an unknown amount.

Shortly after the Laker's championship win last Thursday

To some, this news maybe shocking. To others, it doesn’t even come as a surprise as to what happened last Thursday following the Lakers nail-biting win over the Boston Celtics.  For those of you who haven’t turned on a TV on or stepped foot outside since then, here is what everyone is talking about.

Directly after Kobe Bryant secured his fifth championship ring, a riot broke loose outside of the Staples Center, tearing through the neighborhood and causing massive amounts of damage to downtown L.A. The police were out in full force to battle the riots, but seemed to favor on the crowds rioting near the newly constructed urban mall, LA Live.   Small business owners were left to fight off the drunken fans who were causing all of the damage by themselves.  Looks like they might be contacting a Los Angeles criminal defense law firm to help them get compensated for any damages.

The Lakers Public Relations representative issued a statement of regret about what the fans did that night and showed his disgust, while a  psychiatrist also issued a comment to the local news station that this type of post victory behavior is almost expected these days. This has not really been the case with other recent sporting event victories, however. Take for instance this past Superbowl in New Orleans. When the Saints were victorious at Super Bowl 44, there was no rioting to be found anywhere, putting the psychiatrist from L.A. to shame.

This theory doesn’t hold up and really can’t be taken too seriously. What should be taken seriously is everyone that was affected by the riots in L.A. and the damage done to their property. A lot of people don’t really know what to do when something like this happens. For any of the rioters who got caught, their first step to take would be to contact the Los Angeles criminal attorneys nearest them to discuss what their options are. As a victim, your first step should be to consult your personal attorney and see what damages you can seek from the rioters that may have caused any sort of damage to your personal property such as your car, business location or home.

Since the incident last year, Walker has filed an eight page complaint with the district court in Detroit, MI, seeking $2.5 million plus damages. He says he suffered “an orbital blowout fracture of the eye” among other injuries.

This case, to be handled by a Michigan law firm, much like a Kalamazoo accident law firm, is similar to another suite Iverson faced in 2005.  Marlin Godfrey sued Iverson after he was beat up by one of his body guards at a nightclub.  He was then awarded $260,000.  I am curious to see if Iverson will be able to “buy” himself out of this one.

Allen Iverson was a member of the Detroit Pistons, but recently was reacquired by the Philadelphia 76ers.  Various lawyers and attorneys are now questioning how the case might affect his game, a good question for Kalamazoo personal injury attorneys in Michigan. Walker would want to know for what price the athlete would be willing to settle the case if it might hurt his focus in the games. As a pivotal figure in the NBA, could the stress of an exhausting trial jeopardize his value as a player?

On Friday, April 16^th Blockbuster announced that they would be postponing the annual shareholders meeting until June 26, 2010.  Why the delay?  It is in order to plan an restructure the company debt.

So what strategies is Blockbuster working on to save themselves?  They have paired up with NCR ( a global tech company providing solutions), to make video games and movies available to consumers at self serve kiosks.  This is something that can be seen across the nation already in places like your local grocery store.  The plan includes an expansion of some 10,000 kiosks and the closing of 1,000 stores.  Another part of their comeback strategy includes raising the price from $1 a day to $2 for new movie releases.  These are just a couple of plans in the making for Blockbuster- is it enough to save them from filing bankruptcy after all is said and done?

Image via Wikipedia

Who’s getting sued next in the celebrity world you ask? None other than the larger-than-life artist Lady Gaga.

The Grammy-award-winning singer is now getting sued by her ex-boyfriend and business partner for an outrageous $30.5 million!

To put things in perspective, Gaga made about $30 million last year alone.

According to recent reports, Rob Fusari filed a lawsuit against the “Bad Romance” singer in a Manhattan court on March 17. He claims he’s responsible for turning Gaga into the star that she is by “radically reshaping her approach.”

Fusari, a songwriter and music producer, says that he helped Gaga launch her career and she kicked him to the curb after she became famous. Fusari helped Gaga write some of her songs including “Paparazzi” and “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich,” and claims he helped her get a record deal and came up with her stage name.

The money-grubbing songwriter said he received more than $600,000 from Gaga but hasn’t received his full share of song royalties and other fees.

Everyone, of course, would like a slice of Gaga’s millions, but that guy needs to get over it and make money off of another artist. After all, he did have credits on hits like Will Smith’s “Wild, Wild West” and Destiny’s Child’s “Bootylicious.”

Maybe he shouldn’t have ended their relationship back in 2007…

Securities Fraud Lawsuit Victim - Nicholas Cage

Actor Nicholas Cage, star of popular movies such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Moonstruck (1987), and Leaving Las Vegas (1995), could face two $3 million securities fraud lawsuits stemming to an investment deal gone bad.

According to Access Hollywood, “The star has been struck with another lawsuit, but while on Saturday it was reported that an investment company was suing Cage for $36.7 million by People, and picked up by Access, it appears the lender is actually seeking around $3 million from the star.  “People’s” original report also claimed that the financially troubled actor had been accused of fraud, which has since been determined was incorrect.”

In July, 2007, Cage was allegedly loaned $3.5 million by “Red Curb Investments” and agreed to pay $29,166.67 monthly which includes 10% interest.  “Red Curb Investments” says Cage committed securities fraud by withholding the information that he was in severe debt to the IRS and took the investment to pay back taxes.  The suit goes into a lot of detail over how repayment was structured, but bottom line, Red Curb claims Nic owes a balloon payment of $1,850,269.67 plus and additional $15 million for committing investment fraud.

Investment lawyer, Marty Singer who is representing Cage in this case states, “Any claim that our client engaged in any fraudulent conduct is ridiculous.”

Securities Fraud - Actor Nicholas Cage Involved in Investment Lawsuit

Last night TV host David Letterman’s opening monologue took an unforeseen turn. Viewers tuned in to hear Letterman make usual cracks at current celebrities and politicians in the news, but instead learned something about the 62-year-old host they’d never expect.

Letterman, who is married to longtime love Regina Lasko, admitted to the audience that he’s had various sexual affairs with a number of female coworkers over the years working at The Tonight Show. Not only was his infidelity to his wife – and mother of his child – shocking and disappointing to the millions of viewers watching the show, he soon revealed another scandalous aspect to the story: blackmail.

Until the known suspect was arrested, Letterman had been the victim of an on-going extortion plot by CBS’s 48 Hours employee Robert J. Halderman. For a few weeks, the suspected Halderman threatened to publish a book and screenplay about Letterman’s office affairs if he didn’t pay him a specified amount of money. Halderman is accused of trying to extort $2 million from Letterman, who issued a fake check during the investigation which ultimately got Halderman caught.

Letterman stood before the grand jury issuing his story and Halderman was eventually arrested shortly after.

Extortion is a criminal offense which occurs when a person acquires money or property from an individual through coercion or blackmail. Other relating white collar crimes include fraud, bribery, counterfeiting, embezzlement, forgery and larceny. Penalties for such crimes vary from fines to a prison sentence or both. Criminal laws sanction maximum penalties, but most defendants receive less than the maximum sentence issued by the judge.

If you want to learn more about white collar crimes, visit the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Service’s website . To better understand the laws pertaining to white collar crimes, also visit the New York Penal Law website.

Hugh Hefner of Playboy Files for Divorce after Separation

Playboy magazine owner Hugh Hefner, 83, filed for divorce this week from Kimberly Conrad. The Playboy tycoon and his Playmate of the Month wife legally separated in California in 1988. Hefner bought the house next door for Kimberly and their two sons, Marston and Cooper, both college-ages at this time. He now lives in the Playboy Mansion with three girlfriends.

The Hefner’s Separation Agreement

Many couples like the Hefners choose a legal separation before a divorce. It could be for religious, child-related or financial reasons, and I am guessing the latter two were the reasons the Hefners didn’t divorce right away. Hefner has said that he is filing for divorce because his son Cooper will be turning 18 soon.

Kimberly Conrad Hefner says she and her playboy husband drafted a pre-nuptial agreement. She says Hefner still owes her $4 million, the proceeds from the sale of her home, and $250,000 for every year they were married after the fourth year.

Hefner has been paying Kimberly $40,000 a month in spousal support; this sum and other payments have totaled almost $12 million since their separation. Hefner wants to cut the $40,000 alimony to $20,000, and wants payments to end in two years.

Playboy Magazine

Playboy magazine was created in 1953 by Hefner, and its intention was to provide satirical, political and fresh articles and pictures. The first issue had a picture of Marilyn Monroe in the centerfold, which at the time was slotted for another magazine. Of course the Monroe picture made the issue fly off the shelves. Ever increasing in popularity, the magazine featured pictures of well-known film and TV actresses such Drew Barrymore, Kim Basinger, Farrah Fawcett, and all the women of the hit show Bay Watch. In 2005, the total circulation was over 3,000,000 worldwide, despite a ban of the magazine in some countries, as well as fierce competitions from some other popular men’s magazines such as Penthouse and Oui.

Hefner Copyright Legal Battle

This is not Hefner’s first legal battle. In 1999 the magazine sued Netscape and Excite for illegally using the trademark terms “Playboy” and “Playmate” in their internet advertising. The lawsuit was appealed by the 9th Circuit of the US Court of Appeals in 2004. The court ruled that the two trademarked terms should be protected.

California Divorce

If you are wondering what steps are involved in a divorce in California, check out this California divorce website. I’m sure Hefner had the best legal team for his divorce. A pre-nuptial actually plans for a divorce before the couple is even married. How is any marriage supposed to survive that?