Summary: What are some of the most interesting celebrity court cases of 2017?
Celebrities are often targets for lawsuits because they have lots of money or they do stupid things, and sometimes they’re the ones initiating the battle. From cases that range from horrifying to peculiar, we’ve compiled some of the most outrageous celebrity court cases that happened this year. Considering it’s only August, we can expect much more craziness to happen in the next few months, for sure; but for now, here are the top trials.
Taylor Swift vs. DJ David Mueller
This week, Taylor Swift won a huge victory when a jury announced they believed her claim that a Denver DJ had grabbed her ass during a concert meet-and-greet. In 2013, the pop star had posed for a photo with David Mueller and his girlfriend; and later, Swift told Mueller’s supervisor at radio station KYGO that he had groped her. After a company investigation, KYGO fired Mueller from his $150,000 a year job, and Mueller sued Swift for $3 million, claiming that her false accusation got him wrongfully terminated. In response, Swift filed a countersuit for $1. She said that the amount was to prove this was not a case about money but about empowering women to stand up for themselves against sexual assault.
After a week of testimony, an eight person jury sided with Swift and awarded her the symbolic dollar, but most importantly, the right to state that she was right. Mueller has since vowed to clear his tarnished name.
Bill Cosby’s Rape Trial
For decades, rumors swirled that comedian Bill Cosby sexually assaulted numerous women and paid them off, but the senior citizen had never faced any type of criminal punishment. But all of that looked like it was going to change when he was put on trial in Pennsylvania for the alleged sexual assault of former Temple University employee Andrea Constand in 2004.
In June of this year, jurors heard emotional testimony from Constand and another alleged victim who both said that Cosby had drugged and raped them. Cosby had declined to testify, and his legal team was fierce in its defense that the sex was consensual. After days of deliberation, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision and a second trial is set for November.
Rebel Wilson clears her name
In 2015, Rebel Wilson was at the height of her fame thanks to Pitch Perfect, but one Australian media company rained on her parade when it published articles saying she had lied about her age and background.
Wilson filed a defamation lawsuit, stating that Women’s Day’s “nasty” portrayal of her had cost her future work; and in June, a jury awarded the funny actress a win after a three-week trial in Melbourne. During the court proceeding, Wilson said that she had not corrected reporters who were misinformed about her age and that Rebel was her nickname growing up.
Kesha vs. Dr. Luke
Last year, a judge said that Kesha could not break her contract with music producer Dr. Luke, who she claimed had sexually and emotionally abused her during their almost ten-year working relationship. With that ruling, it seemed as if the legal battle between the pop star and her former mentor was over, but since then, Dr. Luke has claimed Kesha still owes him money and has even dragged Lady Gaga into their mess.
This week, Lady Gaga and Dr. Luke‘s legal team will decide on a date for the “Poker Face” singer to provide a deposition. Previously, Dr. Luke had subpoenaed her, stating that she had proof that Kesha had been spreading lies about him. For this case, stay tuned.