Sports & Entertainment

Sports:

• A federal judge in Manhattan declined Thursday to order the Wimbledon and French Open tennis tournaments to grant access to representatives from a players group, after the group claimed its representatives are being denied access in retaliation for its antitrust lawsuit. Tennis Lawsuit Sparks Courtroom Fight Over Grand Slam Credentials
• A deluge of litigation targeting the NCAA's eligibility bylaws for allegedly limiting athletes' compensation has resulted in conflicting rulings from different courts, teeing up the possibility of a U.S. Supreme Court intervention. NCAA’s Maze Of Eligibility Rules Is Athletes’ Latest Target
• Three men charged alongside NBA players and coaches admitted Wednesday to their roles in what prosecutors say was a scheme to use Mafia-backed, rigged poker games to cheat unsuspecting players out of millions of dollars. Ex-player Damon Jones first to plead guilty in basketball gambling sweep | PBS News
• A Second Circuit panel on Tuesday refused to grant the North American Soccer League a new antitrust trial against Major League Soccer and soccer's U.S. governing body, concluding that the defunct league waived any arguments about market definition, and even if it didn't, its assertions still fail. Federal Appeals Court Bars Defunct Soccer League From Retrying Antitrust Case Against National Federation | Law.com

Entertainment:

MUSIC

• The artist once known as Kanye West and his companies infringed an uncleared sound recording in an early version of his Grammy-winning song "Hurricane," showcased at one of his 2021 "Donda" album listening parties, a Los Angeles jury found. Ye Loses $438K DONDA Lawsuit After “Hurricane” Sample Case

LAWSUITS OF THE RICH & FAMOUS

• A jury deliberating in Harvey Weinstein's third Manhattan rape trial requested several pieces of evidence, including cross-examination testimony by his accuser, as the ex-Hollywood producer reported chest pains from the courthouse's holding area. Harvey Weinstein reports chest pain as jury deliberates in his rape retrial | AP News
• A licensed drug addiction counselor who sold "Friends" actor Matthew Perry the ketamine on which he fatally overdosed in October 2023 was sentenced in CA federal court to two years in prison, having pled guilty to drug-related charges. Drug counselor in Matthew Perry death sentenced to 2 years in prison
• State enforcers say they want a federal court to split up Live Nation and Ticketmaster following a New York federal jury verdict that Live Nation had harmed competition by monopolizing ticket sales for large concert venues, even as the concert promotion giant sought to undo the verdict against it or to be granted a new trial. After winning antitrust case, states ask court to split up Live Nation and Ticketmaster | Courthouse News Service
• Major record labels have asked to expand a copyright infringement lawsuit against an artificial intelligence company, saying they've identified recordings by artists from Billy Joel to Billie Eilish in the training data of Suno Inc.'s AI-powered song generator. Sony Music moves to add more than 30,000 copyrighted recordings to its lawsuit against Udio - Music Business Worldwide
• CA appellate justices upheld an order denying Rebel Wilson's bid to ax a defamation suit alleging she spread lies about producers of the movie "The Deb," and whom she accused of embezzlement and sexually harassing the lead actress, ruling there's evidence to support Wilson knew her statements were likely untrue. Rebel Wilson Can't Defeat Calif. Defamation Suit On Appeal - Law360

FILM & TELEVISION

• Disney, film director James Cameron and his production company, Lightstorm Entertainment Inc., are urging a California federal judge to throw out a suit alleging the sequels in the "Avatar" movie franchise ripped off a writer's ideas, calling most of the case a "conspiratorial fantasy." Disney and James Cameron Seek Dismissal of ‘Avatar’ Sequel Copyright Lawsuit in California Court – Legal News Feed