Fresh Filings

The Walt Disney Company and other defendants have been sued in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County. The court action was filed by the Ramirez Legal Group on behalf of a former Disney engineer who allegedly downloaded an AI tool that led to a company-wide cyberattack. According to the complaint, hackers stole the plaintiff’s financial information and his login credentials to steal “mass amounts of confidential data” from Disney, including private information belonging to Disney employees and cruise passengers. The plaintiff argues that the defendants created a false narrative about the plaintiff and made him the scapegoat. The case is Van Andel v. The Walt Disney Co. … Getty Images, provider of royalty-free stock photos, and Agence France-Presse were sued for copyright infringement in New York Eastern District Federal Court. The lawsuit was brought by Katherine Daniels LLC and Richman Hill & Associates on behalf of artist Art1 Airbrush, who asserts that images of his mural of deceased hip hop artist Jam Master Jay were used without consent. The case is Lawton v. Agence France-Presse, 1:25-cv-01089. … Hearst Communications sued Rugs America and Aaron Hakimian in New York Southern District Federal Court for alleged trademark infringement and breach of contract. The lawsuit, brought by Koffsky Schwalb LLC and in-house counsel for Hearst, contends that the defendants continue to use the plaintiff’s “Cosmopolitan” mark beyond the termination of a licensing agreement. The case is Hearst Magazine Media Inc. v. Rugs America Corp., 1:25-cv-01615. …. Sony Corporation of America subsidiary Sony Music Entertainment d/b/a Epic Records and other defendants were hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit in New York Southern District Federal Court. The court action, brought by Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP on behalf of Music LAA Inc. d/b/a LAA Music, arises from the defendants’ alleged publication of a song that infringes on the plaintiff’s musical composition “Hit from the Front.” The case is Music L.A.A. Inc. d/b/a Laa Music v. Granberry, 1:25-cv-01609. … Paramount Global was sued for copyright infringement in California Central District Federal Court. The court action, brought by Valkyrie Law Group on behalf of Watchdog AI and music producer Joseph Rayhbuck, accuses Paramount of using Rayhbuck’s piece “Laterals” without consent to make a video for the TikTok page Paramount+ Italia. The case is Rayhbuck v. Paramount Global, 2:25-cv-01605. … Rapper and actor Snoop Dogg and apparel retailer Roberto Vincenzo LLC were sued for copyright infringement in California Central District Federal Court. The court action, filed by Doniger/Burroughs on behalf of the estate of photographer Chi Modu, contends that the defendants used a photograph of Snoop without permission to create jackets and other clothing sold on SnooperMarket.com. The case is The Estate of Chi Modu v. Vincenzo, LLC, 2:25-cv-01584. … MGM Resorts, major operator of casinos in Las Vegas, was hit with a website accessibility class action in New York Eastern District Federal Court. The lawsuit, filed by Stein Saks, contends the defendant’s website denies full access to blind and visually impaired individuals. The case is Wills v. MGM Resorts International, 1:25-cv-01048. … The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has been sued in an antitrust lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgement in Florida Middle District Federal Court. The court action, brought by Lightfoot Franklin White on behalf of University of South Florida (USF) women’s golfer Holly McLean, concerns a bylaw that restricts the eligibility of athletes who transfer between one NCAA Division I program and another within the same academic year. The plaintiff contends that upon her transfer from the University of Oklahoma, USF filed a waiver with the NCAA on her behalf claiming that due to unforeseen circumstances, the bylaw limiting competition in a transfer year should not be applicable and the plaintiff should be allowed to compete. According to the complaint, the waiver was arbitrarily denied by the NCAA. The case is McLean v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 8:25-cv-00431. … Viacom International filed a copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit in Illinois Northern District Federal Court over the alleged sale of counterfeit goods bearing “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” marks. The suit, filed by TME Law, pursues claims against unidentified e-commerce operators. The case is Viacom International Inc. v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A, 1:25-cv-01785. … Charles Kent Wilson, the sole survivor of the Gap Band, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in California Central District Federal Court. The suit, filed by Buchalter, targets the heirs of founding Gap Band member Ronnie Wilson. According to the plaintiff, this group of individuals is holding themselves out as the original Gap Band and have booked concerts at U.S. concert venues. The complaint contends that the defendants’ marketing and promotional materials advertise, “Don’t miss your chance to be part of this monumental celebration of over 50 Golden Years of Funk & Soul with the legendary Gap Band.” The case is Wilson v. Wilson, 2:25-cv-01428. … Kim Kardashian has been sued for defamation, negligence and invasion of privacy in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County. The suit, brought by Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani and Sobo & Sobo on behalf of Ivan Cantu, accuses the defendant of wrongfully using the plaintiff’s photo in an Instagram post about another Ivan Cantu, who was executed in Texas two days after the post for the murder of his cousin and her fiancé. The case is Cantu v. Kardashian. … Pryor Cashman filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in California Central District Federal Court on behalf of film and theater production company Hotaru Inc. d/b/a Firefly Inc. The suit argues that production company Firefly Films Ltd.’s similar name has caused confusion in the film industry, including when the plaintiff’s horror film In Our Blood and the defendant’s Bookworm were both included in the Fantasia Film Festival in Quebec. The case is Hotaru Inc. v. Firefly Films Ltd., 2:25-cv-01399. … Merch Traffic filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in Illinois Northern District Federal Court over the alleged sale of counterfeit goods associated with the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. The suit, filed by Greer, Burns & Crain, pursues claims against unidentified e-commerce operators. The case is Merch Traffic LLC v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A, 1:25-cv-01727. … Universal Music Group, Rapper Kanye West and other defendants have been sued in New York Supreme Court, New York County, over alleged violations of the Gender Motivated Violence Protection Act. The lawsuit, brought by Arcé Law Group on behalf of professional model Jenifer An, alleges the defendants enabled West to physically and sexually assault the plaintiff under the pretense of filming a music video. The case is An v. Universal Music Group Inc., individually and d/b/a Interscope Capitol Labels Group. … Musical artist Sean Combs a/k/a P. Diddy, who is facing criminal charges over sexual assault allegations, filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against NBCUniversal Media, Peacock TV and Ample Entertainment in New York Supreme Court, New York County. The suit, brought by Sher Tremonte LLP, alleges that the defendants’ recent documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy falsely suggests that Combs was responsible for the death of his ex-wife Kim Porter and that Combs had sex with minors. The case is Combs v. NBCUniversal Media, LLC. ... The National Football League (NFL) was named in an antitrust lawsuit in New York Southern District Federal Court. The suit accuses the NFL of unlawfully prohibiting teams from opening official team accounts on Bluesky, a social media platform established by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey. According to the complaint, NFL teams and other businesses have sought to connect with communities on Bluesky following Twitter’s acquisition by Elon Musk, but the NFL has prohibited teams from doing so based on an exclusive deal with X Corp. The suit was brought by Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz. The case is Brown v. National Football League Inc., 1:25-cv-01220. … Former college football players at East Mississippi Community College sued Netflix, Conde Nast Entertainment and other defendants in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County. The suit, brought by John Pierce Law, accuses the defendants of failing to compensate the plaintiffs for their appearances in the documentary series Last Chance U. The suit, which pursues claims for right of publicity, false light invasion of privacy and defamation, alleges the plaintiffs were pressured to sign releases with virtually no disclosures about the market value of their names, images and likenesses and no opportunity to bargain the terms of the agreement. The case is Franklin v. Netflix Inc.