All posts containing the tag: "Blair Berk"
Posted Oct 23rd 2009 2:35PM by TMZ Staff
Kanye West got swift justice this AM -- thanks in part to TMZ -- and the judge in his LAX vandalism case said he'll dismiss all 3 misdemeanors against him after Kanye gets a dose of community service.
West's lawyer, Blair Berk, delivered a blistering attack on the paparazzi, scolding them for inciting celebs, going to churches for intrusive shots ... pretty much claiming they're responsible for all the wars in the world.
Berk says both Kanye and co-defendant Don Crowley (Kanye's manager) are "remorseful" for their conduct and have submitted to anger management counseling -- this, after breaking two cameras in a fit of anger at the airport.
Berk says this matter was "wildly overcharged" as a battery and vandalism case.
Deputy L.A. City Attorney Felton Newell disputed the notion the case was overcharged, claiming the defendants acted with "reckless disregard," adding the video shows "an intent to commit a felony."
Berk appeared without her client and noted that TMZ had settled its beef with Kanye because West paid for the camera he broke at LAX on Sept. 11, 2008. The judge agreed -- saying if TMZ didn't want to press charges, it didn't make a lot of sense to carry on with the case.
And speaking of Sept. 11th...the two lawyers got into a fight over whether the prosecutor was exploiting the date by saying it elevated the seriousness of the offense -- i.e., going nuts at a major airport.
In the end, the judge felt since the defendants enrolled in an anger management program, he said he'll dismiss the charges when they both serve 50 hours of community service. But he added Kanye's conduct was not acceptable.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Kanye West
Tags: battery, blair berk, BlairBerk, crime, don crowley, DonCrowley, kanye west, KanyeWest, lax, los angeles international airport, LosAngelesInternationalAirport, settlement, vandalism
Posted Oct 6th 2009 11:09AM by TMZ Staff
Mel Gibson's 2006 DUI is now officially off his record.
Judge Lawrence Mira just signed legal documents in Malibu, expunging the misdemeanor DUI from Mel's record.
The judge noted the conviction still is relevant for "gun control purposes." It can also be used as a prior conviction if Gibson gets popped for DUI in the future.
Mel's lawyer, Blair Berk, requested the motion to dismiss on September 21 after Mel successfully completed the terms of his three-year probation.
So, it's kinda like a legal version of Yom Kippur ... he atoned for his sins and he gets a clean slate. Mazel Tov, Mel.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Mel Gibson
Tags: anit-semitic rant, Anit-semiticRant, arrest, blair berk, BlairBerk, dui, expunged, malibu, mel gibson, MelGibson
Posted Sep 24th 2009 12:50AM by TMZ Staff
Kanye West is feeling the legal heat over his VMA rant ... because there was a quiet, clever move last week to keep his criminal case out of court until all the hubbub dies down.
Kanye is being prosecuted for breaking a paparazzi camera at LAX on September 11, 2008. The L.A. City Attorney has charged him with 3 misdemeanors -- vandalism, theft and battery.
We've learned last Friday, Kanye's lawyer, Blair Berk, went to the judge and won a delay -- a pre-trial hearing was set for this month but it's now pushed back until October 23 -- hopefully for Kanye, when attention deficit disorder sets in and the public moves on to another celebrity meltdown.
Here's the problem ... even the mighty Blair Berk can't stop Kanye. The question: Can she contain him?
Stay tuned...
Filed under: Kanye West, Exclusives
Tags: battery, blair berk, BlairBerk, break, camera, kanye west, KanyeWest, lax, theft, vandalism
Posted Jul 17th 2009 2:42PM by TMZ Staff
It's as if Dennis Farina never went to LAX with a gun in his briefcase -- because you will never find a trace of legal action against the actor.
Farina's lawyer, Blair Berk, just convinced a judge to allow the actor to withdraw his no contest plea to the reduced charge of entering an airport sanitary area with a weapon. The judge then expunged the charge from Farina's record, which was otherwise unblemished in his 64 years.
Berk told the judge, "not all mistakes should be prosecuted as crimes." Sometimes, a time out is enough.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Tags: blair berk, BlairBerk, Dennis Farina, DennisFarina, gun, lax, weapons, weapons charge, WeaponsCharge
Posted Nov 20th 2008 12:03PM by TMZ Staff
Jennifer Garner just got a permanent restraining order against the man who has allegedly terrorized her.
Garner's lawyer, Blair Berk, just appeared in downtown L.A. court and got an order against Steven Burky, prohibiting him from having contact with Garner for three years.
Law enforcement tells us Berky is currently under a 5150 psychiatric hold.
Under the permanent order, Burky must stay 100 yards away from Garner, Ben Affleck, daughter Violet, the nanny, housekeeper, and others.
He can't go near her home, the kid's school or her workplace.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Jennifer Garner
Tags: Ben Affleck, BenAffleck, Blair Berk, BlairBerk, Jen Garner, JenGarner, Jennifer Garner, JenniferGarner, restraining order, RestrainingOrder, stalker, Steven Burky, StevenBurky, Violet Affleck, VioletAffleck
Posted Dec 28th 2007 3:25PM by TMZ Staff
Brandy's high-powered attorney, Blair Berk, released the following statement exclusively to TMZ:
"We are extremely pleased that after a more thorough and extensive investigation by authorities, the Los Angeles City Attorney has determined that Brandy Norwood should not be charged with any crime whatsoever relating to the accident back in 2006."
She continued, "These past 12 months have posed an extraordinary hardship for Brandy and her family, who have been unfairly forced to live under a cloud of suspicion initially caused by the ill-advised and premature press release sent out by the California Highway Patrol accusing Brandy of wrongdoing before the police investigation was even finished. However, Brandy continues to be mindful that she was so fortunate to be uninjured in this accident and there was a life lost that should be remembered."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Tags: Blair Berk, BlairBerk, Brandy, Brandy car accident, Brandy car crash, Brandy sued, BrandyCarAccident, BrandyCarCrash, BrandySued
Posted Sep 26th 2007 10:50AM by Celly
A puffy Kiefer Sutherland arrived at his lawyer's office yesterday, not quite "24" hours after being busted the night before on a DUI charge.
Kiefer's attorney, Blair Berk, will once again be helping the celebuspawn actor out of hot water. Nice to see Sutherland with a driver. That's a good idea.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV, 24, Kiefer Sutherland
Tags: blair berk, BlairBerk, kiefer sutherland, KieferSutherland, lawyer
Posted Sep 25th 2007 4:43PM by TMZ Staff
So how did Kiefer Sutherland's DUI back in 2004 go unnoticed?
It was quite the bust, with Kiefer blowing a .22 blood alcohol level, nearly three times the legal limit. So how is it that TMZ didn't find the case until today? Two words -- Blair Berk.
Mega-lawyer Berk, who has repped Mel Gibson and scores of other celebs, strateger-ily chose to slide into court on November 2, 2004. Kiefer plead no contest and was sentenced to 5 years probation.
So what makes November 2, 2004 so important? It was the Presidential election! While the media was bitching about Bush, Berk snuck Jack Bauer's case in front of a Sauer judge (as in Michael Sauer, Hiltie's sentencer).
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV, 24, Kiefer Sutherland
Tags: blair berk, BlairBerk, george bush, GeorgeBush, kiefer sutherland, KieferSutherland
Posted Aug 23rd 2007 5:45PM by TMZ Staff
Lindsay Lohan's lawyer pulled off one of the biggest legal feats in recent memory.
Lohan faced years in prison if convicted and charged with a felony. But mega-lawyer Blair Berk was able to negotiate with the D.A. and literally turn Lindsay's jail sentence into a revolving door. Lindsay could theoretically walk into jail at 11:30 one night and leave first thing in the morning.
It's not that the deal is that unusual, but getting it to stick, given the high profile of the case and the political pressure, makes it all remarkable.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Lindsay Lohan
Tags: Blair Berk, BlairBerk
Posted Aug 22nd 2007 1:02PM by TMZ Staff
Mama Dina and Gramma Lohan flew into the Beehive State last night to visit Lindsay in rehab -- putting three generations of lady Lohans in one spot! Look out Mormons, here they come!
Lindsay, whose Hollywood track record would make any Utahan proud, is still scrubbing toilets at Cirque Lodge while her attorney, Blair Berk, is making progress in getting Lilo's multiple felony charges Georgia Rule'd out.
Dina may have showed up to help lucky Lindsay celebrate the good news ... hopefully, not too hard.
Filed under: Lindsay Lohan
Tags: Blair Berk, BlairBerk, Cirque Lodge, CirqueLodge, Dina Lohan, DinaLohan, Georgia Rule, GeorgiaRule, Gramma Lohan, GrammaLohan, Lindsay Lohan, LindsayLohan
Posted Aug 8th 2007 4:30PM by TMZ Staff
A high-powered celebrity lawyer representing a doctor accused of being a sexual predator went after "Dateline NBC" yesterday in a California courtroom.
Blair Berk, whose clients include Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson and Halle Berry, is currently representing Dr. Maurice Wolin, a prominent oncologist. The doctor was taken down by cops last year as "Dateline" cameras rolled. Prosecutors say Dr. Wolin made plans to have a sexual encounter with someone on the Internet who he thought was a 13-year-old girl. In fact, the person who was IMing Dr. Wolin was self-proclaimed "evil vigilante" Xavier Von Erck, founder of Perverted Justice.
In yesterday's preliminary hearing in Santa Rosa California, Berk grilled a cop whose department worked with Perverted Justice and "Dateline." Berk maintained that Perverted Justice got money for snagging alleged predators and therefore entrapped her client to make a buck. She claimed Perverted Justice illegally recorded conversations with her client and also said the chat logs could not be authenticated. The logs have not been admitted into evidence.
The cop who testified yesterday called the chat logs "extensive" and "extremely incriminating." In one exchange, the doctor allegedly asked to come over to her house, but added, "But you're under 18 and I'm over. We would have to be soo careful."
NBC rented the house that was used for the doctor's alleged sexual liaison.
Xavier Von Erck will testify when the prelim resumes next month. The judge will then decide whether to admit the critical logs into evidence and then determine if Dr. Wolin will stand trial.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV
Tags: Blair Berk, BlairBerk, Catch a Predator, CatchAPredator
Posted Aug 2nd 2006 12:55PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has learned Mel Gibson has hired a prominent law firm to represent him in connection with his arrest in Malibu last Friday.
Gibson has hired the firm of Tarlow & Berk, a high-powered team based in West Hollywood, California, that has repped a number of celebrities in cases. Barry Tarlow, who turned 67 today, has represented Courtney Love, among other notables. Tarlow has been a TV "talking head" on a number of celebrity cases.
Blair Berk, 42, has represented Lindsay Lohan, Reese Witherspoon, Halle Berry, Tracy Morgan, Tracey Gold and Paul Reubens (aka Pee Wee Herman). The cases of Morgan and Gold both involved DUI.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Mel Gibson
Tags: Barry Tarlow, BarryTarlow, Blair Berk, BlairBerk, Mel Gibson, MelGibson
