All posts containing the tag: "case"
Posted Nov 10th 2009 10:03AM by TMZ Staff
David Letterman's accused extortionist, Robert Halderman, is asking the judge to dismiss the extortion case against him.
In papers filed with the court, Halderman's lawyer wrote, "The sensationalism surrounding this indictment, fueled by the celebrity of the purported victim and the deference paid to that celebrity by the District Attorney's Office, has swallowed the only pertinent issue ...."
The issue: Whether the grand jury had sufficient facts to support the extortion case.
The lawyer, Gerald Shargel, also states Halderman "discovered evidence that Letterman had created and fostered an environment of workplace sexual misconduct that under any definition, amounted to actionable sexual harassment."
The lawyer says this was not extortion, calling it "a pure commercial transaction." The lawyer says Halderman was merely trying to sell the exclusive screenplay rights to Letterman.
The lawyer says Halderman even insisted on getting a written agreement -- something extortionists generally don't do.
In addition to the motion for dismissal, Halderman's lawyer is asking to inspect the grand jury minutes. And, he wants the items seized from Halderman to be suppressed as evidence.
And there's this ... Attorney Shargel claims the relationship between Letterman and Stephanie Birkitt continued through at least last summer.
Filed under: Exclusives, David Letterman
Tags: case, court, david letterman, DavidLetterman, dismiss, extortion, grand larceny, GrandLarceny, late show, LateShow, robert halderman, RobertHalderman
Posted Sep 22nd 2009 4:41PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has confirmed one of Dr. Conrad Murray's baby mamas will be called to testify before the L.A. County Grand Jury in the Michael Jackson investigation -- because she's not cooperating with the cops.
The L.A. County D.A. has asked the Grand Jury to put Nicole Alvarez under oath and testify about Dr. Murray's comings and goings around the time Jackson died.
Alvarez -- the mother of Dr. Murray's 7th child -- lives in Santa Monica, CA. As we first reported, law enforcement sources told us they believe Dr. Murray was actually living in Santa Monica during the time he was supposedly living at Jackson's house. Although we've heard he may have been living with Alvarez, we have not been able to confirm that.
This development does not mean the Grand Jury will decide whether to charge Dr. Murray with the death of Jackson -- this is merely an investigative tool law enforcement sometimes uses with uncooperative witnesses.
Filed under: Michael Jackson
Tags: baby mama, BabyMama, case, death, dr. conrad murray, Dr.ConradMurray, grand jury, GrandJury, los angeles, LosAngeles, michael jackson, MichaelJackson, nicole alvarez, NicoleAlvarez, testify
Posted Mar 14th 2009 1:40AM by TMZ Staff
Sources connected with Chris Brown and Rihanna tell TMZ Brown's lawyer, Mark Geragos, wants the judge to give Rihanna a pass from testifying because of leaks in the case.
We're told Geragos and Rihanna's lawyer, Donald Etra, believe Rihanna was compromised when her name surfaced as the alleged victim in the beating. They claim this and other leaks violate her privacy rights and therefore she should not have to further put herself out to the public by testifying against Brown in the case.
It's further proof Rihanna and Brown are back together and in lockstep.
Geragos asked to meet with the judge in chambers, along with the prosecutors, on March 23 to discuss letting Rihanna off the hook. Brown's arraignment is set for April 6.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Rihanna, Chris Brown
Tags: arraignment, case, chris brown, ChrisBrown, court, rihanna
Posted Mar 5th 2009 6:47PM by TMZ Staff
Chris Brown and his attorney Mark Geragos did not enter a plea to the two felony charges. In a proceeding that took roughly 4 minutes and 20 seconds, the judge granted Brown's request to move the arraignment to April 6th.
It is unclear why they wanted to postpone the case -- possibly to conduct further investigations or possibly to strike a plea deal. We just don't know...
Based on our information, it seems Brown wants to avoid a trial at all costs because the picture of Rihanna taken one day after the incident -- which has not been seen anywhere publicly -- is unbelievable.
During the proceeding, Brown signed a waiver of presence, allowing his lawyer to act on his behalf -- meaning he won't have to show up to any minor court proceedings before April 6th.
Brown, who stood emotionless in court, spoke only four words to the judge -- "yes," "yes," and "yes ma'am."
After Brown's request to continue the case had been granted, the judge warned Brown, "You are not to annoy, harass, molest, threaten or use force or violence against anyone."
The judge asked Rihanna's attorney Donald Etra if there was a "no-contact order" in place, to which Etra replied, "Miss Fenty [Rihanna] does not request such an order."
Etra is famous for repping Snoop Dogg in multiple court cases throughout the years.
Click here to live chat!Filed under: Rihanna, Chris Brown
Tags: arraignment, case, charged, chris brown, ChrisBrown, court, deal, mark geragos, MarkGeragos, no plea, NoPlea, plea, rihanna, robyn fenty, RobynFenty, video
Posted Jan 27th 2009 4:45PM by TMZ Staff
We now know what the document is all about in the John Travolta extortion case.
Sources connected with the investigation tell us the document is an authorization for transporting Jett Travolta in the ambulance.
We're told John Travolta and Kelly Preston had an issue over where Jett Travolta should be taken for emergency treatment. We do not have further specifics, nor do we know why the alleged extortionists thought it was worth $25 million to keep private.
The Nassau Guardian has published a story saying it's a "refusal to transport" document. The paper cites the Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Marvin Dames, who says the document "is signed by a party when refusing, for example, emergency medical services from trained personnel."
Our sources say John and Kelly did not refuse treatment for Jett, but had an issue over where he should be treated.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: case, document, john travolta, JohnTravolta, mystery
