Legal

The company behind the EDM fest Lightning in a Bottle is breaking the law by refusing to issue refunds ... or so claims a would-be concertgoer, turned plaintiff.

Michael Geragos of the Geragos Law Group filed a class-action lawsuit against Do Lab, Inc. on behalf of an Illinois woman named Tessa Nesis who purchased a ticket to the festival. Do Lab is the company that puts on the central California festival.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Nesis claims the festival, scheduled for May, allegedly sold between 10,000 and 20,000 tickets, but it was obviously canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. She claims organizers refuse to offer any refunds.

The event released a statement last month saying, "Sadly, we cannot offer refunds for the canceled event. We are, however, working on a plan to make you whole over the next few LIB’s. This will include a system for crediting you for future years."

Gavin Newsom's clueless to think churches are not as essential as burger joints and coffee shops ... so claim a group of church leaders suing him over the lockdown.

A group of pastors and church members filed the suit claiming religious services are "essential for the spiritual health of the congregation so that the congregants can exhort one another during these difficult times."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, one pastor believes they can hold services so long as they abide by social distancing tips recommended by the CDC ... like keeping congregants at least 6 feet apart and requiring they wear masks and gloves.

The leaders claim California's "shelter-at-home" mandate coupled with its "essential workforce" criteria has denied religious groups their fundamental right to continue congregating.

In fact, one pastor claims he was fined $1,000 for holding service on Palm Sunday. The church leaders are pissed they can't hold services ... even after they disinfect churches and practice social distancing.

According to the suit, they're also pissed baristas, burger flippers and laundromat technicians are considered "essential" ... while attending church is NOT.

The battle between governors and churches boiled over this Easter ... with more than a handful defying "shelter-at-home" orders.

Six Flags Theme Parks continues charging thousands of customers at full price, despite being closed ... so claims the angry customer who's now filed a lawsuit.

Shahriyar Rezai-Hariri is suing the SoCal-based theme park in a class-action lawsuit claiming Six Flags “made the baffling decision to keep charging all of its customers monthly membership fees while prohibiting access to Six Flags Magic Mountain” as the coronavirus spread across the world.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Rezai-Hariri says the park closed on March 13 but “unlike its competitors in the industry, [Six Flags] continued charging its thousands of customers monthly fees — at full price.” He also claims the company is able to keep charging customers "without their consent" because it has their credit and debit cards on file from when they initially bought the passes.

Rezai-Hariri is suing because he says it's unfair for Six Flags to deliberately bilk customers while its parks are closed. He's suing on behalf of all customers dealing with the continued monthly charges ... and claims damages will exceed $5 million.

It should be noted ... a rep for Six Flags told us last week it's only charging pass holders who elect to continue to pay. And, those that do will get rewarded with a free pass upgrade. Those who do not want to keep paying are instructed to reach out to the company.

YNW Melly doesn't deserve to be released from jail even though he has COVID-19 ... at least that's the way his alleged victims' families see it.

As we've reported ... the rapper is begging to be released from the Florida jail, where he's awaiting trial in his double murder case, because he says he's been infected with the coronavirus, and can't get proper care behind bars.

But, according to new docs obtained by TMZ ... the family of one the alleged victims, Christopher Thomas, says Melly should not be let out because they fear he'll be a threat to them and other witnesses.

The Thomas family, represented by lawyer John Phillips, says it's been painful to sit back and watch as streaming companies continue to promote "the horrific retelling of the murder."

He's referring to 2 of Melly's songs -- "Murder on My Mind" and "Two Face" -- which have lyrics they believe refer to the murders and possible intimidation of witnesses.

As you know ... Melly's been sitting in a Florida jail for more than a year after he was charged with the double murder of his 2 pals. He's asking the judge if he can get out of jail and be placed on house arrest and pay for his own COVID-19 treatment.

Meanwhile, the family of Anthony Williams, the other alleged victim, is also opposed to YNW's release ... something they believe he doesn't deserve.

A Nevada man is facing a federal charge for allegedly swiping a couple hundred surgical masks from a VA hospital -- so ya really gotta question his wardrobe choice for his mug shot.

Peter Lucas, a 35-year-old reported ex-Marine, got arrested at his home and appeared in court Wednesday for the alleged mask theft at the Ioannis A. Lougaris VA Medical Center in Reno.

Lucas is accused of stealing at least 4 boxes of surgical masks from supply carts -- containing 50 masks each -- by hiding them under his jacket before exiting the hospital. He's been hit with one count of theft of health care property.

According to legal docs ... surveillance cameras caught Lucas in the act last month between March 19 and March 23.

U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich says ... "We will not allow the theft of personal protective equipment to go  undeterred, endangering the safety of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals protecting our communities."

Law enforcement did allow him to keep a mask wrapped around his neck for his mug shot, though. Kinda weird he'd opt to leave it on ... considering what he's accused of doing.

Royal Caribbean Cruises is nothing more than a profiteering vessel to steal cash from nurses in a pandemic ... according to a nurse suing over a cruise canceled by COVID-19.

Jessica Mitchell just filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday against Royal Caribbean Cruises and NURSECON at Sea, accusing the cruise line and floating convention of conning hard-working nurses out of their deposits for an event scrapped by the coronavirus.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Mitchell claims the NURSECON founder is plotting to steal the $2,578 cruise fee from each of the 1,500 nurses who were scheduled to attend before the outbreak scuttled everything.

In the docs, Mitchell says the money grab is particularly bad now, because nurses deserve support now more than ever as they battle COVID-19 on the front lines.

The nurses claim the cruise and convention have refused to grant any refunds despite the cancellation, and instead are pocketing the fees which were paid upfront and offering credit for a future convention which some think may not even happen for years.

In the suit, Mitchell claims the cruise and convention are using the pandemic to line their pockets, and she says there's no reason not to give nurses their money back.

As we first reported ... the voyage was axed due to the pandemic, and nurses were up in arms over the cruise allegedly refusing to grant refunds. However, at the time, Royal Caribbean told us, "Royal Caribbean has been extremely flexible with Nursecon and has provided them with the option to offer their guests a refund on their cruise fare plus taxes and fees, or a 125% future cruise credit."

Adding, "Royal Caribbean deeply appreciates the efforts of our nurses, doctors and health-care professionals working on the frontlines during this public health crisis, and we applaud their sacrifices to help protect our communities."

Mitchell wants nurses to get their money back with interest, plus damages.

Zoom has serious loopholes when it comes to privacy, but it wasn't until the COVID-19 pandemic when it was finally exposed ... so claims one of its shareholders who is now suing.

Michael Drieu, a Zoom shareholder, has filed a class-action lawsuit against the video conferencing company claiming Zoom "had significantly overstated the degree to which its video communication software was encrypted."

Drieu claims things were so bad "organizations consequently prohibited its employees from utilizing Zoom for work activities."

Elon Musk's companies (Tesla and SpaceX), the New York City Department of Education, as well as, government agencies around the world have reportedly banned Zoom conferencing.

Drieu claims Zoom's lack of software encryption ultimately left the company vulnerable to hackers -- dubbed as "Zoom bombing" -- where uninvited guests pop into Zoom meetings.

Remember, Zoom's not only for work meetings. Since the pandemic forced people into quarantine ... millions have been holding virtual happy hours on Zoom and even weddings.

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan has apologized for the flaws and acknowledged as much in a blog post last week. Zoom has vowed to bridge the security loopholes.

R. Kelly swung hard to get out of jail over fears he'd catch COVID-19 ... but he struck out 'cause the judge just denied his request.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge said among the several reasons why the disgraced singer will NOT get out of jail is because he's still a flight risk. The judge said "[Kelly] is currently in custody because of the risks that he will flee or attempt to obstruct, threaten or intimidate prospective witnesses. The defendant has not explained how those risks have changed."

As for Kelly's fears he'll catch COVID-19 if he remains behind bars ... the judge said there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at MCC in Chicago where Kelly's penned up. The judge also points to measures taken by the Bureau of Prisons in combating the spread of the virus in its facilities ... like suspending all social visits and suspending inmate facility transfers.

What's more ... the judge says she ain't buying Kelly's part of the at-risk group 'cause he "is fifty-three years old, twelve years younger than the cohort of 'older adults' defined by the CDC as at high risk."

Kelly had argued he's had surgery while in jail, but the judge said, "he does not explain how his surgical history places him at a higher risk of severe illness. Moreover, officials in Chicago have advised the government that doctors have completed all treatment for the defendant’s recent operation."

As for Kelly's argument, he can't meet with lawyers to strategize for his July trial ... the judge said Kelly can still communicate via phone and email. And get this ... the judge said it's unlikely his trial will proceed as scheduled in early July ... adding "as conditions return to normal, [Kelly] and his lawyers will have additional time to prepare for trial."

We broke the story ... Kelly claimed the conditions he's under while in prison are "tantamount to making them drink poison." He is currently behind bars in Illinois as he awaits his trial, this after getting slapped with a slew of charges by federal prosecutors in NY.