Tag Archives: california legal news

SAG-AFTRA “Disappointed” In Court Pausing IMDb Age Law

A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that the State of California can’t move forward in enforcing a law that makes it illegal for the entertainment news site IMDbPro to publish actors’ ages.

At the beginning of the year, IMDb filed a federal lawsuit against then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris seeking an injunction to stop enforcement of AB 1687, which went into effect January 1. Today, Judge Vince Chhabria found enough to grant the injunction, saying “it’s difficult to imagine how AB 1687 could not violate the First Amendment” and that the government has not shown how the bill is “necessary” in achieving the goal of preventing age discrimination in Hollywood.

“Accordingly, the government is enjoined from enforcing AB 1687 while this lawsuit is
pending,” he wrote (read the ruling here.)

SAG-AFTRA responded quickly to today’s ruling in the U.S. District Court for the North District of California. The guild had been a major proponent of the bill, which was signed into law in September.

“We are disappointed that the court has chosen to temporarily halt the State of California’s legal efforts to fully protect its citizens from employment discrimination,” said SAG-AFTRA COO and general counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “We look forward to the upcoming opportunity to present evidence to the Court of how this law will reduce or eliminate the age discrimination facilitated by IMDb.com.

“This is an early skirmish in what will be a long-term battle to ensure that entertainment industry workers are granted the same minimum employment protections as all other workers. SAG-AFTRA will continue to fight until we achieve for actors and other entertainment industry professionals, the same rights to freedom from age discrimination in hiring enjoyed by other workers in other industries.”

AB 1687 was narrowly crafted to apply only to “commercial online entertainment employment providers” that charge a “subscribers” fee, as does IMDbPro. Online publications such as Deadline Hollywood – which can be viewed for free – are not subject to the law.

SAG-AFTRA “Disappointed” In Court Pausing IMDb Age Law

Kesha Drops Her Lawsuit Against Dr. Luke

After a long and heartbreaking legal battle, Kesha has decided to drop her lawsuit against Dr. Luke. Daniel Petrocelli, a member of the singer’s legal team, told Us Weekly in a statement on Monday that Kesha put an end to the ordeal in order to focus on releasing new music. “Kesha has dismissed her California action without prejudice while she pursues her appeal and other legal claims in the New York courts,” Daniel explained. “Kesha is focused on getting back to work and has delivered 28 new songs to the record label. We have conveyed to Sony Music and the label Kesha’s strong desire to release the single and an album as soon as possible.” Kesha spoke out about her decision on Monday, tweeting that her “fight continues,” while Dr. Luke’s attorney, Christine Lepera, claimed that the lawsuit was dropped because the singer “has no chance of winning.”

Kesha first filed a lawsuit against the music producer in October 2015, alleging that he’d emotionally and sexually abused her and manipulated her career. Numerous celebrities, including Lady Gagacame forward to support Kesha in the wake of the shocking news. However, in April 2016, a judge threw out her claims, saying she was being “unreasonable.” Despite the singer’s dramatic year, check out 12 quotes that prove she’s always been a warrior.

 

L.A. Now California: This just in LOCAL L.A. Now Violent crime in California rose 10% in 2015, state attorney general says

By Bettina Boxall

After two years of decline, the number of violent crimes in California rose by 10% in 2015, although the overall crime rate remained among the lowest in decades.

The numbers were up in all major categories of violent crime compared with those of 2014, according to reports released Friday by the state attorney general’s office.

Homicides increased 9.7%, and robbery and aggravated assault climbed by more than 8%.

Hate crimes followed the same trend, with a 10.4% jump. The vast majority of the uptick involved religious bias. Anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish incidents were up, as were those targeting Latinos.

Although the number of burglaries dropped, total property crimes climbed by 8.1%, driven by a significant rise in motor vehicle thefts.

Despite the upswing, overall violent and property crime rates per 100,000 were lower last year than in 2010, and remained dramatically lower than the peaks of the 1980s and 1990s.

Statewide, 1,861 people were slain in 2015, compared with more than 4,000 in 1993.

In 2009, the number of homicides across California dipped below 2,000 for the first time since 1974 and has fluctuated below that number ever since.

Read Full Article – http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-violent-crimes-20160701-snap-story.html