Fresh Filings

Chosen Few Emerald Entertainment has filed a copyright infringement and tortious interference lawsuit against Black Diamond Music, Nota Loca Music and other defendants in New York Southern District Federal Court. The complaint, brought by Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt, alleges the defendants wrongfully claimed rights and distributed two sound recordings, “Siente El Boom” and its remix — despite the plaintiff’s full copyright ownership and a $5,000 work-for-hire payment — resulting in unauthorized exploitation through platforms like SoundExchange and YouTube and improper collection of royalties. The case is Chosen Few Emerald Entertainment Inc. v. Acevedo, 1:25-cv-08979. … OpenAI, developer of ChatGPT and other AI applications, was sued by celebrity video platform Cameo for trademark infringement in California Northern District Federal Court. The complaint, filed by Byron Raphael LLP, alleges that OpenAI’s launch of a competing “Cameo” service on its Sora app has caused widespread consumer confusion and trademark dilution, citing multiple instances of misdirected customer inquiries and the migration of several high-profile celebrities like Jake Paul, Mark Cuban and Amouranth to OpenAI’s platform. According to the suit, which seeks injunctive relief and treble damages, OpenAI’s actions have deliberately eroded Cameo's brand identity. The case is Baron App Inc. v. OpenAI Inc., 3:25-cv-09268. … Rapper J. Cole and Universal Music Group have been hit with a copyright lawsuit n New York Southern District Federal Court by hip-hop artist Cam’ron, who seeks a declaration of co-authorship rights for the song “Ready 24” from Cole’s 2024 album Might Delete Later. The suit, brought by Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt, alleges that Cam’ron contributed lyrics to the verse and introduction during a June 2022 recording session at Electric Lady Studios, but received no compensation or royalties despite an agreement that conditioned the collaboration on final approval rights and future projects. The case is Giles v. Cole, 1:25-cv-08920. … Sam Fadness, who operates under various social media pseudonyms, was sued by Jamdek Recording Studio and its owner Douglas Malone in Illinois Circuit Court, Cook County, over alleged harassment and defamation. The complaint, filed by Rifkind Patrick, accuses the defendant of engaging in a pattern of threatening behavior, including sending hostile emails, releasing a defamatory song titled “I Would Rather Be Dead (the Death of Doug Malone)” and interfering with the studio’s business relationships after utilizing its recording services between 2017 and 2022. The case is Malone v. Fadness, 2025L013301. … Sinclair Television Group and Deerfield Media were sued by Cincinnati Bell Extended Territories d/b/a altafiber in Ohio Court of Common Pleas, Hamilton County, over retransmission rights for television station WSTR. The action, brought by Thompson Hine, alleges that Sinclair attempted to evade existing contractual obligations by purchasing WSTR’s license from Deerfield for $5.15 million and imposing new rates more than six times higher than those in the original agreement running through December 2026. The complaint, which seeks damages of at least $2.1 million, includes claims for breach of contract, tortious interference and declaratory relief to maintain the validity of the original Deerfield agreement. The case is A Cincinnati Bell Extended Territories v. Sinclair Television Group, 2505228. … The Stronach Group, Churchill Downs, The New York Racing Association and several related entities have been sued in a RICO class action in New York Eastern District Federal Court over an alleged scheme to manipulate horse racing betting pools. The lawsuit, brought by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro on behalf of regular bettors, accuses the defendants of conspiring to give privileged “insider” bettors unfair advantages through Computer Assisted Wagering platforms, including special access, price advantages and rebates not available to the public. The case is Dickey v. The Stronach Group Inc., 2:25-cv-05962. … Kensington Publishing has been sued for copyright infringement in New York Southern District Federal Court over the alleged unauthorized publication of The Addict under the pseudonym Lisa Lennox. The action, brought by author Vickie M. Stringer, claims the defendant’s publication infringes the plaintiff’s copyrighted works Crack Head and Crack Head II: Laci’s Revenge written under the sane pseudonym. The complaint seeks statutory damages up to $150,000 per work, disgorgement of profits and a permanent injunction against further distribution of the allegedly infringing book. The case is Stringer v. Kensington Publishing Corp., 1:25-cv-08737. … R&B artist Muni Long, known for her hit viral song “Made for Me,” and several of her business entities were hit with a breach-of-contract lawsuit in New York Southern District Federal Court by Ebony Son Entertainment over allegedly unpaid management commissions and expenses. The suit, brought by Fox Rothschild, claims that Long entered into a verbal agreement in July 2023 to pay 20% commission on all gross revenue but stopped payments in October 2024, leaving at least $612,290 in unpaid fees and expenses — including commissions from a $1.2 million Chris Brown tour and various performance engagements at venues across the country. The case is Ebony Son Entertainment Inc. v. Priscilla, 1:25-cv-08802. … Virgin Music Group Services has been hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit in California Central District Federal Court over the alleged unauthorized digital distribution of two albums by Los Incomparables de Tijuana. The action, brought by Altview Law Group on behalf of Hyphy Music, claims the defendant unlawfully distributed Exitos de oro and Exitos Nortenos through platforms like Spotify despite notifications of infringement sent in March 2023. The complaint seeks statutory damages of $150,000 per work along with an accounting of profits and attorney fees. The case is Hyphy Music Inc. v. Virgin Music Group Services Inc., 2:25-cv-10213. … British DJ and music producer Craig Dimech, professionally known as Meck, was hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit in California Central District Federal Court by Viceroy Music over the unauthorized use of the song “Don’t You Want Me?” in his track “Meck x James Hype – Feels Like Home.” The complaint, filed by attorney Jayson Lorenzo on behalf of Viceroy Music, alleges that Dimech released the track in December 2024 despite explicit rejection from the rights holders. The case is Viceroy Music Ltd. v. Dimech, 2:25-cv-10204. … NASCAR filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in Illinois Northern District Federal Court over the alleged sale of counterfeit NASCAR merchandise. The complaint, brought by Nixon Peabody, targets unidentified online retailers. The case is National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing LLC v. The Entities and Individuals Operating the Website in Schedule A Hereto, 1:25-cv-12952. … SeatGeek was hit with a consumer class action in Florida Southern District Federal Court over alleged violations of Florida ticket resale laws. The suit, brought by Bursor & Fisher on behalf of thousands of Florida ticket buyers, accuses the defendant of charging excessive fees above original ticket prices for multiday events. The case is Weinstein v. SeatGeek Inc., 9:25-cv-81314. … W Series Limited filed a $5 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against David Bren in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County. The complaint, brought by Spencer Fane, alleges that Bren’s company, The Bunker LA 2, LLC, entered into franchise agreements to operate two racing teams in an all-female international motor racing championship but paid only about $290,000 of the more than $21 million owed for the 2021 season. According to the complaint, Bren personally guaranteed up to $5 million in payments but failed to honor the guarantee and provided fabricated wire confirmations and doctored bank statements. The case is W Series Limited v. Bren, 25STCV30768. … Discovery Communications, d/b/a OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), Harpo and Kingdom Reign Entertainment were hit with a trademark infringement lawsuit on in Mississippi Southern District Federal Court. The complaint, over the alleged unauthorized use of the mark “Turning Pain Into Purpose” on the OWN reality show “Belle Collective,” was filed by the AMS Law on behalf of a Mississippi resident who founded a charitable organization. The suit alleges that after the plaintiff was contacted about a potential cast role in January 2025, the defendants misappropriated her charitable theme, tagline and professional identity. The case is Smith v. Discovery Communications LLC, 3:25-cv-00794. … Derek Steiner and production companies Productivity Media and Radiant Films International have been sued in a copyright infringement lawsuit in California Central District Federal Court over the movie Unit 234. The suit, brought by the Law Offices of J. Curtis Edmondson on behalf of a screenwriter, alleges the defendants created an unauthorized derivative work based on the plaintiff’s 2016 registered screenplay Locker 418, citing 30 substantial similarities between the works. The case is Sherid v. Steiner, 2:25-cv-10006. … Amazon Studios and Paramount Television Studios have been hit with a trademark infringement lawsuit in New York Southern District Federal Court over the alleged unauthorized use of “The Love Zone” trademark in their television series Cross. The action, brought by Roberts Legal Group, claims the defendants used the trademark of plaintiff Maurice Watts’ The Love Zone radio show during a seven-minute segment in episode 3 of the series, which aired in November 2024. The complaint seeks up to $2 million in statutory damages for willful infringement, along with injunctive relief and corrective disclosures. The case is Watts v. Amazon Studios LLC, 1:25-cv-08642. … Prime Publisher and two other publishing companies have been sued in a fraud and breach-of-contract lawsuit in Illinois Circuit Court, Cook County. The action, brought by Howard & Howard on behalf of a New Jersey reverend, contends the defendants fraudulently promised a $653,000 return on investment within 12 months through a publishing and distribution scheme, collecting $39,600 in payments while failing to deliver any services or honor their money-back guarantee. The complaint, which includes claims for consumer fraud and civil conspiracy, alleges that the defendants made false representations about a Barnes & Noble distribution deal and seeks damages exceeding $50,000 plus punitive damages. The case is Wade v. Prime Publisher Inc., 2025L012785. … Uncharted Labs, operator of the AI-powered music generation platform Udio.com, was hit with a class action in Illinois Northern District Federal Court. The suit, brought by Loevy & Loevy on behalf of multiple independent artists and music creators, accuses the defendant of illegally copying and using copyrighted works to train its AI models, circumventing YouTube’s security measures and removing copyright management information from millions of recordings. The complaint, which also asserts biometric privacy violations, alleges the company systematically ingested tens of millions of copyrighted recordings without permission. The case is Woulard v. Unchartered Labs Inc., 1:25-cv-12613. … RSM Publishing and Risamar Business Group were hit with a trademark infringement lawsuit in Florida Southern District Federal Court by Rimas Entertainment, a prominent record label representing artists like Bad Bunny. The complaint, filed by Shullman Fugate and Dorsey & Whitney, alleges the defendants fraudulently obtained rights to use the “RIMAS” trademarks through an unauthorized coexistence agreement and subsequently expanded their infringing activities in 2025, including operating a website displaying the RIMAS trademark and falsely claiming partnerships with major brands like Adidas and Netflix, despite receiving a cease-and-desist notice in January 2024. The case is Rimas Entertainment LLC v. Risamar Business Group LLC, 0:25-cv-62079. … Madison Square Garden Entertainment and CEO James L. Dolan were sued by attorney Seth A. Harris, founding partner of Harris Keenan & Goldfarb, for false advertising and breach of contract in New York Supreme Court, New York County. The complaint alleges that police officers employed by the defendants denied the plaintiff entry to a Peter Frampton concert at the Beacon Theatre despite the presentation of a valid ticket and a temporary restraining order enjoining the defendants from denying access to a person presenting a valid ticket. The suit is part of a string of cases challenging the defendants’ practice of banning adverse attorneys from its venues. The case is Harris v. Dolan. … Joy Luxury Village, Latitude Vacation Club and other defendants have been sued in a trademark infringement lawsuit in New York Southern District Federal Court over the unauthorized use of Sports Illustrated branding at a Dominican Republic resort property. The complaint, filed by Brown Rudnick on behalf of ABG-SI, alleges the defendants continued operating as “Sports Illustrated Resorts Marina & Villas Cap Cana” and selling branded merchandise after their license agreement was terminated in July 2024, leading to numerous customer complaints about subpar facilities and misleading marketing. The suit seeks over $1.98 million in de-identification penalties, a $250,000 termination fee and $2 million for each willful counterfeit mark use, plus trebled damages and attorney fees. The case is ABG-SI LLC v. Joy Luxury Village SRL, 1:25-cv-08482. … Lamson Dugan & Murray and attorney Andrew J. Huber have been sued by Ardellini Holdings and Donato Ardellini for legal malpractice in Nebraska District Federal Court. The suit, brought by Sherrets Bruno & Vogt, pertains to the defendants’ representation of the plaintiffs in connection with their acquisition of shares in American Hockey Group, which owns the Tier I junior ice hockey team the Omaha Lancers. According to the complaint, the defendants failed to secure signatures for an amended operating agreement that would have split voting rights 50-50 between the plaintiffs and majority owner Michael Picozzi, ultimately leading to a loss of shares and costly litigation. The case is Ardellini Holdings Inc. v. Lamson Dugan & Murray LLP, 8:25-cv-00613. … Grammy-nominated singer and Golden Globe winner Andra Day filed a lawsuit against her former manager Jeffrey Evans and his companies Bassline Management and Buskin in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County, alleging the misappropriation of over $1.1 million in funds. The complaint, brought by Pryor Cashman, claims Evans retained a $600,000 recording fund from Warner Bros. Records without Day’s knowledge, wrongly induced her to sign a management agreement acknowledging a $275,000 debt and later admitted to “mistakenly withholding” $575,486 after an accounting investigation in September 2023 revealed the financial misconduct that allegedly left the “Rise Up” singer facing eviction and unable to pay credit card debt. The case is Batie v. Evans, 25STCV29246.