Paramount has completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, closing an $81 billion takeover valued at about $111 billion including debt and combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios with HBO, CNN, CBS, and some of the entertainment industry’s largest franchises.The transaction closed October 6, 2026, after Paramount cleared federal antitrust... Read More »
Disney asked a federal judge Tuesday to block the Federal Communications Commission from conducting an early review of eight ABC television licenses, arguing that the Trump administration is using the agency’s regulatory power to punish the network over programming and editorial decisions it dislikes.The FCC urged U.S. District Judge Loren... Read More »
Disney and filmmaker James Cameron have defeated a copyright lawsuit seeking at least $500 million over claims that Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash copied elements of another science-fiction project.U.S. District Judge George H. Wu dismissed animator Eric Ryder’s case on October 1, 2026, finding that... Read More »
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has won a temporary court order blocking Minnesota from enforcing its first-in-the-nation ban on AI tools that can generate realistic nude images of identifiable people, escalating a First Amendment fight over Grok and AI-generated sexual images.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit... Read More »
Interscope Records is facing a lawsuit seeking more than $25 million over the recording rights to Gigi Perez, with an early label partner claiming Universal Music Group improperly redirected the singer’s rights to another UMG label after her career took off.Mogul Vision LLC sued UMG Recordings Inc. on September 30,... Read More »
Halle Berry is asking a Los Angeles court to restore 50/50 custody of her son with ex-husband Olivier Martinez, directly denying his allegation that she choked the 13-year-old during a confrontation that led a judge to restrict her parenting time.In an Oct. 5, 2026, declaration, Berry said she has never... Read More »
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, is challenging search warrants used to raid his residences during an investigation into allegations that he shared sensitive government information with Jeffrey Epstein.The former prince has been granted permission to ask Britain's High Court to quash the warrants, which authorized searches of Marsh Farm on... Read More »
Olivia Dean’s song “I’ve Seen It” is at the center of a new copyright lawsuit claiming the track copied the distinctive melody of Bill Withers’ Grammy-winning “Just the Two of Us.”Mattie Music Group filed the complaint on October 1, 2026, in federal court in Los Angeles against Capitol Records, Universal... Read More »
Starbucks is facing a proposed class action accusing it of calling protein drinks “Sugar-Free” even though some venti servings contain as much as 21 grams of sugar, setting up a fight over whether the label describes the syrup or the finished beverage.Three consumers filed the lawsuit on October 2, 2026,... Read More »
A Trump-appointed federal judge found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made illegal arrests during a Bronx operation, falsified official records, and gave apparently false testimony after arresting a man they had mistaken for someone else.U.S. District Judge Gary R. Brown issued the findings Monday, October 5, 2026, in the... Read More »
McDonald’s is facing a proposed nationwide class action alleging that its AI-powered pricing system coordinated menu prices across thousands of U.S. restaurants and caused customers to pay more for Big Macs, Quarter Pounders, and other items.The lawsuit, filed October 2, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District... Read More »
Ye is asking a Los Angeles judge to throw out a wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment lawsuit brought by former Donda Academy worker Murphy Aficionado, arguing he was never a Yeezy employee and cannot produce enough evidence to take his claims to trial.The rapper, formerly known as Kanye West, filed... Read More »
Michele Reiner’s sister Martine Singer has spoken publicly about the killings of Reiner and her husband, director Rob Reiner, as the Los Angeles nonprofit she leads prepares to honor the couple with a new award bearing their names.Children’s Institute will present the inaugural Michele and Rob Reiner Champion for Change... Read More »
The Game’s independent label has sued Universal Music Group and Virgin Music Group, alleging the companies left more than $320,000 of an agreed $500,000 marketing budget unspent for his 2022 album Drillmatic – Heart vs. Mindand hurt the record’s sales, streams and royalties.100 Entertainment Inc. filed the breach-of-contract lawsuit September... Read More »
Jay-Z has gained a new path to try to revive his lawsuit against attorney Tony Buzbee after the woman who accused the rapper of rape recanted her allegations, even as a California appeals court refused to rehear his case.California’s Second District Court of Appeal denied Jay-Z’s rehearing request October 1,... Read More »