Latest news with #NewYorkStateCourt
The South African
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
'Superman' co-creator's files lawsuit to block international release
The estate of Joe Shuster, co-creator of Superman , launched a fresh legal battle to block the international release of James Gunn's highly anticipated Superman reboot. This new lawsuit, filed in New York State Court, targets Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios, seeking to prevent the film's release in key territories. These territories include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, and Australia. The estate claims that copyright to Superman reverted to Shuster's heirs in these countries due to their specific copyright laws. These laws differ from those in the United States. This legal tussle is not new. Earlier this year, in January, attorney Marc Toberoff filed a similar suit in federal court on behalf of Shuster's estate. That case was dismissed in April due to jurisdictional issues, but Toberoff has now refiled with the state court. Toberoff is hoping for a different outcome. The New York Supreme Court has ordered Warner Bros. to submit opposition papers by 23 May and scheduled a hearing for 4 June to argue against the injunction. The lawsuit alleges that Warner Bros. has been exploiting Superman's rights without permission or compensation. This is especially so in countries where the rights supposedly reverted to Shuster's estate in 2017 (and in Canada, 2021). The estate is demanding damages and an injunction to stop the film's international rollout unless a licence is obtained. This lawsuit could jeopardise Warner Bros.' global release plans for the movie, which they have scheduled to hit US cinemas on 11 July 2025. Warner Bros. has firmly rejected the claims, stating they 'fundamentally disagree with the merits of the lawsuit'. They are planning to vigorously defend their rights in court. The studio insists that it holds the proper rights to distribute Superman worldwide and that the legal challenge is without merit, according to Pop Verse. This saga is a reminder of how complex copyright laws can impact global entertainment. Warner Bros. plans to proceed with the film's US release as scheduled, but the court's ruling might delay or restrict its international distribution. South African viewers, who often enjoy simultaneous releases with the UK and other Commonwealth countries, may see the film's arrival affected if the injunction succeeds. Marc Toberoff, representing the Shuster estate, said: 'Our position is clear — the rights to Superman in these territories reverted to the estate years ago. We are simply seeking what is rightfully owed.' Meanwhile, a Warner Bros. spokesperson responded. 'We will vigorously defend our rights and ensure fans worldwide can experience this new chapter of Superman.' As the clock ticks down to the movie's release, this legal battle adds a dramatic subplot worthy of the Man of Steel himself. Whether this lawsuit will ground the film's international debut remains uncertain, but it certainly fuels the narrative that Superman's battles extend beyond the screen, now into the courtroom. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Long time Falls lawyer gets jail term for stealing from clients
LOCKPORT — A once prominent Falls attorney left the Niagara County courthouse in Lockport in handcuffs on Wednesday. New York State Court officers put the cuffs on Robert Koryl after Erie County Court Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes, sitting in as an acting Niagara County Court judge, sentenced him to a 6-month jail term, followed by 5 years of probation, for his conviction on charges accusing him of stealing cash from his clients. He could have faced a possible prison term of up to seven years. Koryl is also required to repay $169,063 in restitution to his affected clients and he will be stripped of his license to practice law. He had been serving a term of interim probation, in an effort to give him time to pay back the clients he stole from. But prosecutors said he has so far paid back little, if any, of the stolen money. Koryl, 69, of Youngstown, pleaded guilty in August to two counts of third-degree grand larceny and two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny in connection to the alleged theft of client funds as part of a plea deal with Niagara County prosecutors. He admitted to stealing cash from his clients that was supposed to be held in his attorney trust fund. A Niagara County grand jury originally returned a six-count indictment that charged Koryl with one count of first-degree scheme to defraud, two counts of second-degree grand larceny, two counts of third-degree grand larceny and one count of fourth-degree grand larceny. He pleaded not guilty to those charges. Koryl had been free on his own recognizance prior to his sentencing. Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman said the case represented a violation of the public's trust. 'When people go to a lawyer's office to deal with complicated financial matters, they put themselves in the trust of that person,' Seaman said. 'An embezzlement by a lawyer is not just a theft, it is also a violation of a fiduciary duty that does harm to the (legal) profession as a whole.' Koryl practiced out of a Pine Avenue law office and his Martindale-Hubell and profiles show that his work was largely involved with personal injury cases. He was arrested in late June 2023 and originally charged in Falls City Court with one count of second-degree grand larceny and one count of third-degree grand larceny. Prosecutors charged that Koryl 'stole money belonging to his clients that he was supposed to be holding in his attorney trust account between 2016 and 2023.' Investigators from the district attorney's office said they began looking into Koryl after receiving a complaint about his handling of clients' funds. Seaman has confirmed that Koryl was accused of defrauding five individual clients.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy accused of hiring trafficked 15-year-old for sex party in Miami
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is facing yet another sex trafficking lawsuit, this one accusing the hip-hop mogul of hiring an underage girl to work a sex party in Miami just a few years ago. According to the lawsuit filed Friday and obtained by TMZ, an unidentified woman claims she was paid to attend a group sex event hosted by Diddy in or around 2020. She says she was only 15 at the time and had already been trafficked by various men for at least three years. The woman claims she had already been drugged by a man described as her 'trafficker' when she was taken to a warehouse, then into a curtained-off area with a bed in the middle. According to the legal documents, she was then forced to have sex with around 20 men for multiple hours. While the woman says Diddy was not among those 20 men, she claims to have seen him having sex with another underage girl who was a part of her same trafficked group. She says she believes that girl was only 12 or 13 at the time. The woman is seeking damages from Diddy and several John Does for sexual assault and aiding and abetting, according to TMZ. The unnamed plaintiff is represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who has filed dozens of lawsuits against Combs since last fall. On Friday, Buzbee said seven suits had been filed in New York State Court this week alone, accusing the rapper and several other defendants of sexual assault, battery and exploitation. 'The cases filed this week are being brought for conduct that allegedly occurred as far back as the year 1999 and as recent as 2022,' he wrote on Instagram. 'The egregious conduct alleged in these filings occurred in Los Angeles, Miami and New York City. Three of the plaintiffs are male, and four of the plaintiffs are female.' The latest lawsuit comes on the same day that a woman who accused Diddy and Jay-Z of raping her in 2000 filed documents to voluntarily dismiss the case. The woman, who alleged the assault occurred at a VMAs after-party when she was 13, previously admitted there were inconsistencies in her story. Jay-Z has fiercely denied the allegations since the lawsuit was filed in December. 'Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed,' the Roc Nation founder said in a statement on Friday. 'This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, my loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed.' The 55-year-old Harlem native has maintained his innocence since his arrest in September. 'No matter how many lawsuits are filed — especially by individuals who refuse to put their own names behind their claims — it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone,' Diddy's legal team said in a statement to TMZ on Friday. 'We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason. Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to find the truth, and Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail in court.' The federal trial against Combs is scheduled to begin May 5.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy accused of hiring trafficked 15-year-old for sex party in Miami
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is facing yet another sex trafficking lawsuit, this one accusing the hip-hop mogul of hiring an underage girl to work a sex party in Miami just a few years ago. According to the lawsuit filed Friday and obtained by TMZ, an unidentified woman claims she was paid to attend a group sex event hosted by Diddy in or around 2020. She says she was only 15 at the time and had already been trafficked by various men for at least three years. The woman claims she had already been drugged by a man described as her 'trafficker' when she was taken to a warehouse, then into a curtained-off area with a bed in the middle. According to the legal documents, she was then forced to have sex with around 20 men for multiple hours. While the woman says Diddy was not among those 20 men, she claims to have seen him having sex with another underage girl who was a part of her same trafficked group. She says she believes that girl was only 12 or 13 at the time. The woman is seeking damages from Diddy and several John Does for sexual assault and aiding and abetting, according to TMZ. The unnamed plaintiff is represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who has filed dozens of lawsuits against Combs since last fall. On Friday, Buzbee said seven suits had been filed in New York State Court this week alone, accusing the rapper and several other defendants of sexual assault, battery and exploitation. 'The cases filed this week are being brought for conduct that allegedly occurred as far back as the year 1999 and as recent as 2022,' he wrote on Instagram. 'The egregious conduct alleged in these filings occurred in Los Angeles, Miami and New York City. Three of the plaintiffs are male, and four of the plaintiffs are female.' The latest lawsuit comes on the same day that a woman who accused Diddy and Jay-Z of raping her in 2000 filed documents to voluntarily dismiss the case. The woman, who alleged the assault occurred at a VMAs after-party when she was 13, previously admitted there were inconsistencies in her story. Jay-Z has fiercely denied the allegations since the lawsuit was filed in December. 'Today is a victory. The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed,' the Roc Nation founder said in a statement on Friday. 'This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims. I would not wish this experience on anyone. The trauma that my wife, my children, my loved ones and I have endured can never be dismissed.' Combs, meanwhile, remains in custody at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center as he awaits trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges. The 55-year-old Harlem native has maintained his innocence since his arrest in September. 'No matter how many lawsuits are filed — especially by individuals who refuse to put their own names behind their claims — it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone,' Diddy's legal said in a statement to TMZ on Friday. 'We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason. Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to find the truth, and Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail in court.' The federal trial against Combs is scheduled to begin May 5.
