Latest news with #legalBattle
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Vindictive Harvey Weinstein goes nuclear in rare jail interview: I'll get revenge on my enemies before my cancer kills me
A vengeful Harvey Weinstein is not going quietly without a fight. The disgraced mogul, 73, remains incarcerated in a special unit of a New York City hospital, cancer-stricken and desperate to clear his name before his disease claims his life.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
British father's six-year rape ordeal finally ends as he is cleared of attacking US teen in Greece and his lawyer reveals devastating effect the false claim had on his life
A British father has been cleared of raping an American teenager outside the bar he worked at in Greece in a six-year-long legal battle that lost him his wife. The 35-year-old DJ had been clashing with a 19-year-old teen in court since 2019 after she said he assaulted her while she was 'blind' drunk in Crete. The father-of-six insisted they had consensual sex - which a court in Heraklion believed today due to doubt over the girl's statement. The young woman was noticeably absent from court as well as any legal representation on her behalf, which the defendant's lawyer, Costas Papamastorakis, speculated was due to her realising her travel insurance did not cover the fallout from sexual assault. When she was first questioned by Hersonissos Police Department, she allegedly told them that she was insured for rape. But it later became clear that the woman's travel insurance would not cover the rape case, it was reported in Law&Order. Mr Papamastorakis reportedly said 'the insurance company's lack of coverage was likely the reason why the complainant did not appear'. The young woman claimed at the time she had been raped and forcibly dragged out of a bar in Malia to an uncovered area by a burly, dark-skinned man. The Brit, who had been working as a DJ at the same bar, said they had consensual sex inside after he met the young woman who was partying with her friends. When they then went outside, the girl vomited from being drunk and he suggested she drink some water or to sit on a sidewalk before going back into the bar, he claimed. Later that night, he heard while eating food with friends that a young woman had been raped at the bar. The Brit, then 29, handed himself over to the police, believing they would inevitably question him. The court's decision to spare the British father was a huge win, Mr Papamastorakis said, whose client's life fell apart since the allegation, including the mother of his six children divorcing him. It comes only months after another Brit was facing a nightmare court battle over assault in Greece. A young woman who was gang raped by two men while on holiday in Crete was forced to return to Greece for a second trial in March, despite her two attackers previously receiving life sentences for their horrific crimes. The woman, who had just turned 18 at the time of the assault in June 2022, had been holidaying with friends in the city of Rethymno after finishing her A-Levels. As she was sitting on a sunbed following a night out, she was grabbed and dragged away by two strangers, who then took it in turns to rape her. The men, understood to have been Pakistani nationals who were in their 20s at the time, were apprehended by Greek authorities a few hours after the horrific attack. They confessed to the gang-rape at the time of their arrest but then reportedly said the woman consented in their court appearance a year later. The young woman is said to have been forced to stand just metres away from her attackers as she gave evidence. The harrowing case ended with the men being jailed for life - or so the woman's family thought, as they looked forward to moving on from the ordeal. But shockingly, the men took advantage of a Greek law which allows defendants to lodge an appeal within a certain time frame, giving them an automatic right to a full retrial with a fresh examination of witnesses and evidence. The young woman had no choice but to return to Greece to be put through the horrific trial process all over again, with her mother saying the experience will likely re-traumatise her.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Son wipes out inheritance and left owing £100k after 15-year family feud
A son has been hit with a £282,000 inheritance tax bill following a 15-year legal battle with his family. Sharas Changizi had been locked in a bitter dispute with his mother and three siblings since his father's death in 2010, according to court documents. His siblings had given away their shares of their father's estate to their mother in 2012 using a deed of variation, which allows beneficiaries to redistribute their parts of the estate. As the surviving spouse, Mrs Changizi was an exempt beneficiary – meaning her portion of the estate should have been free from inheritance tax. However, Mr Changizi refused to give his share to his mother and argued that inheritance tax should be charged on the estate as a whole, and not just on his share. The family paid the £282,000 inheritance tax bill, including interest, but insisted that Mr Changizi was actually liable for the costs. In a judgment reached in April 2025, the High Court held that the family's approach of charging the son's share with all of the inheritance tax was correct. Mr Changizi already owed the family £116,000 in court costs following years of bitter litigation, which included him trying, and failing, to challenge the validity of the will. Together, these court costs and the inheritance tax liability ate up Mr Changizi's £300,000 share of the estate and left him owing his family £102,000, court documents show. The case shines a light on the potential complications of splitting the estate between exempt beneficiaries – such as spouses and charities – and non-exempt beneficiaries. Claire Roberts, of accountants Moore Kingston Smith, said: 'It has long been understood that inheritance tax on a non-exempt share of an estate is paid from that share and that exempt beneficiaries receive their share in full. In this case, the appellant arguably tried his luck by suggesting otherwise.' Mr Changizi had also received a payment from his father a year before his death. Gifts made within seven years of a person's death are generally considered part of the estate for inheritance tax purposes. Mr Changizi had tried to argue that the inheritance tax charge on this gift should not be deducted from his share of the estate, but this was dismissed in court. Ms Roberts added: 'This serves as a cautionary reminder to testators to ensure that they understand the implications of making lifetime gifts in conjunction with the terms in their will.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Jodie Marsh breaks down in tears as she WINS battle to keep lemurs at her OnlyFans-funded animal sanctuary
Former glamour model Jodie Marsh wept tears of joy today as she won a bitter legal battle to keep eight lemurs at her animal sanctuary. The ex-lads' mags favourite, who went on to become a media personality, had appealed against a council's refusal to grant her a wild animal licence for Fripps Farm in Lindsell, Essex. Uttlesford District Council blocked the application last year after members claimed she treated the animals there as 'pets' after hearing she had taken a baby meerkat and an owl to a pub. There were also concerns about noise. But Marsh – who uses funds from OnlyFans to pay for the upkeep of more than 400 animals at the sanctuary including emus and reptiles – claimed she was the victim of criticism from online trolls. She also said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had no concerns about animals in her care following inspections. The 46-year-old, who trained as a bodybuilder and has appeared on Essex Wives and Celebrity Big Brother, broke down in tears as District Judge Christopher Williams ruled in her favour today at Chelmsford Magistrates Court. He said: 'On the basis of the evidence available I am persuaded that the noise made by the lemurs is not a nuisance. 'I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the decision by Uttlesford District Council was wrong and continues to be wrong. I allow the appeal.' Marsh, who wore a black blazer, black top and leggings, thanked her lawyer and the judge. In July last year, councillors said she was 'not suitable' to look after animals after hearing how she had taken the meerkat and owl to a local pub. UDC councillor Richard Freeman told a meeting of its licensing and environmental health committee: 'The panel is concerned that Jodie Marsh has a perception that the animals in her care are personal pets.' Video clips of screeching lemurs at a zoo were also played at a previous court hearing and the district council said Marsh had failed to provide a noise nuisance survey. Ring-tailed lemurs live on 'troops' of up to 30 and are known as one of the most vocal primates. But Paul Oakley, for Marsh, said the council's 'conclusion lemurs were likely to contribute to the (noise) impact' at the five-acre site was 'speculation'. Marsh also dismissed concerns about her treatment of animals, explaining she had been 'hand-rearing' the meerkat when she took it to a friend's pub 'on a few occasions'. Describing the sanctuary as a 'dream' she'd had since she was five years old, she rounded on the trolls, saying: 'They lash out, they pick on you, as in my case. 'When I was bodybuilding they trolled me for that, when I was modelling they trolled me for that, now it's the animals.' The council received 19 objections from local residents about the licence application. But the court heard Essex Police, Essex Fire and Rescue Service and the RSPCA had not raised any concerns over the application for the lemurs, an endangered species from Madagascar. Summing up his findings, Judge Williams said there was 'considerable animosity between Ms Marsh and the members of the local community'. But he added: 'Ms Marsh may not be popular in the surrounding area but, based on the evidence given to this court, I conclude that she is a person who genuinely cares for her animals. 'Ms Marsh is not, and has not been, responsible for any harm or ill-treatment [of the animals in her care].' Granting the licence, he also approved an application for costs of £19,641 to be paid to Marsh by Uttlesford District Council. The council said in a statement after today's judgement: 'The decision by councillors to not grant the Dangerous Wild Animals licence was made following careful consideration of both the supporting and opposing evidence in a public process. 'Whilst we are disappointed with the ruling today, the court has taken a fresh look at it and reached a different conclusion, which we fully accept.' In 2023, Marsh told BBC Essex that OnlyFans was 'amazing' and 'paid my staff wages for the first year'. She added: 'They all joke and say 'Your boobs paid our wages'.'
Fox News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Religious freedom battle erupts as New Jersey town attempts to turn church property into pickleball courts
A New Jersey town has moved to seize a 10-acre church property and turn it into recreational space, outfitted with pickleball courts and soccer fields. Christ Episcopal Church in Toms River, New Jersey, found itself at the center of a highly charged legal battle after its leaders moved to expand outreach to the area's homeless population and proposed a 17-bed overnight shelter. "It didn't take long for neighbors to become concerned," Harvey York, the church's attorney, told Fox News Digital. On April 30, the Toms River Township Council placed an ordinance on its agenda to condemn the church's 10-acre site, which includes the parish house, auditorium, school, sanctuary and deacon's residence, under its eminent domain power. The town's plan is to turn the congregation's property into a recreational area. "Any governmental agency has the right to condemn property for governmental purposes. That's clear. However, the township has never thought of this as a recreational site," York said. "For them to say they need recreational land flies in the face of the facts and their master plan." York and his legal team argue that the move to seize the property is the township's direct response to the church's shelter initiative. "It is clear that this is being done in retaliation for the church making an application for a homeless shelter," he said, pointing to both the constitutional protections for freedom of religion and the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. "I don't know that you'll find a lawyer who will say, 'Oh, yeah, they have every right to do this; they're going to win.'" Despite rising community support, from local congregants to offers of amicus assistance nationwide, reactions remain mixed within the New Jersey town. "There are people that are thrilled that the mayor is going to condemn the property," York said, but he believes "the majority of the community is shocked and dismayed." As for the church's next steps, litigation is certain. "The plan will be decided by the diocese," York said. "But they certainly will litigate the issue, and I believe it will be successful." The church's attorney said the government should "mind their own business and stay out of the religious affairs of the community." Five or six hearings have taken place, and the next zoning board meeting is scheduled for May 22. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Township of Toms River for comment on the pending litigation and the hearings. The church originally applied in July 2023 to operate an outreach center for the homeless, an effort that was approved. According to York, their application for the shelter fully complies with local and state regulations.
