Latest news with #sexabuse
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Ricky Gervais makes Hollywood sex abuse joke in Walk of Fame speech
Ricky Gervais has made a controversial joke about sex abuse in showbusiness after accepting a Hollywood Walk of Fame award. The 63-year-old actor and comedian posed with his star at the Los Angeles landmark on Friday. He then joked how he was grateful to join the 'exclusive club', naming among its members the pop star Michael Jackson, the comedian Bill Cosby and the silent film actor Roscoe 'Fatty'Arbuckle. All three went on trial for alleged sex crimes. Gervais said: 'Thank you so much for this honour. It's a genuine thrill to be part of such an exclusive club. 'And just looking around earlier at all the other stars, absolute icons, you know? Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Fatty Arbuckle.' Jackson, who died in 2009 aged 50, was accused of sexually abusing children at his Neverland ranch, but was acquitted. Arbuckle was taken to court three times in the 1920s for the rape and manslaughter of the actress Virginia Rappe. He was also acquitted and received a written apology from the third jury. He died in 1933. Cosby, 87, was convicted of sexual assault in 2018 and spent just under three years in prison. He maintains his innocence, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court later overturned his conviction. On Friday, a casually dressed Gervais also addressed his look, saying: 'I should firstly apologise for how I'm dressed. This isn't me trying to be cool or disrespectful to the establishment. This is me not having a suit that fits any more. 'I tried on about five before I left England and the jackets weren't too bad, but the trousers were just depressing. Even my shirts were too tight. I looked disgusting. When a butcher ties up those joints of pork – it was like that.' The multi-award-winning entertainer being awarded a star on Hollywood Boulevard as 'pretty crazy', adding: 'And I'm from England, so I have a strange mix of nothing good ever happens, and if it does I don't deserve it or it can't be as good as I thought it was. 'I'd love to claim that it was due to my unrivalled genius, but it truth be told, it's a cocktail of luck, persistence, and a little bit of pushing against the tide. 'You've got to polarise. You need to know that if you're doing anything of any worth, as many people hate you as love you. But the ones that hate you, they shouldn't affect you. The ones that love you, they buy your house. So I'd like to thank them. 'And we've had a few weird years of cancel culture, people telling you what you can and can't laugh at or talk about, but we pushed back and we won until the next time.' Gervais previously attracted controversy over comments made during a speech at the Golden Globes in 2020. In an eight-minute monologue, he criticised various aspects of Hollywood, bringing in issues of racism and the Epstein scandal. He was accused of being 'cruel' and 'unkind' the morning after the awards. But hitting back on social media, he wrote: 'Thank you for all your amazing comments about my Golden Globes monologue. Best reaction ever, that means a lot to me.'
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Cassie Ventura gives birth: Diddy's ex welcomes third child days after testifying in sex trafficking trial
Cassie Ventura has welcomed her third child with husband Alex Fine, just days after testifying in her ex Diddy 's sex trafficking trial. TMZ reports the Me and U singer welcomed baby number three on Tuesday at a hospital in New York City. Ventura was around eight months pregnant when she began her horrifying testimony in the trial on May 12. She delivered graphic testimonies alleging that the music mogul physically and psychologically abused her over more than a decade from 2007-2018. She detailed the regular beatings she allegedly experienced, the rapper's use of blackmail and scare tactics to coerce and manipulate, depraved sex acts she claims she was forced to participate in - and the medical toll she suffered as a result. Ventura concluded testifying on May 16, just 11 days before she went into labor. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Ventura was around eight months pregnant when she took to the stand earlier this month - pictured with Diddy in 2018 Ventura and Fine already share two daughters Frankie, five, and Sunny, four and are expecting a son. She announced her pregnancy in February. has contacted Ventura's representatives for comment. Controversy first publicly grew around Diddy in late 2023, when he quickly settled a sex abuse case Ventura filed against him for a rumored $30million. Multiple properties across the country he owned were raided in March of 2024 and he was arrested six months later in September. In May 2024 Combs' downfall was hastened by the release of a devastating video of him beating Ventura in the corridor of a hotel in Los Angeles in 2016. The video, which was first broadcast by CNN last May, was played in full to the trial before Ventura, a male escort and others gave their testimonies. He has remained incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting his trial after he was refused bail on multiple occasions. He faces life in prison on five federal charges: racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution. Combs has plead not guilty to all the charges. His defense team has said the alleged victims are ex-girlfriends who willingly participated in threesomes. Ventura, 38, (pictured with husband Fine in March) was rushed to a New York hospital on Tuesday and is currently in the labor and delivery unit Prosecutors in Combs' federal case say the music mogul used blackmail and violence in his efforts to silence alleged victims. Among the claims made against the entertainer is that he persuaded women to participate against their will in group sexual exhibitions referred to as 'Freak Offs.' Ventura's testimony during the trial earlier this month painted a harrowing picture of her years with Diddy, describing the emotional and physical abuse she allegedly endured. A male escort allegedly hired by Combs to engage in a variety of sexual acts with Ventura during his notorious 'freak off' parties also took the stand to explain how 'Diddy' purportedly pushed Ventura into unprotected sex with strangers and orchestrated various sexual encounters for his own pleasure. In response, lawyers for Combs sought to portray Ventura as a willing and eager participant in the music mogul's sexual lifestyle. His defense says that, while he is guilty of domestic violence, nothing he did amounted to a criminal enterprise. They exposed more text messages where she declared her love for the rapper, despite the abuse she says she suffered, and prompted her to admit that she neither 'hated' the rapper when the alleged abuse happened, nor does she 'hate him' today. She confirmed that they continued their relationship even after he beat her, and even cheated on her now husband with Diddy. Ventura said Diddy raped her, was an out-of-control drug addict, and someone she felt she couldn't leave. She later testified that she broke up with Diddy for good in August 2018 after she saw a photo of him with another woman he'd been dating for the last few years of their decade-long relationship. Soon after, Ventura said, she started dating her now husband, Fine.
Reuters
22-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
New Orleans Archdiocese reaches $179 million sex abuse settlement
NEW YORK, May 22 (Reuters) - The Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans has reached a tentative $179 million settlement to resolve over 600 sex abuse claims in its bankruptcy. The settlement, which must still be voted on by abuse survivors before it can be approved in bankruptcy court, would resolve one of the longest-running Catholic bankruptcies in the U.S. The Archdiocese, which serves 505,000 Catholics, filed for bankruptcy in New Orleans in 2020. Archbishop Gregory Aymond said in a Wednesday letter that the settlement "offers a path to healing for survivors and for our local church in the Archdiocese of New Orleans," although he cautioned that there is "much work to be done" before it is finalized in court. The settlement was negotiated by a committee that was appointed in bankruptcy court to represent people who allege they were abused by clergy. The committee said that the $179.2 million deal was "more than 20 times the Archdiocese's initial settlement estimate when its bankruptcy case was filed in May 2020." Not all abuse survivors are happy with the deal. The non-profit advocacy group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests on Thursday said that survivors should vote against it and hold out for a better offer. "Survivors deserve better — and they deserve far more," said Davn McNevin, SNAP's treasurer and a survivor a clergy abuse. Several Catholic dioceses in the U.S. have filed for bankruptcy in recent years, spurred by state laws, opens new tab that allowed new lawsuits to be filed based on decades-old instances of sexual abuse. Louisiana passed such a law in 2021. Recent settlements in Catholic bankruptcies include a New York diocese that agreed to pay $320 million to 600 sex abuse survivors and a New Jersey diocese that agreed to pay $87.5 million to about 300 survivors. The Los Angeles Archdiocese, the largest diocese in the U.S., agreed to pay $880 million to over 1,353 abuse victims, without filing for bankruptcy. The case is In Re: The Roman Catholic Church for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, No. 20-10846 For the Archdiocese: Jones Walker LLP For the creditors committee: Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones; Troutman Pepper Locke LLP Read more: Judge approves New York Catholic diocese's $320 mln sex abuse deal Los Angeles Archdiocese reaches $880 million sex abuse settlement Boy Scouts, Catholic dioceses find haven from sex abuse suits in bankruptcy
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
San Bernardino County teacher arrested for alleged sex abuse of a minor
A San Bernardino County teacher was arrested for the alleged sex abuse of a minor. The suspect was identified as Elvin Vereau, 52, by the Redlands Unified School District. Vereau was a temporary Special Academic Instruction teacher at Citrus Valley High School in Redlands. District officials said Vereaur was initially employed as a paraprofessional from 2013 to 2022 before transitioning into a teaching role from 2022 to 2023. He began working at Citrus Valley High in the 2023-2024 school year. Riverside police began investigating after a minor reported being sexually abused. On May 13, following an investigation, Vereau was located by officers and taken into custody in connection with the case. After learning of the arrest, district officials said Vereau was placed on administrative leave pending further investigation. 'Our top priority is, and always will be, the safety and well-being of our students,' said Superintendent Juan Cabral in a statement. 'Every employee must pass a series of background checks, including a Department of Justice check, prior to starting to work with our students.' Details surrounding the case, including Vereau's connection to the alleged victims, were not released. His booking photo was not provided by authorities. 'We appreciate the swift action taken by the Riverside Police Department and are committed to ensuring that any student who may have been affected receives the support and services they need,' Cabral said. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Riverside Police Department at 951-354-2007. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Reuters
13-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Boy Scouts organization defeats appeals over $2.46 bln sex abuse settlement
May 13 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected calls to overturn the Boy Scouts of America's $2.46 billion sex abuse settlement, saying the appeals came too late to upend the settlement because the youth organization had already emerged from bankruptcy two years ago. A small minority of the over 82,000 men who alleged they had been sexually abused by troop leaders as children had appealed the settlement, arguing that the deal was illegal because it contained sweeping legal protections for several organizations, like churches and local Boy Scouts councils, that did not file for bankruptcy themselves. The U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected similar legal protections for non-debtors in a 2024 ruling that upended the bankruptcy of Oxycontin maker Purdue Pharma. The 144 abuse survivors who filed appeals argued that the Purdue ruling meant the Boy Scouts' plan was also illegal. In Tuesday's ruling, the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments that the Boy Scouts' deal could not survive after Purdue, pointing out that the Supreme Court had explicitly declined to apply its Purdue decision to bankruptcy settlements that had been "substantially consummated." The Boy Scouts settlement, approved in court in 2022, cannot practically be unwound, the 3rd Circuit ruled. Abuse victims have already been sent over $125 million in payments. Gilion Dumas, an attorney for the men who appealed, said her clients were disappointed that their appeals were rejected on a "technicality." "The BSA plan will pay sex abuse victims pennies on the dollar because there is not enough money to pay claimants in full," Dumas said on Tuesday. The youth organization, which changed its name to Scouting America in February 2023, in a statement called the decision "a resounding victory for survivors of historical abuse in Scouting." Adam Slater, an attorney who represented former Scouts who supported the settlement, said that the ruling would help deliver "meaningful compensation and long-overdue justice to all survivors, many of whom have been waiting for decades." The Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy in February 2020 after several U.S. states enacted laws allowing accusers to sue over decades-old abuse allegations. It emerged from bankruptcy in 2023. The abuse survivors who had objected to the settlement had argued that they should be allowed to sue organizations, like local Boy Scouts councils and churches, that ran Scouting programs where abuse occurred. Those organizations received immunity from lawsuits in exchange for contributions to the Boy Scouts' bankruptcy settlement, despite not filing for bankruptcy themselves. The court on Tuesday recognized that the Boy Scouts case was "unusual" and that the law has changed since the conclusion of its bankruptcy, saying there was "little doubt" that a similar plan would be rejected in court if it were filed today. It said the result was a "bitter pill" for the abuse survivors who would likely have prevailed if the Boy Scouts had filed for bankruptcy a few years later. But the current plan allows survivors to "recover for at least some fraction of the suffering they have endured. That human reality must not be lost among the legal intricacies of these appeals," the judges wrote. Attorneys for the Boy Scouts of America, as well as insurers and abuse survivors who supported the deal, had argued that upending the settlement now would have had devastating emotional and financial consequences. Restarting negotiations on a deal would have required the organization to take money back from claimants who had received settlement payments, and it would also force tens of thousands of men to revisit their abuse once again in the re-opened legal proceedings, according to the organization.
