celebrities – Overlawyered

November 6 roundup

Walter Olson — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 10:59:24 +0000

In the greater Oklahoma City area next Tuesday, Nov. 12? Come out to my lunchtime law school talk at the U. of O. on employment law, sponsored by the school’s Federalist Society chapter [details]
A Sixth Circuit opinion thus begins: “This court once observed, ‘[w]hen a party comes to us with nine grounds for reversing the district court, that usually means there are none.’ Steven Hank comes to us with twenty-seven.” [Hank v. Great Lakes Constr. Co., Court Listener]
Elizabeth Warren tale of “two cents” wealth tax Hallowe’en costume doesn’t quite add up [my Cato post; another point]
Speaking of Warren, when asked what would happen to displaced health insurance workers once private insurance is done away with — not, to be sure, the strongest objection to her plan, but still one worth having an answer for — saying they can go work for auto or life insurers makes about as much sense as saying displaced workers from dance studios can go work for recording or graphic design studios [The Hill]
No good deed: Brad Pitt, others on charitable foundation can be sued over alleged flaws in New Orleans homes [AP/WDSU]
“Coincidentally or not, current and former members of the Baltimore Orioles, which the Angelos family owns, were dispatched to the [Maryland] State House for a good will visit while the [Angelos asbestos] bill was under consideration.” [Josh Kurtz, Maryland Matters]

Tags: asbestos, celebrities, Elizabeth Warren, live in person, Maryland, New Orleans, Oklahoma

November 6 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

A ban on airbrushing?

Walter Olson — Thu, 27 Dec 2018 05:05:21 +0000

Jameela Jamil (“The Good Place”) wants to ban airbrushing in magazines and advertisements, warning BBC readers that, “If you buy the products airbrushing is used to advertise, you won’t look like the person in the photograph.”

“If this comes as a surprise to you, please exercise caution before stepping out of doors or in front of a mirror,” I reply in my new op-ed in southern California newspapers. “Here in the land of liberty, fortunately, we recognize that to ban display of someone’s airbrushed image even if they’re fine with the idea would constitute a trifecta of coercion, stomping on personal autonomy, freedom to contract with others, and freedom of the press.” Read it here.

P.S. Review of General Psychology paper on media and body image here, and related.

Tags: advertising, celebrities, photography, publishers, WO writings

A ban on airbrushing? is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Claire Berlinski on #MeToo

Walter Olson — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 05:05:32 +0000

Veteran journalist Claire Berlinski has a contrarian warning regarding the #MeToo momentum on sexual harassment and assault: “Revolutions against real injustice have a tendency, however, to descend into paroxysms of vengeance that descend upon guilty and innocent alike. We’re getting too close.” [The American Interest] Related, Emily Yoffe on the workplace and the Title IX example [Politico]

Tags: celebrities, harassment law, scandals, sexual assault

Claire Berlinski on #MeToo is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Defending a Hollywood mogul

Walter Olson — Sat, 14 Oct 2017 18:49:33 +0000

When the New York Times broke an explosive story of sexual misconduct, Harvey Weinstein’s legal team sprang into action [Mike Masnick, TechDirt]

Tags: celebrities, libel slander and defamation, movies film and videos

Defending a Hollywood mogul is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

October 4 roundup

Walter Olson — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 10:02:49 +0000

D.C. debates requiring employers that offer free employee parking to offer all other employees equivalent cash value [David Boaz, Cato]
ADA frequent fliers in Gotham: “These handicapped New Yorkers are behind hundreds of lawsuits” [Melkorka Licea, New York Post]
When should judges keep celebrity divorce records private? [Naomi Schaefer Riley, Acculturated, quotes me]
“The Libertarian Lawyer Who Battled Jim Crow” [Damon Root on Moorfield Storey and Buchanan v. Warley]
Antonin Scalia and legal education [Adam White, National Affairs]
“Note to Texas, Florida: Insurance Fights Over Sandy Rage On” [David B. Caruso and Jennifer Peltz, Insurance Journal]

Tags: ADA filing mills, Antonin Scalia, celebrities, disasters, divorce, law schools, Washington D.C.

October 4 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

On the bottom of an Emmy

Walter Olson — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 04:15:24 +0000

You’ve won an Emmy! But now comes the fine print [Janina Gavankar on Twitter via @thrillscience]

Wanna see what the bottom of an Emmy says? pic.twitter.com/Wk2Pb1aDWk

— janina gavankar (@Janina) September 18, 2017

Tags: broadcasters, celebrities, intellectual property

On the bottom of an Emmy is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

“New York does not have a chronic celebrity shortage that warrants rushed and careless legislation”

Walter Olson — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 16:34:46 +0000

“The right of publicity is an offshoot of state privacy law that gives a person the right to limit the public use of her name, likeness, or identity for commercial purposes….Since the right of publicity can impact a huge range of speech, any changes to the law should be considered carefully.” But an Assembly bill in New York is being moved forward without much discussion that “would dramatically expand New York’s right of publicity, making it a property right that can be passed on to your heirs – even if you aren’t a New York resident.” [Daniel Nazer, EFF] Compare another piece of legislation intended to protect celebrities’ interests yet not well thought out, California’s recently enacted restrictions on the sale of signed memorabilia.

Tags: celebrities, New York, right of publicity

“New York does not have a chronic celebrity shortage that warrants rushed and careless legislation” is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Free speech roundup

Walter Olson — Tue, 16 May 2017 04:05:40 +0000

Until late night talker Stephen Colbert became a target, many people didn’t realize the FCC looks into every complaint of on-air obscenity. Time to revisit that practice? [Amy B. Wang and Callum Borchers, Washington Post; Volokh]
First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams on his new book, The Soul of the First Amendment [Cato podcast, panel discussion with Abrams, Ronald Collins, and Ilya Shapiro, Roger Pilon moderating]
Worth a read: promote legal liability for speech and watch it come back to bite you, time and again [Jason Harrow, Take Care Blog on purported incitement by President Trump at his rallies]
Irish blasphemy investigation of comedian/actor Stephen Fry, though quickly dropped, prompts major political parties in New Zealand to pledge repeal of that nation’s blasphemy law [Independent, U.K.]
Singing legend Joan Baez on letting the other side have its say [Facebook post]
On the Macron email dump shortly before the French election, Will Saletan: “All advocates of limits on campaign speech should think about this: Law-abiders can’t respond, so lawbreakers have the field to themselves.”

Tags: campaign regulation, celebrities, Federal Communications Commission, First Amendment, free speech, New Zealand

Free speech roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

November 2 roundup

Walter Olson — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 16:06:48 +0000

Clarence Thomas completes a quarter century of distinguished service on the Supreme Court, not that certain journalists will ever see past their loathing [Adam White, Weekly Standard; Ann Althouse]
Hollywood actor’s lawsuit-related vengefulness against anonymous Twitter troll endures past death [Mike Masnick]
United Nations panel: U.S. owes racial reparations [PBS]
“Yesterday’s Antitrust Laws Can’t Solve Today’s Problems” [Tyler Cowen]
“As a gay man, I’m horrified that Christian bakers are being forced to surrender their beliefs” [Neil Midgley, Telegraph on ruling by Belfast, Northern Ireland court of appeal]
Another review of Naomi Schaefer Riley’s new book, The New Trail of Tears: How Washington Is Destroying American Indians [W. B. Allen, earlier] ABA Journal covers ongoing controversy over Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) [earlier]

Tags: antitrust, celebrities, Clarence Thomas, Indian tribes, reparations, United Nations

November 2 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

For Prince’s name, perpetual posthumous protection?

Walter Olson — Thu, 19 May 2016 04:28:41 +0000

In the aftermath of Prince’s death, lawyers representing the entertainer’s estate administrator have been pushing a posthumous right of publicity law in Minnesota. The proposed PRINCE Act (“Personal Rights In Names Can Endure”) would forbid the use of an individual’s name “in any medium in any manner” without consent, which critics say makes it a rare instance of a law that actually violates itself. [David Post/Volokh, Jacob Gershman/WSJ Law Blog]

Tags: celebrities, Minnesota, music and musicians, names of laws, right of publicity

For Prince’s name, perpetual posthumous protection? is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system