The life of a celebrity is often thought to be glamorous, highly appealing, and something that others envy in many different ways. The darker side of it however is that many celebrities hardly have a moment to themselves, as they are continually hounded by fans and journalists seeking the latest scoop. Unfortunately it also means that due to their status and wealth they are easier targets for class action suits that might seem frivolous and even silly at times.
Many people will do anything they can to get ahead or to get what they think they are earned in some obscure manner. Many class action suits that are brought against celebrities are quite often ridiculous attempts to get famous or to get rich, and don’t seem feasible on any level. Here are 20 crazy celebrity lawsuits.
Rosa Parks vs. Outkast
This might seem kind of odd not only because Rosa Parks passed away well over a decade ago, but also because aside from the title Parks’ name isn’t even mentioned in the song. Parks’ lawyer sued mostly due to the subject material that was thought to be far too offensive and took away from the legacy that Parks had tried to leave behind. Eventually this matter was settled out of court.
Allen Heckard vs. Michael Jordan
Sometimes people get the idea that they look like a celebrity, sometimes other people tell them that they have a resemblance to that celebrity. The point is, a lot of times the people don’t look enough like the celebrity to pass muster. In the case of Heckard the claim was that looking like Jordan had actually ruined his life. People at the gym thought he could play ball like Jordan, other people thought he was rich like Jordan, and so on and so forth. However the lawsuit was eventually dropped and Heckard no doubt had to take a very good look in the mirror as he pondered the words “looks like”.
Kristina Karo vs. Mila Kunis
It’s no big secret that Kunis comes from the Ukraine, but apparently a dark secret followed her to the US when Karo accused Kunis of being a chicken thief when she was younger. Karo claimed that Kunis stole her pet chicken when they were both younger, and that she never recovered from the emotional shock of the theft. One might agree that there is a very big statute of limitations on stealing a chicken, if one exists at all, but when it was suggested that this law suit was an attempt to get Karo noticed as a singer, the action was dropped.
Richelle Olson vs. Sacha Baron Cohen
Sometimes the elderly can get a bit confused and make matters all the worse by claiming things that didn’t really happen. In this instance, Cohen was actually accused of giving Olson “brain bleeds” when he and the woman fought over the same microphone. What was discovered later on however was that Cohen and the woman never even came into contact with another.
The Jonas Brothers vs. Ashleigh Johnson
Millions of people have been to a concert featuring their favorite band and singers. There’s no doubt that it gets crowded, crazy,and out of control at times. But suing the people putting on the show seems to be a bad idea from the get go. Johnson claims to have been crushed by the rampaging crowd at the Jonas Brothers’ concert, which seems highly unlikely, and she even decided to add that she was emotionally and mentally injured. It’s a shame however that she wasn’t too injured to sue.
Steve Jobs vs. Jonathan Lee Riches
There are foolish lawsuits, and there are those that are so off the wall that one can’t help but think that the people filing them are somewhat emotionally unbalanced. Riches actually accused Jobs of hiring OJ Simpson as a hit man for decades. Not only does this not make sense, it’s about one of the most ludicrous claims to ever hit a court room.
Tina Seals vs. Beyonce
Sometimes things get out of hand rather quickly. This is how rumors get started and gossip gets to flowing like fermented wine. Only a few years ago Seals claimed that she was the biological mother of Beyonce and Jay-Z’s child, Blue Ivy. Seals made the claim that she was the surrogate mother for the couple and had decided to take back her parental rights, which was not only highly suspect but morally corrupt on a level that few people would ever dare to attempt. Unfortunately this also means that the rumor mill has been chugging along ever since trying to discover if Beyonce did in fact use a surrogate.
Miley Cyrus vs. Lucie Kim
The lawsuits that are so routinely filed each year seem to have no limit to the type of crazy they promote. While a lot of things that Cyrus has done seem suspect and not at all wholesome, this lawsuit can honestly be said to be so far out of left field that no judge in their right mind would have given it a second look. Kim decided to try and sue Miley for damages that would have paid out $4,000 dollars to every Asian in LA County due to the fact that in a single picture Cyrus squinted, causing her eyes to slant just enough to offend the wrong person. Needless to say, the judge threw this out without bothering to consider Kim’s side.
Jennifer Lopez vs. Morocco
It would appear that sometimes women in show business are just too sexy for their own good. J-Lo has been rocking and grinding on the mic for quite some time now, apparently Moroccans didn’t get the memo. During a concert in Morocco an educational group decided that her performance was an offense to women and simply couldn’t be tolerated. Thus far nothing has really happened with this lawsuit, but it’s expected that it will stall or else go in J-Lo’s favor. After all, the group could just not watch the show.
Jo Anne Vandegriff vs. Disney
Some people sue to get money, some to get attention. In the case of Vandegriff it seems like she was attempting both. During this time she was homeless and in need of attention so she decided to bring a class action suit against Disney with the intent to get as many important people in the room as she could just to hear her pitch an idea concerning a miniseries. The woman wrote a 2,000-page manuscript that she wanted to get noticed, but there had to be a better way to go about it.
Sean Combs vs. Valerie Turks
The imagination of those doing the suing sometimes comes out in a flurry of ideas that might not make sense to others but makes all the sense in the world to the individual. However, claiming that Combs is responsible for 9/11 and that he stole a single poker chip that’s worth “a zillion dollars” seems to be stretching it just a bit. Combined with the fact that Turks might never have even met Combs, it’s safe to say that that seemingly priceless poker chip remains more of a figment of her imagination.
Kim Kardashian vs. Rob Delaney
Even perceived slights seem to be court-worthy cases these days, though often they don’t get far. It’s easy to believe that Kim K. is liable to be sued for a number of things she does in her life, but this one is about as frivolous as they come. After her divorce from then-husband Kris Humphries, Delaney tried to sue Kim on the ground that their marriage had been a sham. No one really knows the relation between Delaney and Kim’s marriage, but it’s fairly safe to state that this lawsuit won’t be going anywhere fast.
Charlie Sheen vs. Ursula Auburn
Sometimes the lines between fantasy and reality get blurred to the point of being nonexistent to some. Auburn made the audacious claim that the wacky neighbor that stalked Sheen on the show “Two and a Half Men” was based on her. As though to drive the point home she even went on to state that the misadventures seen between Sheen’s character and her counterpart were based upon her own experiences with Sheen. It takes a very special person to admit the fact that they are a stalker and demand money for it.
Michael Jackson vs. Kimberly Griggs
Some people really reach for the stars, no pun intended, when they’re trying to get something for nothing. In the case of Kimberly Griggs, she actually had the idea to claim that every song Jackson wrote on his own had to do with her. She also went a bit further and claimed that before his death that he had agreed to sign over all the rights to his songs to her. Even for a stalker that seems to be a bit ambitious.
Ralph Lauren vs. USPA
It’s amazing to think that something so small as a logo can cause such huge problems. When Ralph Lauren went to court it was to dispute that the USPA had stolen his brand and were attempting to pass of their merchandise as the real thing. It’s kind of hard to know where to stand on this one, which is most likely why many people that don’t care about Ralph Lauren or the USPA have stayed out of it.
Elvis vs. Fort Worth Man
A few of these are enough to make a person scratch their head in confusion, while others are enough to make a person massage their temples as they wonder just what it takes to be this dim. Despite the very real fact that Elvis was pronounced dead years before, a man in Fort Worth, TX, decided to sue the estate of Elvis Presley on the grounds that he’d faked his death. His proof? He’d been talking to the King for some time after his death had been announced. Needless to say he never got another call.
50 Cent vs. Taco Bell
This is one of the few lawsuits that might actually hold up. Taco Bell went ahead and used 50s likeness for one of their ad campaigns and was noticed by the rapper not long after. It goes without saying that he went on to sue the corporation, rightfully so in fact, and that Taco Bell never did something like that again without asking permission.
Christopher Nolan vs. Batman
You might think this is a creator vs. creation lawsuit, but in truth there is apparently a place that is named Batman in Turkey. The city actually sued Nolan over the use of their name without any prior consent or permission and because the effects of the movie were apparently so damaging to their people. The only question that remains is why the people of this city weren’t so outraged for the past several decades that Batman has been such a widely known and worldwide phenomenon?
Nicholas Cage vs. Kathleen Turner
Lawsuits aren’t just brought about by the public in an attempt to defame or get something from celebrities. Even the celebs seem to have an issue with one another from time to time. Turner went so far as to claim that Cage had been stealing small animals at one point and time, showcasing the fact that the two did not get along. Cage won this lawsuit and since then there’s been no more mention of his stealing animals, and not a lot of press concerning the two of them at the same time.
Courtney Love vs. American Express
The “it wasn’t me” defense seems to pop out when a lot of people do something they regret later on. Love racked up nearly $300,000 in charges with American Express and claimed that they weren’t her fault. “Someone” had apparently opened roughly 100 American Express credit cards in her name and thus began to accumulate these charges without cease. Those phantom cardholders really know how to make it hurt.
