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Justin Bieber's Case Thrown Out
A judge has ruled the anti-paparazzi law connected to Justin Bieber’s freeway chase last summer is unconstitutional, throwing out two of the four charges against photographer Paul Raef and opening the door for a prolonged battle over the boundaries separating celebrities from the media covering them.
Thomas Rubinson of the Los Angeles Superior Court gave his ruling on Wednesday, determining that prosecutors could go ahead with two traffic-related counts against Raef but NOT the specific anti-paparazzi charges brought against him in July.
In Rubinson’s decision, the new prohibitions on photogs meant to keep them from driving recklessly in pursuit of their famous subjects were deemed too overreaching.
He ruled that the statute is too broad and should not be used against Raef.
In Rubinson’s estimation, while the new law was intended to protect the safety and privacy of celebrities, in practice it threatens First Amendment-protected news gathering tactics and could wind up used against private citizens rushing to cover anything from a wedding to a political rally.
The City Attorney’s Office is expected to appeal the ruling.
Raef still faces the “regular” reckless driving charges and could lead to jail time. (via GossipCop.com)
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How Was Lindsay Lohan On Set???
Does this really come as a surprise to anyone??
We've seen the way Lindsay Lohan does business and it's really not all that professional. Besides stiffing hefty hotel bills and letting down Barbara Walters of all people, it really isn't a far stretch to say that the girl has quite a reputation.
Turns out, things weren't so different on the set of her Lifetime movie Liz & Dick.
Executive Producer Larry Thompson called working with her a "challenge" and that's putting it nicely. Between all the various lawsuits and run-ins with the law, it didn't take the faint of heart to get her cleared by insurance, causing a huge pain for production.
"We had serious challenges to deal with due to her probation and her history therefore we had to make a deal where there were pages and pages of 'what if' clauses. There never was a 'what if she can act' clause. It was about, 'What if there is a car accident? What if there is a violation of her probation [and she's] incarcerated?' Those 'what ifs' were plenty. She might be the most insured actress who ever walked on a soundstage. We tried to insure ourselves against things that could and, in fact, did happen." (via PerezHilton.com)
