The estate of Henrietta Lacks sued a biotechnology company on Monday, accusing it of selling cells that doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took from the Black woman in 1951 without her knowledge or consent as part of “a racially unjust medical system.“
R. Kelly, the R&B superstar known for his anthem “I Believe I Can Fly,” was convicted Monday in a sex trafficking trial after decades of avoiding criminal responsibility for numerous allegations of misconduct with young women and children.
CHICAGO (AP) — A judge has set an April 27 trial date in R. Kelly’s federal case in Chicago that accuses the R&B star of child pornography and obstruction of justice. But the judge said at a Wednesday status hearing the date could be moved since the 52-year-old faces similar cases in three other judicial districts. Kelly stood in court in orange jail clothes, his hands behind his back. Several supporters waved at Kelly as he was led back to jail and he nodded in their direction. Kelly attorney Steve Greenberg told the hearing that having to prepare for four
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Bill Cosby’s lawyers will fight to overturn his sexual assault conviction Monday as the 82-year-old comedian serves a three- to 10-year prison term in Pennsylvania. Cosby was the first celebrity tried and convicted in the #MeToo era. He insists the sexual encounter with a young woman seeking career advice was consensual. A jury last year found Cosby drugged and molested her at his suburban Philadelphia estate in 2004. Defense lawyers contend the trial judge erred in letting five other accusers testify to bolster the prosecution’s case. A three-judge Superior Court panel will hear arguments Monday but
CHICAGO (AP) — Singer R. Kelly was arrested in Chicago Thursday after he was indicted on 13 federal counts including sex crimes, a U.S. Attorney’s office spokesman said. Joseph Fitzpatrick said the R&B singer was taken into custody about 7 p.m. local time and was being held by federal authorities. He was arrested after a 13-count federal indictment was handed down earlier Thursday in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois. “The counts include child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice,” Fitzpatrick said, adding that further details would be released later Friday. The arrest was the
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Bill Cosby has dropped his countersuit against seven women who accused him of sexually assaulting them. Court papers filed Friday show the four-year defamation case in Massachusetts is now over. Cosby’s insurer had settled with the women last month for an undisclosed sum. The 81-year-old comedian objected to the settlement and vowed to pursue his counterclaims. Spokesman Andrew Wyatt said Friday that Cosby dropped the case “to focus on other matters.” Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year sentence in Pennsylvania for drugging and molesting a different woman in 2004. The women involved in the defamation
Pressley: “This is for the brave women of the Boston Fire Department, for the hotel workers I worked alongside when I was scrapping money together to help my family, for the transgender men and women who face discrimination for living their truth. This is for those workers who shared their stories and instead of justice, faced retaliation.” WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Congresswoman Katherine Clark (MA-05), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), and Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26) introduced the Bringing an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination (Be HEARD) in the Workplace Act, legislation which
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bill Cosby says his insurance company is settling another accuser’s lawsuit without his permission, a week before his scheduled deposition. Cosby in a statement accuses American International Group Inc. of “egregious behavior.” He says he could have proven he was in New York during the alleged 2008 encounter with 18-year-old Chloe Goins at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Goins says Cosby drugged and molested her. Cosby was set to give a deposition in the case in prison next week. Lawyer Craig Goldenfarb says Goins is pleased with the confidential settlement. An AIG spokesman says the insurer
Courtesy Photo- R Kelly turning himself in to Chicago Police department and mug shot. A judge on Saturday gave R. Kelly a chance to go free while the R&B star awaits trial on charges that he sexually abused four people, including three minors, in a case that seemed likely to produce another #MeToo reckoning for a celebrity. Cook County Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr. set bond at $1 million, meaning that the 52-year-old Grammy winner must post $100,000 to be released or remain behind bars until he is tried on the allegations that date back as far as 1998 and
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bill Cosby says he “will never have remorse” for the sexual encounter that sent him to prison because he considers his conviction the work of “a low-life district attorney and a corrupt judge.” Cosby’s stance could leave him to serve the high end of a three- to 10-year prison term since sex offenders often must show remorse to win parole. Spokesman Andrew Wyatt says Cosby is prepared to stay in prison rather than apologize for a 2004 encounter he considers consensual. Cosby in a statement calls himself a political prisoner in keeping with Martin Luther King Jr.
Justin Fairfax courtesy photo RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — An effort to launch the impeachment of Virginia’s top black elected official was set aside on Monday and Gov. Ralph Northam declared a new “race and equity” agenda for the rest of his tenure, saying he really believes “that things happen for a reason.” Revelations of racist behavior and allegations of sexual assault that happened years ago have engulfed Northam, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring. It increasingly appears that all three will survive the immediate firestorm, but with deep wounds that threaten their political clout. Northam and Herring
The opioid epidemic continues the shatter the lives of many families. Millions have been affected by the lack of resources presented to those suffering. The crisis has sparked a national conversation on how the government handles addicts. Actress, director, and producer Victoria Rowell has taken the role to uncover the effects of opioid addiction.
Watch the trailer for the upcoming Lifetime series ‘Surviving R. Kelly.’ The six-hour docuseries will air in three installments: Thursday, January 3rd at 9 p.m. ET/PT; Friday, January 4th at 9 p.m. ET/PT; and Saturday, January 5th at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The projects are part of Lifetime’s re-launched Stop Violence Against Women campaign, in which the network is partnering with organizations to spread awareness, empower women, provide healing tools and support for women in need of assistance. The initiative will also include educational resources and outreach to young women in high schools and colleges nationwide so young women have tools to discuss and
Julie Chen has been very vocal and critical of Camille Cosby during the Cosby allegations. Now Chen finds herself in the same situation. Instead of facing the The Talk’s daily round table gossip that she and her cast mates dish on others lives, she has decided to pull out of the shows season premiere . Chen released the following statement. “I am taking a few days off from The Talk to be with my family, “I will be back soon and will see you Thursday night on Big Brother.” The Talk Season 9 premiered today. Her husband Les Moonves was forced
Media mogul Russell Simmons is seeking almost $35,000 in legal reparations from one of his rape accusers and her lawyer, E! News reported on Monday. Simmons is demanding the money “for purposes of publicity, which this case has garnered,” according to legal documents obtained by E! News. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, sued Simmons for $10,000,000 in civil court in March alleging that the Def Jam founder raped her after a concert she attended with her young son in Sacramento, Calif., nearly three decades ago. The case was eventually thrown out because the statute of limitations had passed. The amount