Legal events
- Hank Williams was dismissed from the Grand Ole Opry and told not to return until he was sober. The reason was his drinking problem and frequent absences. He died four months later.
- Hank Williams was arrested for drunkenness and disorderly conduct in Alexander City, Alabama. The arrest came just days after he had been fired from the Grand Ole Opry because of his drinking.
- Pete Seeger testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he was asked whether he had performed for communists. Seeger stated that he had sung for Americans of all political beliefs and that he was proud never to have refused to sing to any audience regardless of its religion, skin color or circumstances in life.
- A London judge fined Sidney Turner three pounds and ten shillings for "creating an awful noise" after he threatened his neighbors that he would "drive them mad". From 2:00 to 4:30 p.m., he played Bill Haley and His Comets' "Shake Rattle & Roll" as loudly as possible.
- A rock 'n' roll enthusiast was fined $9.80 at a London court after playing Bill Haley's “Shake Rattle and Roll” at full volume all day and neighbors complained.
- Bill Buchanan and Dickie Goodman had the third-best-selling song in the US with their novelty song “Flying Saucer”. It sold 500,000 copies in just three weeks and eventually surpassed one million. The recording's concept involved two radio reporters asking questions that were humorously answered with excerpts from mid-1950s hits. Buchanan and Goodman were sued for copyright infringement by seventeen different record companies, but all the lawsuits were dismissed with the ruling that the parodies did not interfere with sales of the original recordings.
- Barry White was sentenced at the age of 16 to four months in prison for stealing tires worth $30,000. He was released on parole after three months. While in prison, he heard Elvis Presley singing “It’s Now or Never”, which inspired him to devote his life to music. He left his street gang, joined the group The Upfronts, and later became a singer and producer. He sold more than 100 million records worldwide and earned numerous gold and platinum singles.
- The Four Seasons sued their financially struggling first record company, Vee Jay Records, over unpaid royalties and subsequently moved to Mercury/Philips Records. According to the source, this marked the beginning of a series of problems that led to the label's collapse.
- Paul McCartney was fined £31 and lost his driving licence for one year after being caught speeding.
- Paul McCartney was fined £25 and lost his driving licence for one year after being caught speeding. He received additional fines of £3 each for two further charges involving the late presentation of his driving licence and insurance document, bringing the total penalty to £31. Police stopped him at 11:45 p.m. on June 14, 1963, on Seabank Road in Wallasey while he was driving the other Beatles back to Liverpool after their performance at the Tower Ballroom in New Brighton.
- The Doors officially signed a seven-album contract with Elektra Records. The band also reluctantly agreed to release “Break On Through” as their first single. The lyric “She gets high” was changed to “She gets” for radio airplay.
- The new Marine Broadcasting Offences Act came into force in Britain, forcing all but one of the famous “pirate”, or unlicensed, radio stations to cease broadcasting. Radio Caroline continued broadcasting until March 1968.
- Bob Dylan renewed his recording contract with Columbia Records.
- Bobby Darin sold his music publishing company for one million dollars.
- Cynthia Powell Lennon initiated divorce proceedings against John Lennon because of his infidelity. After returning from a vacation in Greece, she discovered that John was with Yoko Ono, who was staying at their London home. She filed the petition on August 22, 1968, one day before the sixth anniversary of their wedding; the subsequent decree nisi was issued on November 8, 1968.
- He was arrested at a motel in La Jolla, California, for possession of cocaine and barbiturates after being found crawling along a corridor in a confused and combative state. He was later released on $2,500 bail. It was another complication for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, who did not tour together again until 1974.
- During a four-week engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, a security employee received a threatening phone call saying that Elvis Presley would be shot during his final performance. The caller demanded $50,000 in exchange for the name of the potential assassin. Later, a meal card with a damaged image of Elvis’s face and a drawn gun pointing at his heart was found in Elvis’s hotel mail. Elvis performed his final show without incident.
- The Rolling Stones, together with Brian Jones's father Lewis Jones, filed a lawsuit in the High Court against former managers Andrew Loog Oldham and Eric Easton. They alleged that in 1963 the managers had made a secret agreement with Decca Records intended to deprive the group of appropriate royalties.
- The Jefferson Airplane concert at the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio was accompanied by an unusually heavy police presence because of a bomb threat. Fans began throwing rocks at the police, who responded by using tear gas. The band sided with the fans, and bassist Jack Casady called the police “pigs”, prompting the officers to intervene directly on stage and arrest him. A fight broke out, during which guitarist Paul Kantner was knocked to the ground and singer Grace Slick was hit with tear gas. Jack Casady, Paul Kantner and Grace Slick were later arrested and had to return to Akron to resolve the charges. Each was fined $50 and given a suspended 30-day jail sentence. Another member of the group was also injured during the incident.
- “Papa” John Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas filed a lawsuit against his former record label, Dunhill Records, on August 2, 1973, seeking $60 million in unpaid royalties.
- John Lennon testified in federal court that the Nixon administration had sought to deport him because of his participation in anti-war demonstrations during the Republican convention in Miami, Florida, in 1972. He also said he suspected that his phones had been tapped and that he had been followed by government agents. The federal appeals court overturned the deportation order on October 7, 1975.
- Variety reported that Marvin Gaye faced two consecutive five-day jail sentences in Los Angeles County for contempt of court over failure to pay child and spousal support.
- Marvin Gaye faced two consecutive five-day jail sentences in the Los Angeles County Jail for contempt of court over unpaid alimony and child-support payments.
- Judge Richard Owen ruled at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that George Harrison was guilty of "subconscious plagiarism". The court found that the melody of Harrison's 1970 solo song "My Sweet Lord" was legally identical to "He's So Fine", written by Ronnie Mack and recorded by The Chiffons in 1963. The royalties from the song were awarded to Mack's estate, and Harrison eventually paid $587,000 in damages to copyright holder Bright Tunes. The Chiffons subsequently recorded their own version of "My Sweet Lord".
- Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols was fined £125 at a London court after being caught with a knife at the 100 Club punk festival the previous year.
- Waylon Jennings was arrested by federal agents at American Sound Studio in Nashville and charged with conspiracy and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Shortly before, he had been named honorary police chief of Nashville. The monitored shipment contained 27 grams of cocaine and had been sent to Jennings in Nashville. The charges were later dropped because of procedural defects in the arrest and search warrants; before the agents could correct the error, drummer Richie Albright flushed most of the cocaine down the toilet. The incident later inspired Jennings's song „Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand“.
- Three men were arrested in Memphis while attempting to steal Elvis Presley's body from his mausoleum at Forest Hills Cemetery and demand a ransom for it. Police were waiting for them after receiving a tip about the planned break-in. The city of Memphis subsequently approved Vernon Presley's request to change the use of the land at Graceland and establish Presley Family Cemetery. Elvis's remains were then moved to the Meditation Garden at Graceland, where they were placed in safety.
- Judge Joseph Evans ruled that Elvis's estate no longer had to make further payments to Colonel Tom Parker, ending his 36-year control over a large part of Elvis's finances. The question of Parker's identity and citizenship was also revealed for the first time.
- Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy appeared before Kingston Crown Court in London, where he was fined £200 for possession of cocaine. He later publicly expressed great concern about how the case and sentence would affect his career.
- Mark David Chapman, who murdered John Lennon outside the Dakota building in New York on December 8, 1980, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. His parole requests were repeatedly denied.
- The jury failed to reach a verdict and the judge declared a mistrial in the case of Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra, who was accused of distributing harmful material to minors because of H. R. Giger's illustration “Work 219: Landscape XX”, known as “Penis Landscape”, which was included as a poster with the 1985 album “Frankenchrist”. It was the first case in which a musician was prosecuted over an album cover, and the costly trial contributed to the subsequent breakup of Dead Kennedys.
- Three members of LL Cool J's backing group were arrested and charged with the rape of a 15-year-old girl. The incident allegedly occurred after a concert after the girl obtained backstage access through a radio contest.
- Ringo Starr obtained an extension of a preliminary court injunction intended to prevent producer Chips Moman and CRS Records from releasing material that Starr considered to be of poor quality because of his deteriorated condition at the time it was recorded. In January 1990, the court ordered Starr to pay Moman $74,000 in costs; in exchange, Moman handed all the master tapes over to the former Beatle.
- Izzy Stradlin of Guns N' Roses was arrested at Phoenix airport after urinating on the floor of an airplane, reportedly angered by having to wait to use the toilet. His publicist said it was his “way of expressing himself”.
- Billy Joel fired his manager and former brother-in-law Frank Weber after an audit uncovered serious financial irregularities, substantial depletion of his accounts and a $5 million debt to the US Internal Revenue Service. The following September, he sued Weber for $90 million, accusing him of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and extortion under federal law. A few days after the lawsuit was filed, Weber declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy to protect his remaining assets. The legal dispute eventually ended in an out-of-court settlement, and Joel recovered only part of the lost funds, approximately $8 million. Frank Weber was never criminally prosecuted or imprisoned.
- Izzy Stradlin of Guns N' Roses was arrested for disorderly conduct during a flight in the United States. He urinated on the floor, verbally abused a flight attendant and smoked in the non-smoking section of the plane.
- A judge in Dublin ruled that Adam Clayton of U2 would not be sentenced for possession of marijuana, despite his admission to the offense. Clayton agreed to make a financial contribution to a women's center in Dublin.
- Judas Priest were cleared of liability in Reno, Nevada, in a civil case concerning the suicides of two seventeen-year-old fans who had listened to the album „Stained Class“. The victims' families claimed that the music contained subliminal messages that led to their actions and sought a total of $6.2 million.
- Rick James and his girlfriend Tanya Hijazi were arrested in Hollywood on August 2, 1991, and charged with, among other offenses, assault with a deadly weapon, torture, and unlawful imprisonment.
- Billy Preston was arrested in Los Angeles on charges of assaulting a sixteen-year-old boy. Later, in a separate case involving possession of cocaine and a dangerous weapon, he pleaded no contest and received five years' probation and 90 days of house arrest.
- A U.S. doctor filed a $35 million lawsuit against Southwest Bell. He claimed that his wife died because he was unable to get through to the 911 emergency line, as all telephone lines were overloaded by demand for tickets to a Garth Brooks concert.
- During the controversy surrounding the song “Cop Killer”, Ice-T appeared in “Rolling Stone” magazine wearing a police uniform. Inside the magazine was an interview titled “You Gotta Problem With That?”. He had already removed the song from future editions of the “Body Count” album after employees of his record label Warner Bros. had received death threats.
- Los Angeles police began investigating allegations of child abuse made against Michael Jackson. No criminal charges were ultimately filed, and the civil lawsuit was settled out of court in January 1994.
- Police raided Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch after a child staying there made allegations of sexual abuse. Jackson allowed police to conduct a personal search, which was deeply humiliating for him. He was not charged, but later faced further allegations.
- Duff McKagan testified in court against his former Guns N' Roses bandmate Steve Adler. During the testimony, the so-called “spaghetti incident” was also discussed, which later became the title of another album by the band, “The Spaghetti Incident”.
- The Los Angeles Police Department formally announced that Michael Jackson was the subject of a criminal investigation following allegations of child sexual abuse.
- Snoop Doggy Dogg drove his passenger McKinley Lee in a Jeep Cherokee to Woodbine Park in Los Angeles, where Lee shot and killed a member of a rival gang. Both were charged with murder and Snoop Doggy Dogg was released on $1 million bail. In 1996 both were found not guilty.
- John Denver, who was still on probation for a 1992 drunk-driving conviction, was again charged with driving under the influence after crashing his 1963 Porsche 356 into a tree near his home in Aspen, Colorado. It was his second such case within two years. The first trial ended with a hung jury, and the second trial was still pending at the time of his death on October 12, 1997.
- His estate acquired the domain jimihendrix.com, which had been registered since 1996 by a domain investor who used it to sell email addresses.
- The US Internal Revenue Service placed a lien on Aretha Franklin's home over $600,000 in unpaid taxes.
- A helicopter crashed in Sequoia National Forest, about 150 miles north of Los Angeles, while a music video for Meat Loaf's song "I'd Lie for You" was being filmed. The pilot and cameraman were killed in the accident.
- A women's shelter on Long Island rejected a $10,000 donation from a James Brown benefit concert because of domestic violence allegations involving the singer. Brown denied the allegations, which were later dropped.
- Snoop Doggy Dogg reached an out-of-court settlement with the Woldemariam family in a wrongful-death case the family had filed against the rapper three years earlier. Their 20-year-old son Phillip Woldemariam had been shot by Snoop Doggy Dogg's bodyguard from the back of a moving car that the rapper himself was driving. Snoop Doggy Dogg and his bodyguard claimed the incident occurred in self-defense.
- Former Talking Heads singer David Byrne sued the other members of the group in an attempt to prevent them from performing under the name “The Heads”. The dispute was settled out of court.
- Rick James was released from Folsom Prison after serving two years of a five-year sentence for holding a woman hostage while under the influence of drugs and for assault.
- Isaac Hayes, co-writer of Sam & Dave’s classic song “Soul Man”, protested against its use in the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole. Dole supporters altered the lyrics to “I'm A Dole Man”. Hayes demanded that Dole stop using the song, and publisher Rondor Music subsequently issued a formal legal warning threatening a $10,000 fine for each further unauthorized use.
- Isaac Hayes, co-writer of the classic song "Soul Man" released by Stax Records, sent a letter to presidential candidate Bob Dole asking him to stop using his song, which his supporters had adapted as "I'm A Dole Man".
- Record company Tony Nicole Tony Records filed a lawsuit against Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, alleging intentional interference with drummer Peter Criss's contract with the company.
- Former drummer of The Stone Roses Alan Wren was sentenced to seven days in prison after behaving disrespectfully toward a prominent Manchester judge. He appeared in court over driving without insurance and lost his temper after being questioned about his income.
- Tim Weisberg sued his former collaborator Dan Fogelberg over alleged breach of contract and fraud related to the recording of the album “No Resemblance Whatsoever”.
- Tony Nicole of TNT Records filed a lawsuit against Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS over alleged intentional interference with drummer Peter Criss's contract with the record company. The lawsuit claimed that Simmons and Stanley persuaded Criss to breach his contract and rejoin the original lineup. The case was settled out of court shortly after it was filed under undisclosed terms.
- Members of Wu-Tang Clan were arrested following an alleged assault on a record promotion manager after a concert in Chicago.
- Scott Weiland pleaded guilty to heroin possession and was sentenced to three months of treatment.
- Priscilla Presley won $75,000 in damages in a libel lawsuit against Currie Grant, a former army friend of Elvis Presley, who claimed that he had an affair with her before she married Elvis Presley. This claim was used as the main source for the controversial biography “Child Bride: The Untold Story of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley” by Suzanne Finstad. Priscilla said she was very pleased that the verdict had cleared her name.
- Mark David Chapman stated that he did not want any money obtained from the sale of the signed album “Double Fantasy”, which John Lennon had signed for him on the same day Lennon was murdered. At the time, Chapman was serving his sentence for the murder of John Lennon on December 8, 1980.
- Roberto Augusto Miranda Soares was shot four times after refusing to hand over the keys to his Mercedes to robbers. Soares was president of Sony Music/Brazil.
- Madonna filed a lawsuit against the YMCA seeking to prevent the construction of a high-rise residential building near Lincoln Center in New York City.
- Noreaga, whose real name is Victor Santiago, of Capone-N-Noreaga was charged with assaulting a dissatisfied fan in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
- Ian Gillan of Deep Purple was charged with assault and causing bodily harm after allegedly hitting a security guard on the head with a microphone during a concert in August.
- The London High Court declared the marriage of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall invalid. The court ruled that their 1990 ceremony in Bali was not a valid marriage under either Indonesian or English law.
- Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend at his recording studio on Sunset Boulevard. He was released on bail.
- The former teen idol pleaded guilty to drug possession in Los Angeles so that he could enter a rehabilitation program. He had been arrested on June 29, 1999.
- Former Bay City Rollers drummer Derek Longmuir appeared in court in Edinburgh on charges of possessing child pornography and drugs. He denied the charges and was later sentenced to 300 hours of community service.
- Alice Cooper claimed that the KISS song “Dreamin'” was copied from his 1971 song “Eighteen”. The two sides subsequently reached an out-of-court settlement.
- Survivor filed a lawsuit against TVT Records after the label released a soundtrack to the television show “Survivor”. Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan said it was unfortunate that, after 23 years of building, promoting and protecting the group's name, someone could come along and release a recording using it.
- The group's last surviving original member, Herb Reed, obtained an injunction against a group using the name The Platters that had none of the original members.
- Several hours before murdering his wife, Justin Barber downloaded the Guns N' Roses song “Used to Love Her”. The song was later used as evidence in court, and Barber was sentenced to life imprisonment for first-degree murder.
- Atomic Kitten faced legal action after dismissing Andy McCluskey, the writer of their first No. 1 hit “Whole Again”. The group faced being dropped by Innocent Records after recording a song that became a major hit. The members then demanded a larger share of royalties, which McCluskey refused. Under the original contract, each member received four pence from the sale of each single.
- Pepsi withdrew its commercial featuring Ludacris after Bill O'Reilly criticized the rapper on his program The O'Reilly Factor for "promoting antisocial behavior". Ludacris nevertheless continued to enjoy a successful career; his next three albums reached No. 1, and he landed a role in the Fast & Furious film series.
- Björk’s apartment in west London was burgled while she was asleep. Valuable recording equipment was stolen.
- Phish bassist Mike Gordon was arrested backstage at a Grateful Dead concert at Jones Beach after he was found photographing a nine-year-old girl. He was later cleared of the charges, and the girl's parents described the case as an unfortunate misunderstanding.
- Blue singer Lee Ryan was arrested in London while driving a Porsche and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
- In Rhode Island, OSHA fined Derco LLC, which operated The Station club, $85,200 for one willful and six serious violations related to the February 20 fire, in which 100 people died and nearly 200 were injured. Great White was fined $7,000 for failing to protect employees from fire hazards.
- The IRS seized Peabo Bryson's personal property to pay his outstanding taxes.
- Lee Ryan of boy band Blue was banned from driving for 18 months after admitting to driving under the influence of alcohol. The court at Tower Bridge Magistrates' Court in London also fined him £2,250.
- A woman claimed that she suffered serious injuries after Rick Springfield went into the audience during a concert in Syracuse, New York, and struck her with his buttocks. Her lawsuit became the subject of many jokes, but it represented a genuine legal dispute. The case was not decided until 2015, when a jury ruled in Springfield’s favor.
- 50 Cent sued American car dealer Gary Barbera Enterprises over the alleged unauthorized use of his name and photograph in an advertisement. In the lawsuit, he described himself as an exceptionally successful artist known for his appearance, gangster image, and hard life story. He sought more than $1 million over an advertisement for the Dodge Magnum with the slogan “Just Like 50 Says”.
- Bay City Rollers singer Les McKeown appeared in court in London on charges of possessing and distributing cocaine. At the age of 49, he was charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine along with four other people, including the band's drummer Pat McGlynn. McKeown was arrested in June in Dalston, East London, as part of a major police operation. In February 2006, he was acquitted of intending to distribute the drugs.
- The woman whose son accused Michael Jackson of sexual abuse was charged with welfare fraud for allegedly obtaining nearly $19,000 illegally. In November 2006, she pleaded guilty without admitting liability and was ordered to pay restitution and complete 150 hours of community service.
- Justin Timberlake accepted a libel settlement over a fabricated article alleging an affair with model Lucy Clarkson behind the back of his then-girlfriend Cameron Diaz. He donated the settlement to charity.
- Former Guns N' Roses members Slash and Duff McKagan sued singer Axl Rose over claims that he had taken exclusive control of the band's copyrights. They claimed that Rose was no longer willing to recognize the contributions of his former bandmates.
- Art Garfunkel, who had admitted to possessing marijuana in upstate New York the previous year, was charged again after a marijuana cigarette was allegedly found in the ashtray of his car. In September 2005, a judge ordered him to give two motivational speeches to local high school students.
- Rap producer Marion “Suge” Knight was hospitalized after being shot in the leg. The incident occurred at a party at a club in Miami, Florida, held in connection with that year’s MTV Video Music Awards and also as a party for Kanye West.
- Pete Doherty, frontman of Babyshambles, appeared before Thames Magistrates' Court in London on seven charges of drug possession.
- German prosecutors announced that they had decided not to open an investigation into Madonna after she performed a controversial mock crucifixion scene during a concert on August 20.
- Ronald Isley, frontman of The Isley Brothers, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for tax evasion against the federal government. The 65-year-old singer was found guilty on five counts of tax evasion and one count of willfully failing to file a tax return concerning income worth millions of dollars.
- Former Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes was arrested on suspicion of racially assaulting an employee of a Thai restaurant in London’s Soho. He was released on bail pending further investigation.
- Judge Rodney Melville ruled that the lawsuit filed by the family of a woman who died in a hospital after being moved to make room for Michael Jackson could not proceed in its original form. The lawsuit alleged that 73-year-old Manuela Gomez Ruiz did not receive the necessary intensive care after suffering a heart attack on the same day Jackson was admitted with flu-like symptoms during his child-abuse trial. Jackson was dismissed from the lawsuit in April 2008, and in September 2008 the family decided to voluntarily end the entire dispute with the hospital because of the stress of the lengthy legal proceedings.
- Comedy writer Buddy Sheffield sued Disney, claiming that he had originally come up with the idea for the series “Hannah Montana” but was never paid for it. He claimed that in 2001 he had offered Disney Channel an idea for a series called “Rock and Roland” about a junior high school student who led a secret double life as a rock star.
- Police raiding rapper DMX's home in Arizona found 12 neglected pit bulls, the buried bodies of three other dogs and several weapons. DMX told police that he had not been on the property for at least two months.
- Kevin Federline's lawyers asked Britney Spears to pay part of her former husband's legal costs in their divorce proceedings. According to documents filed in Los Angeles, Federline had no net income after various expenses, while Spears had an average monthly income of $737,868.
- Rapper Lil Wayne was sued by a woman for $1 million, who claimed she had been crushed during one of his concerts after a large amount of cash was thrown into the audience. Tyrique Layne, who was 17 at the time, said that she lost consciousness during the concert in Maryland in October 2006 after being trampled by the crowd and subsequently suffered memory loss and severe headaches.
- Karl Wiosna of Graig near Pontypridd, Wales, had his stereo equipment and music collection confiscated and destroyed after violating a noise-abatement order. Authorities acted following a neighbor's complaints about loud records by Cher and U2. Two tape and record players, a radio and CDs were seized, and Wiosna was fined £265.
- Mark David Chapman was denied parole for the fifth time.
- Jackson Browne sued US presidential candidate John McCain over the unauthorized use of the song “Running on Empty” in a campaign advertisement. Browne claimed that the use of the song violated copyright and could create the impression that McCain supported him.
- Gary Glitter was released from prison in Vietnam after serving three years for abusing two young children.
- The family of Manuela Gomez Ruiz formally requested the dismissal of their lawsuit against Marian Medical Center in Santa Monica. They claimed that 73-year-old Ruiz had been denied critical care after suffering a heart attack on the same day that Michael Jackson was brought to the hospital with flu-like symptoms during his 2005 trial on child abuse allegations. The family had originally sued Jackson, but a judge removed him from the lawsuit in April.
- Gary Glitter returned to Thailand after being denied entry to Hong Kong. Chinese authorities informed the British Foreign Office that they had barred him from entering. He had previously been deported from Vietnam, where he spent almost three years in prison for sexually abusing two girls. From Bangkok, he refused to fly to the UK and requested medical treatment after stating that he had suffered a heart attack.
- Disgraced pop singer Gary Glitter, whose real name was Paul Francis Gadd, returned to Britain after being deported from Vietnam, where he had served two years and three months for abusing two girls aged 10 and 11. In an attempt to avoid repatriation, he flew 2,661 miles from Vietnam to Bangkok, then to Hong Kong and back to Bangkok, with each country refusing him entry. He spent three days at Asian airports and was refused entry by at least 19 countries, forcing him to return to Britain. After his return, he had to register as a sex offender and his movements in Britain were restricted so that he could not approach children.
- Mackenzie Phillips, daughter of John Phillips of The Mamas And The Papas and former star of the television series “One Day At A Time”, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport at the age of 48 on suspicion of drug possession. She later pleaded guilty to cocaine possession and was sentenced to an eighteen-month drug treatment and diversion program.
- Organizers of the French music festival Rock En Seine threatened legal action after Amy Winehouse cancelled her appearance. The singer did not attend the three-day festival in Paris, and according to the organizers, they received notification of the cancellation only two hours before her scheduled performance.
- American rapper DMX pleaded guilty to attempting to purchase cocaine and marijuana in Miami. The 37-year-old singer, whose real name was Earl Simmons, pleaded guilty in a Florida court and was sentenced to a term covering time already served. He remained in custody awaiting extradition to Arizona over further charges related to drugs and animal cruelty.
- An arrest warrant was issued for singer Bobby Brown after he failed to appear at a court hearing concerning child support. According to the court, he owed approximately $45,000.
- Chris Brown was sentenced to five years' probation and six months of community service for assaulting Rihanna in February 2009 on the night before the Grammy Awards. He was also ordered to stay away from her for five years and complete a one-year domestic violence programme.
- The Los Angeles coroner confirmed that Michael Jackson's death was classified as a homicide, with propofol identified as the primary cause. The report listed propofol and lorazepam as the main substances responsible for his death and also found four other drugs.
- A New York judge dismissed a $300 million lawsuit filed against Michael Jackson's estate by Allgood Entertainment. The company claimed that Michael Jackson and his agent Frank Dileo had backed out of planned Jackson 5 concerts. According to the court, the decisive factor was that Michael and his brothers had never signed the contract.
- George Michael pleaded guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in London to driving under the influence of drugs. In July he had been arrested after crashing his car into the Snappy Snaps store in Hampstead while returning from London's Gay Pride.
- KISS were removed from the planned Michael Jackson tribute concert after organizers reconsidered public statements by Gene Simmons concerning allegations against Jackson.
- The California Supreme Court unanimously declined to review music producer Phil Spector's murder conviction. Spector was serving a sentence of 19 years to life for the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.
- A New York judge dismissed a $300 million lawsuit brought against Michael Jackson's estate by Allgood Entertainment because no contract with The Jackson 5 had been signed.
- Lindsay Lohan sued Pitbull, Ne-Yo, and DJ Afrojack over the mention of her in the song “Give Me Everything (Tonight)” (“Hustlers move aside, so I'm tiptoeing, keep flowin', I got it locked up like Lindsay Lohan”). The judge ruled in Pitbull's favor, citing protection of freedom of speech and creative expression under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
- His estate announced a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Arista Music, formerly RCA Records, claiming that Elvis Presley had been unfairly exploited by his record company during his lifetime. It sought proper payment of revenues from new media such as ringtones, downloads and entertainment applications. On June 1, 2017, a court ruled in favor of Arista, stating that Presley had sold the rights to his songs to RCA Records in 1973 for $5.4 million and had been properly and fully compensated.
- Joe Jackson withdrew his wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Conrad Murray, who was serving a sentence for the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson. Murray's lawyer said that withdrawing the lawsuit would allow the family to focus on Jackson's life rather than the circumstances of his death.
- Three members of the Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in prison for performing in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, where they protested the support for Vladimir Putin by an Orthodox Church official.
- Rapper LL Cool J heard an alarm at his home in Los Angeles during the night and ran downstairs to confront alleged intruder Jonathan Kirby. After a struggle in which Kirby suffered a broken nose, jaw, and rib, LL Cool J subdued the intruder, who was subsequently arrested by police.
- John Lennon's murderer Mark David Chapman was denied parole for the seventh time. The board stated that his release at that time would undermine respect for the law and diminish the tragic loss of life caused by his act. Chapman was held at Wende Correctional Facility in Alden, New York.
- Michael Jackson's former wife testified at the Los Angeles Superior Court in a civil case concerning the death of her former husband. She said that Michael had a very low tolerance for pain and that some doctors treating his pain tried to determine who could provide him with the best pain medication.
- A man found in the pool house at Jennifer Lopez's estate in the exclusive Hamptons area of New York was charged with stalking. John Dubis, a former firefighter, was reportedly subject to a restraining order keeping him away from the singer and was also charged with burglary, contempt of court and possession of burglary tools.
- After the Internal Revenue Service accused the Michael Jackson estate of undervaluing some of Jackson's assets by hundreds of millions of dollars, it assessed the estate $702 million in federal taxes and penalties. The valuation dispute continued for almost ten years.
- Police raided his estate in Berkshire, England, searching for evidence of an alleged sexual assault dating from 1985. He was in Portugal at the time, while the BBC received a tip and had reporters and a helicopter at the scene. He was later cleared of the allegations and sued the BBC for invasion of privacy.
- John Lennon's murderer, 59-year-old Mark David Chapman, was denied parole for the eighth time by New York State authorities. The parole board stated that his release would be incompatible with public safety and would diminish the seriousness of his crime to such an extent that it would undermine respect for the law.
- Marion „Suge“ Knight, founder of Death Row Records, was shot at a party hosted by Chris Brown in Los Angeles. Two other people, a man and a woman, were also injured, and all three were treated at hospitals.
- The Raskins, who had paid $1 million for the opportunity to accompany Mötley Crüe on tour, were attacked during their performance at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center by members of the headliner's crew, who came onto the stage and poured urine on them. The group subsequently filed a lawsuit.
- The LAPD Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force searched the home of Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed in Los Angeles. Authorities clarified that neither the rocker nor any member of his family was a suspect or person of interest; the investigation concerned a crime that had allegedly occurred on their property the previous year while Simmons was on tour with KISS. Simmons and his wife Shannon Tweed fully cooperated with the investigation.
- It was announced that pills seized at Prince's home contained the dangerously potent synthetic opioid fentanyl but were incorrectly labeled as hydrocodone, a weaker type of opioid. Investigators into his death said that the autopsy results released in June revealed that Prince had died from an accidental fentanyl overdose.
- Ann Wilson's husband was arrested for assault after getting into a physical altercation with Nancy Wilson's sixteen-year-old twins. The incident caused a rift between the Heart sisters, who completed the tour with separate dressing rooms and no contact with each other.
- Mark David Chapman, who killed John Lennon, was denied parole for the ninth time. According to media reports, the parole board received five letters recommending his release, while Yoko Ono wrote a letter to the three-member board opposing his release. Another hearing was scheduled for 2018.
- Mark David Chapman's request for parole was denied for the ninth time. Chapman was convicted of murdering John Lennon.
- American singer Chris Brown was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a woman reported to police that he had threatened her with a gun. Beauty queen Baylee Curran told the Los Angeles Times that Brown had pointed a gun at her after she admired her friend’s jewelry. Brown emerged from his home following a police standoff.
- The Kidd Creole, one of the founding members of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, was arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of a homeless man in New York City.
- Photographer Larry Philpot filed a lawsuit in federal court in California against Lynyrd Skynyrd for using his copyrighted photograph of Jerry Lee Lewis without permission. Philpot claimed that the band removed the copyright information and used the photograph at the first twenty-two shows of their farewell tour. The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice shortly after it was filed, suggesting that the parties reached a private settlement.
- Mark David Chapman, who murdered John Lennon in December 1980, was denied parole for the tenth time. He was held at Wende Correctional Facility in Alden near Buffalo, New York.
- John Lydon lost a High Court case aimed at preventing the use of Sex Pistols music in a new television drama. Former drummer Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones sued Lydon after he attempted to veto the use of the band's songs in a series directed by Danny Boyle. The series “Pistol” was based on Jones's 2016 memoir “Lonely Boy: Tales of a Sex Pistol”.
- Thirty years after appearing as a baby holding a dollar bill on the cover of Nirvana's album „Nevermind“, Spencer Elden sued the band and others involved in the cover photograph. He claimed that the photograph had caused him „extreme and permanent emotional distress“. He ultimately lost the lawsuit.
- Police in Ohio conducted a search of the home of singer Afroman, author of the song “Because I Got High”, looking for evidence related to kidnapping and drug trafficking. Afroman was not charged, and he later used security camera footage in the music video for his song “Lemon Pound Cake”, which also focused on the moment when a police officer discovered a cake in the kitchen.
- Foo Fighters announced that they had not given Donald Trump permission to use the song “My Hero” at his campaign rally in Glendale, Arizona, where he brought Robert F. Kennedy Jr. onto the stage. The band said that they had not been asked for permission and that, had they been asked, they would not have allowed the use of the song. A Foo Fighters representative said that any royalties from the use of the song would be donated to Kamala Harris's campaign.
- ABBA and their record label Universal Music protested against the use of the song “The Winner Takes It All” at a campaign rally for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign without permission. They joined artists including Foo Fighters, Celine Dion, Adele, R.E.M., and The Rolling Stones in protesting the unauthorized use of their music at campaign rallies.
- Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers of The Police reportedly sued Sting and his company Magnetic Publishing Limited over authorship of the group's biggest hit, “Every Breath You Take”. Summers claimed that he created the song's distinctive guitar part. The British newspaper The Sun estimated Sting's annual royalties at $745,000.
- Metal band Demon Hunter sued Netflix for trademark infringement in connection with the film KPop Demon Hunters, which produced the No. 1 hit “Golden” and a concert tour. The band said people were confusing it with the Netflix franchise and that it had even received a refund request from someone who bought tickets to a Demon Hunter concert believing it was a K-pop concert.