MrBeast Sued, Diddy Loses $100M Case, Kim Kardashian's $6M Secret Unsealed & the Blake Lively Contractor Loophole

CNN Sues Perplexity, Hollywood's Secret PR Machine Exposed & Katy Perry Collects

WELCOME BACK TO EXHIBIT A-LIST, WHERE POP CULTURE GETS CROSS-EXAMINED! Episode 38 is one of the most connected episodes yet because nearly every story this week traces back to the same question: who controls the narrative, and what happens when they get caught? CNN filed a lawsuit this week against Perplexity, the AI search engine company, accusing it of scraping over seventeen thousand CNN stories, videos, and images to power its products without permission or payment. Perplexity's response: you cannot copyright facts. Jasmine explains why that defense is not the whole story, breaks down the copyright and trademark claims in the complaint, and makes the case for why this fight between AI companies and original journalism is one of the defining legal battles of this decade. Then the story that connects everything. Court documents in the Stephanie Jones lawsuit, which grew out of the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni case, have now revealed that Travis Scott's manager was communicating with crisis PR operatives Melissa Nathan and Jed Wallace about building ghost platforms, planting stories, coordinating social media campaigns across Reddit, X, 4Chan, and Discord, and rebuilding relationships with judges and law enforcement. The same names have now appeared in connection with Rebel Wilson, Scooter Braun, Andrew Huberman, and Astroworld fallout management. Jasmine breaks down what this operation allegedly is, what the legal exposure looks like, and why your outrage about celebrities may be more curated than you realize. Leah McSweeney is still fighting her lawsuit against Andy Cohen, Bravo, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. Discovery, and this week she named a name. Jennifer Geisser, described as Andy Cohen's publicist and a high-level NBCUniversal executive, is now alleged to be the person behind the coordinated public statements campaign against McSweeney. The case is heading toward trial and the same Judge Liman who presided over the Lively and Baldoni case is on the bench. Kenneth Iwamasa, Matthew Perry's personal assistant, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for his role in the actor's death. Jasmine walks through the facts, the cover-up, and the moral question at the center of this case: at what point does following your employer's instructions stop being a defense? Kelly Dodd is facing three misdemeanor charges including one for allegedly distributing intimate images of another person without consent. And Katy Perry just collected over three million dollars in legal fees from the Texas millionaire who tried to rescind a $15 million real estate sale and spent six years in court on a claim the judge found had no persuasive evidence behind it. Jasmine explains attorney's fee provisions, why Westcott is not the sympathetic party here, and what happens when you keep hauling someone to court over something that is not right. Then Petty Court puts tipping culture on trial. Specifically the most contested scenario: when the person behind the counter with the iPad is the owner of the business. Prosecution, defense, and a split verdict. Sponsors: This episode is also sponsored by Ironveil Intelligence. If you practice in complex litigation or criminal defense and need real investigative work, check out Ironveil. For legal teams that value thorough intelligence development, fast response times, and an investigator who understands both courtroom strategy and real-world investigative work, Ironveil is the call. Licensed in New York. To connect, visit ⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jasminewegesq%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0]https://www.ironveilintelligence.com [https://www.ironveilintelligence.com] or email John directly at JohnSivori@ironveilintelligence.com [JohnSivori@ironveilintelligence.com]. Follow Jasmine: Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jasminewegesq⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jasminewegesq%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jas_the_lawyer⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@jas_the_lawyer%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0] Website: https://www.wegesq.com [https://www.wegesq.com] Subscribe, rate, and share Exhibit A-List to stay updated on new episodes.

Caraway Lawsuit, Elon Musk’s $150B Loss & Mikayla Nogueira’s TikTok Divorce Court GRWM

Episode 37 is a big one. The brand behind those pastel ceramic pans you bought after hearing about them on a wellness podcast just got sued by two of the biggest cookware conglomerates in the world. Groupe SEB and Meyer Corporation, the companies behind All-Clad, T-fal, Farberware, and Rachael Ray cookware, filed a federal lawsuit against Caraway in the Southern District of New York alleging false advertising, commercial disparagement, and trade libel. Their argument: calling PTFE-coated cookware toxic, cancer-causing, and full of forever chemicals is scientifically inaccurate and designed to scare consumers. Caraway says they are simply telling the truth. Jasmine breaks down the Lanham Act false advertising framework, what the science actually says on both sides, and why the fake American Cancer Society link in Caraway's marketing is the most damaging detail in the complaint. Elon Musk just lost a $150 billion lawsuit against OpenAI. Not because the jury found he was wrong. Because he waited too long to file. A nine-member jury deliberated for three hours and unanimously dismissed every claim on statute of limitations grounds. The court never ruled on whether OpenAI actually broke its founding nonprofit promise. Jasmine explains what a statute of limitations is, why the most expensive legal team in the country still ran into one, and her honest theory about why Musk may have filed this lawsuit even knowing it could fail. Dalton Eatherly, the Tennessee rage-bait livestreamer known as Chud the Builder, was charged with attempted murder after a shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse. His victim Joshua Fox is a Black disabled veteran and father of three. Eatherly livestreamed himself from the stretcher. Jasmine breaks down the self-defense question, why his documented history of deliberately provoking confrontations is going to matter enormously to a jury, and what the charges actually carry in Tennessee. Then Mikayla Nogueira, the TikToker with 17.4 million followers, posted a get ready with me for divorce court and showed up in a brand new Birkin, fresh Louboutins, and a full diamond stack while announcing she was serving a certain energy. Jasmine explains exactly why that video is now evidence, what divorce proceedings actually turn on financially, and what her lawyer was probably feeling when those seventeen million views started rolling in. Plus: Erika Jayne settled her $25 million bankruptcy lawsuit days before trial without disclosing terms. And the combined legal fees in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni case are now estimated at $60 million, making the attorneys the only confirmed winners of that entire eighteen-month saga. Follow Jasmine:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jasminewegesq⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jasminewegesq%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0]TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jas_the_lawyer⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@jas_the_lawyer%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0]Website: https://www.wegesq.com [https://www.wegesq.com]Subscribe, rate, and share Exhibit A-List to stay updated on new episodes.

Samsung Stole Dua Lipa's Face, Bethenny Frankel Owes Nobody a Post & Paris Jackson Won

Episode 36 is here and the stories this week are storying. Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for $15 million after the company put her photograph on their TV packaging without asking, without paying, and without telling her. When her team sent a cease and desist, Samsung ignored it for nearly a year. Jasmine breaks down all four legal theories in the complaint including copyright infringement, California right of publicity, Lanham Act false endorsement, and trademark claims, and explains why the innocent infringer defense Samsung is leaning on evaporated the moment they received that cease and desist letter. Then there is the Bethenny Frankel and Dina Manzo shoe situation that took over social media this week. Bethenny wore shoes gifted to her by Dina's daughter Lexi's brand Nou, and then linked a similar pair from Bloomingdale's with her own affiliate link instead of crediting the brand. The fallout was immediate. Jasmine explains what the gifting economy actually looks like legally, why Bethenny had no legal obligation to post, why Lexi's frustration is still valid, and why one page of paper would have prevented this entire situation for every creator and brand listening. Dorit Kemsley's divorce from PK is escalating fast. PK is pushing to force the sale of their Encino home over $6 million in outstanding mortgage debt while his filings allege Dorit spent nearly a million dollars on designer goods in a four month window. Dorit's attorneys are calling his approach a starve-out strategy. Jasmine breaks down the legal concept of waste in divorce proceedings, what the starve-out tactic actually is, and why Dorit's spending record is going to be very hard to defend in front of a judge regardless of who is playing games. And Paris Jackson just won a significant legal battle against the executors of the Michael Jackson estate, forcing $625,000 in unauthorized attorney bonus payments to be returned to the estate. The judge also ruled that going forward no bonus payments can be made to outside counsel without written beneficiary consent or a court order. Jasmine explains fiduciary duty, what beneficiaries of any estate are entitled to ask for, and why Paris Jackson showed up to fight for $625,000 when she stands to inherit hundreds of millions. Plus the debut of Sustained or Overruled, the new rapid fire segment where Jasmine rules on behaviors, trends, and phenomena with no deliberation. Today's docket includes PR packages with no agreements, voice notes longer than three minutes, per my last email, and couples who share one Facebook account. Follow Jasmine:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jasminewegesq⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jasminewegesq%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0]TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jas_the_lawyer⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@jas_the_lawyer%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0]Website: https://www.wegesq.com [https://www.wegesq.com] Subscribe, rate, and share Exhibit A-List to stay updated on new episodes.

Hantavirus, Dirty Cop Movies & Siri's $250M Lie

Episode 35 is a big one and every story this week is about power and who gets to use it. A Dutch cruise ship is sailing toward the Canary Islands with a hantavirus outbreak that has killed three people and infected eight. But beyond the health story, there is a legal story nobody is covering. If something happens to you on a cruise ship, whether it is a virus, an injury, a crime, or a disappearance, you might not know whose law even applies. Jasmine breaks down why most major cruise lines do not register their ships in the United States, what flag state registration actually means for your legal rights, what is buried in your ticket contract that you definitely did not read, and what the Netflix documentary Amy Bradley Is Missing reveals about what happens when no single legal system is in charge. Then Matt Damon and Ben Affleck just got sued by the real Miami police officers whose drug bust inspired their Netflix film The Rip. The officers are not named in the movie. The characters have different names. The movie says it is inspired by true events. So can fiction legally defame a real person? Jasmine breaks down defamation by implication, why the First Amendment defense is strong but not airtight, and why the cease and desist letter the officers sent before the film's release is the most important detail everyone is missing. Apple settled a class action for $250 million because they marketed AI features for the iPhone 16 that did not exist yet and still do not fully exist two years later. Jasmine breaks down the false advertising claim, why materiality is the key legal question, and makes a very personal observation about Siri and Alexa being the most integrated and most useless AI in our daily lives. And the Trump administration's EEOC just sued the New York Times, alleging the paper discriminated against a white male editor by passing him over for a promotion in favor of a less experienced external candidate. Jasmine explains what Title VII actually says, why the legal theory is technically valid, and why it still matters that the same agency has been explicitly repositioned to target DEI programs at institutions that criticize the administration. Follow Jasmine:Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jasminewegesq⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jasminewegesq%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0]TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jas_the_lawyer⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@jas_the_lawyer%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0]Website: https://www.wegesq.com [https://www.wegesq.com]Subscribe, rate, and share Exhibit A-List to stay updated on new episodes.

It Ends With Updates: Blake Lively Settlement, JPMorgan, Kim K & The Bar We Set For Women

Episode 34 is here and we are not slowing down. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settled their lawsuit two weeks before trial. No money changed hands. Both sides are claiming victory. But the motion that could result in the biggest financial hit, including treble damages and punitive damages under California Civil Code Section 47.1, is still very much alive. Jasmine breaks down what that statute actually does, why the defendants waiving their right to appeal while that motion is pending matters, and why this case is far from over. Then we go deep into the JPMorgan lawsuit. Before Chirayu Rana ever filed that viral complaint, JPMorgan offered him a million dollars to make it go away. He said no and countered at nearly twelve million. They said no. And here we are. Jasmine takes you inside the actual court documents, including the sworn affirmations from two independent third-party witnesses, the PTSD diagnosis, the open Manhattan DA criminal investigation, the New York State Address Confidentiality Program enrollment, and the threatening text messages filed as exhibits. This story is bigger than what is making the rounds online and the documents tell a very specific story. Kim Kardashian is skipping this round of the bar exam. Jasmine is not here to pile on. She is rooting for Kim and she will tell you exactly why, and exactly who it is going to bother when Kim passes. Taylor Frankie Paul’s Bachelorette season is reportedly coming back to ABC this summer. Jasmine breaks down the full legal and cultural timeline including the protective orders, the DA declining to charge, the co-star who filed a sworn statement saying Mortensen planned the TMZ leak, and why ABC never really left the door closed. And then we put something next to that Taylor story. A list of NFL players who were arrested or charged with domestic violence and kept playing. Ray Rice. Adrian Peterson. Greg Hardy. Tyreek Hill. Ezekiel Elliott. And more. Because the question of whether we apply consistent standards depending on who is doing the cancelling is worth asking out loud. Follow Jasmine: Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jasminewegesq⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@jas_the_lawyer⁠⁠ Website: https://www.wegesq.com Subscribe, rate, and share Exhibit A-List to stay updated on new episodes.