20 Crazy Class Action Lawsuits Filed Against Celebrities
Being a celebrity may come with a lot of perks, but it also has its shortcomings. Living a life in the spotlight means that countless people have access to you – and in many cases that’s not a good thing. As a result, many celebrities often find themselves in bizarre situations thanks to the millions of strangers who have become fixated. Throughout the years, it hasn’t been uncommon for celebrities to be caught up in various legal battles with people and companies. While most law suits deal with legitimate legal issues, others are just extremely bizarre. When you hear these stories you won’t believe one of the things people have attempted to pull off. Here are 20 crazy class action lawsuits filed against celebrities.
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Rosa Parks vs. Outkast
In this strange case, Civil Rights hero, Rosa Parks’ lawyer filed a lawsuit against Georgia based hip-hop group, Outkast, regarding their song “Rosa Parks.” The lawsuit claimed that the group used Parks’ name without permission, and that the song’s lyrics were disrespectful to Parks. Ironically; however, although the song includes the line “everybody move to the back of the bus,” Parks name is never mentioned in the song. The suit was eventually settled out of court.
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Allen Heckard vs. Michael Jordan
When you make it big, people who claim to know you always start popping out of the woodwork. In Michael Jordan’s case, things were no different. In 2006 a Portland, OR man Allen Heckard sued Michael Jordan (and Phil Knight) on the grounds that Jordan’s fame had ruined Heckard’s life. Why you ask? Because apparently, Allen Heckard looks so much like Jordan that people were always mistaking him for the star. According to Heckard, “I’m constantly being accused of looking like Michael, and it makes it very uncomfortable for me. Even when I go to the gym I’m being accused of playing ball like him.” Heckard eventually dropped the lawsuit, probably after a long look in the mirror finally made him realize that he looks absolutely nothing like Jordan.
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Kristina Karo vs. Mila Kunis
Apparently, before Mila Kunis was a big star, she was a chicken thief in her native country, Ukraine. Kristina Karo, a woman claiming to be one of Kunis’ childhood friends filed a lawsuit stated that Kunis had stolen one of her pet chickens during childhood, and she has never emotionally healed from the incident. However, it quickly became obvious that the lawsuit may have been filed in an attempt to boost Karo’s career as a singer.
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Richelle Olson vs. Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen is definitely no stranger to ruffling people’s feathers, so it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s been sued. This lawsuit; however, might be one of the most ridiculous ever. A few years ago, an elderly women named Richelle Olson sued Cohen on the grounds that he gave her “the brain bleeds” during a bingo game after wrestling her for the microphone. Video footage later revealed that the two had never even had any contact.
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The Jonas Brothers vs. Ashleigh Johnson
At the height of their career, The Jonas Brothers had millions of adoring fans who loved to see them perform. In 2010, a fan sued the group claiming she was “crushed” by the crowd at one of their live performances. She claimed to have, “serious mental, emotional, and physical injuries” from the incident. However, she apparently wasn’t too “crushed” to sue.
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Steve Jobs vs. Jonathan Lee Riches
Jonathan Lee Riches has a reputation for suing celebrities. In one of his most bizarre claims, he filed a suit against late Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, claiming that Jobs hired O.J. Simpson as a hit man, and had been employing him for decades. Although stranger things have happened, these claims don’t even begin to make sense.
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Tina Seals vs. Beyoncé
You’d think by now people would know better than to mess with Queen Bey, but apparently Tina Seals didn’t get the memo. Seals sued Beyoncé in 2014, claiming that she, not Beyoncé, was actually Blue Ivy’s biological mother. Seals says that she carried the child for the couple, and now wants her rights restored. However, as strange as Seals’ story may be, there are many people who do believe that Beyoncé did use a surrogate instead of carrying the child herself.
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Miley Cyrus vs. Lucie Kim
Miley Cyrus has done a lot of crazy things over the last few years, but even in her world this lawsuit was a little strange. In 2009, Lucie Kim filed a law suit against Cyrus asking that all Asian people in Los Angeles county by paid $4,000 dollars for the ‘damages’ caused by a picture Cyrus took in which she pulled the corners of her eyelids into a slant. A judge later dismissed the case.
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Jennifer Lopez vs. Morocco
Jennifer Lopez may know a thing or two about being sexy, but everyone doesn’t appreciate her seductive persona. Earlier this year, Lopez was sued by an education group in Morocco on the grounds that her performance was so sexy that it “tarnished” the image of women. Apparently, all of her sexy moves were too much for some of the people in Morocco and the group decided to send a strong message to Ms. Lopez. The outcome of the lawsuit has yet to be decided, but there’s a good chance it won’t go anywhere.
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Jo Anne Vandegriff vs. Disney (and other celebrities)
Last year, reports began circulating that a homeless woman, Jo Anne Vandegriff, was planning on suing several celebrities and the Disney corporation just so that she could get a courtroom full of important people so listen to her pitch an idea for a mini-series based on her 2,000 page novel.
(Photo by Mark Ashman/Disney Parks via Getty Images)
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs vs. Valerie Turks
Diddy has been in the industry for years, so he’s definitely seem some crazy things go down. But he probably never imagined that he’d be sued for $1 trillion by a woman who claimed “that he caused 9/11, put her child in the hospital and stole a poker chip worth “100 zillions of dollars.” That’s right. Apparently, Diddy has been much busier than anyone originally thought. Although there’s a good chance that Turks has never even met Diddy, you’ve got to commend her for having an incredible imagination.
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Kim Kardashian vs. Rob Delaney
Comedian Rob Delaney may be all about the jokes, but he seemed dead serious when he took to Twitter to share his plans to sue Kim Kardashian. Delaney stated that he wanted to sue Kardashian over her divorce from ex-husband, Kris Humphries, claiming that the marriage was a “sham.” What Kim Kardashian’s marriage has to do with Rob Delaney is still a mystery. Although it’s doubtful that Delaney would ever go through with the suit, there are plenty of people out there who agree with him that Kim K deserves to be sued.
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Charlie Sheen vs. Ursula Auburn
Back in 2007, Charlie Sheen was sued by a fan who claimed that one of the characters on Two and a Half Men was actually based on her. According to Ursula Auburn, the “wacky neighbor and female stalker Rose,” was an imitation of her. She also claimed that several of the situations on the show were from real life interactions she had with Sheen. Apparently, some people are so money hungry, they’ll admit to being crazed stalkers to get it.
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Michael Jackson vs. Kimberly Griggs
Have you ever listened to a Michael Jackson song and wondered who inspired him to be so freakin’ awesome? Well, meet Kimberly Griggs. According to Griggs, she had a love affair with Jackson which inspired all of his music. She also said that Jackson promised to give her the rights to all of her music before he passed. Ummm, yeah right!
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Ralph Lauren vs. USPA
When most people think of Ralph Lauren, they automatically think of the Polo brand. When most people think of the Polo brand, they automatically think of the horse logo. Well, in 2014, Ralph Lauren and the United States Polo Association (USPA) went head to head in a lawsuit over the recognizable Polo trademark. Ralph Lauren and his company felt that USPA had stolen his company’s logo and was trying to pass their brand off as the real thing. Although the judge didn’t buy the argument, there are plenty of people who have purchased USPA believing they were actually buying Polo.
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[Dead] Elvis vs. Fortworth Man
Elvis Presley may be dead, but that doesn’t mean he’s above the law. In 1970, shortly after Elvis’ passing, a Fort Worth, TX man sued ‘the king’ on the grounds that Elvis was faking his death. The man claimed to know that Presley was alive because they had been having phone conversations. Well, it’s safe to say he never heard from Elvis after that one.
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50 Cent vs. Taco Bell
In this case, 50 Cent actually filed a strange lawsuit against the popular fast food Mexican chain, Taco Bell. The chain used 50’s image without his permission and ran an ad jokingly asking him to change his name to other monetary values that coincided with their prices. Well, Taco Bell won’t be doing that again!
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Christopher Nolan vs. Batman
In 2008, director/producer, Christopher Nolan, was sued by the Turkish city of Batman. The city claimed that Nolan used the name Batman without their permission, and that the city is the only Batman in the world. The lawsuit also claimed “the use of the Batman name is to blame for several unsolved murders and a high female suicide rate, based on the psychological impact that the film’s success has had on the city’s inhabitants.”
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Nicolas Cage vs. Kathleen Turner
In 2008, Kathleen Turner filed a lawsuit against Nicolas Cage with a number of claims – one of which stated that Cage had stolen a dog. Turner stated that Cage had “come across a Chihuahua he liked and stuck it in his jacket.” Although Cage and Turner had starred together in the film, Peggy Sue Got Married, it was clear that things weren’t so friendly between the two. Cage eventually won the suit, and there haven’t been any more claims about him stealing any small animals.
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Courtney Love vs. American Express
In 2009, Courtney Love was sued by American Express for more than $300,000 in unpaid credit card charges. And what was her defense? Well according to her lawyer, over 100 American Express cards had been opened in Love’s name. It doesn’t take a law degree to see that that line of defense is more than a little shaky.
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