Diddy, Nigel Lythgoe, Danny Masterson, Jonathan Majors and more stars with legal trouble (2024)

Sean "Diddy" Combs' legacy has been tarnished amid a wave of sexual assault lawsuits and allegations that he used his money and power to orchestrate a “sex-trafficking venture.” The music mogul’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles were raided in March 2024 following lawsuits from a number of women, including ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, as well as producer Lil Rod, the latter of which accused the Bad Boy Records founder of "engaging in serious illegal activity" including sex trafficking and sexual assault during the creation of Diddy’s latest record, “The Love Album.”

Keep scrolling for more celebrities who found themselves in legal hot water.

One day after the singer Cassie filed a lawsuit accusing ex-boyfriend Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape, sex trafficking and physical abuse, the two reached a settlement. The lawsuit was filed before the New York Adult Survivors Act expired Nov. 24, 2023.

In a Nov. 17 statement, Cassie said, "I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support." She had a professional and sexual relationship with the rap mogul starting at when she was 19 years old.

"We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best," Combs said in a separate statement. "Love."

Nearly a week after Cassie and Diddy's settlement, a woman named Joi Dickerson-Neal filed a lawsuit alleging she was drugged, sexually assaulted and abused, and was the victim of "revenge p*rn."

Combs videotaped the January 1991 assault and distributed the tape to others in the music industry, according to the lawsuit obtained by USA TODAY.

A spokesperson for Combs said in a statement to TMZ, "Ms. Dickerson's 32-year-old story is made up and not credible. Mr. Combs never assaulted her and she implicates companies that did not exist. This is purely a money grab and nothing more."

Russell Simmons was sued in February 2024 for allegedly raping a former music video producer and Def Jam Recording executive.

A woman, identified in a civil complaint filed in the Southern District of New York court as Jane Doe, alleged Simmons assaulted her sometime in the 1990s at the music mogul's Manhattan apartment. Jane Doe alleged that one day while reviewing a music video in Simmons' bedroom, a practice that was "not uncommon," the hip-hop executive pinned her down with a "wrestling move" and proceeded to rape her.

She told Simmons to stop "several times" but he ignored her pleas, according to the complaint.

That same week, former Def Jam executive Drew Dixon filed a lawsuit in New York against Simmons, accusing him of making defamatory statements in response to her allegations of sexual assault.

Dixon was one of three women who accused Simmons of rape in a 2017 New York Times investigation and was later featured in "On the Record," a 2020 documentary about the allegations against Simmons. Dixon, a former director of A&R at Def Jam, accused Simmons of "violently" raping her at his apartment in 1995. Simmons has denied all of the allegations, but stepped down from his businesses in 2017.

"Fast & Furious" star Vin Diesel, pictured here in the seventh installment of the film franchise, is being accused of sexual battery by a former assistant.

In a lawsuit filed in December 2023 in Los Angeles and obtained by USA TODAY, Asta Jonasson alleges that the actor sexually assaulted her the fall of 2010 during the filming of "Fast Five" in Atlanta.

Multiple women filed sexual assault lawsuits in the winter of 2024 against Nigel Lythgoe after Paula Adbul sued the former "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" producer under similar circ*mstances.

Lythgoe has since stepped down from "So You Think You Can Dance."

Lythgoe has been accused of sexual assault in three separate lawsuits by Jane Doe accusers and former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul, the '80s pop star.

In his most recent lawsuit, filed in February 2024, a Jane Doe accused him of forcibly touching her in the back of a car.

South Florida rapper Kodak Black was freed from jail in February 2024 after a federal judge sentenced him to time served for a probation violation, just two weeks after a drug possession charge was dismissed in neighboring Broward County, according to court records.

Kodak Black, born Bill Kapri, has been involved in a number of drug-related cases in recent years, including a 2022 arrest on charges of trafficking in oxycodone and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

A six-person jury convicted Jonathan Majors of assaulting his former girlfriend Grace Jabbari on Dec. 18, 2023, concluding a two-week trial.

A Manhattan jury found Majors guilty of one misdemeanor assault charge and one harassment violation over a confrontation with Jabbari, a British dancer and movement coach, during a car ride in Manhattan in March 2023. The "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" star was also acquitted of a different assault charge and of aggravated harassment. Majors' sentencing was set for Feb. 6. He faces the possibility of up to a year in jail for the assault conviction, though probation or other non-jail sentences also are possible.

On Nov. 22, 2023, Jamie Foxx was sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at a New York City rooftop bar in 2015. Filing as Jane Doe, an unnamed woman accused the 55-year-old Oscar-winning actor of sexual assault and battery during an interaction at Catch NYC in August 2015.

A spokesperson for Foxx denied the allegations made against the actor. Foxx's spokesperson said they were "confident" the accusations will be dismissed, and "Mr. Foxx intends to pursue a claim for malicious prosecution against this person and her attorneys" for "this frivolous action."

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was sued by former accusers Jasmine Abbay and Kelsey Harbert for sexual assault and battery in two separate lawsuits in November 2023, with the women alleging the Oscar winner's sexual misconduct was “malicious, willful (and) outrageous.”

Abbay, who met Gooding in September 2018 while working as a co*cktail waitress at a New York City restaurant and nightclub, claimed Gooding kissed her and “forced his tongue in her mouth.” Harbert alleged that a “heavily intoxicated” Gooding touched her breast without consent at a rooftop bar in 2019.

Gooding's double whammy of lawsuits comes a year and a half after the actor pleaded guiltyon April 13, 2022, to forcibly touching Abbay at a New York nightclub in 2018.The guilty plea came nearly three years after the "Jerry Maguire" star was arrested in the case that saw several delays as his lawyers sought to get charges reduced or dismissed.

Gooding's plea deal called for no jail time, a judge ruled Oct. 13, 2022. The Oscar-winning actor turned #MeToo defendant avoided prison time by complying with the terms of a conditional plea agreement that saw him plead guilty to charges involving just one of what prosecutors said were allegations from at least 30 women.

Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Coleen Balbert told a judge in October 2022 that since the deal was reached in April of that year, Gooding had stayed out of trouble and completed six months of alcohol and behavioral counseling. That enabled him to withdraw his misdemeanor guilty plea for forcibly kissing Abbay and instead plead guilty to a noncriminal harassment violation.

Guns N' Roses lead singer Axl Rose was sued by former Penthouse model Sheila Kennedy in a civil lawsuit in November 2023, which alleged that Rose "used his fame, status and power as a celebrity and performer in the music industry to gain access to manipulate, control and violently sexually assault Kennedy" at his hotel room in New York City in 1989 after meeting at a nightclub party.

In the lawsuit, Kennedy detailed witnessing Rose have sex with another model "in a way that appeared painful." Kennedy claimed she left Rose's bedroom to go to another room in the hotel suite, which led the singer to become "furious" and knock her to the floor. She alleged Rose "dragged Kennedy to his bedroom like a caveman and acted with uncontrolled fury," restrained her and began "forcibly penetrating" her. The former model requested a jury trial to determine any compensatory damages if he is found liable for the sexual assault.

Comedian and actor Russell Brand faces multiple accusations of rape, sexual assault and abuse.

In a report published Sept. 16, 2023, The Sunday Times, The Times of London and Channel 4's "Dispatches" revealed the accusations, which included one woman alleging Brand raped her, while three others accused him of sexual assault.

Brand denied the allegations, maintaining all of his relationships have been consensual. According to U.K. media reports, Brand was interviewed by British police over three alleged sexual offenses in November 2023.

Two months after the U.K. outlets' report, a Jane Doe filed a lawsuit in New York and claimed she was sexually assaulted by the British comedian on the set of the 2011 "Arthur" remake.

A judge sentenced "That '70s Show" star Danny Masterson to 30 years to life in prison on Sept. 7, 2023, for the rapes of two women two decades ago. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on a third count, an allegation that Masterson also raped a longtime girlfriend.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo sentenced the 47-year-old actor after rejecting a defense motion for a new trial and hearing statements from the women about the trauma they experienced and the suffering caused by the disturbing memories in the years since. The sentence was the maximum allowed by law. It means Masterson will be eligible for parole after serving 25 1/2 years, but can be held in prison for life.

His first trial for the case ended in a mistrial in November 2022, with jurors deadlocked on all three counts. In January 2023, a request to throw out the case was denied and a retrial was confirmed. The retrial lasted about three weeks.

"Home Improvement" star Zachery Ty Bryan pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge on Oct. 25, 2023. Chris Parosa, Chief Deputy District Attorney of Lane County in Oregon, confirmed to USA TODAY that Bryan "appeared in court this afternoon and pled guilty to felony assault in the fourth degree constituting domestic violence."

The actor reached a plea deal that included the dismissal of a second count of felony assault and a nearly two-year prison sentence. Under the deal, Bryan was sentenced to seven days in jail, 36 months of supervised probation and standard domestic violence conditions, which include "no contact with the victim without the probation officer’s approval, treatment for alcohol/substance abuse issues at the direction of the probation officer, and no alcohol or drugs."

Bryan's arrest comes three months after he was jailed in a similar incident. In July 2023, he was was arrested by the Eugene Police Department in Oregon after officers "received report of a physical dispute between a male and adult female at a north Eugene residence," the department's public information officer Melinda McLaughlin shared in a statement. The former child star, who played Tim Allen's oldest son Brad Taylor on "Home Improvement" from 1991-99, was booked in Lane County Jail with a charge of assault in the fourth degree.

Bryan was also convicted of menacing and assault in the fourth degree constituting domestic violence in 2021, relating to an incident in 2020. In October 2020, the Eugene Police Department said officers were dispatched to an apartment after a reported physical dispute. They found Bryan sitting outside and his then-girlfriend, now-fiancée Cartwright at a neighboring apartment.

In December 2022, a jury found rapper Tory Lanez was found guilty of three felonies in the 2020 shooting of hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion that left her wounded with bullet fragments in her feet.

A judge sentenced Lanez to 10 years in California state prison after a motion for bail was denied. He began his sentence at North Kern State Prison in Delano, California, on Sept. 20, 2023, inmate records viewed by USA TODAY show. The prison is 145 miles north of Los Angeles.

Marilyn Manson was sentenced to 20 hours of community service and a fine on Sept. 18, 2023, after pleading no contest to blowing his nose on a videographer at a 2019 concert in New Hampshire.

Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from the encounter with the videographer at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford on Aug. 19, 2019.

Manson pleaded no contest to just the nose-blowing charge in a fully negotiated plea agreement with prosecutors. The prosecutors agreed to dismiss the other charge, which alleged that he spit on the videographer. A no contest plea means Manson is not contesting the charge and does not admit guilt.

More allegations of abuse have been made against the rocker over the past few years. In May 2022, a judge dismissed a case from Manson’s former assistant, who accused the embattled musician of sexual assault, battery and harassment during her employment from August 2010 to October 2011.

In an order of dismissal obtained by USA TODAY, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael L. Stern dismissed the case “with prejudice,” which means that his former assistant Ashley Walters will not be able to file the same claims in Los Angeles Superior Court again. Stern said Walters had “too few facts” and pleaded “too late” according to reports from CBS News and Deadline.

In total, more than a dozen women have made allegations of sexual impropriety against Manson, but not all of them have filed lawsuits.

Esmé Bianco and Manson reached a settlement in January 2023 nearly two years after she filed a sexual assault lawsuit against the musician and his company. "Ms. Bianco has agreed to resolve her claims against Brian Warner and Marilyn Manson Records, Inc.," Manson's attorney Howard King and Bianco's attorney Jay D. Ellwanger said in separate statements.

Less than a week after Manson and Bianco’s settlement, he faced another lawsuit from a plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, in Nassau County Supreme Court in Long Island, New York. Doe alleges Manson sexually assaulted and raped her, which she claims began when she was 16 and continued for years. Interscope Music Publishing and Nothing Records, which previously represented Manson, are also named as defendants. Doe alleges they knew about Manson's abusive nature and "celebrated and promoted (it) for their collective financial gain." In a statement provided to USA TODAY, Manson's attorney Howard King claims the accuser's allegations have been inconsistent.

Marilyn Manson sued Evan Rachel Wood for defamation, emotional distress and "impersonation over the internet," weeks before the "Westworld" star's HBO documentary "Phoenix Rising" was released in March 2022.

Manson filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing his former fiancée and her friend artist Illma Gore of using falsities to "publicly cast" Manson "as a rapist and abuser." The 22-page lawsuit, obtained by USA TODAY, claims Wood, who has spoken out about her abusive relationship with Manson, and Gore forged an FBI investigation letter to convince other women to come forward with sexual abuse allegations and coached them on what to say about Manson. The lawsuit accuses Wood and Gore of creating a fake email account impersonating Manson to concoct "harmful" correspondence "and bolster the allegations levied against him."

A London jury acquitted Kevin Spacey of sexual assault charges on July 26, 2023. The "House of Cards" actor, 64, was cleared at the conclusion of a four-week long trial that took place in London, beginning June 28, 2023. The Academy Award-winner, whose acting career was derailed by sex assault allegations, was accused of sexual offenses against four men in Britain.

There were nine charges against Spacey, who pleaded not guilty to all, including multiple counts of sexual and indecent assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent. He had faced 13 charges until July 19, 2023, when the judge removed four counts that duplicated the same allegations under an older statute.

Rapper Gunnawas booked into an Atlanta jail on May 11 on a racketeering charge after he was indicted withfellow rapper Young Thugand more than two dozen other people for conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

The 88-page indictment accusesGunna, 29,whose given name is Sergio Kitchens, of violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law.

On Dec. 14, hepleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act in an Alford plea, meaning he maintains his innocence. He was released from jail under the plea deal, according to People and WSB-TV Atlanta.

Award-winning "Squid Game" actor Oh Young-soo (sometimes spelled O Yeong-su) has been convicted on charges of indecent assault. A South Korean district court in Seongnam city said on Dec. 1 that prosecutors indicted the 78-year-old over the allegations and that his trial will begin in February. Kim Myeong-un, an official at Seongnam’s district prosecutors’ office, said it could not confirm specific details about Oh’s case, which was first reported by local media.

According to the reports, an unidentified woman originally filed a complaint against Oh in December 2021, accusing him of making unwanted physical contact during a meeting in 2017. The actor told reporters as he was leaving the court earlier this month that he planned to appeal against the decision, Reuters reported.

In February, a judge sentenced movie mogul-turned-convicted sex offenderHarvey Weinsteinto 16years in prison in hisLos Angeles criminal trial, adding on to the 23 years he is already servingas he continues to face repercussions from sexual assault allegations that kickstarted the #MeToo movement.

The disgraced filmmakerwas already serving a23-year sentence handed downinNew Yorkafter being convicted ofsexual assault and third-degree rape in 2020. He was extradited in 2021to a California county jailto face several more similar charges.

Weinstein's New York sex-crimes conviction was upheld unanimously on June 2, 2022, by a five-member state appellate court that concluded his 2020 trial in Manhattan was fair, despitehis lawyers'argumentthat prosecutors offered the jury potentially prejudicial testimony from accusers of uncharged crimes.

The ruling was notable because some members of the panelduring a December hearingquestioned the role prejudicial evidence played in the Weinstein trial, appearingopen to possibly reversing his conviction on two sex crimesand ordering a new trial.

The judgment "rendered March 11, 2020, convicting defendant, after a jury trial, of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree, and sentencing him toconsecutive terms of 20 years and 3 years, respectively, should be affirmed," the opinion said.

"Chrisley Knows Best" reality TV starsTodd and Julie Chrisleyhave been respectively sentenced to 12 and sevenyears in prison. In addition to their prison sentences, Todd and Julie each received an order of 16 months probation from U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross in Atlanta, news outlets reported.

Federal prosecutors said the couple wasdriven by greedas they engaged in an extensivebank fraud schemeand then hid their wealth from tax authorities while flaunting their lavish lifestyle.

Oscar-winningscreenwriterPaul Haggishas been ordered to pay a total to $10 million for awomanwho saidhe sexually assaulted her nearly a decade ago.The jury sided with accuser Haleigh Breest on Nov. 10, 2022, and awarded her $7.5 millionin compensatory damages for suffering and decided that she was also due punitive damages. On Nov. 14, 2022, he was orderd topay an additional $2.5 million in damages.

While Breest’s lawyers called the verdict just, Haggis insisted that he had been falsely accused and was financially ruined by fighting thecivil case. He vowed to appeal. Breest, a publicist, said Haggis raped her and forced her to perform oral sex in his New York apartment on Jan. 31, 2013. Hesaid they had a consensual encounter.

Ezra Miller has faced a lot of legal trouble in Hawaii. They were arrested fordisorderly conduct in late March of 2022 after they allegedly yelled obscenities whenbar patrons started singing "Shallow" by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, a police press release stated at the time. Miller also grabbed a microphonefrom a 23-year-old woman andlunged at a 32-year-old man playing darts, the release said.

Miller later pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and was ordered to pay a $500 fine and stay away from Margarita Village in Hilo.As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped the harassment charge and an unrelated traffic charge.

In April 2022, police escorted Miller off a Hilo property whena resident called police asking for advice about removing two houseguests from his property, Hawaii Police Assistant Chief Kenneth Quiocho told the Associated Press at the time.

Miller became irate after being asked to leave a get-together at a Big Island home and threw a chair, hitting a woman in the forehead, said a news release from the Hawaii Police Department. According to court records, two people later filed a petitionasking for a temporary restraining order against Miller for that incident, accusing the actor ofbursting into their bedroom and threateningthem, but later decidedto drop their petition.

Miller was charged with felony burglary in Stamford, Vermont.

In a report released Aug. 8, 2022,Vermont State Police said they responded to a burglary complaint in Stamfordon May 1 and found several bottles of alcohol were taken from a residence while the homeowners weren't present. Miller was charged after police consulted surveillance footage and interviewed witnesses.

The police report said Miller was located Aug. 7 and was issued a citation to appear for arraignment in Vermont Superior Court on Sept. 26.

In March 2021, "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shahand her assistant were arrested and charged in a nationwide telemarketingschemethat federal prosecutors say took advantage of hundreds of "vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people," The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Shahchanged her plea to guilty on July 11, 2022 and, on Jan. 6,was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison. She told a judge that beginning in 2012 she participated in a massive telemarketing fraud for nearly a decade that prosecutors say cheated thousands of people nationwide.

A$AP Rockywas charged with assault with a firearm for allegedly firing a semi-automatic handgun against a former friend in Hollywood, Californiain November 2021.

Ina news release posted onlineAug. 15, 2022, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office announced the 34-year-old rapper, whose real name isRakim Athelaston Mayers, facestwo counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm with allegations of personally using a firearm. He plead not guilty on Aug. 17, 2022.

The rapper is due to return to court in 2023, according to the Associated Press.

R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prisonby aNew York federal judge on June 29, 2022, after the R&B superstarwas found guilty of nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering in September 2021.Kelly, bornRobert Sylvester Kelly, was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine. Kelly did not address the court.

In September, ajury of seven men and five womenfound the 55-year-old guilty on all nine counts of sex trafficking and racketeering.Kelly remained motionless, eyes downcast as the verdict was read.

"Thirty years of my career and you try to kill me?" said Kelly on "CBS This Morning," in his first televised interview after his February 2019 arrest. "This isn't about music;I'm trying to have a relationship with my kids and I can't do it."

Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, with multiple alleged acts dating back to 1998. Court documents showed three of the victims were between the ages of 13 and 17. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.Kelly has been behind bars sincehis arrest in 2019.

Kelly returned to court in Chicago on Aug. 15, 2022, for another federal court case, which wasfiled against him in July 2019–on the same daycharges were filed against him in New Yorkfederal court.

He faced 13 charges includingproducing child p*rnography, enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

The R&B singer was found guilty on three counts of child p*rnographyand three counts of child enticementbut was acquitted of a fourth p*rnography count,as well as a conspiracy to obstruct justice charge accusing himof fixing his state child p*rnography trial in 2008.

Kelly was also found not guilty on all three counts of conspiring to receive child p*rnography and for two further enticement charges.

Disney Channel actor Stoney Westmoreland was sentenced to two years in federal prison in June 2022 after his 2018 arrest in Salt Lake City, Utah, forallegedly trying to have sex with a 13-year-old boy. Following his prison sentence, Westmoreland will have 10 years of supervised release.

The actor pleadedguilty to one count ofusing interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY. He is also required to register as a sex offender, comply with random searches of his electronic devices and agree to DNA collection.

Westmoreland was originally charged with six felony counts for the alleged sex crime. Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking told The Associated Press at the time that Westmoreland was on his way to what he believed would be a sexual encounter when he was arrested and charged with enticing a minor and sending inappropriate materials, including nude images.

Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for libel in Virginia's Fairfax County Circuit Court, saying her 2018 Washington Post op-ed defamed him when she described herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse." The article never mentions Depp by name, but Depp’s lawyers saidhe was defamed nevertheless because it’s a clear reference to abuse allegations Heard levied in 2016.

On May 1, 2022, Deppwon the defamation lawsuitafter more than six weeks of testimony,with a Virginia jury awarding him more than $10 million in damages and vindicating his stance that Heard fabricated claims that she was abused by Depp before and during their brief marriage.

Judge Penney Azcaratemade the jury’s award official on June 24, 2022, with a written order for Heard to pay Depp $10.35 million for damaging his reputation by describing herself as a domestic abuse victim.She also ordered Depp to pay Heard $2 million, the jury’s award on her counterclaim that Heard was defamed by one of Depp’s lawyers.

Amber Heard partially won her counter-lawsuit against ex-husband Johnny Depp over comments made by hisformerlawyer Adam Waldman when he called her abuse allegations a hoax. The jury awarded her $2 million in damages.

Judge Penney Azcaratemade the jury’s award official on June 24, 2022,with a written order for Depp to pay Heard $2 million for her counterclaim that she was defamed by one of his lawyers.She also orderedHeard to pay Depp $10.35 million for damaging his reputation by describing herself as a domestic abuse victim.

Heard has said she plans to appeal the verdict. "As stated in (the) congressional hearings, you don't ask for a pardon if you are innocent. And you don't decline to appeal if you know you are right," said a spokesperson for Heard in a statement to USA TODAY in June.

Young Thug, 31, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, is accused ofco-founding a violent street gang namedYoung Slime Life commonly known as YSLthat committed multiple murders, shootings and carjackings over roughly a decade. YSL is affiliated with the national Bloods gang.He was arrested on May 9, 2022.

Young Thug, prosecutors said, is “the top dog, the most dangerous man here, because he doesn’t have to get his hands dirty, he has others to do his business,” Atlanta stationWXIA-TVreported.

Pennsylvania’s highest court overturnedBill Cosby'ssex assault convictionon June 30, 2021, and Cosby was released from a state prison hours later.

The stunning reversal of fortune for the85-year-old comedian, once beloved as "America’s Dad," happened after the court found an agreement with a previous prosecutor prevented him from being charged in the case.It also shut down the possibility of a third trial in the case, according to prosecutors.

Nearly 50 years after an alleged encounterat the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles,Judy Huth'scivil lawsuit againstCosbybegan trialin June 2022.

Huth sued Cosby for sexual battery. Shefiled the suit in 2014 alleging she was gropedby the comedian/TV star in 1974 when she was 15 and visiting the Playboy Mansion, where Cosby was a frequent visitor.Cosby has denied her allegations.The Los Angeles County jury delivered the verdict in favor of Huth and awarded her $500,000 in compensatory damages. She was not awarded any punitive damages, which could have substantially increased her total award.

"Tiger King" starBhagavan “Doc” Antlewas arrested by the FBI on June 3, 2022, and charged with laundering more than half a million dollars. OnJune 6, federal prosecutors said he is believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle illegal immigrants across the Mexican border into the United States.

Charges against Antle and Andrew Jon Sawyer, one of Antle's employees at Myrtle Beach Safari, were revealed during a federal court hearing in Florence, South Carolina. Antle discussed his plan to conceal the cash he received by inflating tourist numbers at his 50-acre (20-hectare) wildlife tropical preserve, according to the complaint.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, Antle is facing two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to wildlife trafficking charges, as well as 13 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act and animal cruelty charges tied to trafficking lion cubs. Those charges are scheduled to go to trial in July.

Antle has a history of recorded violations, going as far back as 1989, when he was fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for abandoning deer and peaco*cks at his zoo in Virginia. Over the years, he has more than 35 USDA violations for mistreating animals.

Blac Chyna, a model and former reality star whose legal name is Angela White, sued Kris Jennerand her daughtersKim Kardashian,Khloé KardashianandKylie Jennerfor$100 million over the cancellation of her reality show "" with ex-fiancéRob Kardashian.

On May 2, 2022, aLos Angelesjury sided with the Kardashians and found that none of the members of the famous family defamed Chyna, nor did any interfere with her contract by convincing the E! network to cancel her reality show “Rob & Chyna.”Rob Kardashian was not a defendant in this trial. Chyna's allegations against him, stemming from the same incidents, will get a separate trial.

Austin St. John, who suited up asRed Power Ranger in the '90s "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"series, was arrested for wire fraud conspiracy, the Department of Justice announced May 18, 2022.

In apress release, St. John, whose legal name isJason Lawrence Geiger, was among 18 named in an indictment that accuses the defendants of defrauding the Small Business Association'sPaycheck Protection Program, obtaining at least $3.5 million in fraudulent funding.

The indictment states two other defendants,Michael Hill and Andrew Moran, were ringleaders in corralling 16 others to apply for the small business loans with falsified documents and collected the money for their own personal purchases.

In March 2022, a judge sentencedex-"Empire" actor Jussie Smollettto 150 days in jail and ordered him topay restitution of $120,106and a $25,000 fine for staging a racist and hom*ophobic attack.

A jury found him guilty of five of six counts of felony disorderly conduct in Chicago after a one-week trial in December 2021. The 40-year-old was found guilty on five counts of disorderly conduct — one count for each separate time he was charged with lying to police in the days immediately after the alleged attack. He was acquitted on a sixth count, of lying to a detective in mid-February, weeks after Smollett said he was attacked.

Smollett filed a police report on Jan. 29, 2019, alleging he was physically attacked by two men who also usedhom*ophobic and racial slurs. After speculation arose that Smollett had hired the men to stage an attack, the actor was indicted in March 2020 by a grand jury on 16 felony accounts accusing him of lying to the police.

Former"19 Kids and Counting"starJosh Duggarwas sentenced in May 2022 to 151 months (about 12 1/2 years) in prisonfordownloading and possessing child p*rnography. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

Duggar was found guilty in December 2021 after facing two counts of downloading and possessing child p*rnography.The jury in Fayetteville, Arkansas, found the 34-year-old Duggar guilty on one count each of receiving and possessing child p*rnography.

TLCcanceled "19 Kids and Counting" in 2015 following asexual abuse scandalinvolving Duggar, wholateralso admitted to p*rn addictionand cheating on his wife Anna.The series' spin-off"Counting On," which featuredstorylines focusingon Duggar's sistersand their young families, was canceled by TLC following Duggar's charges in 2021.

Drake Bell, the former star of Nickelodeon's "Drake & Josh," was sentenced in July 2021 to two years' probation on child endangerment charges relating to a girl who he met online and who accused him of sexual contact after she attended his concert when she was 15.

In June 2021, Bell, 36,pleaded guiltyvia Zoomto felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. Ohio judge Timothy McCormicksentenced him to serve probation and 200 hours of community service in California.

On June 30, 2021,James Francoagreed to pay $2.2million tosettlea sexual misconduct lawsuit broughtagainst him by his former acting students.

Details of the settlement for the suit, which allege that Franco pushed students at his Studio 4 school into increasingly sexual and exploitive sceneson camera, were made public in a Los Angeles Superior Courtfiling obtained by USA TODAY.According to the filing, $894,000 will go "tosettle the Named Plaintiffs’ individual sexual exploitation claims" while theremaining $1.34million is for a common fund to settlefraud claims.

In an interview with Jess Cagle on SiriusXM in December 2021, he admitted to sleeping with students but not anyone in his "masterclass 'Sex Scenes.'

"To Catch a Predator" hostChris Hansen, center, turned himself in on July 2, 2021, after a warrant was out for his arrest following a missed court date in Michigan, Shiawassee County Prosecuting Attorney Scott Koerner told USA TODAY.He was later released.

According toWLNS,the TV personality was subpoenaed to be in court on July 1 in Shiawassee County but failed to show up topresent video evidence for a sex-trafficking case.As part of his show "To Catch a Predator," Hansen had assisted local authorities on a sting operation in Octoberin which three suspects were arrested after allegedly showing up at a hotel to have sex with a minor between the ages of 13 and15.

Former"That's So Raven"star Kyle Massey was charged with a felony in the state of Washington and is accused of sending sexually explicit photos and videos to a 13-year-old. He was charged with communication with a minor for immoral purposes, according to court documents.

The lawsuit filed June 14, 2021, alleges that between December 2018 and January 2019Massey, who was 27 at the time,sent sexually explicit content to a 13-year-old girl. The felony charge stems from a2019 civil lawsuitthe girl's mother filed in California that was later dropped by her lawyers because"Massey didn't have enough money to make the case worth it." At the time, Massey issued a statement through his lawyer Lee Hutton denying the accusations.

In March 2021, a 24-year-old woman named Effiecame forward, accompanied by her lawyerGloria Allred, to accuse Armie Hammerof raping and beating her over four hours in Los Angeles in April 2017.Hammer, 36, whostrongly denied all accounts of his alleged crimes,responded through his lawyer, Andrew Brettler, who issued a statement to USA TODAYsaying Effie sent Hammertexts that refute her "outrageous allegations" against him.

In response, Allred issued another statement to USA TODAY challenging Hammer "to present all, not some, of his communications with Effie to the Los Angeles Police Department and answer all of their questions directly rather than through his lawyers.

Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage, born in the U.K. asShe'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was taken into ICE custody for 10 days over a visa that allegedly expired in 2006.

Federal immigration officials have known 21 Savage’s status since at least 2017,when he appliedfor a new visa. The 29-year-old rapper’s immigration case still remains pending a hearing before a new judge, according to his lawyer. He has since advocated for immigration justice and was given an award from the National Immigration Law Center in October 2019.