While we tend to think of celebrity life as full of red carpet parties and luxury mansions, that’s just one side of living with this kind of fame. The lifestyles of the rich and famous can sometimes get sadly complicated, and the cost of living that high-profile lifestyle can be a steep one — especially when it leads to lawsuits. A lot of your favorite celebrities have seen the inside of a courtroom, from Sussex royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to recently separated Kelly Clarkson and beyond. And while they’re better equipped financially to arm themselves for legal battle than the average person, we’re saddened by how often what they’re fighting to legally protect is their basic privacy, right to decent treatment, or protection from someone trying to take away their earnings.
That being said, the celebrity lawsuits that have stood the test of time are those that made their mark on Hollywood history, either shedding light on longstanding issues of sexual harassment and assault, like Rose McGowan’s lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein or Kesha’s lawsuit against Dr. Luke, or setting new standards about what’s accepted practice for everyone from paparazzi to on-set drivers. When celebrity file lawsuits, they also — however inadvertently — raise awareness of the issue they’re fighting, and spark momentum for real change.
Whether these stars are battling for justice, reputation, or simply to set a precedent, they’ve each made their legal mark and drawn a line about what treatment they will not accept. Here are some of the biggest celebrity lawsuits in the past 15 years and how they turned out.
A version of this article was previously published in May 2020.
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Vanessa Bryant vs Los Angeles County
Back in Aug 2022, Vanessa Bryant, the widow of legendary basketball star Kobe Bryant, and another male victim were awarded $31 million in damages. This was for the graphic photos sheriff’s deputies and firefighters took of the 2020 helicopter crash scene that killed Bryant, their daughter Gianna, and several others.
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Ed Sheeran vs Sam Chokri & Ross O’Donoghue
Remember when Ed Sheeran‘s son “Shape of You” was all over the radio? Well, a lot of people do, and many weren’t thrilled when the same came on, specifically grime artiste Sam Chokri and producer Ross O’Donoghue, who accused him of plagiarism.
Chokri claimed the “Oh I” hook in Sheeran’s track was “strikingly similar” to one of his own sons. Back in 2022, after 11 days, the judge ruled in favor of Sheeran, saying he had “neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied” Chokri’s song.
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Travis Scott vs Astroworld Victims
After the Astroworld tragedy in 2021 that took nine lives, Travis Scott was hit with lawsuit after lawsuit from those injured, and the family of the deceased. The latest victim named Shanazia Williamson filed a lawsuit against the rapper in May 2022, claiming her “unborn child” died after she was “crushed” during the crowd surge.
There were at least 18 lawsuits total from the tragic event.
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Angelina Jolie vs Brad Pitt via Chateau Miraval
Earlier in 2022, Brad Pitt filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife Angelina Jolie over their vineyard in the south of France, Chateau Miraval. Back when they were together, they decided that neither would sell their stakes in the business without consultation, but Jolie sold hers to a Russian liquor giant named Stoli.
In response, Jolie filed a $250 million countersuit, alleging that Pitt was merely being vindictive for how their previous custody battle turned out. As of Jan 2023, they are still battling over the property and lawsuit.
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Alec Baldwin vs Halyna Hutchins’ Family
One of the biggest tragedies in 2021 was the horrific, shocking shooting incident on the sets of Rust, involving Alec Baldwin and cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who passed from the incident after a gunshot wound. Hutchins’ family filed a wrongful death suit against Alec Baldwin, later in 2022, reaching an undisclosed settlement.
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Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp
All anyone seemed to talk about in 2022 was the trial of exes Amber Heard and Johnny Depp.
Along with filing a lawsuit against The Sun, Depp sued Heard for $50 million over her 2018 op-ed published in The Washington Post, claiming she referred to herself as a domestic abuse victim without mentioning the name of the Pirates of the Caribbean star in her article, but heavily insinuating it. Along with that, he claimed she was abusive towards him, with her countersuing Depp for $100 million since his former attorney Adam Waldman called her allegations a “hoax.”
After a six-week-long trial, the jury ruled in favor of Depp, who was awarded $10.35 million in damages. Heard did win one of the three claims, and was awarded around $2 million in compensatory damages. However, both of them have filed an appeal against one another for the money they owe one another.
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Taylor Swift vs. David Mueller
Image Credit: FayesVision/WENN Radio DJ David Mueller allegedly groped Taylor Swift at a fan meet-and-greet in 2013 and then tried to sue the superstar for cash when he lost his job over the sexual assault. Mueller claimed the contact was inadvertent, but Swift testified, saying, “It was a definite grab. A very long grab.”
She countersued Mueller for a symbolic $1 because she wanted the trial to serve as an “example to other women.” In a championing moment during the trial, Mueller’s lawyer asked Swift how she felt about Mueller losing his job over the encounter to which Swift responded, “I’m not going to allow you or your client to make me feel in any way that this is my fault.” She added, “Here we are years later, and I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the product of his decisions — not mine.” Swift won the suit in August 2017
