The holiday season is one of our favorite times of the year because it means we get to take a break (albeit very briefly) from lawyering here in the Evergreen State. It also means it’s time to round up some of the year’s most attention-grabbing legal cases featuring a most interesting set of plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses: celebrities.
This year, we decided to play a game of “will they or will they not make a court appearance.” Without further ado, here’s a list of 2022’s most notable celebrity courthouse appearances and non-appearances.
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen: Wise to delay filing for divorce
The NFL quarterback and supermodel’s divorce is one of 2022’s most talked-about splits. But unlike many other celebrity divorces, their divorce filing seems very well planned.
They settled issues regarding custody (they have two kids) and finances privately before heading over to Instagram to announce their divorce. This was obviously a smart move because they’re a high-profile couple, and it was in their best interest to keep the details of their divorce private. Also, they filed the paperwork in Florida where their divorce records will eventually be made public. The decision to delay filing for divorce was a calculated move to preempt public speculation.
Got questions about divorce records in Washington State? Call us.
Will they or will they not make a court appearance? We wouldn’t know because these two are clearly good at keeping private matters private.
Tia Mowry: Has her own spin on “conscious uncoupling”
Actress Tia Mowry’s announcement that she was getting divorced from Cory Hardrict, her husband of 14 years, was a breath of fresh air. Rather than describing their separation as a failure, she said that her marriage was a success precisely because it ended, likening it to a graduation that should be celebrated. We could not agree more (for the most part).
Will they or will they not make a court appearance? We don’t know, but we’re happy with their “graduation.”
Mariah Carey: Queen of Christmas without a crown
Mariah Carey — who is becoming more and more famous than Santa Claus — has shown that one can be the queen of Christmas even without a crown, i.e., a trademark title. Mariah recently lost a bid to trademark the title “Queen of Christmas,” which would have barred other aspiring Christmas queens from using the title.
But alas, other Christmas queens publicly opposed Mariah’s bid, and one even filed a motion for opposition to Mariah’s request. Mariah and her team decided to stay silent on the matter and eventually abandoned the trademark request. We’re guessing she was busy ruling over kingdoms.
Will she or won’t she make a court appearance? A queen would never, so no.
Nicki Minaj fans aka Barbz’ trade more than just barbs
Arguably, part of Nicki Minaj’s job as a rapper is to feud with fellow rappers and practically anyone. But sometimes, that job falls on her fans, mainly those who are online 24/7 and who have taken it upon themselves to defend the honor of their idol. One such feud involved YouTube personality Kimberly Nicole Foster who had to take legal action against Nicki’s fans who threatened her with violence because she said some negative things about the rapper.
Will they or will they not make a court appearance? Kimberly might have to, and we hope she gets a tight security detail.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s bitter battle: It’s still ongoing
You may or may not know that the exes were fighting over their French winery. When negotiations to sell Angelina’s share in the chateau broke down, her team subsequently revealed that Brad was abusive toward her and her children. Per Angelina’s team, she was unhappy to be asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement that would have contractually prevented her from “speaking outside of court about Pitt’s physical and emotional abuse of her and their children.”
Will they or will they not make a court appearance? It looks more and more likely that they soon will.
Elon Musk: Dealing with lawsuits is just another day at the office
Those who have been living under a rock wouldn’t know anything about Elon Musk and whatever he’s been up to. Lucky them. In any case, we’ll tell you one of the highlights: Elon recently bought Twitter and then fired some of its staff. The fired staff then sued him, which means the Tesla CEO and his legal teams will be very, very busy in the next few months.
Will he or will he not make a court appearance? He would probably buy the court and tweet about it.
Related reading: The most notable celebrity legal cases in 2022, thus far
It has been fun imagining being the legal representatives of these celebs. In the meantime, we keep lawyering for clients in Washington State. If you have a personal injury or family case in the Evergreen State, Buckingham, LaGrandeur, & Williams is the team to call.