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The Top 10 Celebrity Justice Stories of 2014

By Daniel Taylor, Esq. | Last updated on

Celebrities: They're just like us! They break the law, they sue each other!

By virtue of their excessive wealth and often even more excessive lifestyles, celebrities rarely fail to generate interesting legal headlines. Likewise the entertainment industry as a whole: There's almost never a shortage of lawsuits, legal intrigue, or brewing scandal when movies, music, and television are involved.

So what were 2014's hottest celeb-related legal stories? Here are this year's 10 most popular stories from FindLaw's Celebrity Justice blog:

  1. 'Dance Moms' Assault Lawsuit: No Tweeting, Judge Orders -- One of the stars of reality television show "Dance Moms" was ordered by a judge not to tweet at one of her co-stars after she was arrested for assault and harassment.
  2. 31 'Dallas Buyers Club' Torrent Downloaders Sued for Piracy -- Thirty-one users of the BitTorrent network were sued for illegally downloading and distributing the movie "Dallas Buyers Club," but could only be identified in the lawsuit as "Does 1 through 31." We explained what this means for the lawsuit.
  3. 'Hardcore Pawn' Stars Arrested Over Repawned Stolen Goods -- Two stars of the reality television series "Hardcore Pawn" were arrested for allegedly stealing goods from the pawn shop featured on the show and pawning them elsewhere.
  4. Teresa Giudice Sues Lawyer for $5M, Alleging Malpractice -- "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice brought a $5 million lawsuit against her bankruptcy attorney after being sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for bankruptcy fraud.
  5. Jennifer Love Hewitt Sues Over Spray Seen on 'Shark Tank' -- Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt filed a lawsuit against the makers of a weight loss spray for using her image to advertise the company's product without her permission.
  6. Lawsuit Accuses Led Zeppelin of Lifting 'Stairway to Heaven' -- British rock legends Led Zeppelin were accused of plagiarizing their hit song "Stairway to Heaven" from an obscure American band called Spirit.
  7. 'Cops' and Suspects' Rights: Whatcha Gonna Do When They Record You? -- When you see a criminal getting arrested on the reality show "Cops," that person has typically signed a release form allowing the show to broadcast his or her image without having the blur out that person's face.
  8. Willow Smith's Bedroom Photo Triggers CPS Investigation: Report -- Teenage celebrity offspring Willow Smith ignited controversy and a CPS investigation into her parents Will and Jada Pinkett Smith after being photographed in bed with a shirtless 20-year-old actor.
  9. 'Bar Rescue' Lawsuit Alleges Setup, Battery; but Is There Proof? -- A bar owner featured on the reality television show "Bar Rescue" filed a conspiracy lawsuit against the show's host, the host's wife, and the show's production company. According to bar owner, he was assaulted by the show's host Jon Taffer after being set up to hit on Taffer's wife.
  10. Johnny Depp Settles Robin Eckert's 'Butt Exposure' Lawsuit -- Actor Johnny Depp agreed to settle the lawsuit brought against him by a woman who claimed that Depp's bodyguards dragged her across the VIP section at an Iggy Pop concert, exposing her hind quarters to the crowd.

That's it for this year, but don't worry: 2015 will have its own celebrities and with them, plenty more Celebrity Justice.

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