Here are my top 10 cases of 2024, from Young Thug and YSL to Tom Girardi
Happy New Year’s Eve!
For me, 2024 was the year of the YSL trial as I covered the case extensively through TikTok and YouTube. But my best work published through my Substack at www.legalaffairsandtrials.com, and I want to take a moment to recognize some of it as we head into 2025.
Young Thug goes on trial
The trial of rapper Jeffery “Young Thug” Williams in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta, Georgia, was a year-long disaster that ended on Dec. 3 with the jury acquitting the final two defendants of all charges but a gun charge. That includes three counts of murder for two fatal drive-by shootings.
Williams left jail on 15 years probation on Oct. 31 after pleading guilty criminal gang activity, three counts of violating Georgia’s controlled substances act, one count of possession of a firearm during a felony and one count of possession of a machine guns. Three other defendants took plea deals and are serving prison sentences. A second trial is to begin in late February for the remaining defendants.
Feb. 14: Young Thug’s RICO trial a ‘quagmire’ for Georgia courts as defense attorney tries to quit
April 17 ‘I’m ready to go back to prison’ testimony highlights Young Thug prosecution perils
June 11 After judge's secret meeting, Young Thug's lawyer Brian Steel arrested for contempt
June 13 High court halts Young Thug's lawyer's jail sentence as he appeals contempt order
July 15 Judge Glanville recused from Young Thug trial as attorneys plan mistrial, bail requests
Aug. 11 Jury returns in Young Thug trial as judge orders 'Brady' evidence training for DAs
Oct. 23 Young Thug / YSL gang RICO trial judge suggests mistrial, but with retrial rights
Oct. 29 Lawyer says Quamarvious Nichols' YSL plea deal is 'as clean as humanly possible'
Oct. 31 Rapper Young Thug leaves jail on 15 years probation after rejecting gang plea deal
Dec. 3 Jury acquits YSL defendants on murder, gang and racketeering charges
Sean “Diddy” Combs arrested
Hip-hop mogul Sean Combs entered 2024 entangled in civil litigation that began in November 2023 when his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura sued him alleging years of abuse and sex trafficking. He ended 2024 jailed without bail on federal criminal charges that carry a potential sentence of life in prison.
Combs settled with Ventura shortly after she sued, but her lawyers soon filed another lawsuit on behalf of a woman who accuses him of raping her in 2003 when she was 17. Lawsuits continued to mount, then the situation turned criminal when federal agents raided Combs’ Los Angeles and Miami mansions on March 25. Six months of speculation went by until he was arrested on Sept. 16 on three federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation for prostitutions, with Ventura identified in the indictment as “Victim-1.” He’s been in jail ever since.
The civil litigation took a new twist in December when attorney Tony Buzbee added Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter as a defendant in a lawsuit that alleges Carter and Combs raped a 13-year-old girl in 2000. Carter vehemently denies the claims.
April 2 Analysis or speculation? My TV discussions on the Sean 'Diddy' Combs federal raids
May 18 Diddy update: Violent video emerges as civil lawyers seek dismissal, sanctions
Sept. 17 Judge orders Sean 'Diddy' Combs to stay in jail after sex trafficking, racketeering arrest
Sept. 18 Judge rejects Sean 'Diddy' Combs' bail appeal in sex trafficking, racketeering case
Nov. 21 Diddy's lawyers say federal agents edited video of him assaulting Cassie
Nov. 27 Judge rejects Sean 'Diddy' Combs' 3rd bail request in federal sex trafficking case
Dec. 18 Jay-Z wants evidence preserved in rape lawsuit as Tony Buzbee sues Roc Nation
Dec. 26 Judge won't strike rape claim against Jay-Z, says plaintiff can proceed anonymously
Tom Girardi convicted of fraud
Disbarred Real Housewives of Beverly Hills lawyer and longtime California judiciary power player Tom Girardi went on trial in August for a years-long fraud that victimized clients out of millions of dollars.
The highlight was his shocking decision to testify.
A jury on Aug. 27 convicted him of four counts of wire fraud, but he wasn’t sentenced in December as planned. Instead, U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton ordered him to undergo a mental exam at a federal facility in North Carolina. He’s to report to the U.S. Marshals on Jan. 7.
Jan. 2 Federal judge rules disbarred lawyer Tom Girardi is competent for trial in client fraud case
Jan. 5 In unsealed order, Judge Staton says ex-lawyer Tom Girardi is exaggerating his mental decline
July 26 Tom Girardi apologizes to Judge Staton after ringing phone interrupts hearing
Aug. 7 Tom Girardi's fraud trial opens in LA
Aug. 19 Girardi's expert says she doesn't know if he could have committed fraud before 2020
Aug. 22 In stunning testimony, Girardi says he'd 'go crazy' if he knew of accountant's theft
Aug. 26 Girardi's firm was legally due some of his clients' settlement money. Does it matter?
Aug. 27 Federal jury convicts disbarred RHOBH lawyer Tom Girardi in client fraud case
Dec. 20 As feds seek 14 years, Tom Girardi will undergo mental exam in North Carolina
Jury awards OMG Girlz $71 million
Hip-hop moguls Clifford “T.I.” Harris and Tameka “Tiny” Harris returned to Santa Ana, California, for a third trial in a lawsuit alleging MGA Entertainment’s L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Dolls infringe the trade dress and misappropriate the likeness of Tiny’s daughter Zonnique’s OMG Girlz music group.
A jury sided with MGA in May 2023, but Senior U.S. District Judge James V. Selna threw out of the verdict because a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in another case invalidated a jury instruction that said MGA’s dolls were protected by the First Amendment.
In the new trial, jurors awarded $17.8 million in damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages.
The case isn’t over because the jury’s punitive award covered only likeness misappropriation. Lawyers for the Harrises and OMG Girlz are asking Judge Selna to award nearly $143 million total, with $35.7 million for likeness misappropriation and trade infringement, and $107.2 million in punitive damages for both.
MGA lawyers want the judge to take the jury’s monetary awards as advisory only and give the OMG Girlz nothing. A hearing is scheduled Jan. 6 before Judge Selna in Santa Ana, California.
Sept. 23 Federal jury says toymaker owes T.I. and Tiny $71 million for OMG Girlz's doll claims
Judge frees neo-Nazi amid Antifa worry
The strangest legal saga I covered in 2024 involved U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney’s affinity for Robert Rundo, a neo-Nazi leader who was charged with violating the anti-Riot Act for assaulting people at political rallies.
Between Feb. 21 and Sept. 13, I wrote 10 articles chronicling the litigation and appellate rulings that included Carney dismissing Rundo’s charges because he determined prosecutors selectively targeted him because of his political beliefs.
I’m particuarly proud of the work I did during a busy two-week period in February and March that included Carney’s dismissal order and Rundo’s release, then Rundo’s return to custody after the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals stayed Carney’s release order.
Carney stopped hearing cases when he went on senior inactive status, so Rundo’s case was with U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton after the 9th Circuit overturned Carney’s dismissal order. Rundo pleaded guilty in September and was sentenced in December to time already served.
Feb. 21 White supremacist will leave jail 'imminently' under federal judge's order, DOJ tells 9th Circuit
Feb. 23 Robert Rundo is back in federal custody after the 9th Circuit stayed Judge Carney's release order
Feb. 29 9th Circuit rejects Rundo's release request amid another discharge order from Judge Carney
March 14 9th Circuit stays future release orders for neo-Nazi Robert Rundo amid dismissal appeal
April 4 Judge cites Antifa when rejecting prison for white supremacist’s former associate
April 30 'It was Antifa': Judge Carney grants bail for neo-Nazi leader Robert Rundo
May 3 9th Circuit stays Judge Carney's bail order for Robert Rundo four hours after request
June 24 9th Circuit hears argument over Judge Carney's Robert Rundo case dismissal
July 19 9th Circuit reinstates Robert Rundo's indictment, rejects Antifa comparison
Sept. 13 After appellate reversal, white supremacist leader pleads guilty in political rioting case
Dec. 13 Neo-Nazi leader Robert Rundo to leave jail after sentencing for 2017 political rally riots
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter arrested
The federal prosecution of Ippei Mizuhara, the former language interpreter for Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani, generated the biggest media mobs I saw in 2024 for his initial appearance and arraignment.
His May 8 plea agreement detailed his theft of about $17 million from Ohtani in a years-long embezzlement Mizuhara blamed on a gambling addiction. He pleaded guilty in June to felony counts of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return.
Mizuhara is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 24 by U.S. District Judge John Holcomb. Sentencing recommendations have not yet been filed; I’m interested to see if Ohtani writes a victim impact statement.
June 5 Mizuhara pleads guilty to fraud
May 15 Chief judge calls courtroom media ban for Mizuhara arraignment 'unfortunate error
Hunter Biden pleads guilty
Hunter Biden’s federal criminal trial in Los Angeles was scheduled to begin shortly after Tom Girardi’s trial ended, so I was ready to not cover any of it when I got word on Sept. 5 that Biden was trying to enter an Alford plea.
I went to the courthouse to check things out and ended up watching the president’s son plead guilty to each of his nine charges, without an agreement with prosecutors. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi scheduled sentencing for Dec. 16, but it never happened because of President Biden’s pardon.
Jan. 12 President Biden's son Hunter arraigned on tax charges in LA federal court media circus
Sept. 5 Hunter Biden pleads guilty in federal tax crimes case in Los Angeles
L.A. city officials sentenced for corruption
Former Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar reported to federal prison on Oct. 8 to begin a 13-year prison sentence for a corruption scheme that turned his city office into a bribery business. Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan is to surrender on Jan. 6 to begin a 14-year prison sentence for helping Huizar and for taking bribes himself.
They were prosecuted in an unprecedented racketeering conspiracy case that unfolded through both trials and plea agreements. Huizar took a plea deal in January 2023. A jury convicted Chan in March. All the cooperating witnesses ended up getting probation only and no prison, including Huizar’s assistant, George Esparza.
The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals heard oral argument on Nov. 21 in developer David Lee’s appeal. The court also heard argument in the unrelated corruption case of Los Angeles politician Mark Ridley-Thomas, who was convicted in March 2023 of a bribery scheme involving the now-former dean of the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work.
Jan. 26 Corrupt LA politician José Huizar sentenced to 13 years in prison as judge cites 'little remorse'
March 26 Ex-deputy mayor's corruption trial casts final spotlight on Los Angeles City Hall RICO scheme
March 27 Jury convicts ex-deputy LA mayor Ray Chan of racketeering conspiracy in Huizar bribe scheme
Boosie charged again after gun case dismissed
Rapper Torrence “Boosie Badazz” Hatch won big in federal court in July when U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo dismissed his criminal case because of a 9th Circuit ruling that she said makes Boosie’s prosecution for being a felon in possession of a firearm unconstitutional.
Two weeks later, prosecutors secured another indictment against Boosie after the 9th Circuit vacated the opinion amid a broader review by the court. He’s now charged with one count of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of unlawful user/addict in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Judge Bencivengo is awaiting the 9th Circuit’s ruling in its en banc review of United States v. Steven Duarte which is the case that led to the dismissal. The 9th Circuit heard oral argument on Dec. 11.
Jan. 14 Boosie tells federal judge about April 1 wedding date as no-contact order with fiancée remains
May 10 Will a new 9th Circuit ruling liberate rapper Boosie in his federal gun case?
July 12 Rapper Boosie is first felon to have gun case dropped under new 9th Circuit ruling
July 26 Feds charge Boosie again after 9th Circuit vacates controversial gun ruling
Lil Durk jailed in murder-for-hire case
Rapper Durk Devontay “Lil Durk” Banks is in federal custody in Los Angeles on murder-for-hire charges, and he’s scheduled for trial in 2025.
Banks is accused of hiring hitmen to murder a rival rapper to avenge the Nov. 6, 2020, murder of his friend and fellow rapper Dayvon “King Von” Bennett in Atlanta. Prosecutors say the conspiracy resulted in the rival’s relative being shot to death at a gas station near the Beverly Center mall in Los Angeles in August 2022.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Donahue rejected Banks’ bail request on Dec. 12. A five-page order filed on Dec. 16 explains her reasoning, including Durk’s lawyer Drew Findling’s argument that his flights out of the country to Zurich and Dubai were merely one trip with connections.
“This evidence supports the inference that Defendant, who has considerable resources, attempted to leave the United States upon learning of the arrests of his co-conspirators,” Donahue wrote.
At least one defendant may be considering a plea deal: Deandre Dontrell Wilson’s lawyer asked for a “pre-plea sentence report” on Dec. 26 that will determine Wilson’s criminal history category under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald ordered the report on Dec. 27.
Trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 7 for Banks and Wilson, then on Jan. 14 for Kavon London Grant, Keith Jones, David Brian Lindsey and Asa Houston, but prosecutors and five of the six defendants on Dec. 31 asked Fitzgerald to reschedule the trials to Oct. 14. Only Houston opposes.
Nov. 8 Rapper Lil Durk faces two more felonies in new murder-for-hire indictment
Looking ahead
2025 will be a big year for this mailing list and website, beginning with the OMG Girlz’s damages hearing on Jan. 6 and continuing through January when rapper Rakim “A$AP Rocky” Mayers goes on trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court for two counts of first-degree assault.
I’m also planning to cover the second rendition of the YSL trial in Atlanta starting in late February, and I’m looking forward to disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti’s resentencing in his client fraud case before Judge Selna in Santa Ana. There’s also Combs’ trial and all the lawsuits, including the case against Jay-Z.
Thank you to all my subscribers for reading my work, and a special thank you to my paid subscribers for spending your hard-earned money on me. Paid subscription make my work possible, and I’m planning more subscription-related efforts in 2025 that can enhance my coverage.
Also, my merchandise. I still have Meghann Thee Reporter and Googly Eyed B!tch mugs, shirts, stickers and hoodies available. You can order here. One of my 2025 resolutions is to finally do something about my right eye, and apparently it should be strabismus surgery, so any proceeds from the merch go to that extremely worthy cause. Thank you!
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I really enjoyed this thanks Meghann! Forgot to comment when I read it.