Oops, Kanye did it again and this time in a deposition!

Apparently not even a civil case deriving from a criminal case where Kanye West pleaded “no contest” to misdemeanor battery for the alleged assault of a paparazzo can humble the “Yeezus” artist.  Despite being sentenced to two years probation, community service, and anger management courses, he still used his deposition in the civil case as an opportunity to make it known he’s better than just about everybody, including the attorneys deposing him and Britney Spears.

 

Some of the highlights, or low points rather, from West’s deposition are as follows:

• West swears under oath that “I’m the smartest celebrity you’ve ever f—— dealt with. I’m not Britney Spears”
• When asked where he was from, West responded “earth”
• When counsel for the paparazzo grilled West on his song “Flashing Lights,” quoting some of the song’s lyrics, West immediately remarked, “You have to ask for a hall pass. You can’t just say the ‘n’ word around me. It offends me because you’re a white person saying ‘n—-.'”
• West stated he sees the struggle of African Americans in the past the same as celebrities today, saying, “I equate it to discrimination. I equate it to inequalities … We, as group of minorities here in L.A., as celebrities have to ban together to influence guys like this — guys trying to take the picture, guys trying to get the big win, guys trying to get the check.”

(West’s team spirit of celebrities getting together to fight against these        guys must have temporarily gone missing when he decided to take a below the belt hit at fellow celebrity Britney Spears.)

• West then personally attacked the paparazzo’s attorney, exclaiming, “I’m in the business of trying to make dope s— for the world. You’re in the business of representing scums and trying to make as much money as long as there’s this lapse in the law.”

This certainly isn’t the first time a celebrity has made a mockery of their deposition being taken.  Justin Bieber fans, or “Beliebers”, may want to forget the attitude he brought to his deposition where he insulted deposing counsel, confused the word “instrumental” and claimed to be “detrimental” to his own career, and at one point even winked at the very camera videotaping him give testimony.  Rapper, Lil Wayne, also gave quite the performance at his deposition by preemptively stating “I don’t know” to unfinished questions, claiming to be psychic, and stating he was talking to himself when making passive-aggressive comments to the attorney questioning him.

 

Let’s hope this isn’t a celebrity trend that catches on.  Depositions are an important part of the discovery process in a lawsuit.  It consists of a deponent’s out-of-court oral testimony made under penalty of perjury.  Videotaped depositions and transcripts are often presented at trial.  Being overly hostile and condescending just makes a deponent run the risk of being disliked by jurors.  It’s better to come across forthright and down to “earth”.

 

Here’s a link to the full story:    http://www.businessinsider.com/kanye-wests-crazy-deposition-in-paparazzo-case-2014-8

Did Eight Men Rolling Around in a Mini-Van Just Drop Off Buckets Full of Coins at Your Attorney’s Office?

            After having reached a settlement agreement with a 73-year-old policyholder, Adrian’s Insurance Company delivered the settlement funds to the policyholder’s attorney’s office in scores of buckets full of nickels, dimes, and quarters. Talk about a sore loser.

            Although, there is no per se prohibition in paying settlement funds in coins, this is a type of behavior that most litigants do not engage in. It’s an unwritten law, if you will. I guess Adrian’s Insurance Company didn’t get the memo and in the process have generated bad publicity for their company. My guess is that their new slogan will be “nickel-and-diming customers since 2014.” 

            Although the policyholder’s attorney couldn’t have imagined this scenario in his wildest imaginations, he could have avoided this scenario all together by including a clause in the settlement agreement expressly requiring all funds to be paid via a check. As my law school contract professor used to say “The parties to a contact are masters of their contract.” During settlement negotiations, and prior to finalizing an agreement, the parties are free to bargain for the terms of the contact, which they will later be bound by.

            Since the story with Adrian’s Insurance Company went viral, some litigants may find it funny or entertaining to engage in the similar type of behavior.  In the abundance of caution, prior to finalizing any settlement agreement, litigants should make sure that there is a clause in the agreement requiring all settlement funds to be paid in by way of a check, to avoid such a scenario. Here is a joke in closing, what are the best coin jokes? The ones that make no Cents.  

 

Here is a link to the full story:

 http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/national-international/Insurance-Company-Delivers-Settlement-in-Buckets-of-Loose-Change-269896301.html?_osource=SocialFlowFB_CTBrand