Erin Andrews Said ESPN Required Her To Do Interview On Peephole Video

Erika Goldring / Getty Images

Sportscaster Erin Andrews on Monday described through tears the aftermath of a 2009 peeping tom video that showed her naked in a hotel room, and ESPN's insistence she discuss it in a nationally-televised interview before she could return to her on-air job.

Andrews took the stand in Nashville in the civil suit she filed against the man who shot the video as well as the Marriott where it was taken. Michael David Barrett, who filmed the 4-minute video, was convicted and sentenced to 30 months behind bars. Andrews is now seeking $75 million in damages from Barrett and the hotel — who she said never informed her a man had requested to stay in the room directly next to hers.

On Monday, Andrews described being overwhelmed by a media frenzy surrounding the video while she also feared for her safety. As the video circulated online, she said she had no idea where it was taken or who was behind it.

"No one knew that it was a stalker," she said. "No one knew the Marriott had put him next to me. Everybody thought it was just a publicity stunt."

WFLA / Via youtube.com

With still frames of her body splashed across tabloids and sports blogs, ESPN told her she would have to address the video publicly, she said.

"Because there wasn’t an arrest, because we didn’t know where this happened, my bosses at ESPN told me before you go back on-air for college football, we need you to give a sit-down interview," she said. "And that was the only way I was going to be allowed back."

Her bosses recommended she speak on Good Morning America, she said, since the program fell under the same corporate ownership as ESPN.

"I didn’t want it to be a two-second thing," Andrews said. "This is my life and I feel terrible about myself, and we want to figure out how this happened."

Instead, she opted to speak on The Oprah Winfrey Show, knowing that Oprah herself had been a crime victim. Still, she said she didn't want to do the interview. In the green room, she said she was crying hysterically.

"I just want to go back to college football," she said she thought at the time. "I don’t want to talk about what happened to me. Why can't I just be normal?"

Andrews' return to sideline reporting came the same week the air date of the Oprah interview was announced.

On Monday, Andrews also told the jury about her beginnings in sports media and her desire to become known for her skill — not as a stereotype.

"My goal was to get everybody’s respect," she said. "I wanted everybody to know I knew what I was taking about. I loved the game as much as they did, and I had the respect from athletes and coaches."

Her attorney asked if she had ever done pornography, and she said no.

"If the hotel had called you and told you that a man was asking to have the room next to you, what would you have done?" he asked.

"I would have called the police," Andrews replied.

"And then would you have stayed there?"

"Never," she said.

The trial continues on Tuesday.

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KKK Members Released After 3 People Stabbed At California Rally

Authorities said they released five Klansmen from custody Sunday after concluding they had acted in self-defense during a violent brawl with counter-protesters.

Eric Hood

Luis Sinco

Five Ku Klux Klan members who were arrested over the weekend during a violent confrontation with counter-protesters in Anaheim, California, have been released after authorities determined they acted in self-defense.

The violent assault occurred Saturday when counter-protesters confronted the white supremacy group as it held an anti-immigration rally in Pearson Park. The fight included more than a dozen people and left three people with stabbing injuries. All of the victims are reportedly in stable condition.

Police said after reviewing video footage and interviewing witnesses that they had concluded the KKK members acted in self-defense after being attacked by the counter protesters. The case will still be presented to Orange County prosecutors who will make the final decision on whether to file charges.

Seven people, who police said were seen beating and attacking the KKK members with wooden posts, remain in custody. Authorities said the Klansmen stabbed three counter protesters — and at least one person was stabbed with the decorative end of an American flagpole.

"Regardless of an individual or groups' beliefs or ideologies, they are entitled to live without the fear of physical violence and have the right, under the law, to defend themselves when attacked," a police statement said.

The Anaheim Police Department have been criticized both for their response to the violence and for not having people on hand before it happened.

Ku Klux Klan leader Will Quigg, who said he was beaten during the brawl, told the Associated Press he had asked the department for a police presence before the protest, but the agency denied his request. Quigg said he told police he would instead hire outside security, but was told he could not do that either.

Anaheim Police Sgt. Daron Wyatt told the AP that he thought Quigg was asking for personal security guards for Klansmen when he denied the request.

Police also said in a statement that officers were present at the protest but did not specify how many were there. They added that officers arrived at the scene of the violence in less that two minutes after reports.

"Officers rendered medical aid to those who were injured and arrested all but one of the suspects," the agency said in a statement.

Authorities said they are still looking for one assault suspect and released a photo on Saturday of the unidentified man, asking for help from the public.

The KKK historically has had a strong presence in Anaheim. In the 1920s, Klansmen held four out of five seats on the City County.

On Sunday, at least a dozen protesters gathered outside the Anaheim police station and demanded the release of the seven protesters, including one juvenile, who remain in jail.

A vigil against the KKK was also planned for Monday evening in Anaheim.

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American Expats Reflect On Black History Month From Abroad

BuzzFeed News spoke to black Americans living in Ghana, France, and Brazil about their connection to the month-long commemoration.

The black American history of emigrating is rich and extensive. From Jamaican-born black nationalist Marcus Garvey's Back to Africa movement in the early 20th century to the trips taken by long-revered black artists and thinkers Josephine Baker and W.E.B. DuBois, these departures have typically been prompted by a desire to escape racial inequality and, in some cases, reconnect to ancestral roots.

A century later, they continue to expatriate, both to countries that have historically received Americans, like Ghana, and to others with large black native populations, such as Brazil.

BuzzFeed News spoke via email to three black Americans currently living in Accra, Ghana; Salvador da Bahia, Brazil; and Paris, France, about what prompted them to move and how they recognize Black History Month as Americans abroad. Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Image courtesy of Christa Sanders

Name: Christa Sanders

Profession: Director of an American university

Where did you grow up? Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Where do you live now, and when did you move there? I reside in Accra, and I moved here in August 2004.

Why did you move there? I moved to Ghana because of an extraordinary career opportunity to help develop a study abroad program for a prestigious American university. I had also traveled to Ghana in 1999 with my family, and felt a deep spiritual connection to the country, its people, and culture. I had always dreamt of an opportunity to return. When the opportunity finally presented itself to work in Ghana, I couldn't refuse!

Do you have any memories, positive or negative, of celebrating Black History Month in the U.S.? I have positive memories of celebrating Black history in the U.S. Most of these memories go back as far as my childhood where I can recall having to do presentations in both school and church on different figures in black history that I admired. I can recall being especially drawn to figures such as George Washington Carver, Charles Drew, Dorothy Dandridge and Martin Luther King Jr. I remember feeling great pride as a child in these figures, and in being African American.

Ben King / BuzzFeed News

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Friends Of Three Young Men Killed In Indiana Say It Wasn't A Hate Crime

A friend of the three young African immigrants who were murdered in Indiana last week told BuzzFeed News on Monday that the killings were not a hate crime and may have started during round of gambling.

The three men — Taha Omar, 23, Adam Mekki, 20, and Muhannad Tairab, 17 — were found dead on Wednesday in a house near downtown Fort Wayne. Rusty York, the city’s public safety director, told the local ABC affiliate that the three men had been killed “execution style.” He added that the murders took at what he called “a party house” that had previously come to the attention of the local police department's gang and violent crimes unit.

The victims came from Fort Wayne’s large northeast African diaspora, several people who knew them told BuzzFeed News. Some media outlets reported that the three of them were black Muslim-Americans — quoting activists who expressed concern that the murders may have been motivated by hate. The reports came at a time of heightened anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States. The Center for American Islamic Relations, a nonprofit that tracks incidents of Islamophobia, said in a statement that it was monitoring the investigation.

But interviews with the people close the victims — some of whom asked not to be named — suggest a different story than what has been reported. Two of the victims were Sunni Muslims and one of them was a Nubian Christian, all the sources said. The house where they died was a place where young people congregated to have fun — but also a refuge of sorts for people who had nowhere to go.

And, one person said, the crime may have been motivated by a dice game gone wrong. On the day of the murders, a person with knowledge of the situation told BuzzFeed News, the the three victims had gambled for money with a group of people who didn’t live in the house.

A spokesperson for the Fort Wayne Police Department declined to comment, only saying he would refer the information about the dice game to the detectives investigating the case. BuzzFeed News also reached out to York. Previously, the local authorities have said they had not found any indication that the murders were a hate crime.

Tairab lived with his step-brother, Mohamed Izadine, for three years after arriving from Sudan, Izadine told BuzzFeed News.

Izadine — who was also friend with the other two victims — added that Tairab later moved to the house where the murders took place, where Omar already lived. It was not a “party house,” Izadine said, and that the victims were “not gang members.” The house, he said, belonged to the family of another friend who was not among those killed.

Several young men with roots in east Africa lived at the house, Izadine said, all for different reasons. Tairab and his older brother lived there because their mother lives in Sudan and their father is a truck driver, which meant they had “nowhere else to go.” Omar lived there because he was “more free and more welcome” at the house than at his family’s home.

Mekki, on the other hand, lived with his girlfriend in a different apartment and “almost never” went to the house, Izadine said.

But, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because he didn't want to get in trouble with the police, he did go to the house on the day of the murders.

“Adam Mekki came to the house with some money that day — I won’t say how much," the person told BuzzFeed News, adding that a few people who didn't live in the house knew about the money. “And also he was shooting dice that day with an African-American.”

Motasim Adam, an activist who founded the Darfur People’s Association of New York, said he travelled to Indiana to pay his respects to the victims’ families. He said the families provided him with a timeline of the events that roughly matches what the person with knowledge of the situation told BuzzFeed News.

On the day of the murders, Adam said, two people who did not live in the house came to visit. Then, around 4:00 p.m., one of the residents of the house went to the barbershop. When he came back to the house, around 45 minutes later, the two people who’d come to visit were gone —and two residents of the house and a third person were dead.

“He found two of them in a bedroom and one by the door,” Adam said. “I don’t think this is a hate crime.”

Kassandra Layne, Mekki’s girlfriend, told BuzzFeed News on Monday that she was attending his funeral. She added that she did not think her boyfriend’s death had been motivated by religious or ethnic hatred.

“The [story about the murders being] a hate crime due to religion is wrong,” Layne told BuzzFeed News. “Adam was very sweet, and he was not a gang member.”

Izadine also said he didn’t think the murders had been a hate-crime.

“Their deaths had nothing to do with religion or politics,” Izadine said. “And they were not in any kind of gang at all.”

Two days after the murders, Izadine was finally able to go to the crime scene. The bodies were gone by then — but he said the mattress where one of the victims had been shot was still there, covered in blood.

Izadine took out his cellphone and recorded a short video of the scene.

“Bro, three of my brothers.” he wrote in the caption when he posted the clip to Snapchat. “Killed in cold blood.”

Finding Tairab and Mekki’s blood in the bedroom had been especially painful, Izadine said, because he’d spent so much time in that room.

“He was just so welcoming of all of us,” he said of his murdered friend. “He sat us down in his room.”

Adam Mekki

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Endangered Lemur Found In Backyard Needs To Learn How To Be A Lemur

Mike Owyang / Sacramento Zoo / Via sacramentozoo.blogspot.com

An endangered lemur that was spotted in a backyard in Northern California is in good physical health, but zoo officials say he doesn't know how to interact with his own species.

The ring-tailed lemur, a non-human primate species found only on the Island of Madagascar, was captured in December after being spotted in Turlock.

The lemur was given a clean bill of health over the weekend after undergoing medical exams and a quarantine at the Sacramento Zoo, but finding a home for it will be challenging.

From his behavior, he clearly has not lived with other lemurs — a highly social species that lives in groups of up to 30 — and is most likely a product of the illegal pet trade, the zoo's supervisor of mammals, Leslie Field, wrote in a blog post:

Most non-human primates naturally live in complex social groups and need contact from their own kind for optimal psychological health. Living alone with a human family does not make for a mentally healthy non-human primate.

Non-human primates that are hand-reared and/or kept alone in human households often demonstrate abnormal levels of aggression. These animals are very challenging to get to cohabitate with an appropriate non-human companion because they have very few non-human primate social skills.

Since lemurs are so social, zoo officials will have to find a new home where he can learn some of the skills he was never taught, zoo spokesman Tonja Candelaria told the Sacramento Bee.

"He doesn’t understand normal lemur social skills,” Candelaria said. "We must find a place that knows how to help him learn those skills so that he can live with a troop of other lemurs."

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TIME Photographer Thrown To Ground At Donald Trump Rally

Witnesses said a security agent “choke slammed” the photojournalist after he stepped out of the press pen during Trump’s rally in Virginia.

Gabby Morrongiello, a reporter for the Washington Examiner, told BuzzFeed News:

"I believe he was trying to exit the press pen to get a closer shot of a group of students who were protesting Trump. Yes, he was choke slammed and that's what landed him on the ground.

He was a credentialed member of the media, although Trump's staff is adamant about keeping reporters in the press pen until after the rally has concluded. I believe that is why he was handled like that."

It is unclear if the man was part of Trump's personal security or a Secret Service agent.

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A 17-Year-Old Suffered Horrifying Burns After He Says A Vape Pen Exploded In His Pocket

Marcus Forzani will require multiple surgeries after suffering second- and third-degree burns on most of his left leg. WARNING: Some images may be distressing to readers.

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KDVR

Marcus Forzani, a high school senior from Colorado, was in class when the battery on his vapor device apparently exploded, he told KDVR.

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Surge Pricing Just Started At Disneyland And Disney World

The company announced “seasonal pricing” for one-day tickets as attendance has steadily increased over the past several years.

Jae C. Hong / AP

With attendance up at Disney theme parks, the company is turning to a form of surge pricing.

Tickets for Disneyland and Walt Disney World starting Sunday vary in price depending on the day they are used. The company is using a three-tier pricing scheme with "value tickets" — generally for dates during the week outside of summer months and holidays — costing $95 for anyone age 10 and up, "regular tickets" starting at $105, and "peak tickets" starting at $119.

The company described it as seasonal pricing, aimed at spreading out visitors.

"It's an approach that you are probably familiar with from many other areas, including sports, entertainment and travel," Disney's Thomas Smith wrote on the official Disney Parks blog.

Disney Parks / Via disneyparks.disney.go.com

Since February 2015, a one-day ticket to Disneyland had cost $99. That was an increase from the previous price of $96.

Attendance has been up at Disney parks in recent years with the debut of new attractions tied to Star Wars and Frozen. In 2014, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom saw 19.3 million visitors and 16.8 million visited Disneyland, the Orange County Register reported. Though 2015 theme park attendance rankings have not yet been compiled, crowds have continued to be large. At Disneyland's 60th anniversary in May, the park closed its gates in the early afternoon because it had reached capacity.

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Police Shooting Of Teen "Armed With Broomstick" Causes Protests In Salt Lake City

Angry crowds gathered following the shooting, chanting, “They shot an innocent kid.”

Protests erupted in Salt Lake City, Utah, after a 17-year-old Kenyan-American said to be wielding a broomstick was shot and injured by police on Saturday.

UAPB / Via Facebook: utahagainstpolicybrutality

Police were responding to a fight that had broken out between Mohamed and another man in the Rio Grande district of the Utah capital, witnesses told Fox13, when they reportedly shot Mohamed multiple times.

Mohamed's family released his name on Sunday morning and said the teenager was now in a coma in a local hospital.

Selam Mohammed, who was with Mohamed at the time of the shooting, told Fox13, the 17-year-old picked up a broken broomstick off the ground just before the police arrived.

"The police said, 'Drop it', once, then they shot him four times," Selam Mohammed said.

Mohammed said he and friends were trying to break up a fight before the police arrived.

"But the police ran in on foot and pulled their guns out already," Mohammed said. "They already had them, like, as soon as he was running he was already grabbing for his gun, not even trying to tase him or anything."

Police confirmed that two officers were involved in "an altercation," but would not comment further. Salt Lake City Police did not immediately respond to BuzzFeed News' request for comment.

Angry protests quickly erupted in response to the shooting, with nearly 100 police officers on the scene, some in riot gear.

According to reporters on the scene, groups congregated in the street hurling objects at police officers and chanting, "They shot an innocent kid."

Officers could be heard on the online archive service Broadcastify, which broadcasts police and EMS radio activity, calling for "a bunch of units" to rush "quickly" to the scene of the protests for backup.

An officer could be heard warning others that "they are throwing bigger rocks." He later requested more units and said, "There is glass and other items being thrown."

In a statement released on Sunday regarding the shooting, Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupsk said, "The use of force by law enforcement against the public can tear at the delicate balance of trust between both sides, and must be taken extremely seriously."

She said the shooting and ensuing protests "create a number of unanswered questions in the short term," but added that she had "complete confidence" in the Unified Police Department to lead the investigation and make an "ultimate decision" regarding the incident.

According to Biskupsk, this was the third "significant use of force incident" in the Salt Lake City police department in the past month. The mayor said it was an issue she and the police chief were reviewing and discussing.

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A Woman Allegedly Stole Cash From The Little Girl Whose Christmas Wish For Cards Went Viral

Kim Bradford reportedly volunteered to help send responses to Safyre Terry’s cards after the child received millions of them.

Rotterdam Police Department

Facebook: Schenectadyssupersurvivor

Safyre, 8, lost her father, sister, and two brothers in an arson fire in 2013.

Facebook: Schenectadyssupersurvivor

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Melissa Harris-Perry Parts Ways With MSNBC After Public Spat

Heidi Gutman/MSNBC

Melissa Harris-Perry is officially out at MSNBC, the network and television host confirmed Sunday.

The announcement comes two days after Harris-Perry refused to host her weekend program, saying she felt "worthless" to the MSNBC executives.

The same day, Harris-Perry asked a former MSNBC producer to publicly release an email she sent to her staff, expressing frustration with the recent "change in editorial tone and racial composition" of MSNBC.

"I will not be used as a tool for their purposes," Harris-Perry wrote. "I am not a token, mammy, or little brown bobble head. I am not owned by [MSNBC Chairman Andy] Lack, [President Phil] Griffin, or MSNBC."

Harris-Perry said that over the past few weeks she has felt "silenced" by MSNBC and treated with "insulting absurdity," having been replaced two weeks in a row with a campaign coverage program called Place for Politics.

"No one on the third floor has even returned an email, called me, or initiated or responded to any communication of any kind from me for nearly a month," Harris-Perry wrote in the email.

In a statement responding to Harris-Perry's email, MSNBC said that her show was not the only one to be replaced, adding that the network found her reaction "surprising, confusing, and disappointing."

Harris-Perry wrote that the "pre-emption," or replacement, was an attempt to sideline her show without officially canceling it.

After days of media reports, an MSNBC spokesperson confirmed on Sunday morning that Harris-Perry and the network were "parting ways."

Harris-Perry also tweeted a farewell to her show, nicknamed "Nerdland."

The announcement of Harris-Perry's departure was followed by an outpouring of support for the host on social media.

The hashtag #MSNBCSoWhite began trending, and many Twitter users reprimanded the network for what they interpreted as the attempt to "drown out diverse voices."

Harris-Perry told CNN that she and MSNBC were working on an exit deal through "third parties".

Her contract with MSNBC expires in October. She also works as a professor at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

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High School Students Accused Of Racist Chants With Trump Sign At A Basketball Game

The students were allegedly repeating Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric against Latinos while holding a fathead of the billionaire.

Students at a private Catholic high school in Indiana are under fire after allegedly shouting racist rhetoric while holding a Trump fathead at a basketball game.

Ashley Howard / Via facebook.com

The two teams played to a packed stadium in their "most intense game" of the year, Bishop Noll senior Roman Penn told newspaper The Times of Northwest Indiana.

The students dress up for the game, known as the "Catholic Cup," and Bishop Noll's students were dressed in costumes, including John Wayne and Santa, the newspaper reported.

Bishop Noll has a largely Latino student body, according to ABC Chicago.

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Live Updates: Super Tuesday Is Coming And All Eyes Are On Trump

Follow this post for running updates from the BuzzFeed News team, who are traveling with candidates around the country.

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Three Florida Middle Schoolers Arrested For Allegedly Poisoning Their Teacher's Soda

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Three 12-year-old girls in Florida were arrested Friday for allegedly poisoning their middle school teacher by lacing her soda with red pepper.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook that the three Deltona Middle School students will be charged with felonies and taken to juvenile detention over the alleged poisoning on Tuesday.

Officials said the plan was hatched after the teacher, 52-year-old Jayne Morgan, sent a student to the principal's office on Monday for dumping glue onto another student's bag and over the alleged theft of a laptop.

"It should be noted, this act was done in retaliation for the teacher upholding her duties and responsibilities as a teacher, maintaining control of her classroom and attempting to protect the other children from [one of the girl's] unacceptable behavior," investigators wrote in their affidavit, according to the Sheriff's office.

On Tuesday, the girl allegedly brought some "crushed red pepper" from home and then enlisted two friends to help her seek revenge.

During second period, officials said one of the girls distracted the teacher while the student sent to the principal and her other friend took the teacher's open can of soda and poured in the flakes.

"When Morgan took a drink of the tampered soda on Tuesday, her throat immediately became hot and scratchy and she started to choke and experience shortness of breath," the Sheriff's office said. "After taking a second sip, the teacher poured the rest of the soda into a clear plastic cup and noticed the flecks of red pepper."

The teacher continued to suffer from a "sore, scratchy throat and stomach pains" into the evening, officials said.

After officials began investigating the incident on Thursday, the girls were arrested the following day.

The two girls who allegedly dumped the pepper in the can are facing charges of "poisoning food or water and tampering with consumer products," while the other will be charged with "tampering with consumer products and being a principal to poisoning food or water."

In a statement to NBC, Morgan said she didn't intend for her students to be arrested.

"I want them to have a consequence that teaches them a lesson. I did not want them to be arrested and go to jail," she said. "I love my students. They broke my heart. My career won't be the same."

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Somebody Shot And Killed Salma Hayek’s Dog

The dog was found dead on the actor’s ranch in Washington on Feb. 19.

Anthony Harvey / Getty Images

Salma Hayek announced on Instagram on Friday that her dog Mozart had been shot and killed on her ranch in Washington state earlier this month.

The actress said she'd been in mourning, and delayed the announcement of Mozart's Feb. 19 death.

"I haven't posted for a week as I been mourning the death of my dog, Mozart who I personally delivered out of his mother's womb," the actress wrote in a caption to a photo of Mozart.

instagram.com

"He was found dead in my ranch last Friday with a shot close to his heart," she said, adding that the 9-year-old dog had "never bit or attacked anyone."

A sergeant with the Thurston County Sheriff's office in Washington told BuzzFeed News that the investigation was ongoing, and very limited information would likely be released about the incident to the public.

"He was the most loving and loyal companion," Hayek wrote. "He didn't deserve a slow and painful death.

BuzzFeed News has reached out to Hayek's publicist for more information.

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#NeverTrump Trends Worldwide As Conservatives Revolt Against Trump

Hours after the Republican frontrunner scored a major endorsement from Chris Christie, thousands of people took to Twitter to say they would never vote for Donald Trump.

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Kesha's Legal Fight With Dr. Luke Has Been Brewing For A Decade

Mary Altaffer / AP

When a judge in New York denied Kesha’s request to exit her contract with producer Dr. Luke, who she claims abused her emotionally and sexually for years, the decision immediately become another flashpoint in the "Tik Tok" singer’s years-long legal battle.

The legal drama between Kesha Sebert and Dr. Luke, aka Lukasz Gottwald, stretches back to 2010, with a prehistory that goes back years before. In that time, there has been a series of lawsuits filed on behalf of multiple parties, not just Kesha, creating a whirlwind of accusations involving rape and abuse, defamation, and breach of contract.

Here's a look back at how it all unfolded...

2005

Kesha claims Dr. Luke convinced her to drop out of high school in Nashville, Tennessee, and move to L.A., where, shortly after she turned 18, she signed with his record label. Dr. Luke says he discovered her while listening to her demo tape, “recognized her potential,” and called her in Nashville.

Jason Kempin / Getty Images

SEPTEMBER 2005

Dr. Luke claims he signed Kesha on Sept. 26 to an exclusive recording agreement, with the option to extend to five albums. Under the deal, he would provide production services for at least six recordings on each album and receive a percentage of the sales from each of them.

It wasn't long, however, before their relationship deteriorated, and by late 2005, Dr. Luke says, Kesha tried to get out of her contract. According to his court filings, Dr. Luke was told that if he did not agree to let Kesha go, “false allegations of abuse" would be "held over his head and made public."

JANUARY 2006

The next year, Kesha signed a five-year personal management contract with DAS Communications, with an option to terminate if she didn’t get a recording deal within a year.

NOV. 26, 2008

More than two years later, Dr. Luke claims Kesha had become deeply frustrated by her stalled career since no other record company could or would sign her. So, according to Dr. Luke, she reaffirmed their agreement as valid and binding and signed with his Prescription Songs label.

Getty

JANUARY 2010

Two years later, Kesha released her first album, Animal, and, with it, three top singles and a worldwide tour.

MAY 26, 2010

As Kesha experienced newfound success, DAS Communications filed a $50 million lawsuit against her and Dr. Luke in New York, claiming breach of contract.

Referring to the 2006 agreement, DAS claims it had “expended money and considerable time and effort” to advance Kesha’s career, and even lined up a record deal with Warner Bros.

However, Billboard reported that the deal fell apart “at the 11th hour” because there were too many questions regarding the Dr. Luke contracts, prompting Kesha to reunite with the producer.

DAS claims the deal fell apart because Dr. Luke reappeared in Kesha’s life and “induced, intimidated, and convinced” the singer to abandon the Warner Bros. deal and cut ties with DAS.

JUNE 2011

On June 16, Kesha was deposed for the DAS lawsuit.

The following are excerpts from a portion of the transcript that will almost certainly be used to challenge her current lawsuit against Dr. Luke:

— Kesha testified that “Dr. Luke never gave me coke.”

— When asked if Dr. Luke ever gave her any other drugs, Kesha asked, “What kind of drugs?”

The attorney clarified, asking, “[A]ny of drugs which could not be purchased at a pharmacy,” to which she replied, “I don’t know.”

— Then the DAS attorney asked about an email exchange between Dr. Luke and a man named Jared Scharff, dated July 9, 2008.

“I'm going to ask you in particular to look at the second page, the email, which Jared Scharff wrote — excuse me, the third page — where Jared Scharff wrote on July 7, 2008 at 11 p.m., just read that,” the DAS attorney said.

The attorney then asked Kesha a series of questions:

Question: Do you know what a roofie is?
Kesha: Yes.
Q: What is that?
K: It's a drug.
Q: Which does what?
K: It's like a date rape drug.
She then went on to say that she didn't know Scharff, recalling only "this interaction."
Q: Did Dr. Luke ever give you a roofie?
K: No.
Q: Did you ever tell your mother that you woke up in a hotel room in Gottwald's bed and you don't recall what happened that night?
K: I don't remember.
Later, the DAS legal team asked Kesha if she ever had an intimate relationship with Gottwald, to which she said “no.”
Q: You don’t know if he does drugs?
K: I don’t know if he does drugs.
Q: If someone testified that you were making out with Gottwald on a cross-country trip with Gottwald on a plane, would that be a lie, on a plane?
K: No.
Q: Did you ever sleep with Gottwald in the same bed?
K: Yes.
Q: And you didn’t have an intimate relationship while you were sleeping with him in the same bed?
K: No.
Q: Did your mother complain about Dr. Luke having made sexual advances to you?
K: I don’t know...I don’t know what my mother told to David [Sonenberg, president of DAS Communications]. I know that I’ve — Dr. Luke never made sexual advance at me, so...

The testimony is in direct conflict with the allegations that are currently pending in court in New York and California.

However, Kesha’s attorney, Mark Geragos, claims his client gave the testimony under threat from Dr. Luke that should she reveal what really happened, he would ruin her, her family, and her career.

Dr. Luke's team, on the other hand, contend that the allegations of sex abuse were concocted as a way to extort him into releasing her from the contract.

Carlos Alvarez / Getty Images

OCTOBER 2013

According to filings in the New York lawsuit, Kesha’s mother, Pebe Sebert, sent an email on Oct. 29 to Dr. Luke’s attorney with the following message:

Tomorrow I am going to start making public how Dr. Luke blackmailed me into giving him and Circuit publishing credit on all songs I wrote….Luke date raped Kesha when she was 18. Nicky Hilton’s birthday? Paris Hilton’s house? Luke gave Kesha pills? She ended up naked in his hotel room 2 days later, no longer a virgin? Do we want all this to come out?

[E]ither ... Luke releases Kesha from all legal contracts, and gives me back all my publishing, or we, Kesha and I tell the truth…

The next day, Dr. Luke's attorneys say, Pebe sent another email: “ps I am sending all of this to the blogger who has started the whole 'Free Kesha' thing, sorry about the trail of truth you fucking criminals!”

DEC. 30–31, 2013

A few months later, Dr. Luke's attorneys allege that Pebe made good on her promise and sent an email with the message “Dr. Luke abused Kesha, both physically and mentally” to a group of people, including Mike Eisele, one of the bloggers who helped fuel the #FreeKesha campaign.

JANUARY 2014

The following month, Kesha checked herself into Timberline Knolls, a rehab facility, where she says she was treated for severe depression, post-traumatic stress, social isolation, and panic attacks.

While in rehab, Kesha wrote letters to fans in which she described the alleged abuse.

“Yes, Dr. Luke has tortured me + my family...he did do what people know about + so much more terrible shit ... Someone I work with has literally driven me into this disease, tortured me, and fucked with me and my family…” she wrote.

OCTOBER 2014

Then, on Oct. 14, Kesha filed her bombshell lawsuit, claiming sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, civil harassment, unfair business practices, and infliction of emotional distress.

In court filings, Kesha claims she was 18 when Dr. Luke induced her to drop out of high school, leave her family behind, and move to Los Angeles to pursue a music career.

According to the lawsuit: “For the past ten years, Dr. Luke has sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused Ms. Sebert to the point where Ms. Sebert nearly lost her life. Dr. Luke abused Ms. Sebert in order to destroy her self-confidence, self-image, and self worth so that he could maintain complete control over her life and career.”

Describing her time with Dr. Luke as a “prison of his abuse,” Kesha alleges that the producer used “suffocating control” to trap her in long-term contracts that were “one-sided, extortive, and devastating to her health, sanity, and career.”

She also claims that Dr. Luke forced her to take drugs and alcohol in order to take advantage of her sexually:

Dr. Luke at left.

Michael Kovac / Getty Images

OCTOBER 2014

On the same day Kesha filed her lawsuit in California, Dr. Luke filed one of his own in New York against the singer, her mother, and Vector Management, claiming breach of contract and defamation.

Dr. Luke claims Kesha tried to break their agreement in signing with Vector Management in 2013, citing, in part, an email that month from her mother, Pebe Sebert, who alleged that the music producer abused her daughter.

According to the lawsuit, Pebe threatened to “further disseminate accusations of this type unless Gottwald makes substantial concessions and lets Kesha out of the Gottwald recording agreement.”

Pebe has made clear “that extortion is the ultimate goal of this defamatory campaign,” the lawsuit adds.

DEC. 8, 2014

On Dec. 8, Dr. Luke also sued Geragos, Kesha’s attorney, for defamation, citing his response on social media to an interview Lady Gaga gave on The Howard Stern Show.

Getty

During the interview, Lady Gaga implied that she was sexually assaulted when she was 19 by someone 20 years older than her, after which Geragos tweeted, “Guess who rapist is?” When someone replied, “Lukasz,” Geragos replied “#bingo.”

Dr. Luke said he had never even met Lady Gaga at the “relevant time,” and the details relayed by the pop star in the interview did not match him.

The lawsuit also notes that Lady Gaga denied through her reps that she was talking about Dr. Luke.

The case remains ongoing.

JUNE 2015

Kesha’s lawsuit in California was put on hold pending the outcome of the New York case regarding the contractual dispute.

JULY 2015

Kesha filed a counterclaim to Dr. Luke’s New York lawsuit, citing his alleged history of abuse against her, while also demanding that their contract be terminated.

Annie Gallo

SEPTEMBER 2015

On Sept. 18, Kesha filed a motion for her request for a preliminary injunction, arguing that her career will be irreparably harmed if she isn't allowed to break from Dr. Luke.

Kesha claimed in other legal filings that she could not work with Dr. Luke out of fear for her safety, citing “heinous acts of abuse” against her.

Dr. Luke’s legal team, however, countered that Kesha’s claims “are nothing more than smoke and mirrors” and part of a concerted effort to destroy the producer’s reputation and force him to capitulate to the singer’s demands. His attorneys also argued that Kesha has yet to provide any definitive facts regarding her allegations, including dates and locations where the alleged abuse occurred.

Kesha in 2014.

Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

FEBRUARY 2016

Kesha’s legal case suffered a blow on Feb. 19 when a judge sided with Dr. Luke and Sony on the matter related to her contract, citing, in part, a lack of evidence to back up her sex abuse claims.

“I’ve read feet, feet of papers,” Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Shirley Kornreich told Kesha's legal team in court. “There is not one piece of paper from a doctor saying this .... Even though you claim [Kesha] has all kinds of physical problems, trauma — nothing, under seal or otherwise. There are no hospital records. There is nothing here.”

The judge also noted that Sony had pledged to allow her to work with other producers.

Even so, Kesha’s attorney claims Sony won’t do enough to promote her work.

MAY 2016

The next hearing in the New York case is scheduled for May 5, with the judge asking Kesha's attorneys to file specific documentation to back up their claims of an abusive 10-year “course of conduct.”

The next hearing for the California case is scheduled for May 16.

Mark Geragos

Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

Paul A. Hebert / Getty Images

Kesha in New York City in 2015.

Chelsea Lauren / Getty Images

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Kesha Faces An Uphill Legal Battle With Dr. Luke, Experts Say

Kesha cries as she learns she will not be released from her record label contract.

New York Daily News Archive / Getty Images

When a judge in New York denied Kesha’s request to get out of her five-album contract with the producer she accuses of abusing and raping her, outrage from peers and supporters was swift. After all, how could a judge force someone to work with their alleged abuser?

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Shirley Kornreich’s ruling was a blow to Kesha’s long and involved legal battle to break from Lukasz Gottwald, aka Dr. Luke, and Sony Music just two albums into her contract. In her ruling, the judge cited a lack of even basic evidence to back Kesha’s claims of sexual assault or abuse. She also pointed to Sony’s assurances that Kesha would be allowed to record with other producers and rejected the notion that the pop star wouldn’t be promoted at the label.

Dr. Luke.

Matt Sayles / AP

“They’re in a business,” Kornreich said of Sony Music. “They’re there to make money.”

For now, Kesha remains locked in her contract with Dr. Luke until she records three more albums. And because there is no time limit in New York for a personal services contract, the 28-year-old could potentially be bound by the exclusive contract for life.

Legal and industry experts spoke with BuzzFeed News about what the challenges the Tik Tok singer faces in the months ahead as two separate cases — one filed by Kesha, the other by Dr. Luke — trudge on in New York and California.

In the end, they say, iron-clad industry standard contracts, contradictory testimony, and more business friendly New York laws could prove insurmountable.

Did Kesha have any bargaining power as an unknown artist?

Kesha was barely 18 and living in Nashville when Dr. Luke contacted her after listening to a demo she made. As an unknown, she was offered the holy grail for aspiring singers — a record deal.

Not every signed artist becomes famous. In fact, most don’t. While Kesha’s exclusive five-album recording deal seems oppressive, it is considered standard practice in the recording industry. An unknown like Kesha most likely received only a small advance, which the label would need to recoup with proceeds from the first album.

Larry Iser, managing partner for Kinsella, Weitzman, Iser Kump & Aldisert, has represented Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Jackson Browne, and Crosby, Stills & Nash in his over 30 years as a music litigator and said it’s rare for the first album to be a financial boon for the artist.

“You are putting your talent in, but it is the record company that is putting all their money in.

“Most new artists, post Napster, do not make money for the record company,” he said.

Smart music executives will ensure that the initial agreement is contractually sound by having new talent consult with outside attorneys and receive appropriate compensation so the contract will hold up later in a dispute, Iser said. In fact, Kornreich noted that Kesha’s contract “was heavily bargained for” in rejecting her request for an injunction.

According to courtroom testimony, Dr. Luke’s label and its parent, Sony Music, have already laid out $11 million to promote and manage Kesha’s music career.

“Remember it is a bargain. If you want to sing with a major record label, and it is certainly the aspiration of so many artists, the record company will get a large share of the proceeds,” Iser said. “You are putting your talent in, but it is the record company that is putting all their money in. It’s a business. If they can’t recoup their expenses and make a profit, then they go out of business.”

Kesha at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.

Christopher Polk / Getty Images

Can Kesha get out of the contract or renegotiate her terms?

The power pendulum shifts when artists like Kesha become successful. And it’s at that point when many artists — think Prince and George Michael — have tried to get out of their initial contracts.

Some recording companies concede and offer to hand over a larger share of the proceeds in exchange for more albums. But record companies have little incentive to release a famous artist who, as in the case of Kesha, they have already spent millions on.

Judges are also reluctant to muddle with the sanctity of business legal agreements. In Kesha’s case, Kornreich said granting the injunction would “undercut a whole system of contract, our commercial system.”

What effect does Kesha’s abuse allegations against Dr. Luke have on her contract dispute?

Judges need to find a very compelling reason to release someone from what looks to be a heavily negotiated contract, said William Hochberg, a partner at Greenberg Glusker with more than 25 years experience as a music and media attorney.

Kesha’s attorneys have claimed an abusive 10-year “course of conduct” by Dr. Luke, but have so far only provided details on two alleged incidents — one in a hotel room in 2005 and the other one an airplane in 2008. With both those torts well past the one-year statute of limitations in New York for civil action, Korneich asked the attorneys to re-file specific documentation to back up their claims of a pattern of abuse.

“The big question right now is, what is the evidence?”

“I’ve read feet, feet of papers,” Kornreich told Geragos in her Manhattan courtroom. “There is not one piece of paper from a doctor saying this. But that’s besides the point. Even though you claim [Kesha] has all kinds of physical problems, trauma — nothing, under seal or otherwise. There are no hospital records. There is nothing here.”

If Kesha can present specific evidence of abuse it could give her leverage in the contract dispute, and the court could legally modify the terms of the agreement, legal experts said.

“If there is really substantial evidence of somebody’s abuse, and somebody knowing of the abuse and not doing anything about it,” then both sides can start addressing the allegations in court and the judge can make a decision, said Daniel Stone, an attorney with extensive experience in music litigation.

Proving wrongful conduct allegedly committed in private is difficult, but attorneys often rely on call logs, text messages, emails, and social media accounts to build timelines. So far, however, Kesha’s team hasn’t put forth that evidence in court.

“The big question right now is, what is the evidence?” Stone said.

Kesha, center, leaves court in New York on Feb. 19.

Mary Altaffer / AP

The challenge of overcoming her contradictory videotaped deposition

In defending herself in a 2011 lawsuit filed by another management agency, Kesha stated under oath that she had never had an intimate relationship with Dr. Luke, nor had he ever given her illicit drugs or made sexual advances — testimony that is completely contradictory to what she is claiming now.

“It’s pretty damaging,” said intellectual property attorney Richard Busch, who successfully represented the Marvin Gaye family in the Blurred Lines copyright trial.

“It’s not fatal to her case, but it hurts her credibility..."

Geragos said his client was pressured to make those statements under oath to protect Dr. Luke and their relationship, saying in a statement that the producer had “threatened to destroy Kesha’s life and the lives of her family” if she didn’t go along.

“Luke is now following through on his threats,” Geragos said.

But that’s an accusation that would have to be proven in court to have much of an effect on the outcome of Kesha’s current legal case.

John Shearer / AP

“Ultimately, it would be a fact question and up to the jury as to whether to believe her,” Busch said. “She would have to get up on the stand and say she was under duress at that time. The jury would have to consider and make its call.”

Hochberg agreed.

“It’s very harmful to her case,” Hochberg said of Kesha’s prior deposition. “It’s not fatal to her case, but it hurts her credibility, which is the most important thing that anybody has when they are going into court. She has a serious problem there and it is pretty brazen of her and her attorneys to have that and to still proceed with this case to take a position that is contrary to a position she took before.”

He acknowledged that Kesha may have indeed been under “terrible pressure” to say certain things, but the 2011 deposition “is a major, major problem for her either way.”

Kesha fans demonstrate outside Sony headquarters in New York.

Mary Altaffer / AP

Can #FreeKesha and the court of public opinion sway the outcome?

Adele, Demi Lovato, and Lady Gaga are just some of the artists who have come forward pledging their support for Kesha. Taylor Swift even donated $250,000 of her own money. On Friday, a crowd of #FreeKesha supporters protested outside Sony headquarters holding signs “We Stand with Kesha.”

The outpouring of support has been welcomed by Kesha — who posted a song of thanks — and her mother, but it won’t likely affect the decision of a judge or jury. It could, however, push a company like Sony to consider what is in their best business interest.

“You have the courtroom and you have the press and no one should underestimate the power of the press to influence litigants,” Hochberg said. “At some point, Sony is going to consider what is the downside here.

Mary Altaffer / AP

“Even though they might have a very strong case here, with the possibility of even perjury, they may not want to go there because of the adverse effect of people like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and others coming out and supporting Kesha.”

For now, it doesn’t appear that Sony is willing to budge, telling the New York Times through an attorney this week that Kesha will be able to record without “any connection, involvement or interaction with Luke whatsoever,” but the company is “not in a position” to terminate the contract.

“Sony is doing everything it can to support the artist in these circumstances, but is legally unable to terminate the contract to which it is not a party,” the attorney, Scott A. Edelman, said.

LINK: Kesha’s Plea To Get Out Of Her Contract With Dr. Luke Is Denied By Judge

LINK: Dr. Luke: “I Didn’t Rape Kesha And I Have Never Had Sex With Her”

LINK: Here Are The Celebrities Who Have Come Out In Support Of Kesha

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Woman Charged With Illegally Transferring Guns To Kansas Shooter

Orlin Wagner / AP

Federal prosecutors on Friday charged a woman with illegally transferring guns to the Hesston, Kansas, shooter who killed three people and wounded 14 others.

Sarah T. Hopkins, 28, of Newton, Kansas, faces one count of knowingly transferring a firearm to a convicted felon, Cedric Ford, who was killed in a shootout with police after opening fire at Excel Industries, the lawn care company where he worked.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas said Hopkins provided Cedric with a Zastava Serbia, an AK-47 type semi-automatic rifle, and a Glock 22 40-caliber handgun. Cedric had the guns on him when he was fatally shot, officials said.

Ford holds one the weapons in this Facebook photo, which has since been taken down.

Facebook

Ford had a criminal history in Florida prior to moving to Kansas. In 1996, he was convicted of illegally carrying a concealed firearm. The following year, he faced charges on prowling and possession of burglary tools.

In 2000, Ford was found guilty of burglary, grand theft, and fleeing police. Five year later, he was charged with battery, although prosecutors later dropped the case.

If convicted, Hopkins faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

LINK: Four People Killed, Including Gunman, 14 Others Injured In Kansas Shooting Rampage

LINK: Here Is What We Know About The Kansas Shooter

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Man Shoots Entire Family, Kills Self After Standoff

A man in Mason County, Washington, reportedly called police Friday to say he had shot four people. He later took his own life after a standoff with authorities.

Mason County Sheriff / Via Twitter: @MasonCoSheriff

Police in Mason County, Washington, got a call Friday morning from a man saying he had killed four people. Then, after an hours-long standoff, the man is dead and police have five bodies.

The incident began with a call to police in which the man said he had shot two children, a woman, and one other person, the Seattle Times reported. Law enforcement then surrounded a home in Belfair, Washington, about an hour and a half from Seattle.

A standoff — which involved both SWAT officers and negotiators — ensued, the Mason County Sheriff announced. Images from the scene show heavily armed officers staging in a wooded area.

Negotiations lasted about three hours, KING5 reported.

The Mason County Sheriff later announced that the suspect shot himself, and that there were four victims.

The suspect "came outside the house home and shot himself" Mason County Sheriff Casey Salisbury told reporters.

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Attending Trump University Was Like "An Infomercial," Former Student Says In Lawsuit

Republican candidate Marco Rubio on Thursday referenced the allegations against the “fake university,” claiming that Trump “lied to the students.”

Thos Robinson / Getty Images

When Tala Makaeff was first introduced to Trump University in 2008, the California resident was skeptical of spending $35,000 for a program that promised to train, educate, and mentor entrepreneurs on achieving financial independence through real estate investing.

Tiffany Brinkman, a speaker at Trump University, persuaded Makaeff to sign up by guaranteeing her first real estate deal would be big enough to pay off her school debt, according to a lawsuit Makaeff filed in California in 2010.

Makaeff, from Corona Del Mar, was also promised a three-day "Field Mentorship" excursion with real estate experts. The outing was one of the biggest selling points of the program.

Instead, Makaeff said she spent two days looking at real estate properties — which she said she could have done with a realtor for no cost — and half a day at a local Home Depot.

Makaeff filed a class action lawsuit against Trump University, alleging the-profit college lured students in with the Trump name, his reputation as a real estate mogul, his wealth, and the popularity of his reality show, The Apprentice. (All statements in this article are from Makaeff or two other lawsuits.)

"In fact, rather than serving its students as a university or college, Trump University is more like an infomercial, selling non-accredited products, such as sales workshops, luring customers in with the name and reputation of its founder and Chairman, billionaire land mogul Donald J. Trump," the lawsuit reads.

Earlier this week, Makaeff filed a motion to be removed as a plaintiff citing stress, heath problems, and family loss, according to the San Diego Union Tribune.

The plaintiffs's and Trump's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. BuzzFeed News also reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

Marco Rubio and Donald Trump

Pool / Getty Images

Legal proceedings against Trump University were thrust back in to the spotlight during Thursday's Republican debate. Marco Rubio referenced fraud allegations against the "fake university," claiming that Trump "lied to the students."

"There are people that borrowed $36,000 to go to Trump University, and they're suing him now," Rubio said. "And you know what they got? They got to take a picture with a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump."

According to the lawsuit, Trump University, which was founded in 2004, advertised on Facebook, online, and on the radio that students would "learn form the master – Donald Trump."

Makaeff alleged she ultimately spent close to $60,000 on Trump University programs and seminars, because, as she said the program advertised, "there's no shortcut to success."

Citing Trump University students from across the country – including ones from Michigan, Florida, and Georgia – the lawsuit claims that each seminar's goal was to upsell students to the next, more costly session.

The program had a 100% satisfaction guarantee, according to the lawsuit. But when disappointed students asked for a refund, they claim they never received their money back.

Trump University has been accused of fraudulent activity in at least two other lawsuits, filed by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and a separate class action lawsuit filed by Art Cohen still pending in California.

Four months after the Better Business Bureau gave Trump University a D-minus rating, in 2010, New York State Department of Education sent Trump a letter claiming the use of the word "university" is misleading, according to the lawsuit. The name was changed to Trump Entrepreneur Initiative.

In 2013, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a lawsuit claiming Trump University ran a "bait and switch" scheme, stating that advertisements for the program were "replete with false claims."

"More than 5,000 people across the country who paid Donald Trump $40 million to teach them his hard sell tactics got a hard lesson in bait-and-switch," Schneiderman said in a statement at the time. "Mr. Trump used his celebrity status and personally appeared in commercials making false promises to convince people to spend tens of thousands of dollars they couldn't afford for lessons they never got. No one, no matter how rich or popular they are, has a right to scam hard working New Yorkers. Anyone who does should expect to be held accountable."

Most of the allegations from Schneiderman's lawsuit are still pending in State Supreme Court, his spokesperson, Matt Mittenhal, told BuzzFeed News.

"We will continue to pursue our claims against Mr. Trump in court on behalf of the people he defrauded," Mittenthal said.

No trial date has been set in Makaeff's case, but the final pretrial conference is scheduled for May 6, court records show. And as Yahoo first reported, Trump is named on the witness list, which means he could possibly testify.

It us unclear when the trial would begin. But if it starts in May, it could overlap with GOP primary elections in Nebraska, West Virginia, Oregon and Washington State.

The witness list from both sides lists 72 people, and Trump's lawyer identified 965 trial exhibits he plans on using in the trial including PowerPoint presentations, emails, letters, and course curriculums.

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Ex-Police Chief Pleads Guilty To Assaulting Sex Toy Thief

The former police chief for Suffolk County, New York, pleaded guilty Friday to beating and threatening to kill a man who broke into his SUV and stole a bag of personal belongings, including sex toys.

James Burke, 51, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice and violating the suspect's civil rights in New York federal court. A sentencing hearing was not immediately scheduled, but Burke had faced 20 years in prison if convicted at trial.

“The defendant violated his oath and responsibilities as a law enforcement officer by exacting personal vengeance, assaulting a handcuffed suspect, and abusing his authority as the highest ranking uniformed member of the Suffolk County Police Department,” Robert Capers, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

In 2012, Christopher Loeb allegedly broke into Burke’s department-issued SUV and stole a gun belt, magazines of ammunition, a box of cigars, humidor, and a canvas bag that contained, among other items, sex toys and porn, according to court records.

Loeb was subsequently arrested at his mother’s home and taken to a local precinct for processing. In a letter arguing against bail for Burke, prosecutors said the former police chief walked into the interrogation room where Loeb was handcuffed and hit him, including punches to his head and body.

Loeb, who eventually pleaded guilty to a weapons charge, called Burke “a pervert,” mistakenly believing the porn he found had a minor on the cover. Prosecutors said that caused Burke to go out of control, screaming and assaulting Loeb until a detective said, “Boss that’s enough, that’s enough.”

Burke also threatened to kill Loeb with a “hot shot,” a fatally strong dose of heroin or one mixed with chemicals or poison.

Prosecutors said Burke and others in the department pressured the detectives who witnessed the assault to cover up the incident, despite investigations by the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Loeb, who was sentenced to three years in prison and released last summer, has filed a lawsuit against Burke and the police department.

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Meet The "Heroic" Police Chief Who Took Down The Kansas Shooter

Doug Schroeder and wife.

Facebook

Doug Schroeder, the chief of the Hesston Police Department, personally responded to Thursday's mass shooting at the Excel plant and fired the shot that took down the gunman, a department spokesperson confirmed to BuzzFeed News.

Cedric Ford

Handout, Miami Dade County Police

Before Schroeder took him down, the shooter, identified by authorities as Cedric Ford, killed three people and injured 14 . Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said there was no indication that Ford was going to stop shooting.

"Th only reason he stopped was because the officer shot him," Walton said, without naming Schroeder. "Even though the officer took fire, he went inside and saved multiple lives. He's a hero as far as I'm concerned."

Neither chief Schroeder nor several members of his family immediately returned requests for an interview. The Hesston Mayor's office told BuzzFeed News it could not confirm the identity of the officer who took down Ford until the Kansas Bureau of Investigation finishes its inquiry into the shooting.

Police Chiefs do not typically personally participate in arrests, much less ones that involve active shooters. But Schroeder appears to frequently participate in operations with his small department's rank and file.

Last year, for example, Chief Schroeder participated in a high speed chase of a suspected motorcycle thief, according to the Kansan. In 2013, he was one of the officers who arrested two suspected Wichita thieves, the Hesston Record reported.

The 40-year-old Schroeder's Facebook page shows that he enjoys football, baseball, and golf, as well as grilling pizzas in his backyard and spending time with his several children.

View Video ›

facebook.com

He also shared several invitations to raffles in which guns were offered as prizes to raise funds for police officers.

View Video ›

facebook.com

LINK: Here Is What We Know About The Kansas Shooter

LINK: Four People Killed, Including Gunman, 14 Others Injured In Kansas Shooting Rampage

LINK: Witnesses Recall Chaos At Kansas Shooting

LINK: Here Are The Victims Of The Kansas Shooting Rampage

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Here Are The Victims Of The Kansas Shooting Rampage

Three people were killed when Cedric Ford opened fire at his workplace in Hesston, Kansas, on Thursday.

Josh Higbee

Facebook

Josh Higbee, 31, was gunned down in the attack, an Excel employee confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Friday.

A Wichita native, Higbee left behind a 4-year-old son and a girlfriend, according to Luke Bailey, Higbee's former coworker.

"He was very witty in the sense...he's funnier than crap when he gets mad or something like that. Just period, even joking around," Bailey said. "Everything I know about him, he was a pretty good guy."

"I witnessed this man turn a trainwreck of a childhood into a productive fruitful life," Higbee's stepbrother, Nayt Hinson, wrote in a Facebook post.

View Video ›

Facebook: nayt.hinson

The post reads:

The man is this picture is my little brother Josh Higbee. My parents adopted him and he grew up in my household alongside me and his sites Alicia at a very young age. Over the years I grew to love them as they were biological children. I witnessed this man turn a trainwreck of a childhood into a productive fruitful life.
He was gunned down last night in Hesston, doing what our daddy raised us to do, work and take care of his family. My heart is heavy as I have lost little brother, yet I rejoice praise God and celebrate his life because although he had a long ways to go...he had made it so far.

Rest In Peace little brother.

His sister, Alicia Higbee, responded to the post saying, "I miss him already."

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This Man Alerted Excel Workers To Danger During The Kansas Shooting

“I told my coworkers to get the hell out of there, this guy’s about to kill us,” Ernie Munoz told BuzzFeed News.

Orlin Wagner / AP Photos

Ernie Munoz had just started his shift at Excel Industries Thursday afternoon when a gunman identified by police as Cedric Ford opened fire inside the facility, killing three people before he was fatally shot by police.

Munoz, 35, had just moved to Kansas from Texas seven months ago. He worked at All-Pro Fasteners, a company that sells fasteners, bolt nuts, and screws to Excel and has a station inside its Hesston site.

Munoz told BuzzFeed News that around 4:15 or 4:20 p.m., he heard three loud bangs.

"Immediately, I hunched down because I thought it was inside the building," he said. "I didn't know what it was, but my first reaction was to duck."

He then saw the shooter, identified by police as Excel employee Cedric Ford, enter the building and "just started firing off" about 70 yards from him.

Munoz, who is familiar with firearms, immediately identified an AK-47 and a pistol on the shooter's person.

His first reaction was to alert the hundreds of Excel employees to danger. They were all inside a lawnmower production building about the size of six football fields that holds as many as 650 people.

"I told my coworkers to get the hell out of there, this guy's about to kill us," he told BuzzFeed News. "I just reacted. I had to get people out of there."

Orlin Wagner / AP Photo

He recalled running to each production line, telling workers to run outside. Once they had distanced themselves from the shooting, Munoz said, he realized one of the men who had followed him out had been shot three times in the back.

"We all tried to keep him warm while we waited for an ambulance," he said.

He had not been in contact with the victim at the time of his interview with BuzzFeed News.

Police officers arrived shortly after they got outside. Munoz said at one point he saw a black man who resembled Ford enter his line of vision with a gun in his hands. He yelled to the people with him to run, but the man told them he was a Newton County sheriff's deputy.

"It was a horrific experience," Munoz said. "You only see this stuff on TV."

Munoz had seen Ford at Excel industries before Thursday's incident, but had deliberately steered clear of him.

"I didn't feel good vibes from him," he said. "I said hello a couple of times, but that's it."

Craig Fountain, who supervises Munoz, praised his bravery.

"As far as we're concerned, he's a hero," Fountain, who had left Excel before the shooting, told BuzzFeed News.

For his part, Munoz says he may have been inside the plant that day for a reason.

"I almost enlisted in the Army last year, but went to Excel instead," Munoz said. "Maybe I was sent there for that day."

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