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\n\tThis is The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from <\/em>Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between.<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tThis week: Daddy Yankee accuses his soon-to-be ex-wife of stealing $80 million from his company; Jay-Z\u2019s attorneys demand dismissal after his accuser admits \u201cmistakes\u201d; Johnny Ramone\u2019s widow wins a legal ruling in the battle over the punk band\u2019s legacy; and more, including a special recap of the best-ever Christmas music lawsuits.<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tJust weeks after Daddy Yankee and wife Mireddys Gonz\u00e1lez announced they were divorcing following 20 years of marriage, his lawyers took things to another level.<\/p>\n \n\tIn a motion filed in Puerto Rico court, the reggaet\u00f3n hitmaker accused Gonz\u00e1lez and others of withdrawing a stunning $80 million from the bank account of his El Cartel Records \u201cwithout authorization.\u201d He\u2019s seeking an injunction forcing her \u201cimmediate removal\u201d from the company and the disclosure of information to unravel whatever harm was allegedly done.<\/p>\n \n\tIn addition to the accusations of stolen money, the lawsuit makes other notable claims \u2014 like alleging that Gonz\u00e1lez shut him out of the negotiations that led to October\u2019s $217 million sale of part of his catalog to Concord. He claims he doesn\u2019t actually know exactly what was sold, and that the price \u201cturned out to be unreasonable, disproportionate and far below the real value.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor more details, go read the full story<\/a> from Billboard<\/em>\u2018s Griselda Flores. And stay tuned at Billboard<\/em> for more developments as the case moves forward. <\/p>\n \n\tWith the holidays right around the corner, I broke down the many times that Christmas music has ended up in court<\/a> \u2014 from Mariah Carey\u2019s ongoing copyright battle over \u201cAll I Want For Christmas Is You\u201d to Darlene Love\u2019s fights with advertisers to repeated courtroom clashes over religious freedom. Before you kick off til the new year, go read the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI HAVE MADE SOME MISTAKES\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 Jay-Z demanded the dismissal<\/a> of a rape lawsuit linking him to the allegations against Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs, just hours after his accuser gave a bombshell interview to NBC News<\/em> admitting inconsistencies and \u201cmistakes\u201d in her story. Jay-Z\u2019s attorneys said they would seek to strike the complaint and seek penalties against Tony Buzbee<\/strong>, the attorney who filed it: \u201cIt is stunning that a lawyer would not only file such a serious complaint without proper vetting, but would make things worse by further peddling this false story in the press,\u201d said Jay-Z attorney Alex Spiro<\/strong>. \u201cWe are asking the Court to dismiss this frivolous case today, and will take up the matter of additional discipline for Mr. Buzbee and all the lawyers that filed the complaint.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tELSEWHERE IN DIDDY WORLD<\/strong> \u2013 On Friday, Combs said he would drop an appeal<\/a> seeking to be released on bail, meaning he will remain in jail until his May trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges \u2014 a move that came after the bond request was rejected by federal judges three separate times. Then on Monday, the judge overseeing the criminal case rejected accusations from Diddy\u2019s legal team that federal prosecutors leaked the infamous video<\/a> of the Combs assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie, ruling there was no proof to such a charge.<\/p>\n \n\tHEY HO, LET\u2019S SUE<\/strong> \u2013 Johnny Ramone\u2019s widow, Linda Cummings-Ramone, won a legal victory<\/a> over Joey Ramone\u2018s brother, Mickey Leigh, in their never-ending feud over control of the pioneering punk band\u2019s legacy. An arbitrator ruled that Leigh\u2019s manager, David Frey<\/strong>, must be terminated as a director on the band\u2019s board for a wide variety of improper conduct, including improperly greenlighting a film project at Netflix with actor Pete Davidson attached to star as Joey. The ruling also detailed how Frey had tanked an opportunity for Linda to throw out the first pitch at a Ramones-themed New York Mets game: \u201cThere was no reason to lose this opportunity other than to continue the animosity and dysfunction,\u201d the arbitrator wrote.<\/p>\n \n\tQUANDO RONDO SENTENCED<\/strong> \u2013 The rapper (Tyquian Terrel Bowman) was sentenced to nearly three years<\/a> in federal prison after striking a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to a federal drug offense in Georgia. The deal saw the Savannah-based rapper admit to a single count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in return for prosecutors dropping more serious charges involving methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine.<\/p>\n \n\tASSAULT CASE SETTLED<\/strong> \u2013 Paula Abdul and former American Idol<\/em> producer Nigel Lythgoe<\/strong> agreed to settle a lawsuit<\/a> in which she alleged that he sexually assaulted her in the early 2000s when she was a judge on the show. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, and Abdul simply said she was \u201cgrateful that this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\tTHE BIG STORY: Daddy Yankee\u2019s Divorce Goes Nuclear\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tCHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Holiday Music Lawsuits<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n
\n\t\tOther top stories this week\u2026\t<\/h2>\n