Blackstar

Maybe you didn't know how courts work. A lawsuit is not thrown out like that from the first day.

That lawsuit has gone to mediation (the parties have entered into discussions to find a solution with the mediation of a third party).

Another update: This case seems to have turned into a mess. I'm not sure I fully understand what the new developments mean. * First, a summary/reminder of what happened until February 27th: In July-November 2022, Kat registered a few of her pictures with the U.S. Copyright Office, and in January 2023, she filed a complaint for sexual harassment and employment discrimination with the Civil Rights Department of California, obtaining a right to sue. In April 2023, she tried to file a lawsuit against GN'R, Gundam (the GN'R touring entity) and Team Brazil, but there was a mistake in the filing (probably from her attorney), so it was unsuccessful. In October 2023, three GN'R companies (two "Gundam" companies and Waterhead) sued Kat. The lawsuit was for declaratory relief, meaning that they were not asking for money, but for the court to assert that GN'R, and not Kat, owned the copyright of the pictures she registered. Kat didn't respond to the lawsuit with a motion to dismiss or a counter-suit. Instead, she filed her own, separate lawsuit in November against GN'R, Gundam, Team Brazil and Fernando for copyright infringement and sexual harassment. Gundam and Team Brazil (served later) responded with motions to dismiss Kat's lawsuit and Kat filed her reply/opposition. Fernando and GN'R were not served (and still haven't been served). The two lawsuits (Gundam/Waterhead Vs. Kat and Kat Vs. GN'R/Gundam/Fernando/TB) were assigned to the same judge, who suggested that they should be "consolidated" (joined together). The parties agreed to it, and the two cases were consolidated by court order, according to which Kat's lawsuit would be closed (and as a result the motions to dismiss it were denied as "moot" without being reviewed by the judge), and all filings from then on would take place in the earlier of the two lawsuits (Gundam Vs Kat), where a "consolidated complaint" should be filed. So after the two cases were joined together, Kat refiled her lawsuit as a "consolidated complaint", and then the two parties filed motions to dismiss each other's lawsuits, or, alternatively, for "more definite statement" (meaning that if the court didn't think that the lawsuit should be dismissed, it should at least order for it to be amended so that certain allegations in it would become more specific). Kat responded to Gundam's and TB's dismiss motion with an opposition; Gundam responded to Kat's dismiss motion by filing an amended complaint (lawsuit) against Kat. And then the judge said that since there was an amended complaint, Kat's dismiss motion was denied as "moot"; curiously enough, Gundam's and TB's dismiss motion was denied, too, and so their reply to Kat's opposition was stricken as well. So, for a second time, motions were without being reviewed by the court. Also, the two parties submitted, as required by the court, a schedule and timeline for the case. * And now, with court orders issued on Feb. 27 and 28: 1) The judge retracted the previous order that a "consolidated complaint" should be filed and had Kat's "consolidated complaint" (her refiled lawsuit) stricken, and now Kat has to file a response to Gundam's amended complaint. So does that mean that her lawsuit has been thrown out altogether? 2) The parties who have not been served are dismissed. Fernando has not been served, so does this mean that he's not a defendant anymore? 3) The judge has shortened the proposed schedule. According to the court order, the "discovery" stage (depositions etc.) should be completed by August 2024 and the jury trial, if there is one, will take place in March 2025. * Court documents here: https://www.a-4-d.com/t8097-katarina-benzova-sues-fernando-and-gn-r-for-copyright-infringement#34873

No, it's a Dandy Warhols song that Slash was asked to contribute guitar leads on.

Yeah, the 30-day time window to move the case to federal court is still about to expire with this second affidavit, but only if it's taken as if Axl actually received the summons and complaint on that date. And since it was just affixed and no one was there to receive it (and also Axl says his primary residence is not in Malibu), he probably can say that he actually received it a couple of days before his answer was filed. We'll see if Axl's lawyers make the move to transfer the case. Maybe they just wanted to have that option.

Her lawyers have requested for the case to be assigned to a judge who will preside over a preliminary conference (unlike federal courts, in NY state courts the cases are not assigned to a judge right away) https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=NUGaOUkecc0IvSYy1gbDrA==&system=prod https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=O63WD_PLUS_RYA1uYzk_PLUS_uLwl6DA==&system=prod This is likely for preventing Axl from moving the case to another court (the deadline to do so expires 30 days after defendant has received the complaint, and they're saying it was served on Jan. 22 - in Axl's answer though it is claimed that it has not been served properly).

The link doesn't work. Edit: Nevermind, found it: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=vOnFjpNxmpbX6ul8dYYFzg==&system=prod It's a notice for deposition on April 26 (meanwhile, though, the case may have been transferred to another court).

And regarding the 1991 shows in Indiana we were talking about earlier: "I'm going to play Indianapolis in a couple of days," Rose says, "and there's a lot of people I'm not having come to my show. There's a lot of people I am. There's a lot of people I'm realizing are more important to me than the people I've worried about my whole life." https://www.a-4-d.com/t525-1991-09-09-rolling-stone-outta-control-axl-slash-izzy-duff-matt-and-dizzy So I don't think his stepfather was among the "family" that were invited.

That should be ruled out, because: 1) The whole band was present during the recording in Toronto (at least Slash and Duff definitely were there). Axl has talked about that recording (it was when he recorded the rant part on Get In The Ring, which was also the last vocal he recorded). 2) Prior to the 1992 Rolling Stone interview, Axl (and the rest of GN'R) had done some interview sessions for RS with Kim Neely, who travelled with them from May to July 1991. In one of the first sessions in May 1991, Axl hinted at some things about having been abused. That article was published in Sept. 1991. According to Kim Neely, Axl called her a month later and told her he had decided to go on record about being abused, but waited to see the printed result of the 1991 interview sessions to decide if he would do the child abuse interview with her (so the 1991 article was kind of Axl's way of testing her). So he had already decided to talk in May at the latest.

I think the time frame of when Axl talked to Tom Zutaut could be narrowed down to either December 1990 or February 1991. According to Bob Clearmountain, who was initially hired to mix UYI, the falling out with Tom Zutaut happened during the second week of the mixing. Based on the dates on a bootleg tape containing presumably the first 11 Clearmountain mixes, he started working on mixing the songs Axl had finished recording vocals on in mid December 1990 (the earliest date on the tape is Dec. 15, 1990 and the latest Jan. 16, 1991). Then Tom Zutaut, according to himself, went to the studio again in February 1991, when Clearmountain had mixed 24 songs (that was probably when Axl invited him back), and they decided to fire Clearmountain and hire Bill Price. But it's also possible that it was earlier than that, because Axl had been in the studio before he started recording his vocals (to record piano and keyboard parts).

No more DJ, just Ashba https://www.instagram.com/p/C3x7m0fPQBO/

Tom Zutaut also mentioned it (without the details) in an interview he did for a book that was released in 1994 (and the interview was probably conducted in late 1991 or early 1992): Tom Zutaut: And I remember sitting with Axl one night during the time we were recording the Use Your Illusion albums, and he broke down and cried and talked about how he was abused as a kid and how he found out his sister was abused... Axl's in his late twenties physically, but emotionally is probably four or five years old. The recordings after March 1991 were minor (overdubs) and were done mostly on the road. I also don't think Axl would open to Tom Zutaut about these things during their falling out, even if they were still in contact (they had fallen out by the time Tom Zutaut was interviewed in the book - he talked about that, too, and his assumption then was that it had to do with Sharon Maynard/Yoda.)

Did you find them by subscribing and searching in a newspaper archives site, or you came across them somewhere on the internet? (I'm asking because I'm curious if someone else found them in the newspaper archives and posted them on the internet somewhere) https://www.mygnrforum.com/topic/217670-gnr-womens-discussion-part-2/?do=findComment&comment=4385599

Yes, it's likely that this is her motivation to an extent (although not necessarily her own idea) as the case seems to be part of a campaign against sexual abuse in the music industry. The creators of the Look Away documentary and her attorneys (who seem to be partisan lawyers and not the ambulance chasing type) are probably working together, and maybe she was approached for the documentary and then convinced about the lawsuit (that it was for a good cause and she would get some money, which she probably wants and needs). I don't think, though, that it was certain (to them) that Axl would fight it. Maybe they counted on the fact that he had settled in the cases he had in the 90s and also that he's a private person who doesn't like publicity, so they thought he'd be quick to settle and pay in order to make the publicity go away. I'm not saying that's the case, but it's another potential explanation.

Yes, there is evidence about the kidnapping and other things, but I don't know if the newspaper clippings have been shared. I've had them for a while but haven't shared them on a public forum (except mentioning that they confirm the kidnapping) because, even though it's public information since it's in a newspaper, I've felt that they concern private matters.

Yes, the context of the story was real, so it wasn't a false memories that came from regression therapy, However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the "core event" of child rape also happened (that's something that is hard to have evidence for anyway). For example, Axl could have known the context from other sources (like from his mother after confronting her when he first started therapy), and then the memory of the rape was inserted there with the regression therapy. (Yes, Axl' sister was born before the divorce, so it is certain that L. Stephen Bailey wasn't her biological father. Officially William Rose was her biological father, too, but whether she and Axl are in reality half or full siblings is unknown - and not our business, really).

I don't think the last two SMKC albums were rushed because of GN'R or that their quality had to do with that. For LTD Slash had most of 2018 and almost all of 2019 "free" from GN'R to record, release it and tour it, that is a full album-tour cycle. And 4 was written and recorded during Covid, so whatever problems with it would have to do with the restrictions because of that. And regardless of that, he's always been able to do a zillion different things simultaneously.

Why would he leave since he would still be able to do both? He also seemed quite happy on the last GN'R tour (and the band was a lot more tighter, too). He said it was his favourite tour since 2016.

Yes, it's a typo.

Well, you fail at trying. Try harder and ask your questions in a more respectful manner to those involved and those you're talking to. Anyway, if you just read this, no further explanation is needed. https://www.a-4-d.com/t4995-13-july-november-1991-use-your-illusions-are-out-so-is-izzy#19582

To me this is the best Slash collaboration since even before his first solo album

I think Slash probably just enjoyed playing the UYI deep cuts at the GN'R shows, so he decided to play more deep cuts with SMKC.

In March 2016, Kat gave this interview: https://www.pretty-attitude.com/blogs/news/112778949-meet-rock-photographer-kat-benzova And Fernando commented on it on HTGTH:

Bad Apples was really good I wouldn't be surprised if Duff plays Shotgun Blues on his solo tour. In one of his recent interviews he said that he loves it but GN'R never plays it