A Florida man accuses Cash Money Records CEO Birdman and Lil Wayne of using his voice on recordings without permission, according to a report on Hip Hop Wired.

Thomas Marascuillo is suing the the pair for copyright infringement claiming his voice was used on the albums “Like Father, Like Son” and “5 Star Stunna”

A federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles alleges Chris Rock stole the concept for his upcoming documentary “Good Hair” from another filmmaker.

The Associated Press reports that Regina Kimbell through court documents calls Rock’s project a copycat of her film, “My Nappy Roots.” She is suing for $5 million in damages.

Kimbell is seeking an injunction to halt the screening of ‘Good Hair’ until the issue is resolved. The movie is set to open Friday in several markets and throughout the country on Oct.23.

RadarOnline has a copy of the deposition Rock gave to the Federal court in an effort to block the injunction. Rock admits to meeting with Kimbell but denies stealing her concept.

He said any injunction against the debut of his film will cause irreparable harm to his film and his image as an actor and producer.

French cosmetics giant L’Oréal discriminated against Blacks, Asians and Arab women by telling its beauty products arm to keep the sales and promotion team all White, the French high court ruled this week.  L’Oréal didn’t want Garnier to allow women of color to sell its Fructis shampoo. The temp agency, Adecco, whose Districom division hired the hostesses, was also found guilty of racial discrimination. L’Oréal expressed “disappointment” over the judgment, which ends three years of legal wrangling over the discrimination claims. Samuel Thomas, the vice-chairman of SOS Racisme, the anti-racist campaign group, described the ruling as a “very great victory.” The court was told that a Disticom executive had sent a fax in 2000 saying that Garnier’s hostesses should be aged 18 to 22, wear size 38 to 42 clothes and be “BBR”.

Singer-actress Brandy, who has spent the last few years ensnared in a wrongful death nightmare, has agreed to settle with the children of the woman killed in the auto accident in which the star was driving. E! News Online is reporting that the “Moesha” star will pay $300,000 apiece to Mrwan and Kareem Mohamed, who were 15 and 11 years old, respectively, when the family’s Toyota Corolla was struck by Brandy’s Land Rover, killing their mother, Awatef Aboudihaj, in December 2006.  Read the rest.

The former Teachers College of Columbia University professor who found a noose on her office door wants $200 million from her ex-employer, saying the school killed her career. Madonna Constantine has filed the mega-lawsuit with the New York State Supreme Court after she was fired following the release of findings that she allegedly plagiarized research. Read more.

Food giant gets slapped with a $200 million racial lawsuit. Kenneth Thompson, a New York attorney and former federal prosecutor, has filed a $200 million racial discrimination lawsuit against Compass Group PLC, a London-based food company that is regarded as the largest in the world of its kind. The class-action suit was filed on behalf of 11 current and former employees working at The Comcast Center in Philadelphia, as well as others who are part of the 100,000 workers Compass employs in the United States. The suit claims that the plaintiffs were victims of multiple acts of racial discrimination by co-workers and company management.  It charges that Black workers were the target of racial slurs, were denied promotions and were forced to work only in the kitchen area, while White workers were brought in to work private events. “This lawsuit has been filed to make sure no other Black employees at Compass or anywhere else are ever called the “N”-word, gorilla, referred to as chimps or denied equal treatment when they are just trying to do their jobs,” Thompson said. “The Compass Group has clear and strong policies that embrace diversity, inclusion and respect in the workplace and prohibit any sort of behavior that is contrary to these values,” the defendant said in a statement issued from its Charlotte, N.C. headquarters, The Philadelphia Daily News reports. “These are hard-working Black people who want to be left alone to do their jobs,” Thompson said. “They are Americans who go out and work hard and just want to be treated right.”

Whitney’s stepmom is suing her. Whitney Houston’s stepmother is suing her, claiming that the singer has not honored her deceased father’s wishes in divvying up his estate. Barbara Houston claims that Whitney improperly kept the proceeds from John Houston’s $1 million insurance policy after he died in 2003. The singer was supposed to use $723,000 to pay off the mortgage on her father’s Fort Lee condominium, alleges the stepmother, who still lives in the condo. (She holds the mortgage on the condo.) Whitney also failed to return the remaining insurance money to her stepmother, according to the suit. Whitney and her stepmother have declined to comment on the lawsuit.

“Atlanta Housewives” is coming back. Bravo network has renewed “Atlanta Housewives,” the Black version of “Real Housewives.” To anybody paying attention to what’s hot on TV these days, any other decision would have been foolhardy. The reality show, which follows the lives of five wealthy African-American women in Atlanta, was regularly drawing the eyes of about 1.3 million adult viewers. The ATL reunion special, which featured fireworks between cast members Kim Zolciak and NeNe Leaks, also produced the biggest single-episode numbers of all three franchises, garnering 2.1 million adults 18-49 and 2.8 million total viewers.

Film star reveals experience with police harassment. While he recently played a bully cop in the film Lakeview Terrace, Samuel L. Jackson says he’s been a victim of police mistreatment. “I have been pulled over legitimately because I was doing something wrong, and I have been pulled over because I was Black in the wrong place and my car was too nice,” Jackson tells The Times of Britain. “I have been pulled over in Mississippi; that was frightening. But the guy was like, ‘Hey, Mr. Jackson. Sorry.’…Even in L.A., cops looking at me going, ‘You look familiar.’ And you just gotta say, ‘Oh, O.K.’ Because you don’t know if he’s talking about a wanted poster that he saw today, or he actually saw a movie of mine and can’t quite put that together.”

Singer sued in family dispute. The stepmother of singer Whitney Houston has filed suit against her famous stepkid, saying Houston failed to follow her dad’s estate instructions. Barbara Houston says that, upon her husband John Houston’s death, the singer was to pay the remaining debt on his condo out of a $1 million insurance policy. Any of the leftover cash was to go to Barbara, she claims, but says she never got paid. Whitney, who was the sole beneficiary of her dad’s policy, denies her stepmother’s claims.

Taco Bell calls 50 Cent lawsuit publicity stunt. The Taco Bell restaurant chain says rapper 50 Cent’s $4 million trademark infringement lawsuit is just Fiddy’s attempt to draw attention to himself. And while it’s true that Fiddy’s known for drawing attention to himself, the company’s recent court filing would have a judge believe the rapper’s music, not his claim against them, should be the issue. Taco Bell’s lawyers say 50’s work “falls in the subgenre of hip hop music known as ‘gangsta rap,’ a style associated with urban street gangs and characterized by violent, tough-talking braggadocio.” The rapper objected to a campaign the restaurant launched this summer, linking him to a promo that asked him to change his name to the restaurant prices of 79, 89 or 99 Cent. Taco Bell lawyers argue that Fif took them to court only to “burnish his gangsta rapper persona.” Guess nothing says “gangsta” like a civil action.

Singer to defend himself against lawsuit. Having previously said he’s too ill to travel, Michael Jackson reportedly plans to testify in a London courtroom Monday. The singer faces a $7 million lawsuit from a Middle Eastern sheikh who says Jackson backed out of a music and book deal. Among the sheikh’s claims are that Jackson never showed for a recording session on a song that was intended to raise cash for New Orleans hurricane survivors in 2005. Jackson’s last high-profile court appearance was during his criminal child sexual abuse trial, where he was acquitted.

Usher’s mom named in police claim. A driver who formerly freelanced for the mom of singer Usher at her transportation company says she never paid him. Georgia detectives are reportedly checking into the matter that allegedly took place during an October BET awards show. The driver claims Jonetta Patton didn’t cut the $1,668 check he’d earned. But a spokesperson for Patton’s company says the allegation is groundless: “The drivers were hired as independent contractors and are paid 30 to 45 days net when working on special events of the magnitude of the BET Hip Hop Awards that took place on Oct. 18. They were hired…and are disgruntled that their services are no longer being used by the company as a result of the unprofessional nature of the fired employee.”

Ex-label head is serious about his ear attire. If you were wondering what to buy former Death Row Records boss Suge Knight for Christmas, wonder no more. Barely a week after word of the burly ex-football player’s lawsuit against rapper Kanye West after Knight lost an earring at West’s 2005 party, he’s got another beef: Cali cops who had him in custody in 2005 allegedly let his diamond stud out of their sight. Knight claims in his U.S. Bankruptcy case, which led to Death Row’s slip from his control, that the cops are responsible. He’s hoping a court will award him $135,000 over the bling he lost at Kanye’s gig, where he was shot in the leg. Apparently, it’s less than gangsta to walk around with bare lobes.

Tyrese says he and Brandy are like siblings. Despite being spotted publicly with the recently reclusive star, actor Tyrese Gibson says he and singer Brandy are just pals. “Brandy and I have been the best of friends since we were 14 years old,” Gibson tells Usmagazine.com. “I would never date her. It would be like dating my sister.” Brandy, who only recently emerged from a low profile after her involvement in a fatal car wreck, reportedly says she hasn’t dated in three years. Police found that she was not at fault for the accident.