In a procedural ruling Friday before the High Court of Justice, Queen's Bench Division, former British spy Christopher Steele was ordered to appear for a videotaped deposition in London on June 18 for ongoing civil litigation brought against Buzzfeed by a Russian technology executive, Aleksej Gubarev.

A last-ditch effort by Buzzfeed's legal team was denied today in their efforts to expand and question Steele about "the dossier as a whole" instead of a more limited area of questioning in the ongoing civil litigation in the UK.

In the 15-page ruling obtained and reviewed by Fox News, Mr. Justice Jay wrote that the Buzzfeed appeal "should be dismissed on all grounds."

Civil litigation is weaving through courts on both sides of the Atlantic, including Florida, as Gubarev, whose companies XBT Holdings SA and Webzilla, was named in the 35-page unverified dossier authored by Steele on the direction of American company Fusion GPS and its founder Glenn Simpson. Steele and his London company Orbis Business Intelligence Limited were paid $168,000 to write a series of memos suggesting the Kremlin's influence on Donald Trump and promote such information to select journalists.

Buzzfeed published the entire dossier in January 2017. The FBI also used the dossier.

Fusion GPS billed $1.8 million for its opposition work on Trump to the Washington law firm Perkins Coie, which represented the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign.

Gubarev's companies were described in the December 2016 memo authored by Steele as using "botnets and porn traffic to transmit viruses, plant bugs, steal data and conduct 'alerting operations' against the Democratic Party leadership."

UK COURT DOCUMENTS REVEAL DETAILS ABOUT STEELE'S DOSSIER DEPOSITION

Evan Fray-Witzer, a Boston-based attorney representing Gubarev, emailed a statement to Fox News stressing, "The British court correctly noted that the allegations about Gubarev, Webzilla and XBT were unsolicited, unverified raw intelligence. The court made a point of stating that these types of unverified allegations should have been "handled with care."

"Buzzfeed did anything but that when it decided to publish allegations about the Plaintiffs that it knew hadn't been verified and, indeed, which they had themselves done nothing to verify."

As for Steele, Fray-Witzer is looking forward to deposing the former MI6 spy in the case, “We're pleased that this means we can move ahead with the videotaped deposition of Mr. Steele on June 18 and that the discovery phase of the case is drawing to a close. Mr. Gubarev's reputation was seriously damaged by the publication of the dossier and he is anxious to have the opportunity to clear his name at trial."

In the ruling Mr. Justice Jay wrote about Steele's role, noting that "I cannot suppress the observation that the notion that Mr Steele should be probed about the steps he took to assess the reliability of his source or sources has an Alice in Wonderland feel to it, and offends reality and common sense. Mr. Steele has made clear
at all material times that this was intelligence. The U.S. defendants (Buzzfeed) have never said that they asked Mr. Steele any questions about it."

The ruling also noted that Steele's position so far in the British case is "that he did not provide copies of the dossier to anyone else. He accepts that he conducted some "off-the-record briefings" with journalists. He (Steele) also accepts the FBI has received the dossier.

On No. 10 from the British court documents is a statement about writer David Corn's Skyped briefing by Steele, which was published in part from his Jan. 13, 2017, story in "Mother Jones."

The court wrote, "However, Mr. Corn does not state in terms that Mr. Steele showed him the dossier, and it is obvious that their entry into the semipublic domain before the U.S. defendants (Buzzfeed) decided to publish them online could have resulted from a leak from a number of sources.

"Even so, the possibility that Mr. Steele was the cause of the leak cannot be excluded."

As reported by Fox News, Steele is also facing a possible criminal investigation by the Justice Department after two senior Republican senators, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) sent a criminal referral on Steele to the department in January. Sarah Isgur Flores, director of the DOJ Public Affairs Office, told Fox in email that "we don't confirm or deny the existence of investigations."

Mystery still swirls around the role of former McCain Institute staffer David J. Kramer in the handoff of the unverified dossier to the FBI and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Kramer pleaded the Fifth before Congress, denying voluntary testimony, and his videotaped deposition in Florida litigation against Buzzfeed remains sealed.

We continue to believe that Mr. Steele’s testimony about his work on the dossier is essential to the public’s understanding of a critical document that was circulating and informing decisions at the highest level of government," said Matt Mittenthal, spokesperson for BuzzFeed News.

 

The real-life “Wolf of Wall Street” is facing tough grilling from authorities who seek to make a larger “dent” in what they say he owes to the victims of his infamous scam.

Jordan Belfort, the stockbroker who was portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 movie, will have to testify about his income after a federal judge said Wednesday that he needs to come clean on $97 million in unpaid restitution, The New York Post reported.

“I do want to figure out a way to make a bigger dent in what he owes,” Brooklyn federal Judge Ann Donnelly said. “It’s not a particularly attractive picture, him taking all this money and claiming he needs it to support his family.”

“I do want to figure out a way to make a bigger dent in what he owes."

- Brooklyn federal Judge Ann Donnelly

The defense lawyer for Belfort agreed to a deposition, where his client will have to answer about his earnings since 2006.

Belfort served 22 months between 2004 and 2006 for securities fraud totaling over $200 million. He was ordered to give back $110 million of his money, yet recent court records show that the allegedly kept at least $9 million he made from speeches between 2013 and 2015.

The prosecutors believe he also earned money from the sale of his books, which became popular following the movie depicting his rise and fall.

“It seems like he has some spare change lying around,” the judge said. “He’s going to have to come here so we can get a grip on what’s going on.”

Sharon Cohen Levin, his lawyer, dismissed the allegations, saying Belfort who has two kids with his second wife, is “actually is quite cash-strapped, right now.”

The Post reported last year that Belfort lives in an expensive home in Manhattan Beach, Calif., drives a Mercedes and attends tennis lessons from Jeff Tarango, a former star player.

“For the last two years I have been writing and doing less speaking, so [earnings] have been lousy,” Belfort said at the time.

Farrah Fawcett's son, Redmond O'Neal, has pleaded not guilty to charges following his Tuesday morning arrest in Santa Monica. 

According to Us Weekly, on Friday, O’Neal pleaded not guilty to second-degree robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a smoking device, possession of an injection/ingestion device and two counts of possessing a controlled substance.

The news of the superstar son's plea comes a day after he was charged with possessing heroin and meth during the Tuesday robbery. 

The Los Angeles Police Department originally told Fox News that O'Neal walked into a Santa Monica 7-Eleven around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday morning and allegedly demanded that the store clerk hand him the money from the register. While demanding the money, the 33-year-old also reportedly threatened the store clerk with a knife. 

A call was placed to the cops, and O'Neal was arrested soon after. 

O’Neal was scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon and prosecutors are seeking $125,000 in bail, but according to Us Weekly, the bail was placed on hold due to a 2016 parole violation.

In 2015, O'Neal was sentenced to three years in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for violating his probation related to an earlier drug-possession conviction.

And back in 2011, O'Neal's probation was revoked after he admitted to using narcotics while in court-ordered rehab. He was sentenced to a year in rehab after he pleaded no contest to felony gun and heroin possession a month before. 

With bail on hold, the Hollywood son will remain behind bars until his preliminary hearing.

Legendary hip-hop icon and music mogul Dr. Dre lost a trademark battle last week with a Pennsylvania-based gynecologist named Dr. Draion M. Burch.

The former NWA star, whose real name is Andre Young, entered the copyright infringement case against Burch, who sought to trademark his moniker Dr. Drai, in 2015. The rapper argued that the similarities in their nicknames would confuse consumers and fans, BBC reported Tuesday.

The U.S. trademark office ruled that even though the two names are similar, Dr. Dre failed to show how people would be misled into buying Burch’s products. Burch offers expensive speaking engagements along with books and officials said people would research the actual doctor before buying his products, according to Consequences of Sound.

Burch contended that it would be unlikely consumers would be confused by the names.

“Dr. Dre is not a medical doctor nor is he qualified to provide any type of medical services or sell products specifically in the medical or healthcare industry,” he said.

He also said that any association with Dr. Dre might produce a harmful effect on his product because of some of the rapper’s song lyrics.

Burch bills himself as one of the top health experts in the U.S. and is the author of several books, including “20 Things You May Not Know About A Vagina.”

Just after threating to take legal action against The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his recent expulsion, the disgraced director has criticized the #MeToo movement as "collective hysteria" and "total hypocrisy."

According to ABC News, Polanski made the comment in an interview published this week in the Polish edition of Newsweek.The interview was said to have taken place just a few days after the Academy revoked the director's 50-year membership. 

In the interview, the Oscar-winning filmmaker called #MeToo a "collective hysteria of the kind that sometimes happens in the society."

He continued on to compare the movement to that of a North Korean public mourning ceremony and said, "everyone is trying to sign up, chiefly out of fear."

"To me this is total hypocrisy," he concluded. 

The Academy gave Bill Cosby and Polanski the boot per its news standards of conduct, the 84-year-old director is threatening to take legal action to reverse the decision.

In a letter to the Academy President John Bailey, Polanski’s attorney, Harland Braun, explained that the decision was made in violation of the organization’s standards of conduct as well as California state law. He claims that Mr. Polanski should have been given a fair hearing in which he could explain his side of the story before being expelled.

“I am writing this letter to avoid unnecessary litigation,” Braun wrote in the letter, obtained by Fox News. “Mr. Polanski has a right to go to court and require your organization to follow its own procedures, as well as California law. The only proper solution would be for your organization to rescind its illegal expulsion of Mr. Polanski and follow its own Standards of Conduct by giving Mr. Polanski reasonable notice of the charges against him and a fair hearing to present his position with respect to any proposed expulsion.”

Polanski, who won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2003 for “The Pianist,” has been in a sort of exile in Europe after fleeing the United States in 1978 after being convicted of raping a then 13-year-old girl. His French citizenship has prevented him from being taken back to the U.S. and, despite his conviction, has been a prominent filmmaker for the last 40 years.

Braum is not denying or re-litigating Polanski’s controversial verdict, merely asking for the Academy to give him a chance to explain the situation before making its decision.

“Mr. Polanski has acknowledged his legal and moral responsibility for his misconduct in 1977. He has apologized to Samantha Geimer who has accepted his apology and appeared in court to support Mr. Polanski. We are not here contesting the merits of the expulsion decision, but rather your organization’s blatant disregard for its own Standards of Conduct in, as well as its violation of the standards required by California Corporations Code, Section 7341.”

Just a week after The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski the boot per its news standards of conduct, the 84-year-old director is threatening to take legal action to reverse the decision.

In a letter to the Academy President John Bailey, Polanski’s attorney, Harland Braun, explained that the decision was made in violation of the organization’s standards of conduct as well as California state law. He claims that Mr. Polanski should have been given a fair hearing in which he could explain his side of the story before being expelled.

“I am writing this letter to avoid unnecessary litigation,” Braun wrote in the letter, obtained by Fox News. “Mr. Polanski has a right to go to court and require your organization to follow its own procedures, as well as California law. The only proper solution would be for your organization to rescind its illegal expulsion of Mr. Polanski and follow its own Standards of Conduct by giving Mr. Polanski reasonable notice of the charges against him and a fair hearing to present his position with respect to any proposed expulsion.”

Polanski, who won the Academy Award for Best Director in 2003 for “The Pianist,” has been in a sort of exile in Europe after fleeing the United States in 1978 after being convicted of raping a then 13-year-old girl. His French citizenship has prevented him from being taken back to the U.S. and, despite his conviction, has been a prominent filmmaker for the last 40 years.

Braum is not denying or re-litigating Polanski’s controversial verdict, merely asking for the Academy to give him a chance to explain the situation before making its decision.

“Mr. Polanski has acknowledged his legal and moral responsibility for his misconduct in 1977. He has apologized to Samantha Geimer who has accepted his apology and appeared in court to support Mr. Polanski. We are not here contesting the merits of the expulsion decision, but rather your organization’s blatant disregard for its own Standards of Conduct in, as well as its violation of the standards required by California Corporations Code, Section 7341.”

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the surgeon who operated on Bill Paxton are denying any responsibility for the actor's sudden death after the family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against them. 

Paxton's family alleged in February that his surgeon, Dr. Khoynezhad, used a "high risk and unconventional surgical approach" that was unnecessary and that he lacked the experience to perform.

Paxton's death certificate says he died on Feb. 25, 2017 from a stroke, 11 days after surgery to replace a heart valve and repair aorta damage. He was 61.

But on Thursday, Dr. Khoynezhad and Cedars argued that Paxton and his family knew of the surgical risks.

In court documents obtained by The Blast, the hospital team argued that “at all times [Paxton and his estate] were aware of certain dangers and risks involved in the examination, diagnosis, operations surgery and medical care rendered to [Paxton].”

The team also added that the family was aware that the actor had “an existing condition," that made him more susceptible to operation complications.

But the family disagreed, stating in their complaint that the hospital “failed to disclose that [Dr. Khoynezhad] was going to use a high risk and unconventional surgical approach with which he lacked experience and which was, based upon information and belief, beyond the scope of his privileges.”

The family's lawyer, Bruce Broillet, explained their claims in a statement that read, “Bill Paxton and his family trusted the physicians and staff at this medical facility but instead Cedars-Sinai betrayed their trust. The surgeon’s actions resulted in this tragic and preventable death.”

Following Paxton's death, People reported, Dr. Khoynezhad left his surgeon position.

Due to complications from the surgery, Paxton suffered a fatal stroke. At the time of his death, his family released a statement to media.

"It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery. A loving husband and father, Bill began his career in Hollywood working on films in the art department and went on to have an illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker. Bill's passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable. We ask to please respect the family's wish for privacy as they mourn the loss of their adored husband and father."

According to The Blast, Cedars and Dr. Khoynezhad are fighting to have the wrongful death complaint filed against them dismissed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The man accused of killing Morgan Freeman’s step-granddaughter in 2015 had an “intent” to kill, prosecutors argued in court on Wednesday.

Lamar Davenport, 33, is accused of stabbing E’Dena Hines, his girlfriend at the time, outside of their Washington Heights apartment in New York City. Prosecutors said Hines was stabbed 25 times. Defense lawyers said Davenport was “in the throes of a drug-induced psychosis, and thus is not criminally responsible for her death.”

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Prevost of Manhattan said Davenport had a “motive to kill” Hines while he was allegedly high on PCP or phencyclidine, the Daily News reported.

MORGAN FREEMAN’S STEP-GRANDDAUGHTER SPOKE ABOUT ‘GRANDPA FEELINGS’ BEFORE HER MURDER, TEXT MESSAGES REVEAL

"Drunk and high, the defendant robbed himself of self-control and the ability to stop his impulses," Prevost said in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday.

Prevost said Davenport had the “intent and control” of the weapon he used despite experiencing delusion from the drug.

Witnesses said Davenport yelled “release the demons” and “I love you, I always loved you, God would want this” during the incident, The New York Times reported.

Davenport’s defense team argued he was “too emotionally disturbed to be convicted of murder.”

“He had no insight into the fact that he was experiencing a delusion," Annie Costanzo, Davenport’s lawyer said.

‘AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR’ VIEWER DIES WHILE WATCHING FILM IN THEATER

Davenport could face 25 years to life in prison if found guilty of second-degree murder.

Last month, Davenport’s lawyer Beth Unger claimed in court that Hines “disclosed to Davenport and others that her grandfather [Freeman] engaged in a sexually inappropriate relationship with her.”

Hines' grandmother is Freeman’s first wife. The slain woman’s mother is Freeman’s stepdaughter, whom he adopted, People reported.