N.Y. paparazzo testifies
in Parker-Broderick case
ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio (AP) - A paparazzo has testified that an Ohio police chief told him he had access to ultrasound photographs belonging to the woman who carried twins for Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.
Justin Steffman of New York testified Tuesday in the trial of Barry Carpenter, the suspended chief of Martins Ferry, where surrogate Michelle Ross lived. Carpenter and Police Chief Chad Dojack from nearby Bridgeport are accused of scheming to sell items from Ross' home.
A special prosecutor has said Carpenter entered Ross' home in May and removed items that identified her as the surrogate.
Steffman says Dojack offered to sell him the surrogate's address and contact information for $1,000. He says Carpenter said he had access to the plaster cast and ultrasound photos.
Dojack faces trial in January.
Crawford's attempted blackmailer surrenders
BERLIN (AP) - The 26-year-old man charged with trying to extort $100,000 from former supermodel Cindy Crawford has surrendered, German prosecutors said Tuesday.
Edis Kayalar walked into a police station late Monday to give himself up, according to prosecutors in Stuttgart. He has been charged in Los Angeles with one count of extortion. If convicted, he could face up to two years in prison.
A U.S. attorney's spokesman said the U.S. has not formally requested Kayalar's extradition and he did not know when that would occur.
Kayalar allegedly threatened to release a photo of Crawford's daughter gagged and tied to a chair when she was 7 years old. According to court papers, the girl says a former nanny took the picture as part of a "cops and robbers" game.
Kayalar will appear before a judge later Tuesday who will rule on whether he should remain in detention.
Ryan Seacrest granted restraining order
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A judge has granted a civil restraining order against a man accused of stalking Ryan Seacrest.
The order issued Tuesday requires Chidi Benjamin Uzomah Jr. to stay 100 yards away from the radio and television personality. A criminal court judge granted a similar order against Uzomah earlier this month.
The 25-year-old remains in a Los Angeles jail, charged with felony stalking. He was arrested outside Seacrest's workplace on Oct. 30, just weeks after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in Orange County, Calif. stemming from an incident with Seacrest's bodyguard after an event.
Seacrest, who hosts "American Idol," did not attend the court hearing in Los Angeles.
Uzomah has pleaded not guilty to stalking Seacrest.
Mass. judge tosses lawsuit against
Elisabeth Hasselbeck
BOSTON (AP) - A federal judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a lawsuit accusing television personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck of plagiarism.
A federal lawsuit accused the co-host of ABC's "The View" of lifting content from a book written by self-published Cape Cod author Susan Hassett on the digestive disorder celiac disease. Hasselbeck's book was called "The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide" and appeared on best-seller lists this year.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro dismissed the lawsuit last week after Hassett's attorney declined to pursue it. The dismissal was first reported in the Boston Herald on Saturday.
Hassett lawyer Richard Cunha said Monday that while he still believes there were instances of plagiarism, he isn't sure they were egregious enough for his client to recover money damages.
Hasselbeck has called the allegations baseless.