Top 10 Most Controversial Celebrity Lawsuits of 2025 So Far

To say the world’s richest man has had an eventful 2025 would be an understatement. In the first four months alone, he made headlines for a controversial salute, entangled himself in the government, and laid off thousands of federal employees. These major stories may have eclipsed the news that Musk had supposedly fathered yet another child. In February, conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair filed a lawsuit seeking legal recognition of Musk as her son’s father and requesting sole custody. She alleged that Musk had refused a paternity test and drastically reduced child support after she defied his demands. In response, Musk stated on Twitter that although he was uncertain about his paternity, a court order was unnecessary to compel him to take the test.

It seems Florida-based poet Kimberly Marasco[a] has entered the ranks of the Tortured Poets Department. Marasco first made the news in 2024 when she sued Taylor Swift for copyright infringement, but the case was dismissed after she failed to serve the singer with legal papers. Undeterred, the poet filed another lawsuit in 2025, claiming that Swift and her collaborators borrowed from her work to create songs on “Lover,” “Folklore,” “Midnights” and “The Tortured Poets Department.” She is now seeking around $30 million in damages. However, Marasco seems to be facing the same hurdle, as she has successfully served all parties except Swift. Is the singer dodging the paperwork because she’s guilty as sin? Guess we’ll only find out if Marasco ever gets a hold of her.

Chris Brown’s reputation was permanently altered in 2009 after reports emerged that he had physically assaulted his then-girlfriend, Rihanna. Since that incident, he has faced multiple allegations of physical and sexual assault, although none have ever led to a conviction. Nevertheless, in October 2024, a documentary titled “Chris Brown: A History of Violence” was released, which revisited many of these claims. One of the most prominent allegations came from an unnamed woman who accused Brown of sexually assaulting her at a party on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ yacht in 2020. In response, Brown filed a $500 million lawsuit against the film’s production company, Warner Bros. Discovery, in January 2025. The singer alleges that producers knew the woman’s claims were false, but included them anyway.

Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter is no stranger to sexual assault allegations. Prior to 2025, he was already battling lawsuits from three women, including former Dream singer Melissa Schuman[b]. In April, a fourth woman, Laura Penly, sued Carter, accusing him of sexually assaulting her twice in 2005 while they were in a relationship. According to Penly, Carter refused to use protection and infected her with multiple sexually transmitted diseases, including HPV. She claims that this led to her developing Stage 2 cervical cancer a few months later. Carter denied Penly’s allegations, dismissing them as “more of the same nonsense.” He further asserted that not only did he never have a romantic relationship with Penly, but he had never even met her at all.

A Hall of Fame pitcher for the Yankees, Mariano Rivera retired from baseball in 2013, after which he became a pastor at the Refuge of Hope church. In January 2025, a woman filed a lawsuit accusing Rivera and his wife, Clara, of being negligent and attempting to cover up the sexual assault of her daughter. The suit claims that Clara persuaded the mother to let her daughter attend a church-affiliated internship in Florida. There, the girl was allegedly assaulted by an older camper. After learning of this incident, the Riveras allegedly traveled to the camp and pressured the girl to remain silent. The lawsuit also alleges that the girl was later assaulted by the same individual at the Riveras’ home in New York, and by a church employee years later.

In December 2024, Jay-Z got drawn into the ever growing legal case against disgraced rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs. An anonymous woman filed a civil lawsuit alleging that Jay-Z and Combs sexually assaulted her at a VMAs after-party in 2000. Jay-Z denied the accusations, labeling them a smear campaign and an act of blackmail. After several inconsistencies were pointed out in the woman’s story, she suddenly dropped the case without explanation. In March 2025, Jay-Z responded by suing her and her lawyers for malicious prosecution, abuse of process, and civil conspiracy. He also filed a separate defamation suit against the accuser, claiming that her allegations were knowingly false and aimed at extortion. According to his lawsuit, the accusations damaged his personal and professional reputation, resulting in losses exceeding $20 million.

Former NFL star and media personality Shannon Sharpe found himself at the center of an escalating controversy following a lawsuit filed against him in April 2025. The plaintiff, 20-year-old OnlyFans model Gabriella Zuniga[d], accused Sharpe of sexual assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress. As a result, Zuniga sought over $50 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Sharpe’s response came in the form of a video, which he posted on Instagram, denying all accusations and dismissing them as a money grab. However, through his lawyer, Sharpe later acknowledged that he had previously offered Zuniga a $10 million settlement. Just days after the lawsuit became public, Sharpe announced he would step down from his role at ESPN to focus on defending himself.

The feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar was cranked up several notches in the summer of 2024 when both rappers released a series of diss tracks against each other. Undeniably, the most prominent was Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which topped the charts globally and won five Grammys. The track contains lyrics which seemed to accuse Drake of sexual misconduct, which he took particular offense to. In January 2025, Drake sued Universal Music Group, the label he and Lamar share, accusing them of conspiring to promote the track despite the “false factual allegation.” Then, after Lamar performed the song at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, Drake expanded his lawsuit, claiming that the widely-watched event further defamed him and led to increased threats against him and his family.

In 2024, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni starred in “It Ends with Us.” But that was just the beginning of a lengthy legal and PR firestorm. That December, the New York Times reported that Lively had accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during production. In response, Baldoni sued the publication for $250 million, which led Lively to upgrade her complaint against him to a federal lawsuit. In January 2025, Baldoni countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist for $400 million, alleging extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy. This case has since dragged in other celebrities who weren’t directly involved, most notably Taylor Swift. While the trial is set for March 2026, the court of public opinion has pretty much reached a verdict already, with fans firmly taking sides.

It all began in November 2023 when singer Cassie Ventura, a former partner of rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, sued him for alleged physical and sexual assault. Although Combs denied her claims, he quickly settled the case. Soon after, the floodgates of accusations were opened. Several men and women who had crossed paths with Combs in the past filed new lawsuits, making similar allegations. In September 2024, Combs was indicted by a jury and arrested on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Prosecutors claim that he operated a criminal enterprise that enabled sexual exploitation through violence and blackmail. They also allege that he organized so-called “freak-off” parties, where victims were coerced into sex acts, some of which were secretly recorded. Combs has pleaded not guilty, but if convicted, he faces 15 years to life in prison.


Are you keeping up with any of these celebrity lawsuits? Which outcome are you most eager to see? Let us know in the comments below.

[b]SHOO-min https://youtu.be/pMdzXTDR_Us
https://youtu.be/St8CRWDNaDw?si=LnR5TBwKYkjPlXfA&t=9
[c]mawrry-AW-noh https://youtu.be/rUTirIk75vg?si=tzIQck2zarfv3z7q&t=34
CLARE-uh https://youtu.be/gDafvMq_R88?si=_QRrk1yAlGtv3FhI&t=447
[d]probably zoo-NEE-guh