The Music desk

Musicians, producers and the people around them — what the courts, the charts and the internet made of them afterwards.

Every case below has closed: the answer is printed and the full story is on the case page.

Closed cases

CASE No. 42September 5, 2026 A Los Angeles jury decided in 1994 that this big-voiced balladeer had lifted a 1960s soul record for one of his own hits — and han… It was Michael Bolton CASE No. 34August 28, 2026 Crossing the line at the 2026 London Marathon in three hours twenty-one, this green-skinned witch of a 2024 blockbuster was met by… It was Cynthia Erivo CASE No. 25August 19, 2026 In 2022, this chart-topping Bronx rapper pleaded guilty over a 2018 strip-club brawl — flying bottles included — and settled the t… It was Cardi B CASE No. 23August 17, 2026 Receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018, this laid-back West Coast rap institution closed his speech by thanking … It was Snoop Dogg CASE No. 10August 4, 2026 Fifty seconds into a 19-year-old's first VMA acceptance speech in 2009, this Chicago superproducer-turned-rapper climbed onstage, … It was Kanye West CASE No. 9August 3, 2026 In December 2014, this stadium-filling songwriter spent weeks studying her own fans' social media, then mailed them hand-wrapped p… It was Taylor Swift CASE No. 6July 31, 2026 Since 2007, this '80s crooner with the impossible baritone has been the unwitting engine of the internet's most wholesome prank — … It was Rick Astley CASE No. 2July 27, 2026 In January 2014, this baby-faced pop idol was arrested in Miami Beach after allegedly drag-racing a rented yellow Lamborghini — an… It was Justin Bieber

How the jury has ruled across the whole archive →

*Every puzzle is drawn from widely reported, public-record events — court records, official rulings, and moments that unfolded on live television. Allegedly.
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