10 jaw-dropping celebrity lawsuits that will blow your mind

Where there are celebrities, there are controversies, including feuds and legal drama, and the world of Hollywood is no stranger to it.

From accusations of plagiarism to bitter feuds and sexual harassment, big names like Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson, and Johnny Depp haven't been immune to jaw-dropping lawsuits over the years.

Let’s take a look at 10 of the most shocking celebrity lawsuits that will leave you speechless and will surely blow your mind:

1. Taylor Swift's lawsuit over ‘Shake It Off’ song

Swift’s long-running legal battle over her 2014 song Shake It Off dates back to 2017.

The 35-year-old singer faced a lawsuit filed by songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler.

They claimed that Swift's song lyrics "players gonna play" and "haters gonna hate" were lifted from their 2001 song Playas Gon' Play, originally performed by 3LW.

However, in June 2025, the copyright lawsuit against the Anti-Hero hitmaker was formally dismissed.

2. Johnny Depp vs. The Sun and Amber Heard

The Pirates of the Caribbean actor filed a lawsuit against The Sun in 2020 for an article they ran in which they called him a “Wife Beater”.

During the trial, the publication had to prove that the claims they had made were, in fact, valid.

As a result, Depp lost his libel case against the Rupert Murdoch-owned paper, with the judge affirming their belief that Depp had assaulted Heard on numerous occasions.

Similarly, Depp sued Heard for defamation over an op-ed article she wrote for a 2018 op-ed for The Washington Post, describing herself as a survivor of domestic abuse.

While the Aquaman actress did not directly mention her ex-husband’s name in the article, Depp's lawyers argued that the implication was clear and damaged his reputation.

However, the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them actor ended up winning his defamation case against the Alpha Dog actress and was also awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages which were later reduced to $350,000 due to Virginia state law limits.

3. Britney Spears conservatorship

The 43-year-old singer was involved in a conservatorship legal drama, also known as a guardianship in 2008.

It was a court-ordered arrangement that granted Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, control over her personal and financial affairs.

After the Gimme More hitmaker was hospitalised for a psychiatric evaluation following a series of public meltdowns and erratic behaviour, her father was appointed as the conservator, giving him control over Britney's finances, business decisions, and personal life, including her medical treatment and living arrangements.

This conservatorship lasted for nearly 14 years, until it was terminated in November 2021, granting the Baby One More Time songstress control over her own life and finances once again.

4. Ed Sheeran copyright lawsuit

The Perfect hitmaker was once sued by musician Sami Chokri for copyright infringement for his song Shape of You.

According to Chokri, Sheeran had sampled his 2015 hit song Oh Why without any permission or credit for the tune.

However, the Bad Habits crooner won the court case in 2022, with the judge ruling that he had not plagiarised the song.

5. Gwyneth Paltrow vs. California FDMD

Not Paltrow but her lifestyle brand named Goop was sued by the California Food, Drug, and Medical Device Task Force (FDMD) back in 2018, targeting the brand’s two products.

The lawsuit stated that the company made unsubstantiated and false medical advertising claims about several products, specifically its jade and rose quartz vaginal eggs and an Inner Judge Flower Essence Blend.

The actress, who will soon be seen in Timothée Chalamet starrer Marty Supreme, ended up paying a $145,000 penalty to settle the lawsuit in civil penalties.

6. Scarlett Johansson vs. Disney

Johansson sued Disney in 2021 for releasing the movie her starrer movie Black Widow on their streaming platform Disney+ at the same time as the theatrical release in cinemas.

The unexpected move by Disney not only broke the terms of the Jurassic World Rebirth actress’ contract, it also led the actress losing out on $50 million in bonuses due to the release on the streaming platform.

However, the lawsuit was not dragged to court and was settled between the two parties.

Though the settlement terms have not been disclosed publicly, it is thought that Disney may have compensated the actress, who will be soon star in Fly Me to the Moon actress, with around $40 million.

7. Kendall Jenner vs. Gregory Messer

The reality star got caught up in a lawsuit back in 2019 that saw her being sued for $90,000.

What actually happened? Well, Jenner promoted and endorsed an Instagram post promoting Fyre Festival, the 2017 music event that never happened.

According to court documents, the model was paid $275,000 to promote the festival in an Instagram post.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court's Gregory Messer sued her in August 2019.

Moreover, other celebrities who were involved in advertising the festival included Bella Hadid, Migos and Emily Ratajkowski.

Jenner settled with Fyre Festival trustee Gregory Messer, agreeing to pay $90,000 as part of a settlement in the lawsuit.

8. Kesha vs. Dr. Luke

The 38-year-old singer sued Dr. Luke, imposing serious allegations that included sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, emotional abuse, and violation of California business practices in 2014.

According to the Tik Tok hitmaker, this occurred over 10 years working together. The Die Young singer also claimed that Sony Music also knew of Dr. Luke’s abuse.

Neither Kesha nor Dr. Luke fully "won" the decade-long legal battle, as the case ended in a settlement in June 2023.

9. Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni

The most recent yet headline grabbing news since the end of 2024 has been the legal feud between It Ends with Us costars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.

It all started in December last year when Lively sued Baldoni, accusing him of sexually harassing her and acting inappropriately on the set of the movie, which was released in August 2024.

The Another Simple Favor actress also accused her costar of starting a smear campaign to damage her reputation.

In January 2025, Baldoni in his response, slammed the actress and her husband Ryan Reynolds with a counter lawsuit for $400 million, alleging that the couple tried to hijack his directional movie and damage his reputation.

The on-going case, whose trial will begin in March 2026, could be one of the biggest celebrity legal battles ever.

10. Sean "Diddy" Combs

Last but not the least we will shed light on one of the most highlighted celebrity lawsuits; Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The 55-year-old rapper was involved in series of allegations including him being involved in sex trafficking and holding events known as "Freak Offs" where he allegedly abused, threatened, and coerced victims to fulfill his sexual desires.

Another allegation against him involved sex racketeering and conspiracy, in which he allegedly masterminds a criminal enterprise, using employees, associates, and enablers to arrange illegal activities, procure participants, and intimidate or silence victims.

Moreover, he was involved in series of sexual assault and abuse in which multiple lawsuits described the disgraced rapper as supplying or facilitating access to illegal drugs during private parties, where attendees were expected to participate in explicit activities.

Several women and men accused Combs of sexual assault and rape.

The rapper, who denied all the charges filed against him and plead, stood in the trial that took place in May 2025.

In July 2025, Combs was acquitted of major claims including sex trafficking trial, however, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.

It is worth mentioning here that Sean "Diddy" Combs' sentencing is scheduled for October 3, 2025.