Georgia
Usher sues investors to recover $700,000 he lent to buy property for ‘Homage ATL’
ATLANTA (AP) — The music artist and entertainment executive Usher is suing a group of investors who have been trying to open a new restaurant and lounge in Atlanta.
Usher Raymond IV lent $1.7 million to the investor group toward the purchase of property for the planned Homage ATL, his lawyers said in a lawsuit filed recently in Atlanta.
In late 2024, three men approached Usher with their plan to open the restaurant and lounge, which involved the purchase of a commercial property in the city’s Buckhead neighborhood, the lawsuit states. Usher declined to become an investor in Homage ATL, but he agreed to loan the group $1.7 million toward purchasing the property.
The money had been sent to the trust account of Atlanta lawyer Alcide Honoré, who represented some of the investors and is named as a defendant in the lawsuit. After the deal never materialized, Usher requested that his money be returned. He was repaid $1 million in August, but communication then broke down and he has been unable to collect the remaining $700,000, the lawsuit states.
Honoré on Wednesday referred questions to his attorney, Clifford Hardwick IV.
“I have no substantive comment regarding a matter that is in litigation,” Hardwick said in an email to The Associated Press. “However, I am extremely confident that Mr. Honoré will be vindicated as to any civil liability in this case.”
One of the defendants named in the lawsuit, record producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox, said on Instagram that he is “a passive minority shareholder” in one of the companies involved.
“While I’m unable to share more details right now, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: my 27-year friendship with Usher remains fully intact.”
Two other men in the investment group, both from metro Atlanta, are also named as defendants. No lawyers for them were listed in the court records at this early stage of the lawsuit.
New York
Brooklyn driver who killed a mother and two children is sentenced to 3 to 9 years in prison
NEW YORK (AP) — A Brooklyn wigmaker and social media influencer who raced through a red light and plowed into a mother and two children, killing them, was sentenced Wednesday to 3 years to 9 years in state prison.
Miriam Yarimi, 33, pleaded guilty last month in state court in Brooklyn to three counts of reckless manslaughter in connection with the March crash in the borough’s Midwood neighborhood.
Yarimi wept as she was being sentenced and told Judge Danny Chun: “I accept full responsibility for my actions.”
Prosecutors had recommended the maximum of 5 years to 15 years in prison.
Natasha Saada, 34, was holding hands with her three children, Diana, 8, Deborah, 5, and Philip, 4, while crossing Ocean Parkway after Shabbat services, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
Natasha, Diana and Deborah were killed. Philip was critically injured.
Yarimi sped through the intersection at close to 70 mph (113 kph) and slammed her Audi luxury sedan into a turning Toyota before hitting Saada and her children, Gonzalez said. The car, bearing the license plate WIGM8KER, flipped and came to a stop about 130 feet (40 meters) away.
The posted speed limit is 25 mph (40 kph). There was no indication that Yarimi, who was driving on a suspended license, had attempted to brake, Gonzalez said.
“This defendant is a reckless driver who cared about only herself when she raced in the streets of Brooklyn and wiped away nearly an entire family,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
“There’s a lot of sorrow and pain, remorse, regret I feel in my heart for causing such an unspeakable tragedy,” Yarimi told the judge Wednesday, reading from prepared remarks. “I hope and pray that my guilty plea, as well as my sentencing here today, will provide some degree of closure to the victims and their family members for all of the pain and suffering that my actions.”
Yarimi had to be extracted from her vehicle, police said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams called the crash a “tragic accident of a Shakespearean proportion.”
“This is extremely concerning and painful, not only to the City of New York in general, but specifically to a very close knit community,” Adams said at the time. “A mother gone for a simple stroll on a sunny day was struck and killed. As we pray for their families and this entire community, the city mourns this loss.”
North Carolina
Largest U.S. landlord to pay $7 million to settle rent-setting algorithm lawsuit
Greystar, the nation’s largest landlord, has reached a $7 million settlement with nine states that sued the property management giant for using rent-setting algorithms that officials have blamed for driving up housing costs.
The proposed settlement, filed Tuesday in a North Carolina federal court, is the latest to result from antitrust lawsuits targeting RealPage and similar software companies. Prosecutors argue the products help rival property managers illegally align prices and push up rents. A judge must still approve the deal.
“Whether it’s through smoke-filled backroom deals or through an algorithm on your computer screen, colluding to drive up prices is illegal,” Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. “Families across the country are staring down an affordability crisis. Companies that intentionally fuel this unaffordability by raising prices to line their own pockets can be sure I will use the full force of my office to hold them accountable.”
As part of the settlement, Greystar will no longer use software that relies on other landlords’ confidential data to set rents. Greystar also agreed separately last month to pay $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its use of RealPage. And in August, the company reached a separate nonmonetary deal with the Department of Justice to halt similar practices.
“We are pleased this matter is resolved and remain focused on serving our residents and clients,” Greystar said in a statement Wednesday.
Based in South Carolina, Greystar manages more than 946,000 units nationwide, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council. RealPage, which is based in Texas, has said its software is used on fewer than 10% of rental units in the U.S., and that its price recommendations are used less than half the time. It did not have a comment on the latest settlement.
RealPage has denied any wrongdoing and argues that the plaintiffs misunderstand how their product works. It argues that the real driver of high rents is a lack of housing supply, and says its pricing recommendations often encourage landlords to drop rents since they are incentivized to maximize revenue by maintaining high occupancy.
The RealPage software provides daily recommendations to help landlords and their employees price their available apartments. The landlords do not have to follow the suggestions, but critics argue that because the software has access to a vast trove of confidential data, it helps RealPage’s clients charge the highest possible rent.
The governors of California and New York signed laws last month to crack down on rent-setting software, and a growing list of cities, including Philadelphia and Seattle, have passed ordinances against the practice.
The states that are part of the settlement include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon and Tennessee.
New Hampshire
Jury acquits ex-youth center worker on 3 sex assault charges, but deadlocks on 5 other charges
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — One of the first men charged with abusing children at New Hampshire’s state-run youth detention center was acquitted of three sexual assault charges Wednesday by a jury that was unable to reach a verdict on five other charges.
Stephen Murphy, 56, of Danvers, Massachusetts, was one of two former Youth Development Center workers charged in 2019 with assaulting a teenage boy at the Manchester facility in the 1990s.
The ensuing scandal has expanded to include an unprecedented criminal investigation, nine additional arrests, over 1,100 lawsuits, and the establishment of a settlement fund to compensate victims.
It was the second trial for Murphy. His first, involving another alleged victim, ended in a mistrial in January. He still faces charges related to two other former residents of the facility, now called the Sununu Youth Services Center, and prosecutors could retry him on the five charges on which no verdict was returned Wednesday.
“Although we believe that a finding of not guilty on all charges was reflected by the evidence, we will be prepared to fight the remaining charges again in the future should the state seek to continue its prosecution of Stephen in this case,” defense attorney Charles Keefe said in an email. “Stephen is happy to go home to his wife and daughter, and he is incredibly grateful for the support of his friends, family and community at large through this process.”
In the latest trial, Murphy was charged with eight counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, alleging that he forced or coerced David Meehan into performing sexual acts in 1997 and 1998.
The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual assault unless they have come forward publicly, as Meehan has done.
Murphy, who later worked as a clubhouse attendant for the Boston Red Sox, testified last week, denying the allegations.
“Absolutely not,” he said when asked if he did anything to Meehan. “Those are completely false accusations.”
During the trial, Keefe emphasized inconsistencies in Meehan’s statements to police, prosecutors and his testimony in multiple trials and sought to portray him as delusional and prone to embracing conspiracy theories.
Prosecutors argued Murphy used sexual violence to establish dominance over a child he was supposed to be protecting and mentoring.
“As a grown man, there is no way I can stand for this,” Meehan testified. “I’ve had to pay for everything I’ve ever done wrong – we all do. What makes this situation any different?”
In the other criminal cases, three men have been convicted: Bradley Asbury, Stanley Watson and James Woodlock. Jurors acquitted Jonathan Brand and deadlocked in the case of Victor Malavet, leading to a mistrial. Charges were dropped against Trevor Middleton, Frank Davis was declared incompetent to stand trial, and Gordon Searles died while awaiting trial. Jeffrey Buskey and Lucien Poulette are awaiting trial.
Meehan’s lawsuit seeking to hold the state accountable is the only civil case that has gone to trial so far. A jury awarded him $38 million last year, but the state Supreme Court has yet to rule on whether the total should be slashed to $475,000 under a state law that limits such damages. Testifying in Woodlock’s trial in September, Meehan said he has received an advance of more than $2 million from a third-party underwriter that he will not have to return regardless of the outcome.
Usher sues investors to recover $700,000 he lent to buy property for ‘Homage ATL’
ATLANTA (AP) — The music artist and entertainment executive Usher is suing a group of investors who have been trying to open a new restaurant and lounge in Atlanta.
Usher Raymond IV lent $1.7 million to the investor group toward the purchase of property for the planned Homage ATL, his lawyers said in a lawsuit filed recently in Atlanta.
In late 2024, three men approached Usher with their plan to open the restaurant and lounge, which involved the purchase of a commercial property in the city’s Buckhead neighborhood, the lawsuit states. Usher declined to become an investor in Homage ATL, but he agreed to loan the group $1.7 million toward purchasing the property.
The money had been sent to the trust account of Atlanta lawyer Alcide Honoré, who represented some of the investors and is named as a defendant in the lawsuit. After the deal never materialized, Usher requested that his money be returned. He was repaid $1 million in August, but communication then broke down and he has been unable to collect the remaining $700,000, the lawsuit states.
Honoré on Wednesday referred questions to his attorney, Clifford Hardwick IV.
“I have no substantive comment regarding a matter that is in litigation,” Hardwick said in an email to The Associated Press. “However, I am extremely confident that Mr. Honoré will be vindicated as to any civil liability in this case.”
One of the defendants named in the lawsuit, record producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox, said on Instagram that he is “a passive minority shareholder” in one of the companies involved.
“While I’m unable to share more details right now, I want to make one thing absolutely clear: my 27-year friendship with Usher remains fully intact.”
Two other men in the investment group, both from metro Atlanta, are also named as defendants. No lawyers for them were listed in the court records at this early stage of the lawsuit.
New York
Brooklyn driver who killed a mother and two children is sentenced to 3 to 9 years in prison
NEW YORK (AP) — A Brooklyn wigmaker and social media influencer who raced through a red light and plowed into a mother and two children, killing them, was sentenced Wednesday to 3 years to 9 years in state prison.
Miriam Yarimi, 33, pleaded guilty last month in state court in Brooklyn to three counts of reckless manslaughter in connection with the March crash in the borough’s Midwood neighborhood.
Yarimi wept as she was being sentenced and told Judge Danny Chun: “I accept full responsibility for my actions.”
Prosecutors had recommended the maximum of 5 years to 15 years in prison.
Natasha Saada, 34, was holding hands with her three children, Diana, 8, Deborah, 5, and Philip, 4, while crossing Ocean Parkway after Shabbat services, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.
Natasha, Diana and Deborah were killed. Philip was critically injured.
Yarimi sped through the intersection at close to 70 mph (113 kph) and slammed her Audi luxury sedan into a turning Toyota before hitting Saada and her children, Gonzalez said. The car, bearing the license plate WIGM8KER, flipped and came to a stop about 130 feet (40 meters) away.
The posted speed limit is 25 mph (40 kph). There was no indication that Yarimi, who was driving on a suspended license, had attempted to brake, Gonzalez said.
“This defendant is a reckless driver who cared about only herself when she raced in the streets of Brooklyn and wiped away nearly an entire family,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
“There’s a lot of sorrow and pain, remorse, regret I feel in my heart for causing such an unspeakable tragedy,” Yarimi told the judge Wednesday, reading from prepared remarks. “I hope and pray that my guilty plea, as well as my sentencing here today, will provide some degree of closure to the victims and their family members for all of the pain and suffering that my actions.”
Yarimi had to be extracted from her vehicle, police said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams called the crash a “tragic accident of a Shakespearean proportion.”
“This is extremely concerning and painful, not only to the City of New York in general, but specifically to a very close knit community,” Adams said at the time. “A mother gone for a simple stroll on a sunny day was struck and killed. As we pray for their families and this entire community, the city mourns this loss.”
North Carolina
Largest U.S. landlord to pay $7 million to settle rent-setting algorithm lawsuit
Greystar, the nation’s largest landlord, has reached a $7 million settlement with nine states that sued the property management giant for using rent-setting algorithms that officials have blamed for driving up housing costs.
The proposed settlement, filed Tuesday in a North Carolina federal court, is the latest to result from antitrust lawsuits targeting RealPage and similar software companies. Prosecutors argue the products help rival property managers illegally align prices and push up rents. A judge must still approve the deal.
“Whether it’s through smoke-filled backroom deals or through an algorithm on your computer screen, colluding to drive up prices is illegal,” Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. “Families across the country are staring down an affordability crisis. Companies that intentionally fuel this unaffordability by raising prices to line their own pockets can be sure I will use the full force of my office to hold them accountable.”
As part of the settlement, Greystar will no longer use software that relies on other landlords’ confidential data to set rents. Greystar also agreed separately last month to pay $50 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its use of RealPage. And in August, the company reached a separate nonmonetary deal with the Department of Justice to halt similar practices.
“We are pleased this matter is resolved and remain focused on serving our residents and clients,” Greystar said in a statement Wednesday.
Based in South Carolina, Greystar manages more than 946,000 units nationwide, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council. RealPage, which is based in Texas, has said its software is used on fewer than 10% of rental units in the U.S., and that its price recommendations are used less than half the time. It did not have a comment on the latest settlement.
RealPage has denied any wrongdoing and argues that the plaintiffs misunderstand how their product works. It argues that the real driver of high rents is a lack of housing supply, and says its pricing recommendations often encourage landlords to drop rents since they are incentivized to maximize revenue by maintaining high occupancy.
The RealPage software provides daily recommendations to help landlords and their employees price their available apartments. The landlords do not have to follow the suggestions, but critics argue that because the software has access to a vast trove of confidential data, it helps RealPage’s clients charge the highest possible rent.
The governors of California and New York signed laws last month to crack down on rent-setting software, and a growing list of cities, including Philadelphia and Seattle, have passed ordinances against the practice.
The states that are part of the settlement include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon and Tennessee.
New Hampshire
Jury acquits ex-youth center worker on 3 sex assault charges, but deadlocks on 5 other charges
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — One of the first men charged with abusing children at New Hampshire’s state-run youth detention center was acquitted of three sexual assault charges Wednesday by a jury that was unable to reach a verdict on five other charges.
Stephen Murphy, 56, of Danvers, Massachusetts, was one of two former Youth Development Center workers charged in 2019 with assaulting a teenage boy at the Manchester facility in the 1990s.
The ensuing scandal has expanded to include an unprecedented criminal investigation, nine additional arrests, over 1,100 lawsuits, and the establishment of a settlement fund to compensate victims.
It was the second trial for Murphy. His first, involving another alleged victim, ended in a mistrial in January. He still faces charges related to two other former residents of the facility, now called the Sununu Youth Services Center, and prosecutors could retry him on the five charges on which no verdict was returned Wednesday.
“Although we believe that a finding of not guilty on all charges was reflected by the evidence, we will be prepared to fight the remaining charges again in the future should the state seek to continue its prosecution of Stephen in this case,” defense attorney Charles Keefe said in an email. “Stephen is happy to go home to his wife and daughter, and he is incredibly grateful for the support of his friends, family and community at large through this process.”
In the latest trial, Murphy was charged with eight counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault, alleging that he forced or coerced David Meehan into performing sexual acts in 1997 and 1998.
The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual assault unless they have come forward publicly, as Meehan has done.
Murphy, who later worked as a clubhouse attendant for the Boston Red Sox, testified last week, denying the allegations.
“Absolutely not,” he said when asked if he did anything to Meehan. “Those are completely false accusations.”
During the trial, Keefe emphasized inconsistencies in Meehan’s statements to police, prosecutors and his testimony in multiple trials and sought to portray him as delusional and prone to embracing conspiracy theories.
Prosecutors argued Murphy used sexual violence to establish dominance over a child he was supposed to be protecting and mentoring.
“As a grown man, there is no way I can stand for this,” Meehan testified. “I’ve had to pay for everything I’ve ever done wrong – we all do. What makes this situation any different?”
In the other criminal cases, three men have been convicted: Bradley Asbury, Stanley Watson and James Woodlock. Jurors acquitted Jonathan Brand and deadlocked in the case of Victor Malavet, leading to a mistrial. Charges were dropped against Trevor Middleton, Frank Davis was declared incompetent to stand trial, and Gordon Searles died while awaiting trial. Jeffrey Buskey and Lucien Poulette are awaiting trial.
Meehan’s lawsuit seeking to hold the state accountable is the only civil case that has gone to trial so far. A jury awarded him $38 million last year, but the state Supreme Court has yet to rule on whether the total should be slashed to $475,000 under a state law that limits such damages. Testifying in Woodlock’s trial in September, Meehan said he has received an advance of more than $2 million from a third-party underwriter that he will not have to return regardless of the outcome.
