Cyclist issued fine for striking four-year-old girl crossing the street
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
Bert Fields, for decades the go-to lawyer for Hollywood A-listers including Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, George Lucas and the Beatles, and a character as colourful as many of his clients, has died at age 93.
Fields died Sunday at his home in Malibu, California, with his wife, art consultant Barbara Guggenheim, at his side, according to an announcement from Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger, the law firm he helped make a Hollywood powerhouse.
Fields had been suffering from long-term neurological effects of COVID-19, firm spokesman Seth Horowitz said.
"Bert Fields was a gentleman; an extraordinary human being," Cruise, a longtime client, said in a statement. "He had a powerful intellect, a keen wit, and charm that made one enjoy every minute of his company. I loved him dearly and always will."
Fields was known for his fierce advocacy in the courtroom and his personal flair outside it, with bespoke suits, chauffeured cars and an unmatched set of talents.
"He was extremely witty and charming with all the elegance of a true gentleman," producer Jerry Bruckheimer said in a statement. "But he also had the determination and grit of a street fighter."
Law partner and close friend Pierce O'Donnell called Fields "the greatest lawyer of his era" and "truly a Renaissance man: advocate, author, historian, actor, raconteur, recording artist, and a music enthusiast who knew every Cole Porter lyric."
His cases included a multimillion-dollar judgment for Beatle George Harrison against his former business manager, and a win for Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Pictures in an attempted injunction against the release of the director's film "Amistad," and a successful attempt by Warren Beatty to prevent cuts to a TV showing of his film "Reds."
Powerful clients meant taking on powerful opposition. Many of Fields' most famous cases came against the Walt Disney Co. He represented former executive Jeffrey Katzenberg in his heated split from the company, getting him a US$250 million settlement. He represented Lucas in his negotiations with Disney parks. And he represented Harvey and Bob Weinstein in their attempt to separate their company, Miramax, from Disney. Fields would negotiate a deal where the brothers got money to start the new Weinstein Co. instead.
"In the entertainment business walking into litigation without Bert Fields is like walking into the Arctic without a jacket," Harvey Weinstein, now a convicted rapist serving a prison sentence, told the New York Times in 2005.
In the early 2000s, Fields became entangled in the investigation of a private detective he used, Anthony Pellicano, who would later be sentenced to 15 years in prison for illegal wiretapping and other convictions. Fields was questioned by federal investigators, but denied any knowledge of illegal activity and was never charged.
Bertram Fields was born in Los Angeles on March 31, 1929, the son of a retired ballet dancer and an eye surgeon. He graduated from University of California, Los Angeles, and Harvard Law School, and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War before beginning his work as a lawyer.
He was also a prolific author, with published books on William Shakespeare and King Richard III.
His clients, who often became his close friends, were steadfast in their loyalty to him and effusive in their praise after his death.
"He was a brilliant renaissance man," Dustin Hoffman said in a statement, "and, yet, he still had time to be an incredible, kind friend."
Along with Guggenheim, Fields is survived by son James Elder Fields and grandchildren Michael and Annabelle.
A cyclist turned herself in and received a fine after striking a four-year-old girl who was crossing the street to catch a school bus.
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
The Netherlands' contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest was dramatically expelled from competition hours before Saturday's final of the pan-continental pop competition, which has been rattled by protests over the participation of Israel.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
A protest encampment set up on the University of Alberta campus was cleared early Saturday morning by Edmonton police.
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.