Georgia
Hall, Sugarland reach agreement in lawsuit
ATLANTA - The two members of the country duo Sugarland avoided a nasty public trial with the group's founding member, settling a lawsuit over claims that she was owed an estimated $14 million of the band's profits after she left to pursue a solo career five years ago.
Sugarland, which last week was named the Country Music Association's vocal duo of the year, was set to go to trial today with founding member Kristen Hall over claims she was owed one-third of the band's profits even though she quit the band in December 2005.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten signed a court order Friday saying the parties reached a settlement. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but Batten gave both sides until Dec. 13 to complete the agreement. Attorneys for the parties could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Hall sued Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush in 2008, claiming that she should have been given a third of the group's profits - a sum her lawyers said could exceed $14 million.
The complaint said Hall, who founded the band in 2002, set the stage for the group's success by acting as its manager, marketing officer and tour organizer in its early years. It said she used her personal credit cards to pay for the band's expenses, and that she "collaborated generously" on the debut album, which sold millions of copies.
Nettles and Bush countered in court documents that Hall never reached a profit-sharing agreement with them when she quit. They said they were left to repay almost $100,000 in debts after Hall left, and that she had "no expectation that the parties would ever work together again."
California
'Megamind' dominates box office for 2nd week
LOS ANGELES - Will Ferrell's dastardly schemes continue to succeed, with the animated "Megamind" staying at the top of the box office.
The 3-D comedy, featuring Ferrell as the voice of a supervillain, made just more than $30 million in its second week in theaters, according to Sunday studio estimates. It's now made nearly $90 million total. "Megamind" also features the voices of Brad Pitt, Tina Fey and Jonah Hill.
Opening in second place is the action thriller "Unstoppable," starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine as railroad workers trying to stop a massive runaway train. It made $23.5 million. The movie is based on a 2001 Ohio incident in which a train carrying hazardous cargo traveled 66 miles without a crew.
Last week's No. 2 film, "Due Date," fell to the third spot with $15.5 million. The comedy features Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis as opposites stuck together on a road trip. It's now made $59 million in two weeks.
Among the weekend's other new releases, "Skyline" opened in fourth place with $11.7 million. The sci-fi thriller depicts aliens invading and destroying Los Angeles. And "Morning Glory," a comedy set in a network morning show starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton, opened at No. 5 with about $9.6 million.
The Associated Press
U of A president declines to sign shared governance contract with faculty
