Judge Approves Lawsuit Against Madonna Related to Noise Complaints

On one hand, having a celebrity of Madonna's status as a neighbor might be fun and interesting. After all, she's one of the most recognized and accomplished entertainers in the world - and for the most part she seems like a nice person. Of course, if Madonna is using her adjoining apartment as a dance and music studio with blaring music and constant stomping on the floor - as a recent lawsuit contends - then things might not be so rosy. That seems to be what is transpiring in Madonna's New York apartment complex.

A judge ruled yesterday that the lawsuit filed against Madonna and the co-op where her apartment resides will be allowed to move forward based on the evidence provided. Madonna and the building owners claim that Madonna never violated existing noise ordinances, but that may not be the deciding factor if terms of the various leases dictate otherwise.

While it may not be illegal for Madonna to make noise in her apartment during certain hours of the day, there may be a clause in the lease of her offended neighbor that entitles him or her to quiet enjoyment of their own premises. If said quiet enjoyment is infringed upon by Madonna's activities, then she has a valid complaint. Of course, the complaint may not ultimately be Madonna's to rectify - and it's likely that she will not face anything other than a potential order stating that she can't use her apartment as a studio - or placing restrictions on the noise level and hours of the day she might use the space as such.

Ultimately, it might be much easier for Madonna and her neighbor if the star decided to use one of the many studios in the area for her needs. Everyone loves to work from home - sometimes - but overall it can be a drag.

Faye Dunaway to fight eviction from New York apartment

Actress Faye Dunaway plans to fight a lawsuit aiming to evict her from her rent-controlled apartment in New York, her attorney said on Thursday.

Dunaway's landlord filed a complaint on August 2 seeking to evict her from the apartment on East 78th Street, alleging it is not her primary residence.

A hearing scheduled for Thursday before Judge John Stanley in New York City Civil Court was adjourned. Instead, Dunaway's lawyer Elizabeth Shollenberger met with the landlord's attorney, Craig Charie of Rosenberg & Estis, in an effort to resolve the matter.

"We didn't come to a settlement today," Shollenberger said afterwards. The parties will return to court October 4. Dunaway, 70, is in California, and was not present.

Dunaway first signed a lease for the one-bedroom apartment in 1994, and her rent is $1,048.72 a month. In court papers, Henry Moses of 7 of 8 Realty Co. claimed Dunaway maintains a home in West Hollywood, California, where she is registered to vote and has a driver's license.

Shollenberger told a crowd of reporters that the actress calls New York her home, and she is not voluntarily leaving the apartment.

"She has not moved out," the veteran housing lawyer said, contradicting what Dunaway said in a phone interview on August 3, when she said she left the apartment in May.

Dunaway has expressed concern about the condition of the apartment, Shollenberger said.

"There's water damage in the apartment that she said she's been complaining about for years," the attorney said. "For someone who is an older person, having water damage leads to all kinds of mold problems, respiratory problems."

Dunaway will be able to keep the apartment and continue to pay rent while the case is pending, Shollenberger said.

Belarus activist's arrest criticized

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek has expressed "great concern" about the arrest of a prominent human rights activist in Belarus.

Ales Belyatsky, head of the human rights group Vesna, was arrested Thursday, his apartment and office were raided and a computer and documents seized, said Anastasia Loiko, a Vesna activist, RIA Novosti reported.

Belyatsky, accused of evading taxes, faces a maximum seven-year sentence.

Buzek, a former prime minister of Poland, expressed "great concern" about the arrest and called Belyatsky and others "unjustly detained political prisoners."

"Dragging people off the streets takes us back to the dark Communist past that we do not want repeated ever again," Buzek said in a statement. "This is unacceptable on our continent in the 21st century.

"I urge the Belarusian authorities to release Ales Belyatsky and the other unjustly detained political prisoners. Such repressive actions will only bring people closer together, uniting them to the final goal -- that of freedom and liberty."

Hundreds of people were arrested in July in Belarus, a former Soviet Republic, for their participation in protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's authoritarian rule. Some demonstrators were beaten, reports said.

Man charged in penis 'puppet' incident

Police in Washington state said a suspect used his genitals as a puppet while standing over an air conditioner intake at an apartment complex.

The police report of the incident said Timothy Wayne Martin, 44, of Auburn, Wash., was arrested after residents of the Arcadia Apartment Complex in Federal Way called police at about 10:30 a.m. May 13 and reported a man standing over an air conditioner intake wearing only an unbuttoned flannel shirt and "was apparently manipulating" his penis with a string "like a puppet," Seattlepi.com reported Thursday.

Police said Martin was arrested at the scene and still had the string attached to his penis. He was charged under the state's felony indecent exposure statute due to having two prior convictions for similar crimes.

Martin was also in possession of a small quantity of methamphetamine at the time of his arrest. Police said he also had a pornographic magazine.

The suspect was taken to the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in lieu of $25,000 bail.