The lawyer for the man accused of trying to shake down David Letterman for $2 million—in order not to divulge Letterman's history of relationships with female staffers—hit the morning talk shows to slam the Late Show host: "He’s a master at manipulating audiences, that’s what he does for a living... The public should not rush to judgment. The public should not simply take the word of David Letterman.” more ›

What the hell is going on? The city's teachers are suddenly all Notes on a Scandal! There are three high-profile cases of improper student-teacher relations across the city. more ›

The sex trial that almost had director Steven Soderbergh as a juror heard testimony from one of the prosecution's star witnesses. The Manhattan DA's office says that former Montessori school principal Lina Sinha had affairs with two very underage male students. One of the victims, now a 24-year-old police officer, testified that Sinha kissed him when he was upset after losing an academic competition in 1995. He was 13 at the time, while Sinha was 29; the officer testified, "I was very sad, and Lina kissed me on the mouth" in her school office. more ›

It's really hard to joke about a sex trial where a female Manhattan Montessori school teacher is accused of the statutory rape and sodomy and two teenage boys, but based on the NY Times' article about juror selection, it seems there are moments of levity. more ›

Broadway actor James Barbour, accused of having a relationship with a 15 year old girl "wrote, Unfortunately for Mr. Barbour, the age of consent in New York is 17." more ›

Although it would probably be ulcer-inducing, Gothamist wishes we could be in the gallery for the Murder Inc. drug laundering trial. Because things sound totally insane. Yesterday, prosecutors heard testimony about druglord Kenneth McGriff's hit on 50 Cent (McGriff invested in record label Murder Inc.; the feds say Murder Inc. laundered McGriff's drug money) associates were text messaging each other within 30 minutes of the 2000 shooting, though a defense lawyer said that Murder Inc. head Irving Lorenzo/Gotti was really messaging "I love the s--- out of you" to his wife. Jurors didn't hear the evidence, as the judge is still deciding whether or not to allow the testimony. more ›