One fined for death threats, one helps a birth

Troubled American comic Katt Williams has been ordered to pay almost £400,000 to a recording studio owner he threatened to kill.

The 38-year-old became embroiled in a dispute with Merion Powers, after allegedly using his facilities to record comedy tracks – but not paying for the studio time.

Powers also claimed Williams’s dog attacked one of his own dogs during the recording sessions in October 2009.

When he later met Williams to discuss the incident and collect the £19,000 studio bill, Powers says he was held by one of the comic’s minders while the comedian punched him in the face and threatened to kill him.

According to TMZ.com, an Atlanta judge has ruled in Powers' favour, ordering Williams to pay $577,929.

Last year, Williams was arrested for burglary, after police said he broke into a home and stole thousands of dollars worth of jewellery and coins. In a separate 2009 incident a teenager made an emergency 911 call to police, claiming the comic was holding him against his will.

In happier news from America, Chris Rock came to the aid of a woman going into labour in a New Jersey shopping centre over the weekend.

The unnamed woman started to go into labour as she stepped off an escalator at the Garden State Plaza mall, according to US magazine. Rock calmed her down by telling jokes until medical professionals arrived to take over.

A witness said: 'He was making the crowd and the woman in labour laugh. She recognized who he was immediately and he stayed there until the paramedics took her away.’

Published: 13 Dec 2010