• A federal judge in Oklahoma has awarded ownership of the zoo made famous in Netflix's Tiger King docuseries to Joe Exotic's chief rival. In a ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Scott Palk granted control of the Oklahoma zoo that was previously run by Joseph Maldonado-Passage -- also known as Joe Exotic -- to Big Cat Rescue Corp. The Florida group was founded by Carole Baskin, who also featured prominently in the hit Netflix series. Maldonado-Passage is currently serving a 22-year federal prison term for killing five tigers and plotting to have Baskin killed. Baskin previously sued Maldonado-Passage for trademark and copyright infringements and won a $1 million civil judgment against him. Palk's judgment Monday found that ownership of the zoo was fraudulently transferred to Maldonado-Passage's mother in an attempt to avoid paying the judgment. The decision said the zoo animals must be removed from the property within 120 days but it does not detail what should happen to them. Attorneys representing Big Cat Rescue Corp. did not immediately return messages seeking comment. Maldonado-Passage remains incarcerated in Fort Worth. In a handwritten letter posted Monday on Twitter, he repeated his plea for a presidential pardon.
• Former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather will pay for George Floyd's funeral and memorial services after he contacted the family, which accepted the offer. Mayweather personally has been in touch with the family, according to Leonard Ellerbe, the CEO of Mayweather Promotions. He will handle costs for the funeral set for Tuesday in Floyd's hometown of Houston, as well as other expenses. Floyd, a black man, died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd's neck while Floyd was handcuffed and said that he couldn't breathe. His death sparked protests in Minneapolis and around the country, some of which became violent. TMZ originally reported Mayweather's offer, and said he will also pay for services in Minnesota and North Carolina. "He'll probably get mad at me for saying that, but yes, he is definitely paying for the funeral," Ellerbe told ESPN.com. Mayweather, who lives in Las Vegas, has not met the Floyd family. Mayweather, who retired after 50 fights, winning five division titles, also paid for the funeral of an opponent. Mayweather won his first world championship when he stopped Genaro Hernandez for the WBC super featherweight title in 1998. Hernandez died 13 years later of cancer, and Mayweather handled funeral expenses. Among the champion boxers Mayweather defeated before he retired in 2017 are Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez, Oscar de la Hoya and Miguel Cotto.
A Section on 06/03/2020