Posted March 21, 2008

When you're as wealthy as television mogul Oprah Winfrey, a legal team that works around the clock is as essential as breathing. This week was no different for the multi-billionaire, as reports of two legal battles are surfacing.

A woman name Orit Greenberg filed suit against Winfrey's production company, Harpo and the "Oprah Winfrey Show" with claims she was seriously injured at one of the show's Chicago tapings in December 2006. The woman says that she was pushed down the stairs when a fan stampede broke out, according to court documents filed in Cook County, Illinois Circuit Court Wednesday.

The suit alleges Harpo failed to properly control the crowd and was careless by allowing guests to seat themselves, reports Eurweb. Greenberg is seeking more than $50,000 for medical care and other damages.

Winfrey has more legal trouble from a Boston woman named Darlene Tracy, who claims to be the originator for "Oprah's Big Give." The show was a joint effort between Harpo and the ABC network, and gave Oprah fans money to help their communities. When the show was announced in December of 2006, Tracy filed a suit claiming that the concept was stolen from a reality show called "The Philanthropist," which she says she pitched to Harpo producers in March of 2005.

Tracy's case, which was filed in Massachusetts, was dismissed due to improper venue. The woman has since hired a lawyer and filed an appeal that documents her contact with Winfrey's Harpo Productions and sets forth similarities between "The Philanthropist" and "Big Give."