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The criminal case that put "Rick and Morty" co-creator Justin Roiland out of a job has just been dismissed.

The domestic violence case against Roiland was dismissed Wednesday morning in Orange County. A spokesperson for the District Attorney tells us it was dismissed because there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt.

Justin says, "I have always known that these claims were false – and I never had any doubt that this day would come. I’m thankful that this case has been dismissed but, at the same time, I’m still deeply shaken by the horrible lies that were reported about me during this process."

He continues, "Most of all, I’m disappointed that so many people were so quick to judge without knowing the facts, based solely on the word of an embittered ex trying to bypass due process and have me “canceled.” That it may have succeeded, even partially, is shameful. However, now that the legal case has ended, I’m determined to move forward and focus both on my creative projects and restoring my good name.”

Roiland's attorney T. Edward Welbourn tells TMZ ... "I commend the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for conducting a thorough review of the facts and deciding to dismiss the case against Justin. I’m thankful justice has prevailed."

For those unaware, Roiland got in hot water earlier this year after NBC News revealed he was arrested and charged back in 2020 ... although the details leading to his arrest are unknown. Officials only noted there was an incident with an unnamed woman he was dating at the time.

Netflix straight up jacked the characters and plot for its hit show "Outer Banks" from an already published book ... at least according to the author of a novel, who's now out for some legal revenge.

The streaming giant is being sued by Jeff Wilson, who claims there are way too many similarities between a book he wrote, "Queen Anne's Revenge," and 'OB' for it to be pure coincidence.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Wilson says in 2013 he published his novel, which follows 4 friends on a treasure hunt from a famous shipwreck near the outer banks of North Carolina.

Wilson says his book was even promoted by Discovery and History Channel, and he claims the 'OB' creators have even confessed ... they relied on other books and authors for inspiration to write the scripted series.

The author claims his book was drawn from heavily ... he says the main cast and their character arcs are almost identical to his novel ... and he says the plot points and settings are eerily similar, too.

Wilson is suing Netflix for copyright infringement ... and he wants the streaming giant to fork over any profits they've made from infringing on his novel and an injunction stopping Netflix from distributing or advertising "Outer Banks."

It's worth noting ... another novelist, Kevin Wooten, previously sued Netflix and the 'OB' creators, claiming they ripped off his 2016 book ... but the suit was dismissed after a judge didn't find sufficient similarities between the two.

Scary news for Alexa Bliss ... the WWE superstar says she was recently diagnosed with skin cancer, and now she's urging everyone to "get your skin checked!"

Bliss revealed the diagnosis this week, saying she had a biopsy done on a spot on her face that'd "gotten worse," and the test showed it was basal cell carcinoma.

FYI, an estimated 3.6 million cases of basal cell carcinoma are diagnosed each year, according to the Skin Care Foundation. SCF says the cancer is curable if detected and treated early.

Bliss says she then had a "quick and easy procedure" to remove the cancer. Alexa says doctors also discovered squamous cells, another form of carcinoma, which is often the result of too much UV light, according to Mayo Clinic.

"Dear younger me," Bliss wrote on social media after the procedure, "you should have stayed out of tanning beds."

But, in the end, it's good news for Alexa!

"All clear now though! Thank you @americanskininstitute for taking care of me!

Bliss also reassured fans she'll be fine and back in no time ... writing, "Don’t worry, short healing time. Always get your skin checked! Esp if you are in the sun or use tanning beds! Lol"

Bliss hasn't been seen on WWE programming since she lost to Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair at the Royal Rumble in January ... but Alexa has denied rumors she's on a hiatus from the company.

"Tired of seeing these tweets," Bliss tweeted on March 10. "I am not on a hiatus. They know where to find me."

Austin Butler's 'Elvis' movie went 0 for 8 at the Oscars -- and while it's unclear if the King himself is feeling down, we do know things have gone south (of the border) for him.

The actor was hanging in Cabo San Lucas with his GF, Kaia Gerber, last week -- photographed lounging poolside at their fancy hotel. They were in swimwear -- both looking smoking hot, no doubt -- but there doesn't seem to be too much heartbreak.

AB and Kaia looked fairly neutral as they took in the sunshine ... with just a little bit of PDA.

After a bit of R&R, Austin and Kaia hopped on a golf cart and rolled on over to another part of the resort ... paps snapped the model leaning her head on her boo thang's shoulder as he handled steering duties.

While we're sure Austin/Kaia are enjoying themselves, ya gotta imagine the guy is somewhat bummed about getting iced out of any statuette glory for the most important award show of his life. He had a lot of buzz and momentum behind him ... but so did Brendan Fraser.

Of course, the latter ended up taking home gold for his role in 'The Whale' ... and as we all saw, 'EEAAO,' swept just about everything else -- clearing the deck on all the big categories.

Wayne Swinny, founding Member and guitarist of the band Saliva, is currently battling for his life in the ICU after suffering a brain hemorrhage ... TMZ has learned.

The group shared the news Wednesday, with a statement saying, "Our dear brother Wayne Swinny was discovered Tuesday morning in medical distress and paramedics were called."

The statement continues, "He was transported to a hospital where he was diagnosed with a Spontaneous Hemorrhage in his brain. He is currently in the ICU as we await further news."

Wayne is an original member of the rock band -- founded in 1996 --  which now also consists of Bobby Amaru, Brad Stewart and Sammi Bishop.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's enemies are rejoicing in the fact he was savagely beaten inside a gym sauna ... with Boosie Badazz and Chief Keef both leading the LOL charge.

Boosie pounces at the chance to target all snitching activity within rap and called for the start of a GoFundMe account for 6ix9ine's still unidentified attackers.

"Lmao SNITCHES GET STITCHES," the Lousiana rapper beamed on Twitter while sharing the video, before adding "real ones" deserved to be rewarded.

Chief Keef also found the situation humorous ... amassing over 1 million views with his reaction to 6ix9ine's attack with a pair of laughing emojis.

Unlike Boosie, the Chicago drill pioneer has a direct beef with Tekashi ... Kintea "Kooda B" McKenzie — a former associate of the rainbow-haired rapper — was released from prison early on March 17.

Kooda plead guilty to assault with a deadly weapon in aid of racketeering for his connection to the 2018 Chief Keef shooting attempt in Times Square in 2020 ... and Almighty Sosa obviously hasn't forgotten about it.

Amanda Bynes will likely spend an extended period of time getting the psychiatric care she needs, and we've learned more about the days leading up to her walking naked through L.A. streets.

Sources close to Amanda tell us they're still putting the pieces together, but at this point believe she could've been living on the streets for several days. We're told Amanda's car was towed on March 15 in Long Beach, about 40 miles from her home ... and 25 miles from downtown L.A., where she popped up Sunday.

From Long Beach, our sources believe Amanda hitchhiked or took public transport to get around. She was spotted in Hollywood on March 18, appearing out of it but still clothed.

At one point, we're told, Amanda got a ride to Beverly Hills from a stranger but then asked to return to Hollywood.

We're also told since she was first brought to a mental health hospital early Sunday morning, she's started to make improvements ... but the expectation is she will likely be committed at least another week before she'll be well enough for discharge.

As we told you, it was early morning March 19 when Bynes was spotted wandering the streets near Downtown Los Angeles -- waving a car down for help and calling 911.

Bynes was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold, which typically lasts at least 72 hours.

Tekashi 6ix9ine was savagely beaten by a group of men inside a South Florida gym ... with injuries so bad the controversial rapper was rushed to a hospital by ambulance.

6ix9ine's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... the rapper was inside the sauna Tuesday at an LA Fitness when all of the sudden he was attacked by several guys without warning.

Lazzaro says 6ix9ine tried to fight off the combatants, but there were too many of them, beating him to a pulp before fleeing. Lance notes 6ix9ine did not have security with him at the time of the attack.

Gym staff heard the commotion and immediately notified a manager. Police and EMS were then called to the scene, and he was transported to a hospital by ambulance.

We've obtained a photo of Tekashi taken from the hospital where you can see the damage to his face -- with gashes and swelling. We're told he also suffered injuries to his jaw, ribs and his back.

The next step, Lazzaro says, is he plans to call the Feds to make sure 6ix9ine gets the protection he clearly needs. Remember, he was granted early release from federal prison after cooperating with authorities to land several of his gang member cohorts behind bars.

It's currently unclear if the gym attack had anything to do with Tekashi's cooperation.

Gene Simmons can officially close a very expensive chapter in his Las Vegas life ... finally closing the deal on his massive Las Vegas home.

Real estate sources tell us the KISS rocker sold the glass palace Tuesday for $11M, a discount from the $15 million he originally listed it for in 2021.

As for what $11 million gets you in the desert, the 11,000 sq ft. home comes with a ton of cool features and amenities -- including 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, retractable glass walls, a koi pond and more.

There's also plenty of views of the Strip ... and he even snagged the property next door and planted 137 trees on the land. Of course, the home wouldn't be complete without a gorgeous pool.

If the new homeowner is into cars, they'll have an 11-space garage to fill up.

Ivan Sher and Evangelina Duke-Petroni of IS LUXURY held the listing.

Odds are, you'd never expect to see the cast of "Succession" -- especially Brian Cox -- jammin' to a Carly Rae Jepsen hit ... but that fantasy became reality Monday night.

The faces of the hit series hit up the Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC ... this as the final season is about to premiere on HBO. Some of the main characters formed a dance circle, with Brian in the middle.

Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Alexander Skarsgård, and Justine Lupe were just a few in the mix -- clearly having an absolute blast.

Kieran implores someone to "Dance, bitch!" -- unclear who he was signaling, but he's obviously a lot more like his character than we thought.

As you know, the 4th and final season begins Sunday ... and the reviews have been pretty spectacular.

Lots of questions about Waystar Royco's future have gone unanswered, and the ever-growing tension between Brian's Logan Roy and his family is at an all-time high -- but hey, still looked like a fun night!

Sydney Leday, a woman who claims she too was injured by the bullets flying the day Takeoff was killed, has been on the long road to recovery, one that she says has racked up medical bills in the 6-figures.

The 24-year-old spoke to "The Shade Room" on her lingering traumas and revealed she owes over $200k to the hospital where she stayed for a week after slipping into a coma.

Sydney was left with a bald spot where she was shot in the head, and now attends therapy sessions to treat her PTSD ... admitting loud events like New Year's Eve are triggers.

She called the November 1 shooting "senseless" and says the other witnesses are still traumatized all the same.

Houston Police arrested a man named Patrick Clark who they believe is responsible for shooting Takeoff but have still not named a suspect for the bullet that struck Sydney.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta says artificial intelligence is going to have an effect on health care one way or another ... and while he thinks it'll be mostly positive, there are also downsides.

CNN's go-to medical expert was at LAX Tuesday, where we talked to him about AI. Our photog actually got his first question by asking ChatGPT what to ask the good doctor.

Turns out, the machine was on point ... What does Sanjay think will be the most significant impact AI has in his field?

DSG breaks it down for us ... he believes AI is going to make things much easier for everyone -- practitioners and patients. He explains currently, we have a bit of a one-size-fits-all approach to medicine ... but he thinks AI will change that.

It's pretty fascinating ... Gupta thinks these programs are going to make diagnoses and treatments much more personalized, adding that's ultimately a great thing, 'cause it'll help more people get the best care.

The potential flip side ... algorithms being used to exploit or harm folks, which Dr. Gupta believes could happen if humans allow it. In other words, bad actors could make AI go south ... but he doesn't suspect it'll be the machine's fault -- it'll be our own.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow and serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer are two names you probably never thought you would hear in the same sentence.

Well, that all changed Tuesday ... Gwyneth was sitting in a Utah courtroom on the first day of her civil trial stemming from a 2016 hit-and-run ski crash when her large aviator-style glasses became the center of attention.

Trolls on social media immediately noticed the hilarious -- and maybe even a bit chilling -- comparison between Gwyneth's spectacles and those famously worn by Dahmer.

As you know, Dahmer killed and dismembered 17 young men and ate some of their body parts during his monstrous 1978-1991 rampage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Several people commented on a Good Morning America story about the Paltrow trial posted to Instagram. They wrote, "I like her serial killer vibe." "Gwyneth Paltrow meets Jeffrey Dahmer." "Photos make her look like a serial killer. Geez." And, "Dahmer Effect."

Trolls also took to twitter to roast Gwyneth. One person said, "Gwyneth Paltrow is literally going for the #Dahmer look at this ski accident trial... wtf? Not very on brand for @goop." Goop is a company owned by Gwyneth that promotes a high-end wellness and lifestyle brand.

Another observer wrote, "Why does Gwyneth look like Jeffrey Dahmer?" A third person said, "Not a good look for her."

As we reported, Gwyneth was sued in 2019 by Terry Sanderson who accused Paltrow of crashing into him three years earlier while skiing down a mountain at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, UT. Sanderson said he suffered a concussion and broken ribs as a result of the collision.

What's more, Sanderson claimed Gwyneth just took off, leaving him lying badly injured on the mountain to fend for himself.

Gisele Bündchen says her marriage with Tom Brady was on the rocks long before he went back and forth on his football future ... claiming his career was just one of their problems that led to "the death of my dream."

The 42-year-old supermodel addressed the rumors surrounding her breakup from the 7-time Super Bowl champion in an interview with Vanity Fair ... and she denied ever forcing Brady to choose between their marriage and his profession -- calling the reports "the craziest thing I've ever heard."

In fact, Gisele said she will always support Brady in whatever makes him happy ... and she wants "all his dreams to come true."

While Gisele is rebutting any sort of ultimatum, she is not flat-out denying football had anything to do with their split -- "What’s been said is one piece of a much bigger puzzle," she told the outlet. "It’s not so black and white."

Gisele explained the two started to grow apart from who they were and what they wanted when they met in their late 20s ... and they ultimately had different visions for their future.

"When you love someone, you don’t put them in a jail and say, 'You have to live this life,'" Gisele said. "You set them free to be who they are, and if you want to fly the same direction, then that’s amazing."

"We’re not playing against each other. We are a team ... and that’s beautiful. I look back and I have no regrets. I loved every bit of it."

As for her dating life, Gisele shot down reports she's seeing billionaire Jeffrey Soffer ... saying the guy is Tom's friend, and she believes the story was planted to make her look bad.

Stephen Smith -- the 19-year-old who was friends with Alex Murdaugh's son Buster and died 8 years ago -- was not killed in an accidental hit-and-run ... officials now say it was a homicide, and the change of heart has a link to the recent Murdaugh murder case.

The 19-year-old was found dead in the middle of a South Carolina road nearly 9 years ago.  At the time authorities called it a fatal hit-and-run, despite glaring evidence it was foul play. Among the evidence -- there were no car parts found at the scene, and Stephen's body had no injuries below the torso.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) announced they're reopening the case and investigating it as a homicide ... this based on new info they say they've gathered from the Murdaugh double murder case that just wrapped 2 weeks ago.

Unclear what exactly they've found or who it implicates ... but there's been widespread suspicion Alex Murdaugh's surviving son, Buster -- who was a former classmate of Smith's -- was possibly involved with him.

Buster addressed the speculation about him and Smith ... saying, "These baseless rumors of my involvement with Stephen and his death are false. I unequivocally deny any involvement in his death, and my heart goes out to the Smith family."

Smith's death case had actually been reopened in 2021, but SLED says they held off on announcing anything new until now due to the massive amount of attention on Alex Murdaugh's own murder case ... wanting to avoid ruining his chances at a fair trial. Now that he's been convicted, the word is out.

Smith's mother, Sandy, has been beating the drum about her son for quite a while now ... privately raising money to get his body exhumed/reexamined for a new autopsy.

Dick Van Dyke got into a car crash in Malibu ... though he managed to avoid serious injury.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police responded to a call of a single-car accident last Wednesday morning, and when deputies arrived they found Dick behind the wheel of a 2018 Lexus LS 500 which he'd crashed into a gate.

Our sources say the 97-year-old film and TV legend told cops his car slid and he lost control before slamming into the gate. The streets were wet from the nonstop rain L.A.'s been getting.

As for Dick's injuries ... we're told he was bleeding from the nose and mouth and might have suffered a concussion. Paramedics treated him at the scene, and he had no interest in going to a hospital.

Dick's taken a beating onscreen during his seven decades in Hollywood ... so we're guessing a few minor bumps and bruises don't faze him much.

Our sources say drugs and alcohol were NOT involved ... though cops have submitted paperwork to the DMV requesting a driving retest for Dick, with one of the factors being his age.