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Andrew Brown Jr. was unarmed and posed no threat to law enforcement officers who fired their weapons and killed him earlier this year during an attempted arrest ... this according to a new lawsuit against the officers involved and their bosses.

Brown's estate filed suit against the Pasquotank County and Dare County sheriffs, as well as several of their deputies ... who were allegedly part of the cavalry that showed up on April 21 to execute a search warrant, and ended up shooting and killing ABJ. His aunt, Lillie Brown Clark -- who is also his estate's administrator -- says the killing was without cause.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the estate says officers showed up to wrangle Brown at his home on suspicion of drug trafficking ... something for which an arrest warrant was issued. However, the estate claims the warrant was invalid because it lacked a signature from a judicial officer.

The estate says a small army of officers descended upon Brown unsuspectingly that morning -- and freaked him the hell out as he was sitting in his parked car in his driveway. Accordingly, the estate says Brown panicked and tried to escape ... and claims he did so without endangering any officers' lives.

The suit says Brown made sure to turn his wheel in an effort to avoid hitting any of the cops ... but the officers still unloaded a barrage of bullets at him and his vehicle -- with a fatal one striking him in the back of the head.

The main argument here is the shooting was completely unnecessary -- as the estate claims Brown was unarmed, posed no threat to officers and was fleeing. It's the same points the family has made in news conferences since his death.

You'll recall ... the family had been asking for the full body cam footage depicting the events leading up to his death, plus the fateful moment he was shot. Pasquotank County eventually released multiple angles of the full encounter.

The estate is suing for excessive force, assault and battery, wrongful death and more. They're asking for more than $30 million in damages.

Flavor Flav and Boosie Badazz are moving past their online feud, and the proof is in their face-to-face meeting ... for a podcast.

The rappers recently joined forces for the latest edition of "The Flavor Flav Show," and immediately addressed the big elephant in the room -- Boosie taking offense to getting mistaken for Flav.

As you know, Boosie was pissed when a woman in the airport called him Flavor Flav earlier this year, with Boosie declaring Flav "can't f*** with me."

From there, Boosie fans starting going after Flav, calling him Boosie on purpose ... and a back-and-forth between the two rappers ensued.

It's all water under the bridge now though, as they've clearly squashed their beef and you can see the mutual respect between them.

It's pretty cool ... Boosie gives it up to Flavor Flav as the Public Enemy legend lists off his long list of accomplishments, and Flav tells Boosie he's on the same path.

Harvey Weinstein is officially free to date whoever he wants -- in prison, of course -- now that he and Georgina Chapman's divorce is a done deal.

Court records confirm the judge signed off on their divorce last week. As we previously reported, the disgraced studio mogul and fashion designer reached a divorce settlement way back in January 2018 ... which included divvying up their property, and hashing out a custody arrangement for their 2 kids -- India and Dashiell. The terms of the deal were confidential.

As we reported ... Georgina filed for divorce from Weinstein in 2017. She reportedly started dating Adrien Brody a couple of years later.

As you know by now ... Georgina and Adrien finally went public with their relationship last month when they attended the Tribeca Film Festival together -- and earlier this month they were hanging out in L.A. with Georgina's kids.

Meanwhile, Weinstein is still waiting to be extradited to L.A. to face a slew of sexual assault charges.

He's currently behind bars in NY following his rape conviction there, but as for the divorce -- his rep, Juda Engelmayer, tells TMZ ... "Harvey's only thoughts are happiness for his family and the hope that his children are always cared for and happy. He loves them hopes that they know it, and that one day soon, he can be closer to them."

Peyton Manning looked absolutely nothing like one of the greatest athletes ever on Tuesday ... botching the ceremonial first pitch at the MLB All-Star Game -- and it was pretty terrible.

The former Broncos QB was tapped by baseball officials to kick off the big night at Coors Field in Denver ... and, boy, did he disappoint in the role.

Check out the clip ... Manning took the bump, reared back with an ugly wind-up, and then fired a fastball that didn't even reach home plate.

Seriously, it wasn't good.

In fact, the ball bounced so far from being a strike ... it had to be knocked down by Rockies pitcher German Marquez to save Peyton from all-time embarrassment.

You can tell from the footage, even Manning was disappointed with the toss ... he shook his head and threw up his hands before receiving the ball back from Marquez.

Of course, Manning's been retired from being a star athlete for more than 5 years now ... so maybe the 45-year-old deserves a pass here.

'Ned’s Declassified' star Lindsey Shaw got sound advice from her "one Black friend" about how to handle her TikTok backlash for seemingly mocking Black creators -- but she went rogue, and now has a bigger mess to clean up.

Daniel Curtis Lee, who played Cookie, Lindsey's on-screen BFF on the Nickelodeon sitcom, tells TMZ ... Lindsey hit him up shortly after her inbox was flooded with hateful comments about her since-deleted video reaction to a TikTok dance trend.

He says he specifically advised her that if she was going to respond to racism accusations, it would be best if she dealt with it in a lighthearted way. Instead, Daniel says Lindsey chose the "crying route," which he says only triggered a feeding frenzy.

As we reported, Lindsey said the backlash was so intense it drove her to quit social media altogether. She posted a tear-filled vid, saying the hate was too much to handle.

Lindsey also said that the intent of her initial video was to point out generational differences between millennials and Gen Zers ... nothing racial.

Daniel says, simply put, his friend of 20 years gave a non-tasteful take, but he does NOT see the 9 words she uttered as racist.

That being said ... Daniel says her reaction video clearly offended people ... and he offers advice (AGAIN!!!) on how she can best handle this going forward.

Singer Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and his wife, Nicole Pantenburg, are calling it quits after 7 years of marriage.

In a joint statement, the two tell TMZ, "After much thought and with great sadness, we have decided to end our marriage. We continue to care and have respect for one another and share eternal love for our daughter and her well-being. We ask for personal privacy for ourselves and our daughter as we navigate these new steps as a family.“

The two got married back in 2014 and share one daughter, 12-year-old Peyton Nicole.

It's unclear what led to the split. Babyface was previously married to Tracey Edmonds from 1992 to 2005 ... and they share two sons, Brandon and Dylan.

Babyface and Nicole's 2014 wedding ceremony reportedly included guests like Oprah, the two got hitched after dating for 7 years. The singer was 55 at the time they got hitched, Nicole was 41.

Forget watching the Tokyo Olympics at a bar -- Scottie Pippen is offering fans a WAY cooler watch party option ... his own Chicago home!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the former NBA star is renting out his pad for 3 one-night stays in August to a max of four people to have Olympics watch parties -- and the spot is amazing!

We're told Scottie's home features an indoor basketball court AND an outdoor one ... and also has an arcade and a SWEET pool.

Pippen's place also promises a stacked kitchen ... filled with fresh fruit, veggies and Scottie's favorite pregame and game-time meals (AKA steak and potatoes).

Oh, and the place even comes with a whole movie theater to catch all of the Olympic events!

We're told Pippen's hookin' up his guests with theater footage of the Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics as well ... with exclusive access to his Olympic memorabilia.

Of course, the Hall of Famer won't be there for the stays -- but we're told Scottie will give a virtual welcome check-in ... and his spot comes with staff available on-call too.

The coolest part of the experience? It only costs $92 per night via the special Airbnb offer -- a tip of the cap to the 1992 year that Scottie won his gold medal.

Before this tuxedo tot was cracking jokes for his comedy specials and a well-known writer for television, he was just another smiling sweetheart growing up in Chicago, Illinois.

This dressed-up darling has wowed audiences across the country with his hilarious stand-up ... all while repping his formal attire just like he was as a cute kid. Not only is this famous face a performer on stage, he has also created a cartoon television series for Netflix with his comedy partner, Nick Kroll. Both of the funny fellas voice the characters on the show as well.

"He's a piece of s***. He's sitting there on the ground after losing, talking s*** to Dustin Poirier's wife. I don't feel bad at all."

That's Jake Paul expressing exactly ZERO remorse for Conor McGregor ... and his snapped leg.

TMZ Sports talked to the YouTuber turned boxing superstar in Los Angeles ... at a press conference for his big August 29 fight with ex-UFC champ Tyron Woodley (much more to come on that soon).

We asked Jake -- who's got big beef with the Irish superstar -- for his thoughts on McGregor's gruesome injury ... and Paul didn't mince his words.

"I think he's an evil man, and he had what was coming for him."

We also talked to Jake about his $100k Sleepy McGregor pendant ... and asked if JP was really sending the 6 figure bling to Poirier.

"I think he deserves it. I think it’s hilarious. I hope he takes a picture with it and posts it on Instagram. I just love to see McGregor plummet. He was a meteoric star that’s now just taking a nosedive. Before I wanted to fight him and I offered him $50 million, now my offer is $23."

In fact, Jake says he tried to break the lower leg off the chain ... but couldn't do it.

"I tried to snap off the ankle on it. After the fight I took a rock and tried to smash it. It wouldn’t break, honestly. The chain is more solid than McGregor."

Jessie J is glad Prince William spoke out against racists targeting Black players on England's soccer team after their championship loss -- she says it's a sign of great progress.

We got the English singer Tuesday leaving Crossroads Kitchen in L.A. and asked her if William's comments show the Royal Family learned from the recent racism scandal with Meghan Markle.

Jessie says Prince William calling the disgusting comments "totally unacceptable" is a big step in the right direction.

As we reported ... England's soccer officials also condemned the racial abuse directed at their players after missed opportunities during England's penalty shootout with Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 championship match.

Millie Bobby Brown says the TikTok star bragging about their alleged sexual encounters when he was 20 and she was just 16 is not being truthful ... and her team is threatening legal action to shut him up.

Here's the deal ... TikToker Hunter Echo recently alluded to having a sexual relationship with Millie, claiming she was in love with him and saying he thought her parents knew about the alleged relationship because they were all living under one roof.

Millie's reps tell TMZ ... "Mr. Ecimovic’s remarks on social media are not only dishonest, but also are irresponsible, offensive and hateful. Instead of engaging in a public discourse with him through the press or on social media, we are taking action to ensure that he stops this behavior once and for all."

The reps for the "Stranger Things" star would not say specifically how they feel he's being dishonest.

Hunter came under fire for his crude comments seemingly aimed at Millie -- he mentioned tons of kinky sex acts -- but he says he won't apologize for anything.

We reached out to law enforcement sources across L.A. ... none of which had any sort of investigations open concerning Echo.

Cardi B scored a legal victory in her ongoing battle with a blogger -- a judge just tossed the blogger's countersuit against the rapper.

The court ruled in favor of the rapper, saying the blogger, Latasha K, couldn't prove Cardi was connected to the assault and emotional distress she claims to have suffered back in 2019.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge said Latasha "failed to produce any evidence that [Cardi] herself threatened [Latasha] or made her believe that she was going to harm her."

The judge continued, "Instead, [Latasha] has only made allegations that others who may be associated with [Cardi] made these threats ... and has failed to demonstrate here that the threats ... were directed by [Cardi]" or committed by anyone working for her.

As we reported, Latasha claimed Cardi assaulted her -- even though they were never in the same room -- and she was in such fear for her life she felt compelled to reach out to the FBI.

In any event, the judge ruled there wasn't enough evidence to support Latasha's claims and dismissed them.

BTW, she got a similar reaction from the FBI, which told her to move if she was so concerned.

Sir Richard Branson appears to still be on cloud nine -- or whatever number it is at 55 miles above sea level -- and now the trailblazing billionaire's autograph is an even hotter commodity.

The Virgin Galactic boss and newly minted astronaut was making his way to "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" Tuesday in NYC when he got a hero's welcome from a group of admirers ... most of them toting Sharpies and pics of Sir Richard.

He made his way over to greet his fans and sign some photos, telling them his recent voyage was "special" ... and he snapped lots of great photos.

Based on what we saw for ourselves Sunday -- when Branson and his fellow travelers launched into sub-orbital space aboard the VSS Unity -- we believe him, and we're pretty jealous.

Of course, Richard might be the first business magnate to fly commercial all the way to zero gravity ... but Jeff Bezos is right on his heels. He's set to take off July 20.

The Virgin founder didn't have anything to say about beating the Amazon founder in the billionaire space race, but he really didn't have to ... the look on his face says it all.

Branson's warm welcome in New York does pale in comparison to some other astronauts -- the ticker-tape parade for the crew of Apollo 11 back in 1969 was pretty epic.

Here we are in 2021, but Vanilla Ice says the '90s still have a tight grip on him, because he says it was the best decade ever ... before computers ruined the world.

We got the rapper-turned-historian on the L.A. set of a music video shoot -- a '90s throwback we'll get to shortly, but first ... Ice needs to rail on the "lost generation" of pop culture.

According to Vanilla Ice ... it was the last decade where fashion and music played off each other, and people created "cool" stuff that's still trendy to this day.

He points to the invention of the iPhone as the main culprit for killing pop culture -- though he's a few years off, it actually came out in 2007 not 2004 -- and provides some proof to back up his argument.

Ice follows it up with a claim that might make you question everything, however ... he says his kids think he's cool.

Believe that or not, the guy has a lot of understandable fondness for the '90s -- especially a certain video store chain -- and is down with it all coming back.

Speaking of which ... Vanilla Ice's music vid was for a parody remix of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back." Ya won't hear "Baby Got Buns" on the radio, though ... it's for a hot dog company Bar-S.

Britney Spears has decided who she wants as her lawyer to end the conservatorship, and the attorney has now agreed and will appear in court Wednesday -- arguing she has a right to the lawyer of her choice ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... Britney signed a legal doc stating her desire to hire the mega law firm of Greenberg Traurig, LLP to represent her in her effort to boot Jamie Spears from the conservatorship -- the first step in attempting to end the conservatorship altogether.

As we reported, Britney had her sights set on hiring a partner in the firm -- former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart, who reps a slew of celebrity clients, including Steven Spielberg, Ben Affleck, Jimmy Butler and Sean Penn.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Rosengart has now agreed and will appear remotely during a court hearing Wednesday, asking the judge to appoint him.

The catch 22 is that Britney cannot sign contracts of any substance without the approval of her conservator, Jamie Spears, the man she wants out.

We're told Rosengart will make the argument Britney has a Constitutional right to the lawyer of her choice. Defendants in criminal cases have a Constitutional right to an attorney, but a conservatorship is not a criminal case. Thing is ... it's not a civil case either. It's a hybrid ... somewhere in between.

We're told Rosengart's argument goes like this ... Britney is entitled to due process, which includes the right to a competent lawyer, and a judge would be hard-pressed to conclude Rosengart doesn't have the legal chops to rep her. What's more ... he'll argue it's absurd for Jamie Spears to have the power to disapprove Britney's choice, because the very purpose of the representation is to get him out of the conservatorship.

As we reported ... getting Jamie out is the first step in ending the conservatorship, which has been in place for more than 13 years.

The real battle will come if and when there's a motion to end the conservatorship. Britney said in court last month she wanted that done without further medical evaluation, but that's a tough sell to the judge because several dozen medical professionals have weighed in regularly over the years she has a mental illness that makes a conservatorship necessary.

A woman who's being labeled "Victoria's Secret Karen" broke down in tears and pretended to pass out as she was being recorded by another woman ... who claims the 'Karen' tried to hit her.

This incredible breakdown happened at a Victoria's Secret in Millburn, NJ ... and the woman holding the camera, Ijeoma Ukenta, claims the blonde nearly attacked her right before she started recording.

Ijeoma, who is Black, claims as soon as she started rolling, the woman's behavior changed in an instant -- going from alleged aggressor to playing the full-blown victim. The switch is pretty wild to observe: she falls to the ground and starts crying, complaining Ijeoma is recording her, repeatedly demanding she stop and even chases her around the store at one point.

Interestingly, some shoppers came to the so-called Karen's defense, as Ijeoma continued to record ... something she said she was doing to protect herself from any false claims the woman might make to police. Hilariously, Ijeoma also repeatedly said she was just there for a free panty deal VS was running.

Police eventually showed up, and the woman reportedly told police she was upset about the recording because she was worried the video would be shared online -- it has gone viral -- and she might face repercussions ... such as potentially losing her job.

In the end, neither woman were arrested, but Ijeoma's unhappy with how cops on the scene treated her -- as if she was the aggressor -- and she plans to file a complaint.