A former Cornell fraternity president has been dropped from Jane Doe's civil lawsuit over her alleged gang rape at the Chi Phi frat house in October 2024 ... TMZ has confirmed.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, all the parties agreed to drop Orazio Petito from the lawsuit ... and he can't be added back in.
Petito was not among the seven fraternity brothers accused of raping and drugging Doe.
He was included in the lawsuit because Doe claimed he was responsible for supervising and maintaining a safe condition for the chapter's fraternity house and its members.
Halle Berry seems happy heading into court ... though she had nothing to say to the people eagerly awaiting her arrival.
The actress was spotted in L.A. on Tuesday walking into a courthouse in downtown ... flashing a smile for the cameras and giving a small wave to well-wishers.
Halle even chatted with an older couple for a moment before crossing the street ... a good-natured conversation from the look of it -- though we couldn't hear what was said.
Former NBA standout Al Harrington says "shut up and dribble" belongs in the past ... and he's got a pretty good reason for getting involved in politics these days.
Charlie has boots on the ground in Texas, and he caught up with Harrington at Republican senatorial candidate Ken Paxton's rally in Fort Worth ... where Harrington told us he's getting more involved in politics, particularly because of his business interests in the cannabis industry.
Harrington, who has been invested in cannabis since 2011 and lives in Texas, says he's trying to understand where the industry is headed amid looming restrictions ... and wanted to hear what Paxton, Texas' current attorney general, had to say.
Reality star Kash's mom is pointing the finger at the woman who has reality star attacked her daughter before Kash's fatal shooting ... telling TMZ she believes that woman should be behind bars for allegedly setting the deadly events in motion.
Here's the deal ... police in Oakland, CA say Kash was brawling with a woman when Kash's sister, Vernika Dunbar, came to her defense and tried to pistol-whip the woman ... only to fire a bullet that killed Kash.
Kash's mom, Cynthia, tells TMZ … she firmly believes her daughter's death was a tragic accident, insisting Vernika was trying to protect her sister.
Cynthia says Vernika thought she was doing the right thing by jumping in to defend her sister and never imagined the gun would go off. She insists her children would never intentionally harm one another.
Jessica Simpson sounds like she's super smitten with her boyfriend ... because she says she's "very happy" with their relationship.
The singer was at LAX bright and early Monday ... and while she starts out sleepy, she eventually perks up when a photog asks her about her boo, Thomas Eisenhood.
Jessica and Thomas have been together since the start of the year, and it sounds like they're still going strong.
Jay-Z -- the key decision-maker on who performs each year at the Super Bowl -- has reportedly made his choice for this year's big game, and it's none other than himself!
According to Puck News ... the rap mogul thought about who would take the stage for weeks at the biggest sports event, and then ultimately decided that he would be the perfect pick.
Multiple sources tell the media outlet that Jay choosing Jay was a "more compelling" idea than picking Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber, both of whom were believed to be frontrunners for Super Bowl LXI.This year's Super Bowl will take place at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 14, 2027.
Despite the report, there has been no official announcement on the Super Bowl. TMZ has reached out to Roc Nation, but no word back. Sources previously told TMZ Jay-Z was considering himself at least a month ago.
In 2019, Jay's Roc Nation reportedly secured a $5 million-a-year deal to produce the halftime show performance -- and the company re-upped the deal in 2024 for another 5 years.
Jodie Sweetin survived one seriously scary childhood experience ... a drive-by shooting ... and her late TV dad Bob Saget was along for the wild ride.
We got the actress at LAX, and she recalled the scary shooting outside Ed Debevic's on La Cienega Boulevard in the early '90s, when she and some friends were sitting in a limo before a Janet Jackson concert.
Jodie says she was in the limo with Candace Cameron Bure's sister and another young person when gunfire erupted ... telling us, "S*** was wild."
10:41 AM PT -- Sources tell TMZ ... Tyriq and Alex are just friends.
Tyriq Withers and Alex Consani lit up the Chateau Marmont late Monday night ... looking hot as ever while hopping in a car together.
The "I Know What You Did Last Summer" star and the model were spotted leaving the iconic L.A. hotel with a friend ... with Tyriq wearing a striped white-and-green shirt and long, three-quarter shorts.
Alex wore a gray top and a white skirt with a graphic of a woman's face covering the front. No high heels for this model ... she kept it simple with a pair of sandals.
The WNBA is drawing a line in the sand -- kind of ... because while the league insists that Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White can't play in the league because they're men, the WNBA still hasn't defined what a woman is.
Here's the deal ... WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbertwrote a letter to Republican lawmakers on October 16, saying the two former NBA players can't play in the WNBA because they're "both men."
However, Engelbert -- who is resigning from her position at the end of the year -- didn't define what a woman is ... instead simply saying Enes and Royce don't qualify.
Former Super Bowl champion Cordarrelle Patterson allegedly grabbed his wife by her hair and her arm during a domestic dispute ... leaving her bruised and fearing for her safety, TMZ has learned.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by TMZ, cops say they responded to a Tennessee home on October 17 after receiving a report of a domestic disturbance.
According to the warrant, Patterson's wife told officers the former NFL star physically assaulted her shortly before she called 911, grabbing her hair and left upper arm.
The mother of the teen behind the deadly Oregon elementary school shooting has had her own run-ins with the law ... including an assault case and a DUI arrest, TMZ has learned.
According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, Shauntai May Nickerson was charged with fourth-degree assault in March 2023 after prosecutors accused her of injuring another woman during an altercation.
Nickerson ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of harassment ... admitting in court documents she subjected the woman to unwanted physical contact.
Billy Bush is ripping Amy Griffin for allegedly making someone else's wedding all about herself ... and he's got some pretty harsh words for the author.
The former "Access Hollywood" host detailed the drama on his "Hot Mics" podcast, claiming Amy confronted him earlier this month at Jennifer Meyer's wedding to Geoffrey Ogunlesi in Hawaii.
Billy says he spotted Amy talking to Demi Moore, who appeared to encourage her to approach him ... and things quickly got tense.
Prince Harry says he'd like to work things out with his family ... though he claims "some people don't want" the royals to fix their fractured family.
The Duke of Sussex opened up about his family troubles in an interview with GQ after he was asked whether he's grieving his complicated relationship with King Charles and Prince William.
Harry says ... "Some people don't want it to work out. I want it to work out. With everything else that's going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile -- that's the key point."
Jalen Hurts is getting an apology from a former NFL player who questioned his blood clot diagnosis ... and now the guy admits he was way out of bounds.
Former NFL fullback and current NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson issued a public apology Monday night after catching heat for suggesting the Eagles star quarterback might be using his health issues to escape blame for Philadelphia's disappointing season.
Robinson wrote on social media ... "I want to sincerely apologize to Jalen Hurts, his family, the Philadelphia Eagles organization and fan base for my comments last Thursday."
New twist in the case of the slain New York Times trans executive ... his in-laws shot him to death in self-defense before his hired hitman could whack them ... at least according to their defense attorney.
Defense lawyer Curtis Briggs told reporters that his clients, Shili Chen and Shouyong Zhang, both 77, purchased firearms in March 2026 because they feared for their lives after learning that Jonathan McKinsey had once hired a hitman to kill Chen, his mother-in-law. Zhang, McKinsey's father-in-law, was apparently not the primary target.
Briggs said Chen and Zhang did not plot to murder McKinsey at the Dublin Sports Grounds park in Dublin, California, on September 26 ... and went to the park for a court-ordered visit with his kids.
Prosecutors claim the couple gunned down McKinsey at the park that day and charged the couple with first-degree murder.
