CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

Cardi B was just issued a stern warning from the judge in her strip club beatdown case ... show up to court or face getting arrested.

Cardi's legal team was in court Monday -- without the rapper -- for a hearing about the August incident. We're told prosecutors expressed their frustration that Cardi herself was a no-show considering they've already given her a 6-week extension on the case ... so they asked the judge to issue a bench warrant.

The judge denied the immediate request, but did issue a serious warning -- Cardi must appear in court Friday morning -- or there will most likely be a warrant issued.

Cardi's defense team also revealed in court they've been having a tough time getting in touch with her directly -- instead only communicating through Cardi's management team -- and only found out Thursday Cardi had a prior commitment that would prevent her from attending Monday's hearing.

TMZ broke the story ... Cardi is accused of unleashing her posse on 2 strip club bartenders -- Jade and Baddie Gi -- and badly injuring both. Jade told us ... prior to the attack, Cardi had threatened her for months, accusing the two of sleeping with her husband, Offset.

Chester Bennington's wife wants another year to get the late singer's estate in order, because she says she's still negotiating child support payments and copyright claims with his ex-wife ... according to new legal docs.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Talinda Bennington says she's unable to provide an inventory or appraisal of Chester's estate, and she wants another 12 months to get things figured out.

Talinda is asking for more time because she says she's still hammering out financials with his ex-wife, Samantha Olit, who is seeking money from the estate.

Samantha previously filed a claim with the estate asking for cash for child support he allegedly owed, plus a share in Chester's non-touring merchandising income and other royalty rights to his music.

Chester died by suicide in July 2017 ... and Talinda has full control over the Linkin Park singer's estate.

Not everyone wants to cancel Kareem Hunt -- Ryan Leaf tells TMZ Sports he hopes NFL teams and fans will give the guy a second chance ... if Hunt takes the steps to turn his life around.

"I mean this country is all about second chances," Leaf told us ... "Look at me."

After being selected with the #2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, Leaf's life fell apart -- he was arrested multiple times for things like drug possession and burglary.

But, Leaf got help, sobered up and got his life back on track -- he now hosts a sports talk show on SiriusXM.

Leaf says if Hunt can focus on taking positive, healthy steps at bettering himself ... he really hopes the running back can play pro football again.

Still, Leaf is not minimizing Hunt's actions.

"Playing in the NFL, it's a privilege, it's not a right. And, there's consequences to your actions and you always have control over that."

So, what should Hunt be doing during his time away from the league?

"Just working on himself. That's the only thing you can do. You can't control what anybody else does."

Magic Johnson's daughter had to flee a San Fernando Valley house where 2 armed men staged an early morning home invasion ... TMZ has learned.

Elisa Johnson was at an Airbnb, rented by friends, Sunday morning ... when the men got inside and started terrorizing the 10 people who were staying there ... according to law enforcement sources.

It's unclear if the suspects broke in or if the door was unlocked -- but we're told they held people at gunpoint, shoving them around the home.

23-year-old Elisa -- who appears on her brother EJ Johnson's E! reality show -- was in a bedroom and heard the commotion. We're told she fled through a sliding glass door at the back of the home and ran down the street to escape harm.

Meanwhile, the suspects cleaned out the home and fled before police arrived. We're told they made off with a Rolex and other jewelry, cash and electronics ... for a total haul worth between $30-$40k.

The woman Kareem Hunt slammed down and kicked was initially gung-ho to press charges against the then-NFL superstar, but she's since gone silent ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we first reported, the woman repeatedly told Cleveland PD officers who responded to the scene she wanted to press charges. In the bodycam video we posted, she asked to see the surveillance footage, and also asked the police to look at it.

She said she wanted Hunt prosecuted for the alleged assault and/or for stealing her phone's SIM card. In the attack video, you clearly see someone walk off with her phone. She says it was eventually returned but, apparently, without the SIM card.

Our law enforcement sources tell us the woman never took her demand for charges to the city Prosecutor's Office and hasn't cooperated with the Prosecutor -- and that might be why the case has gone nowhere.

We're told police viewed the incident as an alleged misdemeanor assault, because, to the best of their knowledge, the woman hadn't suffered any serious injury. She would need to present evidence of serious injury for the incident to upgraded to a felony.

It's a fact that prosecutors can charge suspects even without the alleged victim's testimony. However, our sources say that rarely happens in Cleveland ... unless it's a felony or a domestic violence case.

So, the question is ... WHY has she gone silent? We've reached out to her several times, but no reply.

Hunt was asked point blank Sunday morning, during his ESPN interview, if he'd had any contact with her and he denied it ... adding he "barely knew her."

We're told she has 18 months to press charges, so there's still time.

Boosie's giving barbershop talk a whole new meaning ... saying if Hollywood's gonna jack his hairstyle, they better cough up some dough.

The rapper appeared on Raquel Harper's show "Raq Rants" on BET and said he wanted to talk about an issue important to him -- his "Boosie fade." Boosie tells us he's got his lawyers working on how to trademark the style. No joke.

He's not going after your average Joe who sports the Boosie fade. His beef is with Hollywood studios making money off his back head when their stars sport his same hairstyle. He's adamant it's similar to, say, Hollywood using a Marvin Gaye song. Studio's gotta pay up.

3:00 PM PT -- Tyson's responded to the multiple allegations -- with his personal account of each one -- in a long online post titled "On Being Accused." He says he welcomes and will fully cooperate with an impartial, independent investigation into the claims.

Tyson insists he didn't grope Allers, but simply searched under the covered part of the shoulder of her sleeveless dress to check out her tattoo. He says he found out she thought it was creepy 9 years later, and is "deeply sorry to have made her feel that way."

As for his former assistant, Tyson admits to clumsily telling her ... "If I hug you I might just want more," but claims the 2 had a genuine friendship and denies any sexual misconduct.

Neil ends his post by asking ... "I’m the accused, so why believe anything I say? Why believe me at all?"

"Cosmos" host and renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson's employers are investigating multiple allegations of sexual misconduct involving co-workers and colleagues years ago.

FOX and National Geographic, which co-produce "Cosmos", say they are looking into the allegations which surfaced this week. Patheos published the claim from Bucknell University Professor Dr. Katelyn Allers that Tyson groped her in 2009.

She claims they met at the American Astronomical Society's conference in Long Beach, CA, and that Tyson took an interest in her solar system tattoo ... which starts on her arm and extends onto her back. She claims he grabbed her arm and followed the planets into her dress. She didn't describe it as an assault, but more like "creepy behavior."

One of Tyson's former assistants, Ashley Watson, told Patheos she eventually quit because he made multiple sexual advances, and made misogynistic comments around the workplace.

We've reached out to Tyson's office, but no word back yet.

The woman who was attacked by Kareem Hunt repeatedly begged cops at the scene to view the hotel surveillance footage of the incident because she wanted to press charges ... but the officers told her it wasn't that simple.

You can see in police body cam footage obtained by TMZ Sports ... the woman was adamant she wanted to press charges against Hunt for the attack and allegedly stealing the SIM card from her phone.

She thought the best way to prove her allegations was for cops to go to the front desk of the hotel and ask the manager to show them the surveillance video.

But, cops told the woman they were stuck because the hotel is a "private facility" and "they don't have to show us unless they're ordered by a court."

The woman was disappointed but sounded serious about pursuing a case against Hunt anyway.

The responding officers eventually went upstairs and interviewed Hunt -- but he was never arrested and charges were never filed against him.

We know the hotel eventually turned over the surveillance video to investigators -- but we're not sure why prosecutors opted against filing a case considering what the video shows.

Tekashi69 ratted himself out -- on video, no less -- or at least that's what police think after seeing a clip of him saying he had a "30 pack" on the head of Chief Keef's cousin -- an apparent threat that lines up with an attempted shooting in NYC.

TMZ broke the story ... Tekashi FaceTime'd Keef's cousin, Tadoe, in late May and repeatedly asked for his location. The conversation went down on camera, in broad daylight, and we posted that video last week. At the end of the convo, the Brooklyn rapper clearly says, "I got a 30 pack on him right now, Blood."

The translation, we're told, is putting a $30k bounty on someone. Law enforcement sources tell us ... investigators working on the June 2 attempted shooting of Chief Keef are now convinced 6ix9ine ordered the hit.

As we reported, someone opened fire on Keef while he was outside the W Hotel in Times Square. We're told Tadoe was standing nearby at the time -- and the "30 pack" video changes NYPD's perspective on the shooting.

One law enforcement source said, "This is no coincidence. We believe the video is directly related to the crime. We believe Tekashi69 ordered the hit on Tadoe -- who we now believe is the intended target."

Cops have 2 persons of interest in the Time Square incident, and one is a "known associate" of 6ix9ine.

6:27 PM PT -- Hunt just made a statement to ESPN about our video, saying, "I want to apologize for my actions. I deeply regret what I did. I hope to move on from this."

5:50 PM PT -- The Chiefs have cut Kareem Hunt, and say he lied to the team when they spoke directly to him about the incident.

The team says when the NFL and Cleveland PD launched their investigations the team called in Hunt and "several members of our management team spoke directly to him. Kareem was not truthful in those discussions. The video released today confirms that fact."

A source connected to the NFL investigation tells TMZ ... the league made multiple attempts to obtain the video, but was turned away. We're told the league contacted the hotel, and was told it is corporate policy to only turn surveillance video over to law enforcement.

We contacted the Metropolitan at The 9 and COO Tony Quintal says, "We realize that this is an ongoing investigation and cannot share any additional information at this time."

We're told the NFL also contacted Cleveland PD attempting to get the video, but was also denied. The source says the league's investigation included reaching out to the alleged victim, who did not respond.

5:26 PM PT -- The NFL just announced Hunt's been placed on the commissioner exempt list and will NOT practice, play or attend games. The NFL added, "The NFL's investigation, which began immediately following the incident in February, will include a review of the new information that was made public today."

1:33 PM PT -- Hunt has reportedly been sent home from the Chiefs' practice facility, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.

He reports Hunt will likely be placed on the commissioner's exempt list -- which means he will probably not play this Sunday when the Chiefs take on the Raiders in Oakland.

TMZ Sports has obtained video of Kansas City Chiefs star running back Kareem Hunt shoving, bull-rushing and kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel back in February.

Kareem has not missed a single game this season despite the incident happening MONTHS before the 2018 NFL season kicked off ... and team CEO Clark Hunt publicly stated in August he doubted Hunt would be suspended.

In the video, Hunt is seen arguing with a 19-year-old woman outside of his room at The Metropolitan at the 9 at 3:22 AM on February 10, 2018.

Hunt turns a corner and confronts the woman, shoving her hard. The woman strikes him back in the face ... and that's when Hunt goes berserk.

As friends try to hold him back, the 2017 Pro Bowler -- who led the league in rushing yards -- explodes and knocks one of his friends into the woman ... who both go flying into a wall.

Both Kareem's male friend and the woman appear dazed -- but Kareem makes his way over to the female and kicks her while she's crouching on the ground ... knocking her over.

Police were called to the scene but no arrests were made. According to police reports, obtained by TMZ Sports, surveillance video from the hotel was obtained by law enforcement. We're told that video is part of the evidence that was submitted to prosecutors.

Still, cops did not arrest Hunt and no charges were filed because officers say they were unable to determine if a crime had been committed.

At the time of the incident, the woman told police the whole thing started because Kareem kicked her out of his room after she refused to hook up with one of the men in Kareem's entourage.

Kareem's friends told cops the woman had gone crazy when asked to leave and called Kareem the n-word ... and then struck one of Kareem's female friends once things turned physical.

Unclear why the NFL has not taken any action against Hunt. We reached out to the league to find out if they pursued the video. We also reached out to cops to find out if the NFL contacted them about the footage as well.

The whole incident is reminiscent of the Ray Rice scandal when the NFL star knocked out his then-fiancee in a hotel elevator in Feb. 2014.

The NFL suspended him indefinitely -- but only after TMZ Sports published the brutal knockout video from inside the elevator ... video the NFL claimed they had not seen until our story.

After the incident, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged failures in the NFL's investigative process and said they would overhaul their protocol.

Since then, the NFL claims it has tried to be tougher on players accused of attacking women -- most famously, the league suspended Ezekiel Elliott for 6 games in 2017 stemming from allegations he got physical with an ex-girlfriend in 2016.

We reached out to the NFL for comment -- so far, no word back.

Originally Published -- 11:33 AM PST

With just days to spare, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are announcing they struck a custody agreement to avoid battling it out in front of a judge.

We broke the story ... Angelina and Brad were set to go to trial December 4, and they seemed miles apart on custody demands for their 6 kids. She wanted sole physical custody, and he wanted 50/50 joint custody.

On Friday, Angelina's attorney, Samantha Bley DeJean announced, "A custody arrangement was agreed to weeks ago, and has been signed by both parties and the judge." She added the agreement is "based on the recommendations of the child custody evaluator."

The terms are confidential, but the bottom line is ...there will be no trial next week.

There's still plenty more to be decided in their bitter divorce -- like property settlement -- which could get ugly considering they didn't have a prenup when they got married.

Layla tells TMZ the settlement with Drake required him to pay her $350k.

We reached out to Drake's attorneys to confirm. We were told they can't comment due to confidentiality.

Drake is coming out on top in his lawsuit against the woman he says falsely claimed he got her pregnant, accused him of rape and tried to extort him ... TMZ has learned.

Drake filed docs Friday alerting the court that he and Layla Lace have resolved their legal battle. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Layla has agreed she will not republish her April 17, 2017 Instagram post where she first made the pregnancy claim. She wrote, "So I guess still in this era this is the new thing that after you tell a dude you pregnant they stop answering they phone!!!"

Layla also went on a SiriusXM show in 2017 to blast Drake. Later she went to authorities in NY to allege Drake raped her during a one-night stand. Drake says her lawyer then demanded money or they'd go public with the rape allegation.

As TMZ first reported, that prompted Drake to sue her for civil extortion, defamation and fraud.

That's all water under the bridge now, provided Layla sticks to the deal, which further requires she make no "statements alleging or insinuating that [Drake] assaulted her," got her pregnant and abandoned her ... or say anything else disparaging about him.

She also can't use any 3rd party to do any of the above.

Celebrity attorney Larry Stein, who's repping Drake, tells TMZ ... "The filing made by Drake against Layla Lace has been resolved, with Layla avoiding going to trial by agreeing to a stipulated judgment which prohibits her from repeating past statements she made against Drake. Drake and his team are satisfied with this outcome and while Drake appreciates the support he has received, he asks that his fans and the media allow both parties to move on with their lives"

Ex-Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson says he's "really f*cking upset" with Kareem Hunt -- saying the young NFL star should have learned lessons from the terrible mistakes LJ made.

Remember, Johnson -- who was a great running back for the Chiefs back in the day -- had several issues with violence toward women during his NFL career ... and has openly talked about how he regrets the choices he made.

So, when he saw the TMZ Sports video showing Hunt attacking a woman in a Cleveland hotel in February ... Johnson lashed out.

"I thought I made my mistakes painfully clear!!!! I thought I was a perfect example of what NOT to do!!!!"

"I thought by speaking aloud about my pitfalls that players after me could see these situations before they’d happen. REALLY F*CKING UPSET KAREEM."

Back in 2003 -- the same year LJ was a 1st-round pick in the NFL Draft -- Johnson was arrested for waving a gun at his then-girlfriend.

He was arrested again in 2005 and 2008 for allegedly getting violent with women and in 2012 he was convicted in a case where he strangled a woman in a Vegas hotel.

1:30 PM PT -- Taylor has been released from jail after paying the $5,350 in back payments ... TMZ Sports has learned.

More legal trouble for Jermain Taylor ... the ex-boxing champ was arrested for the second time this month after missing a child support payment ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

40-year-old Taylor -- once the undisputed middleweight champ -- was booked in Pulaski County jail in Arkansas around 1 PM on Wednesday.

Jermain owes a whopping $54,500 in child support ... and will not be released until he either pays $5,350 in back payments or otherwise satisfies the court.

ICYMI -- Taylor was arrested in Arkansas back in August for allegedly knocking a woman unconscious and holding a knife to her throat.

Prosecutors later indicted Taylor on felony aggravated assault, felony terroristic threats and misdemeanor domestic battery.

UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich says she feels like she HAS to fight Paige VanZant after suffering serious injuries in an alleged domestic violence incident ... saying she NEEDS to send a positive message to other D.V. victims.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Ostovich was hospitalized with a broken orbital bone and other injuries after a violent Nov. 18 incident with her husband, Arnold Berdon, who is also an MMA fighter.

The injuries forced the UFC star to back out of her fight with PVZ ... but speaking publicly with a black eye for the first time since the incident -- Ostovich says the fight's back on 'cause she feels like she HAS to do it.

"I felt that it was extremely important to me to follow through with it and not only for me but for my daughter and other people that might be going through similar situations,” Ostovich told KHON2 in Hawaii.

"I want to take a stand against domestic violence and show others that it’s okay to come out and speak about it and not be quieted."

Ostovich continued, "I’m extremely grateful and blessed for my support system. My family, who has done so much for me and has kept me together and kept me strong. I feel like I have to do this."

"This is something that can’t be taken away from me. I want to use this big worldwide UFC platform to show people that don’t let anyone or anything come between you and your dreams and your career.”

For her part, VanZant tweeted earlier this week, "Yes we are going to war with each other in the cage, but I stand by her side with her ongoing battle at home. Let’s put on a fight and show these people how strong we are. #GirlPower #UFC."

Charlie Sheen and his ex-fiancee Brett Rossi are no longer squaring off -- legally speaking, anyway -- because her lawsuit against him has been dismissed.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Brett's lawsuit -- in which she alleges Charlie bullied her to get an abortion because of his HIV status -- has been dismissed with prejudice. Translation ... all signs point to a settlement. It's unclear if money changed hands or how much.

TMZ broke the story ... Brett sued Charlie back in December 2015 claiming he told her he didn't want her to have his baby because he didn't want her "to give birth to a retarded child" after knocking her up in March 2014. She says she gave in to the pressure and got the abortion.