CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

Nicki Minaj's new boyfriend wasn't just convicted of attempted rape -- he also went to prison for killing a guy ... and now we know the story behind his manslaughter conviction.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Nicki's new man, Kenneth Petty, rolled up on Lamont Robinson one early morning in April 2002 and opened fire on him on a street corner in Queens, NY.

We're told Petty drove to the crime scene with a group of cohorts, hopped out of the car, walked across the street where Robinson was hanging out, pulled out a gun ... and shot him in the stomach 3 times. Our sources say he then fled in the vehicle with the group.

We're told police who investigated the crime at the time did not believe robbery was a motive -- they suspected it to be a targeted hit over a gang beef. One investigator who was on the OG case told us he could only recall the shooting was over some "bulls***."

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Lamont -- who only survived for a short time -- ID'd Kenneth in a photo lineup when police went to question him in the hospital. The docs say he nodded his head to confirm Kenneth had shot him, as he couldn't speak. He died soon afterward.

Kenneth was initially charged with 2nd-degree murder, but pled guilty to a lesser charge of 1st-degree manslaughter. He served 7 years in prison, and got released in 2013.

As we reported ... Nicki's beau also did nearly 4 years behind bars after being convicted of attempted rape as a 16-year-old about a decade prior.

Like we've told you, Nicki isn't fazed by Kenneth's checkered past ... as we're told, she and Kenneth have already discussed having babies and getting hitched.

Disney didn't just commit cultural appropriation when it locked down the rights to "Hakuna Matata," the company actually stole the saying from an incredibly popular Kenyan band ... this according to the group's frontman.

John Katana is on the ground in Africa, and the singer tells us Them Mushrooms popularized the phrase way back in 1980, when the band released its hit song, "Jambo Bwana."

In Swahili, "Hakuna Matata" means "no problem" or "no worries" ... and you probably know it from 'Lion King' characters Timon and Pumbaa.

The original song went platinum in Kenya in the 1980s, but John says he and his bandmates didn't understand copyright laws back then, allowing Disney to swoop in and trademark the phrase in '94, coinciding with its movie release.

Disney is releasing a new 'Lion King' next summer, and the increased spotlight has led to a growing petition accusing the company of "colonialism and robbery" ... while calling on Disney to abandon its trademark. The petition has over 147,000 signatures.

Michael Rapaport has no business suing anyone for saying he has herpes ... because he himself has said it ... according to the countersuit Barstool Sports just filed against the actor.

Barstool is firing back at Rapaport's September lawsuit against them, saying it's impossible to defame the guy because his reputation's already "so badly tarnished that it cannot be harmed any further." In the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Barstool points out Michael commented on a 2015 photo of himself, saying, it "looks like" I have "a herpe."

Of course, the Barstool guys included the photo as an exhibit in their lawsuit.

For the record, Michael said in his lawsuit he "does not suffer from herpes."

Barstool Prez Dave Portnoy told us back in September, Rapaport "claims to be the king of trash talk and then cries when people respond in kind." Now, he's included tons of examples of that in the docs. For example, Barstool calls out Michael for calling a sports show host a "twinkie-eating f**k boy" and a producer for the show a "Long Island Jew."

In the suit, they also include social media posts where MR caught flak for racist comments about 'Real Housewives' star Kenya Moore ... and sexist comments about Fox News host Laura Ingraham. According to the docs, he also called a female sports reporter a "rail thin, no ass ... looking to get piped at an R. Kelly concert ... backstage and at the hotel."

You get their point ... Rapaport's no choir boy, and has said enough vile things to make him defamation-proof.

And, Barstool insists it did NOT breach his contract by firing him -- quite the opposite. In docs, they say his contract included a clause that allowed for his firing if he put Barstool in "public disrepute" with his public comments ... including several about Barstool staffers.

Barstool is suing Rapaport to get back the $400k it paid him.

Farrah Abraham backed down from a fight in the ring, but now she's going to have to duke it out in court with the promoter who claims she screwed him over ... and took his money.

As we reported ... Farrah refused to fight in a charity celeb boxing match in Atlantic City in November, because she claimed she was promised a bunch of freebies including travel and hotel rooms, but the promoter, Damon Feldman, didn't deliver.

Feldman's throwing the first legal punch though ... claiming Abraham took cash upfront, signed a contract and falsely promoted she was fighting in the match. He's suing for $12,000.

The boxing promoter also recently threatened to take legal action against Farrah for defamation for talking trash about the event after she backed out, but there's no mention of that in the legal docs.

You may recall ... Farrah was replaced in the bout by "Mob Wives" star Natalie DiDonato, but she already has another challenger threatening to beat her ass.

Farrah's manager, David Weintraub, tells us, "We are truly wishing Damon the best with his frivolous lawsuit. Everyone must realize this guy broke his own contract with us & runs this 'so called' business out of his studio apartment and doing 'basement style event fights' that no one watches."

He continues, "He should work a little harder to pay for travel/accommodations for the talent and team and then perhaps the talent will actually come. Get ready for the counter suit from Farrah."

Steven Seagal won't be charged for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in 2002.

According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the actor was accused of sexually assaulting the woman at some point between May 1, 2002 and August 31, 2002. Full details of the allegation were not included in the filing.

As for why Seagal won't be charged ... the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office says the statute of limitations has expired.

You'll remember, Steven walked out of an interview with BBC Newsnight in October after a reporter brought up the allegations.

Seagal was also accused of raping a woman back in the '90s -- a case that was also well beyond the statute of limitations -- and Portia de Rossi claimed Seagal sat her down on a couch during a casting for one of his films and unzipped his pants, so she fled the room.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent a procedure to remove cancerous growths from her lung, but the good news is ... things are looking good for her post-surgery.

RBG reportedly underwent a pulmonary lobectomy in NYC Friday to remove 2 nodules from her lung which were recently discovered to be malignant. It appears doctors removed all of the cancer. It's unclear, but since she waited a bit to have the surgery around Xmas, it's possible RBG timed it so she wouldn't miss work.

Ginsburg's had a rough Fall ... she fell down in November, and fractured 3 ribs. While she was hospitalized doctors ran some tests and discovered the cancerous growths.

Doctors seem confident they got to the core -- based on post-op scans -- and the cancer has been removed.

RBG is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days to recover, but no further treatment is planned.

RBG's already a cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009. Despite the new lung cancer discovery, she's never been a smoker.

Get well, Ruth!!!

Busta Rhymes just sued a former employee for allegedly pretending to be his manager and booking him for gigs without the rapper's permission.

Busta is suing Rasheem "Bubba" Barker claiming the guy had no authority to make deals on the rapper's behalf but still managed to make money off Busta's back by getting promoters to pay thousands up front and keeping the dough.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Busta says Barker's misdeeds included when he booked Busta for gigs in 2016 and 2018 and put $60k in advances in his personal bank account.

Busta also claims Barker stole $8k that was supposed to go to Busta's travel expenses earlier this year for a trip to Toronto.

The rapper claims as a result of all this, someone got a default judgment against Busta for $22,478 after he no-showed a gig booked by Barker. Busta's pointing the finger at Barker and wants him to cover those and other damages. He's suing for more than $500k.

ICYMI ... earlier this week, Busta went off on Barker accusing him of pretending to be Busta's manager. He's now taken his beef from Instagram to the courthouse.

A shocking recording of the Rachael Ostovich domestic violence incident has surfaced -- in which her MMA fighter husband allegedly screams, "I'm going to f**king murder you."

A neighbor used a cell phone to record the scene on Nov. 27 -- when Arnold Berdon allegedly brutalized Ostovich during an argument at their home in Hawaii.

The footage is mostly dark -- but you can definitely hear voices.

In the video, obtained by Hawaii News Now, you can hear a male voice make several threats ... including, "I’m going to murder you. I’m going to f**king murder you."'

At the end of the 9-minute video, you can see a nude female jump off the lanai and try to escape.

We broke the story ... Berdon was arrested and charged with 2nd-degree assault.

Ostovich suffered serious injuries to her face, head and body -- and pulled out of her January fight against Paige VanZant.

Ostovich later got a second opinion from another doctor who cleared her to fight -- so it's now back on.

8:22 AM PT -- McGregor’s spokesperson Karen Kessler tells TMZ Sports …"This complaint is a routine but sad attempt to grab publicity in a case that should have been resolved months ago. We are pleased that Chiesa’s quick recovery allows him to continue fighting."

UFC fighter Michael Chiesa claims Conor McGregor's steel dolly attack was a publicity stunt intended to hype his fight with Khabib ... and now he wants ALL of Conor's UFC 229 profits.

Long story short ... Chiesa (who was injured in the bus attack) claims NY law bars people from profiting from criminal activity and requires them to turn over ill-gotten gains to their victims. It's called the Son of Sam law.

In new court docs filed by Chiesa, the UFC fighter argues the April 5 dolly incident drove up interest in UFC 229 and boosted sales of Conor's Proper 12 whiskey brand, so all profits should be handed over.

It's not a small number -- Conor publicly stated he expected to make $50 MILLION for the Oct. 6 fight against Khabib ... plus MILLIONS more from the sales of Proper 12.

Here's how Chiesa spells it out in his lawsuit ...

"By his own admission, [McGregor] engaged in the aforementioned conduct and acts with the premeditated intent and purpose of inflicting severe personal injuries and/or murdering Nurmagomedov, and sought to promote his brand and profit from his criminal activity."

He also cited Conor's UFC 229 press conference ... when McGregor reflected on the bus incident and said Khabib would be "dead" if he had stepped off that bus that day.

Chiesa was a passenger on the bus and suffered cuts to his face when he was struck by shattered glass.

Chiesa claims he was unable to compete in his scheduled fight against Anthony Pettis at UFC 223 that weekend -- and lost an even BIGGER opportunity to fight Khabib when Max Holloway pulled out of the main event.

In his docs, Chiesa claims the UFC had reached out to him about filling in for Holloway in the title match at UFC 223, but Chiesa says his injuries prevented him from taking the fight.

Chiesa says he suffered from depression following the ordeal -- and claims his inability to fight at UFC 223 hurt his overall standing in the UFC.

Chiesa claims Conor deliberately created "havoc, mayhem and injury" that resulted in his injuries.

Tekashi69 just can't catch a break ... a judge just issued a bench warrant for his arrest because he failed to show up to a hearing even though 6ix9ine's currently locked up.

We're told Tekashi had a hearing Thursday morning in Houston for his mall attack case. The judge was fully aware why Tekashi couldn't make it -- he's in federal custody in NYC for more serious crimes -- but the judge followed protocol and issued a bench warrant because he no-showed.

As we first reported ... Tekashi was accused of putting his hands around a 16-year-old kid's neck in a scuffle at a local mall earlier this year. The rapper and the kid, Santiago Albarran, ultimately made peace after the kid showed up for one of Tekashi's hearing and made it clear he did NOT want Tekashi to be prosecuted.

Tekashi's attorney, Carl Moore, tells TMZ ... they rejected a plea deal because they believe the case should be dismissed now that Albarran no longer wants Tekashi prosecuted. Albarran submitted a written affidavit in the case saying he wants the case to be dismissed.

What's more ... copping a plea would result in a conviction which could hurt Tekashi's federal case.

As you know ... Tekashi's entangled in a much more serious case that has him facing life in prison.

7:55 AM PT -- Cops tell TMZ Sports ... they were called to a residence around 8:30 PM and when they arrived, Green-Beckham was attempting to flee through a window.

Cops eventually captured him and found 1 pound of weed in his backpack along with several vials of THC oil, officials say.

When cops searched the residence, they found 7 more pounds of marijuana -- but believe that belonged to another man.

Ex-NFL wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham was arrested on a felony drug possession charge in Missouri on Wednesday, TMZ Sports has learned.

Details surrounding the arrest are unclear (we're working on it) but we know the 25-year-old was also hit with a resisting arrest charge.

Green-Beckham was hauled to a police station in Springfield where he was booked and locked up. As of this post, he's still behind bars.

It's just the latest legal issue for a guy who had potential to be a huge NFL star. As we previously reported, Dorial was arrested for DWI last year while picking up a friend who had just been busted for drunk driving.

Green-Beckham was one of the top high school WRs ever -- but never reached his potential in college or the NFL due to off-the-field issues.

He was drafted by the Titans in the 2nd round of the 2015 Draft but didn't last there long. The Eagles picked him up in 2016 and he played 1 season -- racking up 36 catches for 392 yards and 2 TDs.

The Eagles released him before the 2017 season.

Harvey Weinstein's got a date ... for his sexual assault pretrial in NYC, after the judge rejected his motion to dismiss the case.

Weinstein arrived at the courthouse Thursday morning, and got the bad news shortly thereafter. Once in court, the judge called prosecutors and Weinstein's attorney to the bench ... and said he was not dismissing the indictment.

The attorneys argued at the bench for about 10 minutes -- the media wasn't privy to their discussion -- but at the end the judge stated pretrial will begin on March 7.

The judge issued a written ruling addressing the defense's motion to dismiss -- saying the prosecution is not required to give the Grand Jury evidence that is favorable to the defense.

Translation: There's nothing shady about the Grand Jury not hearing evidence about relationships Weinstein might have had with his accusers. The judge also said the defense's argument the D.A. filed the charges due to "political pressure" was speculative.

Weinstein's legal team had fired off a letter earlier this month informing the judge ... they've found an email claiming to show one of the women alleging he raped her sure didn't act like it, because she went to HIS movie screening only hours after the alleged rape.

The movie mogul's defense has also pointed to a new female witness -- a close friend of one of Weinstein's accusers -- using her to paint a picture of a consensual relationship between Weinstein and his accuser.

Weinstein was greeted in court by several actresses, including Marisa Tomei, Jennifer Esposito, Nia Vardalos and Amber Tamblyn -- who were wearing Time's Up tees.

As we've reported, Weinstein's lawyers filed the motions to dismiss last month. His team also believed the whole case had been tainted ... because prosecutors admitted the lead detective, Nicholas DiGaudio, allegedly hid information about the witness in dealing with prosecutors and allegedly coaxed the witness into not disclosing what she knew.

Weinstein's attorney, Ben Brafman, tells TMZ ... "We are obviously disappointed, by the Court's decision to deny our motion to dismiss the Indictment. Judge Burke has however, ruled and we must accept his ruling. Nothing in the Court's ruling however, removes the flawed theory of this case that we intend to vigorously defend at trial, where we are confident that Mr Weinstein will be completely exonerated."

You'll recall ... Weinstein very publicly turned himself into the NYPD in May and walked out in cuffs on the way to court, where he was charged with rape, a criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for incidents involving 2 separate women. A few days later, Weinstein was indicted by a grand jury on multiple rape charges.

As we reported ... Weinstein was slapped with 3 new sexual assault charges in July for an alleged sexual assault of a woman in 2006. A grand jury charged Weinstein with a first-degree criminal sexual act and 2 counts of predatory sexual assault, which are felonies carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Weinstein previously scored a huge victory when a judge dismissed one sexual assault count from the case involving actress Lucia Evans.

Ex-NFL receiver Titus Young has been released from prison after serving nearly 2 years of his sentence in his violent assault case ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

As we previously reported ... Young -- a former 2nd-round pick of the Detroit Lions -- was arrested back in 2016 after he allegedly beat the hell out of a guy in a street fight.

Young pled no contest to 1 count of felony battery causing serious bodily injury later in 2017 ... and was sentenced to four years in state prison.

But, the ex-Boise State superstar was paroled and released from prison at 2:13 AM Saturday morning.

The 29-year-old has a long, troubled history with the law -- having been arrested several times since being cut from the Lions back in 2012.

He was also put on probation back in 2015 after attacking several people during his stint at a mental health facility.

So, here's a bit of irony for Jennifer Lopez -- a super hot social media shot of her (aren't they all?) with the caption, "Today was a good day!!" ... just earned her a big fat lawsuit.

Michael Stewart, a professional photographer, says he took this pic of J Lo earlier this year. Sweet, right? Jennifer looks smoking in a striped blouse and skintight white pants. Stewart licensed the pic to a website back in June ... according to his lawsuit.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, he says he later discovered the shot was posted on her Instagram -- one of her stories, to be exact. Jennifer or someone on her team added the caption. Just by looking at her, you'd have to agree it WAS a good day.

However, it wasn't a good day for Michael. He's pissed because he claims J Lo, nor anyone on her team, got permission to use his photo. So, yeah ... he wants to get paid for his work.

We've seen Khloe Kardashian, Jessica Simpson and Blac Chyna face similar suits from photogs.

Michael is suing Jennifer and her production company, Nuyorican Productions, for copyright infringement. That means he wants all profits she made from the photo, if any, or up to $150k in damages.

Janet and Randy Jackson have a payroll problem ... because they're being sued by a former manager claiming they didn't pay him for his services.

Danny O'Donovan has filed new legal docs claiming Janet and Randy hired him in July 2016 to be the tour manager for the "State of the World Tour." According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Danny says the Jacksons agreed to pay him $25k per month and he ended up working for 17 months.

In docs, O'Donovan says everything was fine and dandy 'cause they paid him each month for the first 5 months, but then the payments stopped. O'Donovan says he completed his duties over the remaining 12 months ... so he's suing to get what he says he's owed -- $300k.

We've reached out to Janet and Randy, so far no word back.

2:10 PM PT -- The Redskins announced they placed Montae on the Reserve/NFI list.

10:48 AM PT -- Redskins coach Jay Gruden says Nicholson will NOT play this weekend in their critical game against the Tennessee Titans.

Gruden says he's aware of the TMZ Sports video and says he'll take a look at it.

When asked if Nicholson would be benched for the rest of the season, Gruden said he hasn't made up his mind yet.

He still has to speak with Montae personally.

TMZ Sports has obtained footage of Washington Redskins safety Montae Nicholson pummeling a man in the middle of a Virginia street around 2 AM Tuesday morning ... and it's violent.

Nicholson -- wearing a red hoodie -- is going after another man in a jean jacket while other people in the melee desperately try to restrain him.

But, Nicholson is too strong and too angry -- and refused to back out ... instead, he throws several punches at his target ... including a knockout blow.

You can see in the video, the man in the jean jacket appears to go limp as Nicholson hits him clean in the face.

One witness tells us the other man in the red sweatshirt was trying to break up the fight -- but Montae was in such a rage, he slammed that guy to the ground and continued the beating.

Loudoun County Sheriffs eventually responded to the scene and arrested both Montae and a female companion. Montae was booked for assault and battery, and drunk in public. He was hauled to a nearby jail and released on a $2,500 bond a short time later.

23-year-old Montae -- 6'2", 215 lbs -- is a solid player for the Redskins who's played in every game this season.

There are reports the fight began after a road rage incident where the victims pulled up in a vehicle and honked at Montae.

But, a witness tells us ... the beef started BEFORE the car incident.

Both victims were taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated for serious injuries.

We've reached out to Montae's camp for comment. So far, no word back.

A rep for the Redskins tells us they are aware of the arrest and still gathering information.