CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

Nipsey Hussle was caught between enormous success and love for his neighborhood, like many other rappers, and that ultimately cost him his life -- at least, in Suge Knight's eyes.

Knight tells TMZ ... he fully understands the situation Nipsey was in, "A lot of artists like Nipsey have the same problem that I had. We are too loyal to our neighborhood." He says, even though you have enough money to move, you want to stay on the block because "when you go around Hollywood it's all watered down."

The former Death Row Records mogul -- who is currently serving his sentence in a California prison -- says he loved to go back to his hood to "get chili cheese fries and strawberries and talk to my lil homies." However, he adds, when you do that you need those homies to "help you survive."

Knight's insinuation is clear -- and controversial -- that the people closest to Nipsey could have done more to keep him safe.

As you know, Nip was murdered outside his Marathon Clothing store. Police believe Eric Holder pulled the trigger ... allegedly after feeling Nipsey had disrespected him by calling him a snitch.

The tragedy reminds Suge of Tupac Shakur -- not only because of the way they died but also how they lived. Knight says, "I feel that Nipsey was trying to follow the same Tupac manual to the community. He came together with YG like Snoop did with Tupac."

Ultimately, he thinks Nipsey's legacy can be unity, something that hasn't happened in L.A. since the early 90s. Referring to the L.A. gangs' peace march that went down 5 days after the murder ... Suge told us, "What's good is that all the hoods getting together now ... we can be stronger considering what happens when we come together."

Jermaine Jackson is hanging his estranged wife out to dry, financially speaking ... refusing to pay her a cent of spousal support ... according to new docs she's filed in court.

Halima Rashid, who filed to divorce Jermaine back in 2016, says he's supposed to be paying her $2,500 per month. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, she says the judge in their case ordered that back in May 2018 ... and yet, she hasn't received a single payment.

She insinuates the singer's sitting on a pile of money, while she struggles. She estimates Jermaine was hauling in anywhere between $50k and $500k each month while they were married.

Halima says she makes enough to cover her monthly expenses, but just barely. Plus, she's taking care of her elderly parents who live with her. The divorce battle, now almost 3 years old, has gotten nasty at times. TMZ broke the story ... Halima's filed docs demanding her fair cut of their assets, including a collection of Michael Jackson portraits.

She filed her income declaration this week in L.A. County Superior Court in hopes the judge will force Jermaine to start paying spousal support.

Soulja Boy's has a brand new 5-figure headache to distract him while he sits in jail for the next 2 weeks or so ... it's a potential lawsuit for skipping out on a recent concert.

The legal threat's coming from a promoter named William Hicks, who claims Soulja accepted $8,750 as payment for a gig last weekend in Birmingham, Alabama. Hicks says, in a letter fired off to Soulja's camp, the money was wired back in January ... but the rapper was a no-show.

According to the letter, obtained by TMZ, Soulja waited until hours before the show to cancel ... which totally screwed Hicks. He says he's out money for booking hotels and lost profits on the show itself. He called out Soulja on social media and, of course, SB responded savagely.

Hicks wants Soulja to cough up at least $25k for his troubles ... or face a lawsuit.

We're guessing Soulja hasn't seen the letter yet, because he's behind bars. As we reported ... he was arrested Thursday after a judge found he violated probation.

The Game accused LAPD officers of insulting Nipsey Hussle's family while chatting on their radios and manning Thursday's funeral at Staples Center ... but LAPD says it's not them.

The rapper posted the audio Friday, blasting LAPD, saying it, "seems to be LAPD officers intercepted on police radio & caught disrespecting Nips parents, his home-going & celebration."

In the audio, you hear someone take shots at Nipsey's parents. Another person's heard saying, "What they should've done after the funeral is drove the mother f***er and put him in the ground before he starts stinking up the place."

The LAPD tells TMZ ... the department is NOT conducting an investigation, contrary to reports, because they've determined it's not their officers on the radio frequency. LAPD says its department broadcasts using digital frequencies and the audio Game posted doesn't appear to be a digital frequency.

10:30 AM PT -- Prosecutors admitted during the hearing that despite their initial thoughts ... they have NO evidence of human trafficking at the Orchids of Asia spa. They also said there is no longer an ongoing investigation for any such evidence.

Kraft's attorneys have long argued cops knew all along there was no evidence of human trafficking.

The hearing is getting heated ... with Kraft's team insisting prosecutors are holding the threat of releasing the surveillance videos "like a sword" over Kraft's head ... in order to force him into taking a plea deal.

Robert Kraft's legal team marched into a Palm Beach County courthouse Friday morning prepared for war -- gearing up to argue why the Asian Spa video should NOT be released to the public.

Attorneys Alex Spiro (left), Jack Goldberger (center) and William Burck (right) arrived at the courthouse early Friday morning for the case with their game faces on.

As we previously reported, Kraft's team has been fighting like hell to keep the surveillance videos under wraps out of fear it could hamper his chances of getting a fair trial.

Several media outlets have filed court docs in the hopes of getting access to the video -- but Kraft thinks the judge has a duty to block it.

Cops say they recorded graphic footage of Kraft (and other men) inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida in January showing the 77-year-old receiving sex acts in exchange for money.

Kraft argued in several motions that the videos should NOT be released to the public ... saying they were not only obtained illegally -- but they'd do "irreparable harm" if they got out.

The judge is currently hearing arguments from both sides.

Wendy Williams is making some major changes in her life ... she's searching for a new place to live after filing for divorce from her husband.

Sources close to the talk show host tell TMZ ... Wendy is scouring Manhattan looking for a new place to call home. We're told she wants to get a fresh start after calling it quits on her marriage, and her new digs will help her realize the divorce is real.

As we reported ... Wendy served hubby Kevin Hunter with divorce papers on set Thursday, finally throwing in the towel amid tons of cheating rumors and Kevin's alleged mistress having a baby.

For years, Wendy and Kevin shared a home in New Jersey ... but now, we're told she understands the best thing for her is starting over with some new surroundings ... in a new city.

Jussie Smollett has just been hammered with a lawsuit the City of Chicago promised ... and he may effectively go on trial for allegedly staging the "attack" in January. All told, the City wants what will almost certainly be upwards of a half a million dollars.

The lawsuit -- to recover the costs of investigating the case -- outlines what the City claims Jussie did. It says Jussie and Abel Osundairo had been friends since 2017 -- socializing and exercising together. It says Abel assisted Jussie in obtaining recreational drugs.

The lawsuit claims Jussie told Abel shortly before the "attack," "Might need your help on the low."

The lawsuit claims, as we reported, Jussie scoped out the location for the "attack" with Abel and Ola 2 days before the attack and a dry run the day before. They agreed Abel would attack Jussie but would not hurt him too badly and would give Jussie a chance to appear to fight back.

The suit claims they also scripted the entire attack ... starting with the brothers calling Jussie "Empire f***** Empire n*****" -- referring to the homophobic and racist slurs.

They discussed the brothers placing a rope around Jussie's neck and pouring a liquid on him.

The brothers were also instructed not to bring their cellphones -- presumably, so they couldn't be tracked.

The suit says Jussie intentionally misled officers into believing his attackers were white, when he knew otherwise.

As we reported ... the city threatened to sue Jussie if he didn't fork over $130k to cover the cost of investigating a case it says was faked by the "Empire" star. The City of Chicago fired off a letter to Jussie's people earlier this month ... but his camp told the City to go pound sand.

The City says the cost of investigating the case was at least $130,000 in overtime alone, but it wants hundreds of thousands of dollars on top of that to cover attorneys fees and additional expenses. And then the City wants the judge to multiply that times 3, to punish Jussie.

Soulja Boy is behind bars after a judge ruled he'd violated his probation in several ways .. including having ammunition in his house.

Soulja walked into an L.A. courtroom Thursday for his hearing, but was taken into custody at the end. The judge said the rapper had failed to do his court-ordered community service ... and even conspired to falsify evidence that he had completed it.

But, the big no-no came during a raid at Soulja's Agoura Hills home in February. TMZ broke the story ... police went to his house to investigate a claim by one of his ex-girlfriends that Soulja had tied her up and held her captive in his garage.

According to the judge, cops found ammunition during the search ... which is a problem because Soulja's on probation for a weapons case that dates back to 2014.

Soulja was arrested back in March after going to see his probation officer, but was released that same day. As soon as he got out, he bragged he wasn't going out like Tekashi69.

This time he's being held without bail and will remain in custody until a hearing scheduled for April 30.

1:52 PM -- TMZ Sports has obtained footage of Fournette being arrested at the Easy Breezy Car Wash in Jacksonville ... where multiple cop cars responded to the situation.

A witness -- Kevonte Williams aka Kazethepharaoh -- tells us Fournette was driving a GMC Denali when he was pulled over by police.

When Fournette was taken out of the car, he was handcuffed and placed in a squad car while multiple witnesses shouted at the police, "Free Fournette!"

Eventually, Fournette was driven to a nearby station where he was booked. A friend of the NFL star drove the Denali away from the car wash.

NFL star Leonard Fournette was just arrested in Florida -- and it's all over an unpaid speeding ticket from back in November.

... A $204 TICKET!!!!!

Cops in Duval County were seen walking the Jacksonville Jaguars running back into a police station to be booked around 2:30 PM local time. He appeared to be in handcuffs at the time.

Fournette was initially pulled over Thursday for a routine traffic violation and when the cops ran his name, they noticed he was driving on a suspended license. There was also an outstanding warrant for his arrest stemming from the November citation, this according to WJXT.

The prior incident reportedly took place in Neptune Beach. Fournette was reportedly cited for going 37 mph in a 25 mph zone.

We pulled the records which show the penalty for the Nov. 17 incident was $204.00, which Fournette had 30 days to pay.

FYI, Fournette is currently in the middle of a 4-year, $27 MILLION contract.

The day after the Nov. speeding incident, Fournette rushed for 95 yards and a TD in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After Fournette was booked Thursday, he was released on $1,058 bond at 3:04 PM ... according to jail records.

The Jaguars issued a statement saying the team is "aware of the situation involving running back Leonard Fournette and are continuing to gather more information. No further comment will be provided at this time."

Fournette is coming off a disappointing 2018 NFL season where he only rushed for 439 yards in 8 games.

During one of the last games of the season, Fournette got fed up with a heckler and threatened to beat the guy's ass. Fournette later claimed the heckler had been shouting racial slurs at him.

Jussie Smollett is living it up on the beach in Hawaii like a guy with no problems at all -- not at all like a guy who's staring down an impending legal battle with the City of Chicago that could cost him dearly.

The "Empire" star is on vacay right now with his family, laughing it up and catching some rays in paradise. Dude's even going boogie boarding!

It's about as far away from Chicago as he could be, mentally, anyway. The other shoe could drop any day now ... remember, the City of Chicago says it's about to slap him with a civil lawsuit to recover the $130k cost of investigating the alleged homophobic and racist attack.

For now ... Jussie and his fam are snacking, catching waves and having a blast.

We got Jussie over the weekend in Woodland Hills where he was mum about the suit. His lawyer, Mark Geragos, insists Chicago is maliciously defaming his client, hinting the actor might file a lawsuit of his own.

4/12 -- Trivago tells TMZ, "At this stage, we do not have the full details of the situation, but we want to make clear that Trivago treats such incidents very seriously and strongly condemns drinking and driving which poses a risk to others and goes against the Trivago culture."

The guy whose name you don't know but face and voice you definitely recognize from those Trivago commercials has been busted for drunk driving.

The actor's name is Tim Williams and cops say they found him passed out at the wheel Wednesday around 3:15 PM in Houston. Cops tell us Williams was found with his foot on the brake while on the road.

We're told he was given a field sobriety test, which he bombed. He was taken to Harris County Jail and charged with driving while intoxicated. While in jail, we're told Williams submitted a blood test. Cops wouldn't tell us if he took a breathalyzer test. Williams is no longer in custody after posting bond.

Williams has been acting for a long time now ... since the mid-'90s. He's had a ton of minor roles ... like on "Law & Order," "The Sopranos" and the movie "Valkyrie." But, Williams burst to fame in 2014 as the face of the popular hotel search engine site.

You're looking at the NFL fan who's suing the L.A. Rams -- claiming he was brutally attacked by a drunk fan during a 2018 game at the Coliseum in an attack that SHOULD have been prevented.

The man is Peter Bergin -- who claims he was at the Rams-Vikings game on Sept. 27 when a drunk fan approached him and his girlfriend at a concession stand line and started causing problems.

Bergin alleges the wasted guy tried to punch another fan ... and when he stepped in to take the shot for her -- he suffered a broken nose and dislocated knee in the process.

Bergin says the attack was so violent, another person was knocked down in the melee and she slammed her head on the concrete floor.

Now, Bergin is suing the Rams ... saying the organization failed to provide enough security at the stadium to prevent these kinds of incidents.

Bergin's attorney, Barry Novack, tells us they believe the attacker was overserved alcohol, which "caused him to be a danger to those around him."

Bergin also claims the Rams failed to provide him with medical help immediately after the assault.

In his suit, Bergin is demanding unspecified damages claiming he's suffered permanent injuries which have hurt his ability to earn a living.

Ray J has a new lead on who the culprit is behind his missing pup -- he says a dognapper made off with his beloved Boogotti, and he is willing to do anything to get his pooch back.

As we've reported ... Ray J and Princess Love are offering a $20,000 reward to anyone who finds their missing Maltese, who disappeared earlier this week from the Ray's parents' Calabasas home. Ray says Boo didn't innocently wander off their property either.

He tells us Boogotti escaped through a gate on the property, but then he claims a white dude, in his early 20s, pulled up in a Dodge Charger, grabbed the pup off the street and bolted!!!

Ray J tells us losing Boogotti is like losing a family member ... and he's pleading with the alleged dognapper to return him to his home. He's also willing to pay a ransom, if necessary. His manager, David Weintraub, tells us the entire family is worried sick.

9:11 AM -- Avenatti vehemently denies any wrongdoing. He said, "Any claim that any monies due clients were mishandled is bogus nonsense." He tweeted what he says is a testimonial from the paraplegic client he's accused of stealing millions from ... saying the client signed the doc less than a month ago attesting to his ethics.

Avenatti added he looks forward to proving his innocence.

8:52 AM -- TMZ's obtained the indictment and it's pretty damming. He's being indicted on 36 counts of fraud, perjury, failure to pay taxes and other financial crimes. According to docs ... Avenatti allegedly stole millions from a mentally ill paraplegic on disability who had scored a $4M settlement from L.A. County. The money had been wired to Avenatti in January 2015 and he allegedly hid the dough for years.

Avenatti's also accused of using $2.75 million in proceeds from another client's legal settlement to buy a private jet. Avenatti allegedly concealed that settlement too. The infamous lawyer is also accused of owing millions of dollars in back taxes and making false statements to the IRS.

Michael Avenatti's under a mountain of legal trouble now -- the IRS and the Department of Justice say he's been hit with a 36-count indictment that could land him in prison for life ... but he's already calling it BS.

A federal grand jury in California handed up the indictment Thursday, and if 36 charges sound like a lot ... it is. He faces up to 335 years in prison if convicted!!!

Avenatti says he intends to fully fight all charges and plead not guilty. He added, "I look forward to the entire truth being known as opposed to a one-sided version meant to sideline me."

As you know ... Avenatti was arrested and charged last month for allegedly trying to extort millions out of Nike. That case was brought on by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York -- and on the same day, the U.S. Attorney's Office in L.A. announced a separate case against him for wire fraud.

If you're keeping score, that's 3 federal cases and dozens of charges.

As we reported ... Avenatti allegedly siphoned off a $1.6 million settlement he scored for a client in 2017 and hid it in a personal bank account he controlled in the wire fraud case. He's also accused of defrauding a bank for millions of dollars worth of loans by submitting fake tax returns between 2011 and 2013.

R. Kelly going to a club for an hour and walking away with $22k cash might have lots of people upset -- but his ex-wife sure ain't one of them ... quite the opposite, actually.

A rep for Drea Kelly -- R. Kelly's ex of more than 10 years -- tells TMZ ... she takes no issue with R. Kelly getting out there and making a buck -- but not because she thinks he's innocent ... it's more about what it means for her and their kids.

We broke the story ... R. Kelly showed up to a club in Springfield, Illinois over the weekend, where he sang a bit of "Bump N' Grind," hung out for less than an hour ... and walked away with $22,000. He asked the media to go easy on him, as this was just a means to an end.

We're told Drea sees it this way ... if R. Kelly's working to fulfill his financial obligations, "no one can be mad at him for that." Besides, Drea's rep tells us the man certainly has responsibilities that need tending to with dough ... for the sake of his kids.

As we reported ... R. Kelly went BACK to jail last month because he couldn't pony up his back child support bill ... more than $160k. He got sent to the can but was bailed out when someone covered his tab after spotting him (again).

Not only that ... as far we know, R. Kelly is still on the hook for nearly $21k per month in child support, which he was also unsuccessful in getting a judge to lower at the time.

No word on whether he's paid Drea that $21k -- which he presumably still owes her monthly for their minor child, who's 17.

It's interesting ... R. Kelly told Gayle King during his CBS interview he wasn't able to pay Drea, in part because she's badmouthed him to the media ... and torpedoed his ability to make money.

7:16 AM PT -- The U.S. Justice Department has accused Assange of conspiring with Chelsea Manning to hack a classified Pentagon computer.

Pam Anderson is enraged with Britain, The United States and President Trump after the arrest of her close friend Julian Assange.

Assange was arrested Thursday at the Ecuadorean Embassy in the UK after the country withdrew his asylum. Anderson went on a tear on Twitter Thursday morning, saying, "How could you Ecuador? (Because he exposed you). How could you UK.? Of course - you are America's bitch and you need a diversion from your idiotic Brexit bulls**t."

Pamela then turned her attention to The United States, tweeting, "And the USA? This toxic coward of a President. He needs to rally his base? You are selfish and cruel. You have taken the entire world backwards. You are devils and liars and thieves. And you will ROTT. And WE WILL RISE."

It was during an August interview with Harvey Levin on OBJECTified when Anderson revealed she and Assange had a very tight relationship.

The two have remained in constant contact while he remained in the Ecuadorean embassy.