CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

Cardi B's worldwide stardom will put her in a precarious position when she sits for a deposition next week -- and that's why she wants the judge to keep the whole matter confidential.

Cardi is in a legal dogfight with her former manger -- he sued her, then she sued him -- and in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, her attorneys say her monumental achievement as a world-renowned rapper makes her vulnerable to a feeding frenzy from both the public and the media.

Her team says if the video of her deposition, as well as the transcripts, get out to the public, it could harm her case ... and expose private details about her life and finances.

Additionally, they've got serious Internet meme concerns. As they put it in docs, if the material gets out "it is highly likely that any such video will be reproduced and edited (and possibly manipulated) into out-of-context video clips and GIFs of her testimony."

As we first reported ... Cardi's ex-manager, Shaft, claims he transformed her from an Instagram wannabe to a global celebrity. Shaft sued Cardi for $10 million in April 2018 ... and then she countersued him for $15 million.

One of Shaft's more significant claims -- he says his contacts and personal team of writers and producers are responsible for her first massive hit, "Bodak Yellow."

Dog the Bounty Hunter is fuming after his Colorado store was burglarized ... but making matters worse was items belonging to his late wife, Beth Chapman, were also stolen.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the incident went down Thursday night in Edgewater, CO. We're told the store's front door was shattered. Some of the jacked items include a bunch of "Dog" merchandise but, most importantly, Beth's personal bounty hunting gear.

Dog was told about the incident early Friday morning and took to Twitter to blast the suspects, whom -- as you'd imagine -- he fully intends to track down.

The incident comes just weeks after Dog held a touching memorial service for Beth in Colorado. Family, friends and loved ones gathered to say goodbye for the last time.

As we reported ... Beth died last month in a Honolulu hospital, days after being placed in a medically-induced coma.

Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" is going to cost her a lot of green, but her record label is paying twice as much for ripping off the tune.

The federal jury in L.A. just dished out the damages, and the pop singer will have to pay $550k to Christian rapper Flame. He sued Katy, Dr. Luke and 7 other songwriters on "Dark Horse" for jacking his tune, "Joyful Noise." Capitol Records was also a defendant, and the jury ordered it to pay the lion's share ... $1.2 million.

In all, Flame will get a total of $2.7 million from all the defendants. The jury said his song was responsible for 22.5 percent of the "Dark Horse" profits.

His Grammy-nominated gospel track came out in 2008 ... 6 years before KP dropped "Dark Horse."

The jury's decision on hefty damages came after hearing 2 full days of testimony about how much Perry's megahit and the album it was on, "Prism," have earned since release. Katy's cut, to date, has been $3.2 mil ... while Capitol Records earned $31 million.

Of course, the same jury returned a unanimous verdict that Perry and her co-defendants improperly copied the Christian rap track -- specifically by jacking its continually repeated musical rhythm.

“Our clients filed this lawsuit five years ago seeking justice and fair compensation for the unauthorized copying of their music. It has been a long and arduous path, but they are quite pleased to have received the justice they sought,” Flame's lawyer, Lauren R. Cohen, said.

As we reported ... Flame's music label uploaded a "Joyful Noise" vid on YouTube in 2008, and it's racked up millions of views over the years.

In his lawsuit, first filed way back in 2014, Flame claimed Perry stole the underlying beat and riff in the middle of "Joyful Noise" for "Dark Horse." He also said it destroyed his reputation in Christian music because he became associated with the anti-Christian imagery present in her music vid.

Perry called BS on the 2 tracks having any meaningful similarities, and during her jury testimony earlier this month she claimed she'd never even heard Flame's song before he filed the lawsuit.

Katy told the jury she first heard the beats from Dr. Luke while they were hanging out in Santa Barbara and claimed she wrote "Dark Horse" in only 4 hours.

However, Flame's legal team was able to convince the jury that his song was popular and prevalent enough to have been heard and ripped off ... and that's exactly what Perry and her team did.

By the way ... the "Dark Horse" music video currently has 2.6 BILLION YouTube views. Gotta wonder if it was worth it.

A$AP Bari just took another big L stemming from his sexual assault case ... because the judge tossed his countersuit against his victim.

According to new legal docs ... the rapper's defamation suit against the woman, listed as Jane Doe, and all claims he made against her have been dismissed.

The reason it was tossed is because the woman filed a police report and a lawsuit, and the judge ruled both are protected speech ... so Bari can't sue her over what she told cops or claimed in a suit.

As we reported ... Bari pled guilty to sexually assaulting the woman in a London hotel in 2017. As part of his plea deal, he was ordered to pay a $5k fine and pay the victim $3,150 ... but he avoided jail time.

In leaked video of the incident, Bari's seen chasing the woman around the room and ordering her to give him oral sex.

While his plea deal concluded the criminal case, the civil case is still ongoing. Doe sued the hip-hop designer for sexual assault in late 2017, and he countersued in August 2018 claiming she was a liar and trying to extort him for a big payday.

The powerful FaZe Clan gaming team is suing its most famous member, Tfue ... claiming the 21-year-old has "betrayed" the team and damaged the brand by trying to weasel his way out of their contract.

21-year-old Tfue (real name Turner Tenney) is one of the top gamers in the world -- and has earned MILLIONS of dollars thanks to his dominance in Fortnite.

Earlier this year, Tfue called out FaZe Clan publicly -- painting himself as a victim who was taken advantage of by a big gaming team who pressured a then-20-year-old to sign an unfair contract.

The biggest issue at the time was that Tfue claimed FaZe Clan's contract called for 80% of his brand deals and 50% of his merchandise profits ... and Tfue felt it was unfair.

But now, FaZe Clan is firing back in a lawsuit filed in federal court in New York ... essentially saying boo-hoo, you signed the contract and need to live up to it.

"Though a rookie athlete, Tenney was an adult when he signed his contract," FaZe says ... adding, "An initial rookie contract is a risk that the organization takes; most young players young careers never take off."

In fact, FaZe Clan says they believe Tfue has made more than $20 MILLION in earnings since joining FaZe Clan in April 2018 and he's only forked over $60,000.

FaZe says TFue was just your average "skilled gamer" when they found him -- and they transformed him into a bankable gaming pro.

FaZe says the deal they have in place with Tfue locks him up until 2021 -- and the fact he's trying to bail is complete BS.

FaZe says they recognized Tfue was a star and offered significant bonuses along the way -- including an offer to increase his revenue shares in the company substantially. They also claim they offered Tfue a 7-figure salary ... but Tfue refused to play ball.

Instead, FaZe claims Tfue trashed the company publicly ... violating a non-disparagement clause in his contract.

Now, FaZe is suing for their share of Tfue's earnings -- and to shut him up from divulging confidential information about the Clan.

We spoke with TFue's attorney Bryan Freedman who tells us, "Faze Clan’s lawsuit in New York is a ridiculous and obvious attempt to avoid the consequences of its clear violations of California law"

"Filing the lawsuit in New York is actually an admission that Faze Clan has no defense to these violations of California law. Ask yourself, why is Faze Clan is afraid to litigate its wrongful conduct in California? The answer is obvious. Faze Clan will lose."

Pro golfer Thorbjorn Olesen was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London on Monday after allegedly sexually assaulting a woman mid-flight ... and then PEEING in the aisle.

Officials say 29-year-old Olesen -- who placed 6th at the 2013 Masters -- was a drunken menace on his flight from Nashville to London ... screaming at passengers and acting like a moron.

The most serious allegation is the alleged molestation of a female passenger. The details surrounding that particular incident is unclear.

During the hellish flight, a witness told The Sun ... Olesen began urinating right in the aisle of the 1st class cabin.

Olesen was traveling with fellow PGA star Ian Poulter -- the two had competed in the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational in Memphis over the weekend.

Poulter reportedly tried to diffuse the situation during the flight ... and when he felt Olesen was under control, he decided to take a nap.

But, when he woke up, Poulter's rep says the golfer learned about the wild allegations against his fellow golf pro. In other words, Poulter feels he doesn't deserve a single ounce of blame.

The Met. Police Dept. (the agency which took Olesen into custody in London) tells TMZ Sports Olesen was booked on several charges including "suspicion of sexual assault, being drunk on board an aircraft and failing to comply with the orders of cabin crew."

We also reached out to British Airways, which said, "Our customers and crews deserve to enjoy their flights, and not to suffer any form of abuse."

"This sort of behaviour (they used the "u") will not be tolerated, and the appropriate action will always be taken."

Olesen was eventually released from custody and the incident is currently under investigation.

For what it's worth ... Olesen finished 27th in the tournament over the weekend and tweeted, "Not much to say, other than I’m pretty disappointed with today’s performance!"

"Now for some time off and practice to get things right."

Kurt Rappaport, the mega-realtor who claims his estranged wife is extorting him for millions and threatened to ruin his life if he doesn't pay up ... allegedly got into a heated argument over having children, and that's what ended the marriage ... this according to estranged wife Sarah Mutch.

Mutch filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, which claims last February, 16 months after they married, they were at dinner with friends and the topic of having children came up. The former Guess model says one of the people at the table commented that Kurt didn't seem interested in having children.

She says she thought they would have children and realized he had no such intention. They got into a heated argument on the way home. She says when they got home he began screaming at her, saying all she cared about was money and she was a "greedy monster." She says she then told him she wanted a divorce.

She claims there was a pattern of verbal abuse over a period of years, claiming he tried to slam through doors when she would lock herself away from his outbursts.

As we reported, Rappaport claims she threatened to ruin his life with false allegations if he didn't cough up millions. He filed a police report claiming she was trying to extort him with lies.

She says in the new docs, she never threatened to ruin his career and was never physically violent with him ... something he alleged in his extortion lawsuit.

As for the money dispute, she says she gave up her modeling career at his request so she could be available for business events and travel, and to care for his 3 kids.

She says she has no money ... claiming he gave her $50,000 when they split up but she only had access to $41,000. She says because she got no spousal support, as required by the prenup, she had to use that money for living expenses.

She wants him to pay for a lawyer so she can determine if she should challenge the prenup, which gives her $45,000 a month for half the duration of the marriage ... and the marriage only lasted 16 months.

Jon Gruden said this week he expects "more drama" involving Antonio Brown ... and guess what -- he got it.

The Oakland Raiders superstar has been sued by his famous personal trainer who claims the WR stiffed him out of thousands of dollars stemming from a week-long off-season workout program.

The man behind the suit is Sean Pena -- who's trained pro athletes like NFL star Darius Leonard.

Pena somehow connected with Antonio Brown in 2019 -- and the two started working out together.

Pena claims AB had him fly up to NorCal for one week of hardcore training in April -- and he even posted footage of the two grinding it out in the gym at the University of California Berkeley.

They did everything from foot speed drills to weight training, balance work and water-resistance work in a pool. The sessions actually looked pretty intense.

But, when it came time to pay up, according to the lawsuit ... Brown never ponied up the dough.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Pena is demanding $7,194.81 for "unpaid therapy and training services; agreed-upon reimbursement for hotels, airfare, rental car, and [miscellaneous fees], in addition to late penalties disclosed on accepted invoice."

The case has already been assigned a trial date for October -- which will go down unless the two sides can reach a settlement before that.

When reached for comment, Brown's attorney, Darren Heitner, tells TMZ Sports ... "Mr. Brown has already paid the Plaintiff everything that he was due. The Plaintiff has no foundation for coming after Mr. Brown, and we will ensure that this case disposed of quickly."

FYI, Brown signed a 3-year, $50 MILLION contract with the Raiders during the off-season.

Ex-Pittsburgh Steelers running back and former NFL analyst Merril Hoge says Roundup weed killer caused him to get cancer back in 2003 ... and now, he's suing.

The 54-year-old says he first mixed and sprayed the popular weed killer all over while he was working on a farm in Idaho back in 1977.

Twenty-six years later -- in Feburary 2003 -- he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma ... and now, he's claiming it's the weed killer's fault.

In a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports, Hoge says the makers of Roundup -- Monsanto Company -- knew an ingredient called glyphosate could potentially cause cancer ... but says they failed to properly warn him of the risks.

Hoge says if he had known the chemical's side effects ... he would have used a different, less dangerous product.

Now, Hoge is suing the company for an undisclosed amount ... claiming it caused him "life-threatening" cancer as well as a "diminished enjoyment of life."

For its part, Monsanto has categorically denied its product causes cancer.

Hoge played 8 seasons in the NFL -- 7 with the Steelers -- from 1987 to 1994 ... before head injuries forced him to retire after the '94 season.

A$AP Rocky's bodyguard absolutely choked the hell out of the alleged victim in Sweden -- it's clear as day in this surveillance video -- but the video also presents a flaw in the prosecution's case.

This video was captured before the street brawl broke out, AND before the alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, threw a punch at the bodyguard. It's pretty brutal ... the massive hired muscle grabs Jafari by his throat, lifts him off the ground and tosses him down the street.

What's puzzling is ... why clear the bodyguard? When prosecutors announced Jafari would not be charged for punching the bodyguard, they said he was acting in self-defense. Sooo, if he's defending himself, why not charge the guy attacking him? Especially when there's such clear video evidence like this.

Moments after the choking, Jafari swung a punch at the bodyguard and then hit him with his headphones.

Machine Gun Kelly wants to send a message to Sweden about the way it's treating A$AP Rocky by hitting the country where it hurts -- candy sales, baby.

The "I Think I'm OKAY" rapper seems pretty frickin' far from okay with what's happening with Rocky, whose trial for assault started Tuesday after his nearly month-long ordeal sitting in a Swedish jail.

MGK tells us it's messed up and Rocky should be freed, and he's willing to start a boycott of Swedish products and companies until it happens.

In fact, he officially declares that nation's famous chewy, red, fish-shaped candy canceled until A$AP's released ... but there's another company based in Sweden he's not so bold to boycott.

By the way, sorry to break the news to MGK -- and our photog, for that matter -- but Swedish Fish aren't even made in Sweden anymore. The candy's owned by Cadbury and manufactured in Canada.

It's the thought that counts.

The Dallas Cowboys conspired with police to cover up info from a 2017 car crash that would have sidelined Ezekiel Elliott from a crucial NFL playoff game ... so says a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports.

The suit stems from a January 11, 2017 car crash -- 4 days before the Cowboys played the Packers in an NFC Divisional Round game -- when Zeke slammed a GMC Yukon into a BMW 750 driven by Ronnie Hill on his way to the Cowboys practice facility.

Hill claims Zeke was obviously at fault because the running back was running late to practice and had "barreled through a red light" -- causing more than $33,000 in damage to Hill's vehicle. Hill claims he suffered "serious and permanent" injuries in the wreck.

Hill says the impact of the collision was so intense, the two vehicles were "wedged together" and they needed a tow truck to pull them apart.

At the time, the Frisco Police Dept. put out a statement describing the incident as a "minor vehicle crash" ... but Hill says that's a crock of BS.

In fact, Hill claims the Dallas Cowboys "conspired with the Frisco Police Dept. to cover up the severity of the accident to assure that Elliott's health would not be placed in question before their playoff game."

According to Hill's suit, "If anyone had actually reported the impact of the accident and had Elliott been examined he would have most likely been placed in concussion protocol and out for the Dallas Cowboys upcoming playoff game."

In his suit, filed by attorney Larry Friedman, Hill claims Dallas Cowboys running backs coach Gary Brown had raced to the scene of the accident and told Hill, "We will take care of everything."

Hill claims the Cowboys did NOT take care of anything -- and he's suing both Zeke and the Cowboys for $20 MILLION in damages.

By the way, the Cowboys ended up LOSING the playoff game 34 to 31 ... but Zeke played great, rushing for 125 yards on 22 carries.

We reached out to the Frisco PD and the Dallas Cowboys for comment -- so far, no word from either side. A rep for Elliott had no comment.

We spoke to Hill's attorney, Larry Friedman, who tells us, "Ezekiel Elliott believes he's above the law. He doesn't follow any rules. As a citizen and a member of our community he has a duty to obey the law and act responsibly, especially while driving a motor vehicle."

Friedman adds, "There are no exemptions for running backs or members of the Dallas Cowboys."

"He has admitted liability in this case but refuses to take responsibility as he has refused to take responsibility on so many other occasions when he has disobeyed the law."

"My client is suing for compensation for his injuries and wants his day in court."

Kenya Moore's ex-boyfriend, Matt Jordan, was hauled in by cops in Arizona over the weekend for a list of alleged crimes, which include assault and theft.

The former 'Real Housewives' star was booked Saturday in Pinal County for trespassing, plus 3 separate charges -- aggravated assault, theft and threatening/intimidating with damage to property -- which stem from an arrest warrant issued in Maricopa County.

Matt's bail was set at $3,250, but no one's paid it -- he's still in custody, and has a hearing this week to face the charges.

As for how all this got started, court docs show the initial incident allegedly went down back in April -- but, apparently, Matt never showed up in court to deal with it. He got nabbed for trespassing Saturday, which revealed the outstanding warrant.

The guy is a 'RHOA' notorious for a number of reasons, but he's probably best remembered as the one who brawled with fellow reality star Peter Thomas, who Matt claimed had a weapon on him ... believed to be a box cutter or knife of some sort.

Kenya also got a restraining order against Matt in 2017, after claiming he was hounding and harassing her by calling her up to 30 times a day and allegedly threatening her.

A$AP Rocky is finally getting his day in court ... entering a not guilty plea in a Swedish court, and his family's also there showing support.

A$AP's mother, Renee Black, was escorted through the crowd of reporters, photographers and onlookers outside the Stockholm courthouse Tuesday morning.

Once the trial began, the rapper's attorney told the judge A$AP is pleading not guilty to assault, and said his client was acting in self-defense.

The trial is continuing ... so check back here for updates. The trial could go for up to 2 more days, but it's unclear if prosecutors and A$AP's team will need that much time to present their cases.

As you know ... A$AP has been in custody since early July, getting detained after turning himself in to Swedish authorities following a street brawl in the nation's capital. He was officially charged with assault last week, and he faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison.

However, the prosecutor told TMZ he will NOT recommend the full 2 year sentence if A$AP is convicted. A panel of 4 judges will hear the case, and at least 3 of them must rule an assault was committed for a conviction. In the event of a tie, the prosecutor can ask for a new trial. If A$AP is convicted, a judge will decide his sentence a week later.

As we've reported ... the man who attacked Rocky's crew in Stockholm will NOT be prosecuted for any crime, even though video appears to show the alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, actually inciting the violence by harassing A$AP and his crew.

In the first video from the incident ... you clearly see Jafari strike A$AP's bodyguard in the head with a pair of headphones. Meanwhile, A$AP played peacemaker, trying to defuse the situation and saying no one wants to go to jail.

Huge development in the Neymar rape investigation in Brazil ... where cops have ended their probe into the soccer superstar due to "lack of evidence."

But, the 27-year-old isn't out of the woods yet ... cops are sending their findings over to the Sao Paulo Attorney General's Office which will have 15 days to decide if Neymar should be charged with a crime.

But, the fact cops haven't found overwhelming evidence against Neymar is a good indication that prosecutors will likely NOT move forward with the case.

As we previously reported, Brazilian model Najila Trindade had claimed Neymar sexually assaulted her back in May at a hotel in Paris.

In early June, Neymar published a 7-minute video professing his innocence -- and showing WhatsApp messages between the two in an effort to prove that "nothing really happened."

Neymar also claimed he was being extorted by the woman.

For her part, she has accused the Brazilian police of being corrupt and helping to cover up evidence ... saying, "The police are bought, aren't they? Or am I crazy?"