CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

There's a war brewing in the modeling world -- 2 of the biggest model management companies are going toe-to-toe over some of the hottest women in the world.

A company called Women N.Y. Model Management just filed a lawsuit against famed Elite Model Management in New York, claiming Elite N.Y. has poached its stable of top-notch talent ... including  Adam Levine's supermodel wife, Behati Prinsloo.

According to the docs, Women N.Y. says Elite N.Y. has been engaged in a months-long effort to steal its top model managers and convince them to take their clients over to Elite.

Women N.Y. claims Elite N.Y.'s efforts have netted more than 55 of its clients over the past 4 months -- all of which adds up to more than $22 million in annual bookings.

The most recent example -- according to the suit -- is model Ophelie Guillermand. Women claims it was arranging a booking for her, and got blindsided to learn she had jumped ship to Elite.

Other big names listed in the suit include Alexina Graham, Anna Ewers, Giedre Dukauskaite and Alicia Burke.

According to the suit ... Elite N.Y.'s MO is to put men in charge who have a history of sleazy behavior. For example, Women says in 2005, the head of Elite N.Y. hired John Casablancas ... who it refers to as a notorious figure in the fashion world because a model sued him in 2002 for sexual misconduct when she was 15. Casablancas, who died in 2013, settled that case.

Women N.Y. thinks this is par for the course for Elite N.Y. -- it alleges "some of the older men who currently lead [Elite N.Y.] have engaged in sexual relations with models they represent."

Women N.Y. is suing to block Elite N.Y. from raiding its crop of talent ... and wants damages too.

Meek Mill has to wait a few more weeks to find out if his 2008 gun conviction gets tossed out or if he gets a new trial -- but that's all happening in front of a new judge, which has to be a huge relief for the rapper.

Judge Leon Tucker was presiding Tuesday morning when Meek walked into the Philadelphia courthouse. He's replacing the controversial Judge Genece Brinkley for Meek's potential retrial, which was granted by a panel of judges in Pennsylvania Superior Court in July.

Tuesday's hearing was an extremely brief bail hearing. Meek was released on his own recognizance, and Judge Tucker said both sides will return August 27 for a status hearing. At that point, they'll figure out whether to go to trial or just drop the whole matter.

As we reported ... it's highly unlikely prosecutors will refile the case and retry Meek. His attorney Joe Tacopina tells us, "While we had hoped that this matter would end today, we remain confident that justice will prevail in Meek's case once and for all."

That's because the main witness in the '08 case turned out to be a dirty cop, and a retrial over a decade later would mean the memories of other witnesses would be less reliable as well.

Travis Barker's weekend was an emotional roller coaster in El Paso -- it started with plans to visit a friend in prison and then rock out with his band ... but his band ended up in lockdown across the street from the slaughter as he was miles away visiting a friend in prison.

As you know, a gunman with an assault rifle opened fire Saturday morning at a Walmart in El Paso, TX ... killing 22 and injuring many others.

Blink-182 was in town for a show, and Mark Hoppus tweeted they were about to head to the mall where the massacre took place when they got word their hotel was on lockdown.

Barker wasn't with the band ... he had traveled 250 miles to visit rapper 03 Greedo at the Fort Stockton prison.

We're told Travis promised his friend he'd visit him whenever he was in Texas and made plans in advance to see him before the Blink concert. We're told he was at the prison visiting Greedo at the time of the shooting ... but didn't get word of it until after he left.

Travis was horrified at the news, but thankful his bandmates and the crew were okay. Blink-182 postponed its show out of respect and to show solidarity with the community.

As for Greedo -- we're told he's doing well behind bars and is staying positive and healthy. He's currently serving a 20-year sentence on drug and gun charges.

R. Kelly just got hit with more sex crime charges ... this time in Minnesota, where prosecutors say the disgraced singer once paid a teenage girl to have sexual contact with him in his hotel room.

According to prosecutors, the alleged incident went down on July 11, 2001 in Minneapolis ... and they say the alleged victim was between the ages of 16 and 17.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says the alleged victim initially approached Kelly seeking an autograph, and claims Kelly paid her $200 to get naked and engage in sex acts with him.

Prosecutors are charging Kelly with two sex crimes ... engaging in prostitution with someone under 18, and hiring/offering/agreeing to hire someone for sexual contact.

Freeman says there was no sexual intercourse between Kelly and the alleged victim, but he claims there was "dancing and sexual contact." He admitted the case will be difficult to prosecute, given that the evidence is almost 20 years old. Prosecutors say the tip came through a Chicago tip line.

The alleged victim is being represented by Gloria Allred.

R. Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, just weighed in on the new charges ... tweeting, "give me a break. This is beyond absurd."

Kelly is currently in custody in New York, where he’s pled not guilty to 5 federal criminal charges including kidnapping and racketeering. The New York case is separate from Kelly’s 13-count indictment in Illinois federal court, which includes charges of child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice. Kelly is also fighting 10 charges of aggravated sexual abuse in Cook County, Illinois.

Aaron Carter adopting dogs and allegedly selling them for a profit is NOT against the law -- but that doesn't mean it would be right ... according to the county of Los Angeles.

L.A. County Animal Care and Control tells TMZ ... IF Aaron is actually adopting dogs from around the area only to later flip them for cash, he wouldn't be committing any crimes by doing so. That said, it sounds like the LACACC frowns on the practice.

Lancaster Animal Care Shelter -- which is run by L.A. County -- says, "Our goal is to find each animal a forever home and when someone adopts, they become the legal adopter. His actions aren’t illegal and there have been no reports of him harming the animal." They add, "Unless, there is criminal activity going on, we are unable to ask for the adopter to return the dog."

We're told selling off rescue dogs is a moral issue in L.A. County, not a legal one, though.

You'll recall ... the animal shelter where Aaron adopted his English bulldog appeared to be concerned over allegations that Aaron was trying to sell it just a couple days after taking it home. They updated their Instagram with a flash warning of sorts, saying they were "working on this situation." Presumably, people were blowing them up about this.

Most private animal shelters require you, by contract, to return the animal if you no longer want it ... instead of selling it or even giving it away to someone else.

For the record, Aaron has flat-out denied any wrongdoing.

In fact, he doubled down with us ... reiterating that the IG Live video in which he's heard discussing selling the bulldog for $3,500 is simply a joke. Aaron did not clarify what exactly he was joking about though ... he sounded sincere in his vid.

Joke or not ... apparently it's no biggie out here in Hollywood.

Kareem Hunt says his latest run-in with cops was nothing more than a "misunderstanding" ... but he says he's now promising to "lay low" to avoid any more incidents in the future.

"I'm just going to, you know, lay low and just continue working to be a better person and get ready for this season."

23-year-old Hunt was stopped by cops in late June after a night of partying in Cleveland ... with one witness telling TMZ Sports the officers wanted to question him about a physical altercation with another man.

In video we obtained, you can see the superstar running back seemingly pleading his case to the cops.

But, Hunt -- who was speaking to the media for the first time since the incident Monday -- says the whole thing was much ado about nothing.

"It was a misunderstanding," Hunt said ... "It was just something that was, you know, a misunderstanding."

Still, it wasn't a great look for Hunt, who's been suspended the first 8 games of the 2019 season after we posted video showing him kicking and shoving a woman at Cleveland hotel in February.

Hunt says he knows he needs to do better ... and is now vowing to do more to avoid trouble with the law.

"I've just been doing whatever it takes to stay out of the way and enjoy myself with my family and keep my mind on football."

A$AP Rocky is showing his gratitude to one Kanye West for trying to get him out of Swedish custody ... by showing up on a Sunday and partaking in worship.

The just-released rapper was in attendance Sunday for Ye's weekly Sunday Service, where he was wearing a jacket in the hot sun -- but appeared to be in great spirits. He was filmed talking to his old flame, Kendall Jenner, and they seemed pretty chummy.

Kendall and A$AP have history together, they were dating on and off for a number of years. They haven't been seen in a romantic capacity since early 2017.

A$AP was also photographed chatting up Kanye himself, who was decked out in his usual Sunday Service gear. Some thank-yous were probably exchanged ... and for good reason.

As we reported ... Kanye was part of the initial push to get A$AP's legal predicament on President Trump's radar, before he was eventually freed last week pending a verdict. We're told Ye's got a direct line to the Oval, and that he suggested Trump talk to the Swedish PM.

A panel of judges decided to release A$AP while a decision is made in his assault case, which wrapped up Thursday after a three-day trial. Rocky touched down in L.A. early Saturday morning, and seemed ecstatic to be finally be home after a month in jail.

A$AP testified that he and his crew were acting in self-defense, and that they tried to defuse the situation with the alleged victim before things got violent.

The Swedish prosecutor recommended a 6-month jail sentence -- a decision is expected to be made on his fate on August 14, when he has to come back to Sweden.

Christine Quinn from the hit Netflix show "Selling Sunset" had a rude homecoming from a trip abroad -- someone got into her home and made off with six-figures worth of pricey jewelry.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Christine returned to her Bev Hills pad a few days ago and noticed her entire jewelry collection -- including expensive watches -- had been swiped from her safe.

We're told cops have little to go on, but here's what Christine knows for sure -- the suspect made off with more than $120,000 worth of her stuff!!! We're also told the only person who was supposed to have access to Christine's crib was the housekeeper, and there was no sign of forced entry.

LAPD's now investigating, but so far, there are no suspects.

Christine's bummer news comes on the heels of some great news for one of her "Selling Sunset" costars. As we told you ... Heather Rae Young made headlines when she was seen locking lips with "Flip or Flop" host Tarek El Moussa.

A$AP Rocky was downright gleeful after touching down on U.S. soil Saturday just after midnight ... free for the first time in a month.

A$AP's private jet touched down at LAX after a long flight from Sweden ... this after the judges in his criminal case allowed him to leave the country as they noodled over the verdict.

The rapper was ecstatic ... smiling, taking pics with folks, hugging people. He actually stayed in the private terminal parking lot for around 45 minutes, talking and joking most of the time.

As we reported, all signs point to a not guilty verdict. Prosecutors in the assault case asked the judges to keep Rocky behind bars because he remained a flight risk. The judges had a middle-ground option -- to release him from custody but order that he remain in Sweden, pending the verdict which will be announced on August 14, but instead they let him return to the U.S.

Fact is ... a judge thought he was a flight risk a month ago when he threw Rocky in jail, even before charges were filed, so he'd be at least as much of a flight risk today ... and that's why it seems like it doesn't matter anymore and that he'll be found not guilty.

Our Rocky sources say he's never going back to Sweden, and even though his position has been that race was not a factor, privately everyone in his camp thinks it was, and he probably does as well. It was smart of him not to take a stand on the racial issue, for fear of inflaming the judges.

The key to the case seems to be a green bottle. Prosecutors maintained Rocky hit the alleged victim over the head with it, but not a single witness supported the theory, nor did the video. You do see Rocky holding a bottle, but he says he did it to fend off the guy and put it down on the ground.

Rocky does not have to appear in court for the verdict. It will be a written decision.

LL Cool J has a lot of sympathy for A$AP Rocky, but says if he's convicted in Swedish court of assault, he can't go on the lam.

LL was at LAX Friday and made one point clear ... if he were in A$AP's shoes and got a guilty verdict, he would not just go back to Sweden and face the music ... rather, he'd "negotiate." We're reading between the lines, but it seems he's saying he'd do a little horse trading ... I'll come back, but you can't throw the book at me.

As for never going back, LL thinks that's a bad idea. Even if Rocky couldn't be extradited from the U.S., his travel would be severely restricted because other countries might in fact hook him up and send him back to Sweden.

As we reported, it's looking likely that A$AP will be found not guilty, because prosecutors failed to prove A$AP struck the alleged victim with a bottle.

A$AP Rocky's saying good riddance to Sweden FOR GOOD and never looking back ... assuming everything goes according to plan.

Rocky left Sweden hours after the judges in his assault case decided to let him out of jail while they noodle on their decision, which is expected on August 14. A$AP returned to the U.S., and he won't have to return for the reading of the verdict, because it will be a written ruling.

All signs point to Rocky being acquitted. Prosecutors tried to keep him in jail pending the verdict, because they said he was a flight risk. The judges could have ordered him to stay in Sweden but they gave him the all clear to leave the country. That smells like a not guilty verdict.

Our sources say if the verdict comes in as expected, Rocky will never go back to the home of IKEA.

He never said the arrest was racially motivated -- at least not for public consumption -- but a lot of people, including his mom, think that's exactly what's behind his arrest and prosecution. As we reported, Snoop and Quavo say they had similar experiences with Swedish cops, and Snoop also said good riddance to the country.

The rapper said during his testimony he won't seek any money from the Swedish government for wrongful prosecution, because he can easily earn back his profits from canceled concerts. Smart move ... more incentive for the judges to find him not guilty.

Rocky's lawyer says he believes he did enough to show the judges his client acted in self-defense and the attack on the alleged victim was not overboard or premeditated ... as the prosecution alleged.

Kevin Spacey is returning to the arts -- a couple of 'em, actually -- with a pop-up performance at a Rome museum where he's reciting some poetry ... that apparently speaks to him.

The actor threw on a brown suit Friday and waltzed into Palazzo Massimo. He set up shop in front of the famous sculpture of the "Boxer at Rest" and read the Italian poem, "The Boxer."

A crowd gathered as Kevin recited the elegant words of Italian poet Gabriele Tinti -- in English, though -- and it seems like his Massachusetts criminal case, and other sexual misconduct allegations, might have influenced his poetry choice.

The poem's about a beaten and tired boxer who is determined not to give in or give up. One passage reads ... "The more you're wounded, the greater you are. And the more empty you are."

As we first reported ... Kevin scored a huge victory a couple weeks ago when prosecutors dropped the case where a then-18-year-old male accused Spacey of groping him in a Nantucket bar.

We've seen this kind of display from Spacey before ... when the groping accusations first surfaced on Christmas Eve, he posted a bizarre video urging people not to rush to judgment, hopping into character as his old "House of Cards" character, Frank Underwood, to deliver the message.

A$AP Rocky got a HUGE assist Friday from 2 eyewitnesses to the beating that landed him in jail and Swedish criminal court ... because both said they were clear -- they did NOT see Rocky strike the alleged victim with a bottle.

The bottle is the centerpiece of the prosecution's case. They claim Rocky severely injured the alleged victim by hurling a bottle at him ... which they say was excessive force and unjustified. Rocky admitted Thursday he picked up a bottle but denied he ever threw it.

The creators of the Philadelphia Phillies' famous mascot, the Phanatic, are threatening to take it away from the MLB team ... and now, the Phillies are fighting like hell to keep it.

It's all spelled in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports ... where the Phillies say back in 1978,  then Exec VP Bill Giles had a vision for a "green, fat, furry, big-nosed" mascot -- and they worked with a design firm called Harrison/Erickson Incorporated to make the Phanatic.

The MLB team says everything went smoothly with the negotiations ... it paid the firm for its work and the character was an immediate success.

In fact, the Phillies say the mascot became SO popular ... they had to renegotiate with Harrison/Erickson in 1984 to keep the mascot "forever" -- paying the company $215,000.

But now, the Phillies say Harrison/Erickson have gone back on that agreement -- arguing the deal wasn't REALLY a forever contract -- and just hit them with a letter threatening to terminate the arrangement.

The Phillies say in the letter, Harrison/Erickson would not allow them to use the Phanatic after June 15, 2020 if they don't renegotiate ... and are even threatening to make the mascot a free agent if the Phils don't fork over cash!!!

Could you imagine the New York Yankees Phanatic?

But, the team is now suing in federal court to try to stop that from happening, claiming Harrison/Erickson has NO legal rights to terminate the "forever" agreement it signed in 1984.

The team also says it owns the rights to the Phanatic just as much as -- if not more than -- Harrison/Erickson ... and wants a judge to intervene.

The Phillies want legal docs stating Harrison/Erickson can't pull the mascot ... and also want any other team that attempts to use it to be punished for it.

Former MMA star, War Machine -- aka the scumbag who is serving a life sentence for brutally beating his ex-gf -- is getting married Friday, proving love really must be blind.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... he will marry Ashley Farrington at Lovelock Correctional Center in Nevada. She's the woman who befriended him after writing letters to him back in 2017.

As we first reported ... their relationship evolved to visits in prison and eventually their engagement. There will be no traditional honeymoon -- the impending nuptials are happening despite Nevada's strict rule of no conjugal visits.

A rep for the State of Nevada Department of Corrections tells us, when someone in prison wants to get married, the prisoner must file a marriage request ... which is reviewed by the chaplain and warden. They both sit down with the couple and explain to the non-prisoner the seriousness of the crimes committed by the prisoner.

In this case, we're told Ashley did file for a marriage license in Nevada, and War Machine did make the prison marriage request. Ashley apparently still chose to marry him despite his heinous 2014 crime against Christy Mack.

R. Kelly's racketeering and sex trafficking case is underway in NY ... he's set to appear and officially hear the charges and enter a plea.

Kelly's lawyer, Steve Greenberg, tells us the singer will plead not guilty at the arraignment. No major surprise ... Kelly has continued to battle the mounting charges and cases against him, denying all the allegations. Kelly flew to New York Thursday for the hearing.

Just like in his federal case in Illinois, Kelly's 2 girlfriends -- Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage -- are there for moral support. As we told you, they flew from Chicago to attend the arraignment ... and stuck to their phones as they walked in.

Azriel's phone itself is a symbol of her support. Take a close look -- the case is a collage of various photos of Kelly.

There's also a group of Kelly supporters that have gathered outside the courthouse ... one wearing a "Free R. Kelly" t-shirt.

As we reported ... the feds slapped Kelly with a 5-count federal indictment ... which includes racketeering and kidnapping. This is separate from the 13-count indictment in Illinois federal court. The indictment out of the Eastern District of NY also includes several violations of the Mann Act and allegations of forced labor.

Kelly denied the allegations ... blasting his alleged victims as "disgruntled groupies," this according to docs in which he asks the judge to release him pending trial. He's been behind bars since he was denied bond.

According to the federal indictment ... Kelly and others engaged in a scheme to coerce minors to participate in sexually explicit acts on camera. The feds say the purpose of the scheme was to "promote R. Kelly's music and the R. Kelly brand and to recruit women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with Kelly."

The feds also allege "Kelly and his crew traveled throughout the United States and abroad to recruit these women and girls." Further allegations include Kelly made "threats of force and physically restrained the women" to obtain their labor and services.

BTW ... the Mann Act prohibits the transportation of anyone across state lines for illicit sexual purposes. Four of the 5 counts against Kelly are violations of the Mann Act.