CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

Jussie Smollett has taken the offensive ... he's now suing the City of Chicago, claiming officials created a narrative that he was the mastermind of a hoax attack, and that has cost him dearly.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Smollett notes the Osundairo brothers were held for 47 hours and they adamantly denied any involvement in the assault. He says it was only after they were assured they'd get immunity that they started spinning the tale of a fake attack on the streets of Chicago.

Smollett insists the primary attacker was a white male.

He says to this day he doesn't know what involvement, if any, the Osundairo brothers had in the attack. He thinks the brothers were lured into the smear campaign by cops.

Jussie is suing the City, the Osundairo brothers and several officials, including Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.

As we reported, the City of Chicago is suing Jussie to recoup the costs of the investigation.

It looks like Kodak Black is gonna be a superman when he walks out of a federal prison -- that is, if he sticks to his higher education plan, which includes a little nihilistic philosophy!!!

Sources close to the incarcerated MC tell TMZ ... on the heels of getting sentenced to 46 months in prison, Kodak's shooting to get a college diploma by the time he gets out. We're told he's interested in pursuing business and marketing. The federal prison in Florida where he's doing his time offers classes, and he plans to register.

That's not where his learning road ends. Our sources say Kodak's actually planning to take the SAT when he's eventually released in hopes of getting into the University of Florida and earning a bachelor's degree.

Of course, this follows his previous goal of wanting a GED about a year ago while he was locked up. We're told he ended up getting it, BTW.

And, as if biz and marketing reading isn't enough, we're told he'll be supplementing that with some other literature to get his creative juices flowing -- good, old-fashioned Friedrich Nietzche books, in fact. Ah yes, "The Death of God," "The Superman" and "The Will To Power." Heavy stuff, but time's on his side. Sorta.

In addition to his nearly 4-year sentence, Kodak was just hit with two new counts of gun possession last week and could get up to 30 more years for each charge.

Kodak Black wants approval to enter a drug rehab program while he's serving his Florida prison sentence -- but he could end up getting more than just clean and sober.

According to docs filed Monday in federal court, the rapper is asking the court to send him to a prison that offers the Residential Drug Abuse Program. The 500-hour program lasts 9 months and involves group therapy, as well as one-on-one treatment.

It also requires all participants to live in a separate unit from the general population -- a pretty clear benefit to a celebrity rapper doing time.

The biggest fringe benefit, though, for Kodak could be shortening his sentence. Upon completion of the program, inmates can get as much as 12 months knocked off their prison bid.

It's an interesting request from Kodak, who -- as we first reported -- claimed last week, someone in his current prison had drugged him, causing him to get involved last month in a prison brawl.

He's serving 46 months right now on federal weapons charges, and still has to deal with a sexual assault case in South Carolina.

Kim Kardashian followed up her visit with Rodney Reed by coming face-to-face with his brother ... and then introducing him to the biggest stars in Houston.

The death row inmate's brother, Rodrick Reed, tells TMZ he got to meet Kim, Kanye and even Joel Osteen on Sunday at the Lakewood Church -- where Ye held a "Jesus Is King" performance that night with his choir.

Rodrick says he was brought backstage during Sunday's events and discussed his brother's case with Joel and the Wests. We're told Kanye said he still plans to visit Rodney, but needs to work out the legal kinks to make it happen.

Rodney even got a shout-out from Kanye while he addressed the Lakewood congregation of more than 45,000 -- and, of course, Kim visited with him Friday in prison. Remember, she was with Rodney when word came in the Governor had granted a stay of execution.

Rodney was set to be executed Wednesday, but now the courts are gonna hear his case again -- so, he could be vindicated after 20 years in prison.

His brother, Rodrick, told us he and Kim talked about how she became so passionate about Rodney's case, and she told him it was a Dr. Phil special that turned her on to it.

Elliott from 'E.T.' got one helluva plea deal in his DUI case despite putting himself in serious danger ... although the deal does come with strings attached.

Henry Thomas pled no contest to driving under the influence and reckless driving following his Oregon arrest -- but according to docs, obtained by TMZ, the actor won't have to phone home or E.T. from jail.

Instead of time behind bars, Thomas will enter into a diversion program for 1 year, pay a $500 fine, attend a one-time victim impact panel and have an ignition interlock device installed in his car.

Like we said, sweet deal considering how he got busted. Cops say they found Thomas passed out behind the wheel in the middle of a residential intersection. He was booked for DUI and later released on his own recognizance.

Taylor Swift's loyal fans have been on the attack ever since their idol pointed the finger at Scooter Braun and co. ... but now, they've ramped things up by sending death threats.

Sources tell TMZ that Swifties of all ages have been threatening to kill Scooter and other Big Machine staffers -- including big wig Scott Borchetta -- since T-Swift claimed they were holding her back from performing old hits at the upcoming AMAs.

We're told death threats have been sent across multiple mediums -- over social media, over text and through emails.

Our sources say Scooter's wife and young children have been mentioned as targets. Even Scooter's Ithaca Holdings office in Nashville had to be shut down last week because of some of the more intense threats ... and cops have been notified.

BTW, our sources tell us these aren't just loud-mouthed kids coming at the Big Machine crew -- adults are also chiming in and making threats on their lives ... clearly it's serious.

The 2 men who sued Michael Jackson's estate and were the subject of the gut-wrenching "Leaving Neverland" documentary ... are set to get their day in court to press their sexual abuse claims against the singer's estate.

As you may know ... Wade Robson and James Safechuck sued MJ for sexual abuse, but their lawsuits were dismissed in 2017 -- partly due to the statute of limitations. Both men appealed their rulings and the cases have been stuck in appellate court ... until now.

We've learned the California Court of Appeal just issued a tentative ruling which would overturn the dismissals, on grounds a new California law extended the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases. That means Robson and Safechuck can have their cases heard before a jury.

It's not a done deal. As we said, the ruling is tentative. Oral arguments are set for this week, and the justices could change their minds, but typically the tentative ruling stands.

Now the MJ Estate has a number of other objections to claims, which will be addressed by the trial judge.

Wade and James' story aired on HBO in January, and their molestation claims sparked a movement to mute Michael Jackson and further tarnished his legacy. Jackson's family called "Leaving Neverland" an unfair "public lynching."

We reached out to reps from the MJ Estate and reps for the alleged victims. They all had no comment.

Graphic novel icon Frank Miller claims his ex-wife's being super sketchy by hiding and secretly selling some of his famous drawings ... this according to a new lawsuit.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Frank claims Lynn Varley's illegally holding onto a slew of sketches he drew as references for the final illustrations for his comics and graphic novels.

What's more, Frank claims Varley's already sold some of his sketches through her art dealer --- offering them for sale to "under the table" to collectors. Literally, under the table.

In docs, he claims one of Varley's reps kept Miller's sketches in a binder under a table at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego. Miller claims when a potential buyer would ask about the sketches, the rep would pull out a separate binder from under the vendor's table.

Frank claims Varley got some of his work as part of their divorce settlement, but also insists HE is the rightful owner of others she's been secretly selling. He's suing for her to turn over the sketches and wants a full accounting of what she's already hocked and for how much.

Miller, of course, is the famed comic book writer and artist behind "Sin City," "The Dark Knight Returns" and "300."

A bunch of vegans are suing Burger King because they want to have their Impossible Burgers their way ... pristine, without any meat residue on the grill.

Phillip Williams just filed a class-action lawsuit, claiming the burger giant advertises the Impossible Burger as a vegan alternative to its meat burgers, yet they're all cooked on the same grill.

Williams says his burger was contaminated by meat byproducts. He bought the burger in question in ATL.

The lawsuit says Burger King has no disclosures on its menu that would notify a consumer prior to the purchase of the Impossible Whopper that it was cooked in a manner that would result in meat by-products on the burger.

He notes there have been numerous complaints posted online by outraged vegans.

Kim Kardashian West says an overwhelming sense of relief and hope filled the room when Rodney Reed learned his execution had been delayed ... and she could "feel his soul" as he got emotional about it -- she could feel it, because she was there.

Kim told Jenna Bush Hager on "Today" about visiting with the death row inmate last week as he was just days away from his scheduled execution for a 1996 murder conviction -- a crime she believes he did not commit.

She was sitting with Reed when he got word that the highest court in Texas has issued a stay of execution and remanded the case back to the trial court for further consideration, and Kim says it was extremely emotional ... Rodney let out a "Praise Jesus."

Kim was also asked about getting involved in the Reed case and how she came to the decision to tweet at Texas Governor Greg Abbott about it ... she says it's a strategic process, and she does her homework.

She adds that she's extremely proud of the bipartisan support for Rodney's cause, and explains why she turned her focus to prison reform in the first place. Hint -- it starts with her own family.

Kim also responds to the victim's family's belief that Reed is indeed guilty ... she says she's sympathetic, but still wants to make sure all the evidence is released.

Jack Osbourne felt something was amiss while poring over his credit card statements ... and he was proven right when he discovered he'd been the target of identity theft.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the red flags started flying for Jack when he saw just a few odd charges, and it prompted him to start looking back at previous months' statements. Good thing he did, 'cause lo and behold ... he found a slew of charges he never made.

We're told Jack contacted law enforcement and reported the unauthorized charges totaled around $30k. It appears the charge to his card came from an employee of a monthly service Jack has scheduled at his house.

The LAPD is now investigating the case, though no arrests have been made. We know getting hit for five figures worth o' cash flat-out sucks ... but it beats the last time Jack fell victim to a crime.

TMZ broke the story ... Ozzy and Sharon's son was brutally attacked back in April after an apparent homeless man walked up to him on a coffee shop patio and sucker punched him.

NHL star Auston Matthews is off the hook in his pants-dropping case ... he settled with the woman who accused him of dropping trou in front her -- and apologized again for the incident on Friday.

"The case has been dismissed and I just want to reiterate again just how truly sorry I am for my actions and my behavior,” Matthews told reporters.

“I never meant to cause any distress to this woman and I can assure you that I’ve learned from my mistakes and my actions."

Matthews allegedly pulled down his pants in front of a female security guard at his condo complex in Scottsdale, Ariz. at around 2 AM on May 26.

The woman claims Matthews and his friends drunkenly tried to play a joke on her by messing with her car door while she was on duty ... and after she confronted them, Matthews took his pants down.

She alleges the 22-year-old Maple Leafs center -- who left his boxers ON -- grabbed his ass cheeks in her direction ... and she was PISSED over the whole ordeal.

In body cam footage obtained by TMZ Sports, you can hear her explaining the incident to cops ... telling an officer, "None of this s**t is funny!"

Matthews was eventually hit with a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct ... but a court official tells us the case was dismissed earlier this week after the parties reached a settlement.

Unclear what the dollar amount might have been to close out the case ... but Matthews, who claimed he was sorry for the incident in a meeting with reporters over the summer, apologized vehemently again on Friday.

Fun Fact -- Matthews is in the middle of a 5-year, $58 MILLION contract.

President Trump's former confidante, Roger Stone, is guilty of lying to Congress during the Russia election interference probe -- a federal jury convicted him on all 7 counts he was facing.

Stone looked very optimistic on his way into a federal court in Washington, D.C. -- clutching his wife and a Bible closely -- but after one full day of deliberations, the jury returned guilty verdicts across the board.

He was facing 7 counts of making false statements to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering.

Stone becomes the 6th Trump aide or associate to be convicted in trials stemming from Robert Mueller's probe -- and, of course, the guilty verdict comes with the backdrop of the Trump impeachment hearings.

FBI agents busted Stone -- who also worked on Richard Nixon's 1972 campaign -- during a January raid at his Florida home.

He was indicted for lying to the House Intelligence Committee during his 2017 testimony.

President Trump reacted swiftly to the news his pal got nailed by, predictably, calling out Hillary Clinton, Mueller and several FBI agents.

Damon Dash is broke ... and he says so.

Dash filed legal docs in an ongoing business lawsuit in which he owes $2,400. Dash says he doesn't have the dough. He says he has no salary and depends solely on his business to make income, but the biz is making zero profits so he can't pay.

Dash says the only revenue stream he has is from Lee Daniels, who owed him $2 million. We posted video last year of Dash confronting Daniels at a Diana Ross concert, demanding payment. Daniels subsequently agreed to repay Dash.

Now, here's the twist. Daniels has been paying the loot back, but it appears the money has been garnished by creditors ... Dash is that deep in the hole.

He says, "My income streams have all been garnished ... and it is very difficult to address the mounting bills until I receive some relief from the courts."

This isn't the first sign of financial trouble. Dash filed legal docs in September asked the judge to terminate his child support obligations to ex-wife Rachel Roy. He said in 2018 he made just a hair over $56,000.

Dash says his fiancee is pregnant and he's had to pay unexpected expenses associated with her pregnancy.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is outraged he was indicted by a grand jury that NEVER saw multiple videos of the alleged incidents of sexual misconduct.

Cuba's attorney Mark Jay Heller filed a motion to dismiss the 6-count indictment against him in NYC. According to the docs, Gooding calls it "grossly inappropriate and unjust" that the District Attorney didn't show the videos during the grand jury proceedings.

Gooding and his lawyers say the D.A. "chose here to trick the system by not giving the Grand Jury a fair opportunity to evaluate all of the facts and evidence."

TMZ broke the story ... there are videos of Cuba's June 2019 incident at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar, where he allegedly touched a woman's breast. There's also security footage at TAO Nightclub in NYC from last October 2018 when he was accused of touching a server's butt.

Gooding's indictment is for 3 separate incidents -- the third was at LAVO in NYC -- and his legal team has beef with that too. In the docs, they say the alleged incidents should be judged individually -- and lumping them together increased the risk of bias among the grand jury. BTW, according to Gooding's team ... there's also video of the LAVO incident

The actor wants the whole indictment tossed out of court. The judge has yet to rule.

Kodak Black could spend the next 46 months behind bars in his federal gun case ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... Kodak's been sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison after he pled guilty in his federal gun case back in August. Kodak's also been sentenced to 3 years of supervised release.

It's a bit of a break considering prosecutors wanted 96 months after Kodak was involved in a fight behind bars which resulted in a prison guard getting hurt.

As we reported ... as part of Kodak's plea agreement, prosecutors said they would push for a lighter sentence because Kodak had been cooperative. He initially faced a maximum of 10 years after pleading guilty to 2 counts of knowingly making a false and fictitious written statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm.

Kodak had been in federal custody since his arrest in May. He had wanted to be let out while the case unfolded but a judge denied his request for bail after calling him a danger to the community.

The rapper had been arrested at the Rolling Loud festival on arrest warrants stemming from his indictment.