CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

A beauty vlogger is under fire after she posted a video in which she bragged she beat the hell out of her 2-year-old daughter for ruining her makeup ... adding her hand hurt from the beating.

The "influencer" is Michelle Grace, and people are now calling for an intervention or at the very least a Child Protective Services check  ... but Grace is defending her actions.

Here's what happened -- Grace shared a video titled "My Toddler Ruined My JSC Alien Palette|Now I'm sad..." on her YouTube channel, and went on to say "My 2-year-old just got her ass beat" ... all while her child can be heard crying in the background.

Grace continues by explaining her daughter found her Jeffree Star Cosmetics eye-shadow palette and another palette and ruined them ... even though she's told her in the past to not do such things. Reminder -- the daughter is 2.

By the way ... Grace grouses she doesn't know what to do ... she says it's like she has to put her makeup in a safe to keep it away from her child. Well, that's a better solution than beating her.

That's not all ... Grace later reiterates how badly she "beat the crap" out of her child to the point she injured her own hand.

Though the beauty vlogger's fans are shocked, concerned and appalled ... Grace defended her parenting skills and later on Twitter, said her girl is intelligent and knows right from wrong, and justified the physical discipline as teaching a lesson.

Grace also claimed her hand hurt before the incident ... and some of her daughter's crying was due to taking her iPad away.

She added ... "And I know a lot of parents might not agree with me ... but I don't normally, I don't normally spank my child, unless I really have to, and usually, it's just a pop. And it barely hurts. She cries for like, five seconds."

Tyler Perry is not convinced his nephew hanged himself in prison, and he's hired a famous medical examiner to determine if he committed suicide or if he was killed in his cell.

TMZ broke the story ... Tyler's nephew, 26-year-old Gavin Porter, was serving 20 years for shooting and killing his dad in front of his mom -- who's Tyler's sister. He was found Tuesday night hanging in his cell from a bedsheet.

One of the reasons Tyler is suspicious ... Gavin got into a fight with another inmate last weekend and was placed in solitary.

Tyler tells TMZ, "Call me naive, but it was my hope that after serving his time, and really reflecting and showing much remorse and asking God for forgiveness, that he would have been able to come to work for me, joining all the other former inmates who work for me and turn his life around just as they have. But that day will never come."

Tyler says he's hired Dr. Michael Baden, a famed pathologist who has been involved in numerous cases, including JFK, O.J. and Jeffrey Epstein. Dr. Baden will perform a second autopsy.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro has won a battle in his domestic violence case but there's still a full war to settle.

Prosecutors dropped 2 charges against the 'Jersey Shore' star in his domestic violence case with Jen Harley. Ronnie was arrested last October after an explosive fight at their Airbnb in L.A., and faced 7 charges. Now, according to docs obtained by TMZ, prosecutors asked the judge to drop 2 of those charges -- brandishing a weapon and criminal threats.

The judge has already signed off on the prosecutor's request.

A rep for the City Attorney's Office tells us they amended the complaint based on the evidence. Ronnie's attorney, Scott Leemon, tells us, "The facts and circumstances relating to the arrest and charging of Ronnie were exaggerated and actually incorrect."

He went on to say, "The City’s Attorney agreed with us and dismissed 2 of the pending charges against Ronnie. They agreed that these allegations were baseless and made up. We are hoping further investigation will yield similar results."

As we reported ... Jen alleged she suffered bruises and scrapes during an altercation with Ronnie that resulted in cops busting through the door and Tasing him before slapping cuffs on him and wheeling him out on a gurney.

He later pled not guilty to 7 misdemeanors -- domestic violence, child endangerment, brandishing a weapon, criminal threats, false imprisonment [of Jen] and 2 counts of resisting arrest. It's now down to 5 misdemeanors.

The FBI told the ringleader in the college admissions scandal to lie and say his clients knew he was bribing college officials, and when he wouldn't play ball they yelled at him ... this according to Rick Singer himself.

It's a stunning, possible game-changing development in the case. One of the parents who's being prosecuted -- Elisabeth Kimmel -- filed legal docs Wednesday claiming the government just belatedly produced notes from Singer's iPhone.

Singer writes, "Loud and abrasive call with agents. They continue to ask me to tell a fib and not restate what I told my clients as to where there [sic] money was going -- to the program, not the coach and that it was a donation and they want it to be a payment."

In other words, Singer says he told his clients the money they were paying was a donation to the school, not a bribe to a coach.

Singer's notes have implications that go far beyond Elisabeth Kimmel. Fact is ... Lori Loughlin and other parents will benefit from the new revelation because it goes to the heart of the government's case -- namely, where the parents thought the money was going. If they thought it was going to the school, prosecutors may have had the rug pulled out from under them.

As we reported, Lori and other defendants have complained prosecutors have been withholding key evidence that tends to show the parents did not commit a crime. This new piece of evidence may be the smoking gun ... made all the more powerful by the fact the government didn't disclose it in a timely fashion ... not even close.

Ex-'Bachelorette' star Chad Johnson is breaking his silence following his arrest for domestic violence and robbery ... adamantly denying he roughed up his girlfriend.

Chad gave his side of the story Wednesday, and explained what led to the heated argument with his GF Annalise Mishler. Chad says they briefly broke up and got back together, but she got pissed when she found out he signed up for a dating app ... during their short break up.

He also says he's "100% confident any type of domestic abuse charges are gonna be dropped" because he didn't commit "any type of domestic abuse whatsoever."

Johnson reacted to the video Annalise posted of him yelling at her door after allegedly punching a hole in her wall. He does cop to ripping her phone away from her when she wouldn't stop recording him ... saying it was a "stupid decision."

Tyler Perry's nephew appears to have killed himself behind bars -- but the answer officials are giving the family doesn't have them convinced it wasn't foul play.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the filmmaker's 26-year-old nephew, Gavin Porter, was found dead in his cell Tuesday night at a prison facility near Union Parish in Louisiana. We're told Gavin's immediate family -- which includes Tyler's sister, who's Gavin's mom -- was told by prison officials he had hanged himself with a bedsheet while in solitary confinement.

Our sources say the officials told the fam Gavin had gotten into a fight with another inmate over the weekend and was placed in solitary. We're told that around 6 PM, guards checked on Gavin and found nothing of concern.

Our sources say guards came back at 8 PM Tuesday and found Gavin dead. He had hung himself with bedsheets. We're told the family has been notified there's no foul play in the death -- but our sources say Gavin's family isn't necessarily buying the story.

Gavin was arrested for shooting and killing his biological father back in 2016 -- in front of his mother -- after cops say an argument erupted between the two. He pled no contest to manslaughter and was sentenced to 20 years.

Antonio Brown just posted an email showing his legal team was thiiis close to closing a $2.7 million settlement with his sexual assault accuser in 2019, but the deal ultimately fell through.

TMZ Sports has confirmed the email -- dated August 30, 2019 -- is real. And we're also told the case in question is the lawsuit filed by Brown's former personal trainer Britney Taylor.

As we previously reported, Taylor filed her lawsuit on Sept. 11, 2019 -- claiming Brown sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions, including a violent rape in 2018.

But in the days before Taylor filed, Brown's attorneys were working on striking a private settlement deal with the accuser to keep her from going public with her allegations.

In the email from Brown's attorney Bruce Zimet to AB, the lawyer explains, "Just got a call from Mediator that she accepts $2.7 million. Am awaiting written confirmation."

Sources connected to the case tell us something went sideways before the deal could be closed and Brown did NOT end up writing that check.

ESPN has previously reported that it was Brown who personally blew up the deal. Though details surrounding his decision remain murky.

Harvey Weinstein's got prison officials in NYC thinking twice about how to deal with him behind bars -- because their biggest fear is another Jeffrey Epstein-like suicide.

High-ranking officials at NYC's Department of Corrections tell TMZ ... there's anxiety running through the ranks about another "Epstein Incident" and the scrutiny that would follow if HW offed himself on their watch, which is why an action plan is in place.

For starters, we're told one possibility is that Weinstein will be housed in a private section of Rikers Island's North Infirmary Command, which is for high-profile inmates or guys with health issues -- Harvey fits both. He could land in the "ANNEX," with the other dudes falling apart.

Once he's there and all checked in, our sources say HW will probably get his own cell with round-the-clock surveillance cameras watching his every move. And, when he's out walking around, we're told he'll have DOC officials escorting him. There's a reason for that.

You'll recall ... Epstein's death was put under a magnifying glass when he hanged himself in his cell, while guards were supposed to be checking in periodically. That whole thing's still being investigated right now, but in any case ... officials don't want that with Harvey.

In fact, we're being told people at NYC's DOC don't even want Harvey as a prisoner -- we're told he's seen as a huge risk, and there are talks of trying to ship him elsewhere.

In the meantime, though, we're told Weinstein's milking his stay at the Bellevue Hospital he was taken to this week after complaints of chest pains. Sources tell us he's got his own room there, and that the conditions are much nicer than what's waiting for him at Rikers.

Of course, if they can't get the guy off their hands ... DOC might have to look after HW for the next several years. He's facing a minimum sentence of at least 5 years after Monday's conviction.

Jussie Smollett says the truth will set him free -- literally -- as he ramps up for a second round of fighting criminal charges in Chicago.

The ex-"Empire" star was leaving LAX Tuesday when a photog ran into him and asked to see how he's holding up. His lawyer says he's a tough cookie, but Jussie laughs it off -- it's pretty clear he's going through it, and seems to think at least that much should be obvious.

Of course ... we're talking about Jussie getting re-charged for allegedly lying to cops about the hate crime he claims was perpetrated against him by MAGA-hat wearing thugs -- this after the State Attorney's Office dropped the original 16 charges against him almost a year ago.

He's pled not guilty again, and his legal team has filed a motion for the case to be dismissed over double jeopardy -- which basically means you can't prosecute someone over the same offenses twice. Jussie and his lawyer talk about that, plus other possible defenses.

The photog asks point-blank ... which is it gonna be, JS -- telling 'em you didn't do it, or hope double jeopardy saves ya? Watch ... Jussie says there's only one thing he can count on.

Ex-'Bachelorette' star Chad Johnson is under arrest after police investigated a couple of alleged fights between his girlfriend and him ... TMZ has learned.

LAPD took Johnson into custody Monday evening, and according to law enforcement sources his current GF, Annalise Mishler, called 911 because he was at her apartment and they'd gotten into a heated argument.

Annalise told cops Chad -- known as the bad boy from JoJo's 'Bachelorette' season -- was also at her apartment on Sunday, but she says that time things got physical. She claims Johnson was drunk and not only punched a hole in her wall, but also got physical with her.

Officers who responded Monday to Annalise's home, found she had visible red marks on her face. That was enough for cops to arrest Johnson, and according to our law enforcement sources, he's been booked for felony domestic violence and robbery.

We're told the robbery charge stems from Annalise's claim Chad snatched her phone away from her while she was calling 911.

Long before she called cops ... Annalise had put Johnson on blast on social media. Mishler, who is a YouTuber, posted a video Sunday night to her IG ... showing the hole she claims her BF punched in her wall.

She also posted video allegedly showing Johnson screaming at her, saying "I hope you f**king die" after she'd kicked him out of her place.

Vanessa Bryant has just sued the company that owned the doomed helicopter that crashed, killing Kobe, Gigi and 7 others ... claiming the aircraft should never have been placed in the peril it was in before the Jan. 26 accident.

The lawsuit alleges Island Express was only allowed to fly under visual flight rules, and the conditions the day of the crash were not conducive for such flying. As we reported, the fog was extremely low and the pilot was in blinding conditions before the mishap.

The lawsuit also says the pilot was going 180 miles per hour in the heavy fog in a steep decline in the moments before it crashed in Calabasas, CA.

The lawsuit claims the pilot failed to properly monitor and assess the weather prior to takeoff, failed to obtain proper weather data prior to the flight, failed to abort the flight when he knew of the cloudy condition, failed to maintain control of the helicopter and failed to avoid "natural obstacles" in the flight path.

The suit says Island Express engaged in unnecessary and needlessly risky means of transportation under the circumstances.

The suit also asks for damages for "pre-impact" terror -- damages for the emotional trauma Kobe and Gigi suffered as the pilot struggled to get out of the clouds before the crash.

The lawsuit also says the pilot, Ara George Zobayan, was disciplined in 2015 for violating the visual flight rule minimums by flying into an airspace of reduced visibility.

The lawsuit also claims the helicopter was not safe, although it doesn't say what was unsafe. It could be the basis for the claim is that the helicopter was not certified to fly in bad weather.

The lawsuit does not list an amount of damages sought, but Vanessa is asking for punitive damages, claiming the pilot and Island Express were reckless, and the damages could be untold millions.

The suit seeks damages for loss of love, affection, care, society, service, comfort, support, right to support, companionship, solace or moral support and expectations of future support and counseling. The suit also seeks money for loss of financial support and for burial and funeral expenses.

Harvey Weinstein is guilty of 2 of the 5 charges he faced in his NYC criminal trial -- but he was found not guilty on the charges that could have put him in prison for life.

The jury found Weinstein guilty of 1st-degree criminal sexual act and 3rd-degree rape. He could get up to 25 years in prison just for the criminal sexual act. However, the jury found him not guilty on 2 counts of predatory sexual assault charges. Those carried a possible life sentence. He was also acquitted of 1st-degree rape.

A jury of 12 people -- 7 men and 5 women -- finally reached their verdict after 5 days and about 22 hours of deliberations. This comes after an interesting turn on Friday ... when the jurors sent a note to the judge asking if they could be hung on 2 counts of predatory sexual assault and unanimous on the others.

The judge told them to go back deliberations, and they worked it out by Monday morning.

As we reported ... Weinstein pled not guilty to 5 felony charges relating to sexual misconduct. The charges were based on the accounts of 2 women ... Miriam Haley, a TV and film production assistant who worked on "Project Runway," and former actress Jessica Mann.

The prosecution rested its case 2 weeks ago after 12 days of witness testimony. In total, 6 women testified against Weinstein, including Haley and Mann. Last Tuesday marked the start of jury deliberations.

As we reported ... Mann testified under oath that Weinstein began manipulating her as soon as he met her, allegedly forcing himself on her multiple times and raping her at a hotel in Manhattan.

Weinstein's defense argued he had a consensual relationship with Mann lasting for years after the alleged sexual assault. He maintained all sexual conduct was consensual.

During closing arguments, Weinstein's lawyer, Donna Rotunno, ripped into the prosecution, saying prosecutors, "created a universe that strips adult women of common sense, autonomy and responsibility," arguing Weinstein's accusers acquiesced to sex because they thought it would advance their careers.

However, Prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon countered in her closing argument, saying Weinstein's accusers “were merely ants that he could step on without consequences.”

The disgraced Hollywood mogul felt he couldn't get a fair trial in New York, claiming the jury pool was tainted ... but the case proceeded.

Jussie Smollett is back in a Chicago courtroom, and you've gotta see the ruckus his arrival created outside ... as his supporters made sure they were heard.

Jussie was flanked Monday morning by an entourage of about 10 people -- some of them family members -- as he made his way into his arraignment on 6 new felony counts of lying to cops. At least one photog went down in a heap at Jussie's feet while he tried to get into the courthouse.

In the video, you can hear Jussie's backers chanting, "What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!!!"

We're expecting the ex-"Empire" star to enter not guilty pleas to all 6 charges in the new indictment, which calls the 6 charges "disorderly conduct," but all involve allegations of lying to cops.

Interestingly, Abel and Ola Osundairo also showed up at court this morning. There's no reason for them to be at his arraignment -- we know they'll be testifying against Jussie, but that's weeks down the road.

As we reported ... the special prosecutor, Dan Webb, said Jussie "planned and participated in a staged hate crime attack, and thereafter made numerous false statements to Chicago Police Dept. officers."

You'll recall, Jussie claimed he was attacked in Chicago by 2 white men ... alleging the men put a rope around his neck and doused him with bleach. He claimed they also yelled racial and homophobic slurs. As the investigation unfolded, 2 black men -- brothers Abel and Ola Osundario -- were detained and they told police Jussie paid them to stage the attack.

The special prosecutor effectively re-opened the controversial case nearly a year after Cook County prosecutors dropped all 16 felony counts against Smollett in March 2019. At the time, they called it a "just disposition and appropriate resolution," but not an exoneration.

Jussie's attorney, Tina Glandian, questioned the timing of the indictment. State Attorney Kim Foxx also questioned the timing. Jussie maintains he's innocent. If convicted, he faces up to 3 years in state prison.

Hilary Duff got in the face of a photographer whom she felt was invading her privacy by snapping pics of her kids during a soccer game -- but he didn't back down on video.

The 'Lizzie McGuire' actress posted the confrontation on Instagram Saturday, showing her walk up to a guy on the sideline of her one of her kids' soccer game and ask him who he's there with ... and what exactly he's doing taking pictures of the children.

It's pretty tense ... the man says he's not there with anyone but himself, and HD demands to know why -- if he isn't with anyone or isn't affiliated with anyone on the team -- he's out there taking pictures of 7-year-olds. His smug answer ... 'cause it's legal, lady.

The implication here is that this dude may be a paparazzi photog, and was only out to snap pics of Hilary and her children ... something she's dealt with before in similar fashion.

Something Hilary might wanna take into account the next time she encounters one of these photog hounds trying to get photos of her and/or her kids ... it actually ain't legal like the man claimed -- at least according to California law, where this appears to have happened.

In 2013, Gov. Brown signed SB 606 into law, which made the photographing of minors because of a parent's "employment" (AKA celebs) illegal if it falls into the area of harassment, annoyance, alarm, or torment without legitimate purpose ... punishable by up to a year in jail.

Chris Tavarez, the actor from the Disney Channel hit "K.C. Undercover," is going to jail for several months for an alleged domestic violence incident, and that's after striking a plea deal.

According to the LA Superior Court ... the 27-year-old pled no contest to 1 count of felony domestic violence with a prior conviction. He's been sentenced to a suspended 5-year prison sentence but will only serve 300 days in county jail. He's also getting credit for 153 days already served.

That leaves him with a little less than 150 days behind bars. Tavares will also have to take a 52-week class on domestic violence awareness, and complete one year of an outpatient alcohol program.

TMZ broke the story ... Tavarez was busted back in November after allegedly flying into a rage during a fight with his GF, who suffered a concussion. As we reported, he had a prior conviction for a June 2017 spousal battery case .... so, it was a near certainty he'd get a jail sentence this time around.

Tavarez is best known for playing Darien on 'K.C.' ... which starred Zendaya.

"Mob Wives" star Drita D'Avanzo isn't losing sleep over her gun and drugs case anymore, but her husband -- he's still sweating it out.

According to the DA's Office in Staten Island ... prosecutors have dropped all charges against Drita, 2 months after cops raided the house where she and Lee D'Avanzo live. The announcement was made in court Thursday morning with Drita present.

The DA now says Drita was NOT the target of the search warrant. As for Lee, the feds are now taking over -- he's been indicted for possession of firearms and weed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Outside of court, Drita told reporters, "I have no time to celebrate because my husband is not home, but I am very happy with the outcome. All I'm focusing on right now is the fact that this turned out good."