CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

Tekashi 6ix9ine's Instagram page will stay up and running despite renewed uproar over his criminal record -- because the platform feels he hasn't violated their rules.

Here's the deal ... 6ix9ine ran into some legal trouble even before he hit it big. When he was younger -- age 18 -- he pled guilty to one count of Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance.

In light of that, folks started asking why he's even allowed to have an IG since Facebook -- the parent company -- has explicit terms saying convicted sex offenders are barred from the platform. FB said his account would be put under review.

We've got an update on that review from the folks at FB and Instagram -- and it's basically this ... Tekashi is NOT technically in violation of FB/IG's sex offender policy, at least that's how they're viewing it.

A source at Instagram tells us ... FB and IG took a hard look at his record, and turns out ... they found the guy's case -- which went down in NY -- and saw he was adjudicated as a “youthful offender” which is different from having an adult criminal conviction.

As a result, our source tells us Facebook will not be removing his account, as they don't believe -- based on their interpretation of things -- he meets the criteria that would mark him as a sex offender. Look it up yourself ... Tekashi (whose real name is Daniel Hernandez) does not appear on the state's sex offender registry.

The Manhattan D.A. confirms Tekashi's 2015 case was adjudicated as a Youthful Offender, but declined to offer more details. His attorney, Lance Lazzaro, shed a bit more light, telling us yes ... the crime was committed when T69 was 18. But, after he completed some sentencing requirements, the court granted him youthful offender status.

BTW, T69 has addressed the conviction himself on the Breakfast Club -- insisting he didn't know the girl was underage. Prosecutors say Tekashi was at a party where a nude 13-year-old girl was taped performing sex acts on a man, and T69 was seen making thrusting motions behind her and slapping her buttocks at one point.

The father of tennis' most famous female players is being sued by folks who claim they bought the rights to his life story before Will Smith produced his own movie with himself as Richard.

Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, is being sued, along with Warner Bros. Entertainment and Will's production company Overbrook Entertainment, by the competition, TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media. TW3 and Power Move claim they locked up the rights to Richard's tale before WB and Will moved forward with a movie about him instead.

According to the lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- TW3 and PMMM claim they were cut out of the movie rights to the upcoming Warner Bros. biopic, "King Richard," which stars Will as Serena's pops.

In the docs, TW3 and PMMM claim they bought the rights to Richard's book "Black and White: The Way I See It" and life story back in 2017, an agreement they say barred anyone else from hitching a ride on his gravy train.

According to the suit ... Richard sold his rights to Warner Bros. for the movie for at least $1 million, which TW3 and PMMM claim WB knew would make their contract worthless.

In the docs, the production companies that claim they own the rights to Richard's story want an injunction requiring WB to put all the profits from the 'King Richard' movie, which is set for release this November, into a trust for their benefit ... and other damages too, of course.

Protesting inside a restaurant with a megaphone and a baseball bat got a black man arrested in a scene that looked eerily similar to George Floyd ... but this time police were way more patient and mindful.

The bust went down Tuesday in Madison, Wisconsin where a swarm of officers descended upon the guy who'd been using his megaphone to, as they put it, disrupt the peace. He also had a baseball bat on his shoulders as he yelled at customers and restaurant staffers from point-blank range.

It took as many as 5 officers to detain 28-year-old Devonere Johnson ... who was resisting arrest. It took several cops tugging at Johnson during the struggle before they ended up with 4 officers on his back and legs. Important to note, none of them were on Johnson's neck ... though he did complain he couldn't breathe before they hoisted him off the ground.

Vigilant bystanders -- including the outspoken man recording the scene -- demanded officers release him, as they claimed he'd done nothing wrong besides using his voice to exercise his First Amendment rights.

The cops weren't having it though, and eventually carried Johnson by his legs and torso and tossed him like a sack of potatoes into a patrol unit. Somehow, Johnson, who was now handcuffed, managed to escape out of the cop car ... before they pounced on him again.

Again, the bystander with the camera didn't give up, and continued pleading with several officers to let Johnson go free. They didn't and he was officially busted for disorderly conduct while armed, resisting arrest and attempted escape.

The cops add that 2 officers suffered minor injuries during the arrest, and Johnson had bruises on his arms and legs.

The question ... was there a more peaceful way to handle the situation? He had not physically harmed anyone and, according to police, was walking away from the restaurant when they arrived. Yes, customers did seem to feel threatened, so if ya gotta arrest him was this a prime case for de-escalating before manhandling? In fairness to cops, it's possible they did attempt to do that before the video started.

BTW, the scene was still bizarre even AFTER the arrest ... watch what happened when someone tried to get all Biblical.

Nathan Davis Jr. is taking United Airlines to court because he claims he was racially profiled on a flight and falsely accused of having a gun ... according to a new lawsuit.

The TikTok star and ''Detroit'' actor just filed suit against UA, alleging he was singled out and harassed by a flight attendant late last year while he was on his way from Houston to Tennessee. Nathan says listening to music escalated to him getting removed from the flight ... for no reason at all.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Nathan says he was listening to music when one of the flight attendants told him it was too loud and that others could hear it. Nathan says others were listening as well, but he was the one reprimanded.

Nathan -- who has almost 9 million followers on TikTok -- says he complied but goes on to allege the lady circled back twice more in a rude manner and continued to tell him his music was too loud -- even though he disagreed and claims she even scolded him when the music was muted.

Eventually, Nathan says she snitched to the pilot ... and that's when s*** really hit the fan. He claims the plane turned around and the staff forced him to exit the aircraft in what sounds like a humiliating display. Nathan claims the captain even tried to take his cell phone, before ultimately ordering him to go back, get his stuff and get out for good.

That's when Nathan says a gun claim was made against him over the aircraft loudspeaker ... he claims it was shocking, reckless and false.

Nathan filmed some of the encounter, and while he was leaving the plane for the second time ... you can hear someone over the PA system say "He has a gun now." He instantly reacted.

We should note -- Nathan says he wasn't even approached by law enforcement over the false and inflammatory remark. He also says no further action was taken by the airline itself ... other than bumping him up to first class on a later flight.

Now, he's suing United ... claiming negligent hiring, assault, infliction of emotional distress, discrimination and more. He's asking a judge to award him damages of no less than $10 mil.

You are so criminal to MEEEEEEE ... is probably what cops said to the guy who once played Alfalfa when they busted him for allegedly sucking up air duster cans.

Yes, Bug Hall -- who had the lead role in the 90s "Little Rascals" movies -- was arrested over the weekend in a Weatherford, TX hotel ... where cops responded to a call for a possible OD.

Weatherford PD tells TMZ ... one of Bug's family members actually called in asking the police to check on him. They did, and when he opened up the door ... the cops say they saw a TON of air duster cans -- used for keyboards -- all over the room.

WPD says officers asked Bug if he'd been inhaling from the cans ... and claim he admitted it. They arrested him on the spot for misdemeanor possession for use to inhale or ingest a volatile chemical. We're told Bug didn't put up a fight.

In case you didn't know, what Bug is accused of is called huffing and it's super dangerous, and criminal too.

A prison inmate in Central Florida was allegedly beaten to death by a corrections officer as other guards watched.

51-year-old Christopher Howell died last week while serving a 4-year sentence at the Lake Correctional Institution near Orlando after a 2018 conviction for stealing some phone chargers and threatening people with a knife.

According to reports citing inside prison sources, Howell was allegedly beaten Thursday by a guard after he refused an order from within his cell. He was reportedly handcuffed and defenseless while at least 2 other officers stood by and did nothing.

Howell was later pronounced dead, but insiders think he died during the beating. The Florida Department of Corrections says it can't release the names of the officers involved due to an investigation, but does say all the guards were put on administrative leave.

This latest incident of alleged brutality is causing an uproar -- protests are scheduled for Tuesday to decry Howell's death, with some advocates calling for charges to be filed against the guards who were involved.

The family of Ara Zobayan is begging a judge to move Vanessa Bryant's wrongful death case out of L.A. because Kobe Bryant is so popular there, it would be impossible to get a fair trial.

Ara's family spelled it out in new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports ... saying the trial would begin with "two strikes" already against him "due to the extreme level of popularity of plaintiff with the jury pool."

As we previously reported, Vanessa sued Zobayan along with Island Express Helicopters saying they should be held financially responsible for the crash that killed Kobe, Gianna and 6 other passengers.

Now, a family member of the pilot is asking for a change of venue to Orange County, where they think they have a better chance of getting impartial jurors.

Of course, Kobe Bryant played his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers -- and became an icon in the city.

"The notoriety and popularity of the late Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles County is detailed herein and reached a level that left no person in the county unaware of his role in branding Los Angeles as his city," Zobayan's family says in new court docs.

"No other single individual in recent memory, sports figure or otherwise, has been considered by the people to be such a personification of their city of Los Angeles. "

"But with that unprecedented level of acclaim comes a lack of impartiality and objectivity by potential jurors about the merits under the law of the claims asserted in this lawsuit by the Bryant family."

The Zobayan family also notes Kobe and all of the passengers lived in Orange County -- another reason the case should be moved.

Kobe, Gianna and 6 other passengers -- along with Ara Zobayan -- died when their helicopter crashed in Calabasas on January 26.

A woman who says she was treated like an animal after getting arrested at a protest in the wake of George Floyd's death, is taking legal action against the LAPD and the L.A. County Sheriff's Department over an alleged night of terror while in confinement.

Laura Montilla just sued the City of L.A., Police Chief Michel Moore and other L.A. law enforcement officials ... claiming she and a bunch of other peaceful BLM protesters were wrangled up like cattle earlier this month by cops who showed no humanity.

In her docs, obtained by TMZ, Montilla claims a bunch of officers in riot gear prevented her and others from leaving a June 1 protest when a 5 PM curfew went into effect. She claims they pounced on protesters and arrested them.

She goes on to say they were all thrown on buses and detained for several hours without food or medical attention. Montilla also says cops never told them where they were and claims they never read her Miranda rights.

It gets worse ... Montilla says some people were having panic attacks and pissing themselves on the bus, but the police ignored them ... and even allegedly tried drowning out their cries by blasting loud heavy metal music. She also says cops "aggressively touched and groped her body by patting their hands aggressively on her vagina and breasts in four separate instances."

Montilla also claims her zip ties were on so tight, she lost feeling in her right hand and had bruises and abrasions for days after her arrest.

Once the cops were ready to cut people loose, Montilla says they dumped all these protesters in the middle of a Westwood neighborhood in the middle of the night, but provided no safe way home or access to communication ... she says they were left to fend for themselves.

Less than a week after New York City said no more chokeholds to cops, an NYPD officer used one while making an arrest ... to the point the person he's subduing loses consciousness.

A handful of NYPD officers were filmed Sunday near Rockaway Beach attempting to detain and arrest a black man -- with one of the cops wrapping his entire arm around the guy's neck and putting his body weight on him from the ground, while the others put cuffs on.

You hear bystanders -- who are filming the whole thing -- start to scream out in a panic, telling the officer to stop choking him, which eventually gets him to release.

At that point, it appears the man being arrested has gone limp and is unresponsive -- some of the folks standing around say "he's out." He had indeed passed out and was led away by police moments later.

It's unclear if and when he regained consciousness -- his current condition is also unknown.  We also don't know why he was being arrested, and the NYPD isn't saying.

The NYPD did say, "We are aware of the video and there is an active investigation underway by the Internal Affairs Bureau. This matter is taken extremely seriously and we expect to have an update this evening as the investigation unfolds."

Bear in mind ... the City JUST made it illegal for cops to do this, unless their lives are in immediate danger. They even named the law after Eric Garner.

Again, and again ... what is so remarkable about these encounters is that cops know they're being videotaped but it doesn't seem to deter much.

If George Floyd's case goes to court -- prosecutors must do their best to prove Derek Chauvin's intent was to harm -- and they've got a damning piece of video on their side ... so says the man who served as a prosecutor in Eric Garner's mock trial.

"American Trial: The Eric Garner Story" gives viewers a glimpse into what the outcome of Garner's case could have been if it went to court. Attorney Thomas Kenniff is part of the prosecution team in the mock trial and tells us if George Floyd's case goes to trial, the video of Derek Chauvin will be the pivotal piece to landing a guilty verdict.

Kenniff makes it clear ... prosecutors will have to prove Chauvin's intent and jurors will have their undivided attention on the video.

As we reported, Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck for almost 9 minutes while he stated he couldn't breathe, bled from his face and begged for his dead mother.

Kenniff says the video makes it hard to argue that there was any intention outside of harming Floyd ... and prosecutors should lean on that the hardest.

Rapper Hurricane Chris -- best know for the hit track, "A Bay Bay" -- has been arrested for murder in Louisiana ... TMZ has confirmed.

The rapper, who's real name is Christopher Dooley, Jr., was arrested and booked for second-degree murder after cops say he shot and killed a man early Friday morning at a Texaco gas station in Shreveport, Louisiana ... according to the Shreveport PD.

Cops say Chris initially told them there was an alleged struggle over his car, so he shot the man multiple times in self-defense. But, cops say surveillance footage painted a much different picture ... resulting in Chris' arrest for second-degree murder.

What's more ... cops say the car Chris was riding in was actually reported stolen out of Texas, which resulted in the rapper also getting booked for illegal possession of stolen things.

Billie Eilish is getting long-term court-ordered protection against an obsessed fan she says kept showing up at her home.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge just made Billie's temporary restraining order a permanent one for the next 3 years. The order, granted Thursday, prevents the man from attempting to contact or coming within 100 yards of the singer or her parents.

We broke the story ... Billie got a temporary restraining order last month after claiming Prenell Rousseau began showing up over and over again at her residence, ditching a face mask and touching the doorknob and doorbell without gloves, making Billie and her fam fear for their lives.

The permanent restraining order also bars Rousseau from assaulting or harassing Billie and her family, or from getting close to her workplaces.

George Floyd's name seems to be heading toward foundation status -- 'cause his family is already making moves to lock up the rights to something called just that ... TMZ has learned.

George's brother, Philonise Floyd, recently applied to trademark the phrase "The George Floyd Foundation" -- and if he gets it, he'll be able to use it to teach and advocate.

Philonise is looking to put "The George Floyd Foundation" on downloadable software for mobile phones that educate on police reform, downloadable media files featuring documentaries about George and other digital materials like DVDs, and audio and video files.

He also wants to feature "The George Floyd Foundation" on a website dedicated to police reform, as well as downloadable documents and PDFs with information on the topic too.

But, there's more -- if Philonise gets this trademark, he'll also be able to slap that phrasing on COVID-19 face coverings, sweatshirts and T-shirts, baseball caps ... and even charitable fundraising events to support families who've fallen victim to police brutality.

Philonise also reveals in the application that he and the fam aim to conduct business seminars on social justice and police reform. So, yeah ... it looks like they're going for the works here in terms of starting a full-blown nonprofit for their deceased relative.

MLB slugger Miguel Sano is callin' BS on claims he kidnapped and beat up a man in the Dominican Republic ... but the Minnesota Twins say they're now looking into the allegations.

In a new video released this week ... an attorney accused the 27-year-old infielder and other men of taking his client on May 6 and beating the hell out of him.

In the footage, which is in Spanish, the attorney also says Sano and the others threatened to hang his client in the alleged attack.

But, Sano released a flat-out denial to D.R. newspaper El Nuevo Diario this week ... saying he played no role whatsoever in a kidnapping or beating of the man.

Sano, in fact, accused the alleged victim of sexually assaulting his younger stepbrother. The MLB player also told El Nuevo Diario the attorney is trying to blackmail him over the allegations ... asking for serious cash to make the case go away.

Sano says he's going to be filing a lawsuit against the attorney over the allegations.

According to the newspaper, Sano was asked to go to the prosecutor's offices in the D.R. on Tuesday over the claims ... but the Twins player says that meeting got postponed to next week because he received notice too late.

Sano's team, which inked the third baseman to a 3-year, $30 MILLION extension this offseason, told the StarTribune it's aware of the accusations and is gathering information.

"That 70's Show" star Danny Masterson has been charged with rape -- this after being accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct and assault over the years.

The charges against Danny were announced Wednesday by Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, who says her office has charged the actor with three counts of felony forcible rape involving three different women ... all of whom are being identified as Jane Does.

The alleged rapes -- according to the D.A. -- occurred between 2001 and late 2003 ... right in the middle of the sitcom's run.

Danny's attorney, Tom Mesereau, tells TMZ ... "Mr. Masterson is innocent, and we’re confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify."

He adds, "Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out. The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false."

The actor has been publicly accused of rape before, and each and every time ... he's vehemently denied it.

If convicted on all charges, Danny faces 45 years to life behind bars. It's unclear if he's been taken into custody yet, but the charging documents state that his recommended bail be set at $3.3 million.

Andre Royo -- best known for his role as "Bubbles" on "The Wire" -- is about to live life in the single lane, his wife's filing for divorce after 22 years of marriage.

The actor's wife, Jane Choi, filed the divorce petition in L.A. County Superior Court to end the marriage, citing irreconcilable differences ... this according to docs obtained by TMZ. She lists the date of separation as December 5, 2019. They were married on November 21, 1997.

It seems this divorce case has all the makings of a smooth sailing -- they have 1 daughter together but she's not a minor. Jane also checked the box blocking the court from awarding either of them spousal support.