CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

The Uber driver who claims Jameis Winston sexually assaulted her during a 2016 ride says she's "glad" the NFL took action against Winston ... but says the QB's apology "needs work."

The woman -- Kate -- issued a statement to BuzzFeed reporter Talal Anari, who first reported her story in a Nov. 2017 article.

"I am glad to see the NFL discipline Jameis Winston," Kate said ... "I do appreciate his apology, even if it needs some work."

"I would like to publicly acknowledge the NFL investigators, particularly Lisa Friel and John Iannarelli, for their kind, professional and thorough investigation."

"My experience should highlight the importance of believing women when they have the courage to come forward about sexual assault. Perhaps that night could have been prevented if others had been believed before me."

"Mr. Winston once said, 'Girls should be silent, polite, and gentle.' I disagree. #MeToo."

Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal's son violently attacked a man and left him with brutal stab wounds on his head and neck ... according to a new lawsuit.

As we reported ... Redmond O'Neal was charged with attempted murder after an alleged series of violent and random attacks last month in Los Angeles. Now, one of his alleged victims has provided details of the assault, claiming O'Neal drew a knife and plunged it "three and one-half inches into [his] brain and then slit [his] throat along the carotid artery."

The man claims he was left in a state of shock and has suffered great mental and physical pain, nervous system damage and believes his injuries will leave him with a permanent disability.

He's suing O'Neal for damages and medical expenses related to his injuries.

50 Cent is a man of his word ... especially when the word is "lawsuit," 'cause he's going after a hip-hop blog for using his photo in a post he calls "fake news."

He's filed suit against HipHopDX for its post about Fiddy allegedly selling his catchphrase, "Get the strap," to Bellator MMA. We'll get back to the catchphrase, but the rapper's real issue is with the photo the blog used.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, the pic -- showing 50 Cent with Bellator execs -- was taken on June 25 by a guy named Christopher Conrad. 50 says Conrad gave him rights to the photo on June 28. His point ... at no point did HipHopDX have rights to publish the pic.

The site posted an article on June 27, calling out 50 Cent for claiming he sold "Get the strap" to the MMA league for $1 million. That same day, 50 said, "This s**t is fake news Justin Ivey (the writer), you better go fact check. Matter of fact I'm gonna sue you and this website for using my picture."

With Brazilian officials STILL trying to prosecute Ryan Lochte over the infamous gas station incident during the '16 Olympics in Rio ... his lawyer says the whole thing is "absurd and disgusting."

Prosecutors have gotten the green light to try Lochte for spreading false information to the media about what really went down when Ryan told NBC he and other athletes were robbed at gunpoint.

Officials said Lochte made the story up to cover up what really happened -- security guards confronted the group after they vandalized a gas station.

Lochte later said he wasn't lying -- and described it as an "over exaggeration."

A panel of judges had previously ruled that Lochte's actions did not constitute a crime -- but a different court sees it differently and will allow prosecutors to move forward with a case against him.

We spoke with Lochte's attorney, Jeff Ostrow, who says the whole thing is a joke -- and Lochte "would never be treated this way in this country."

Charles Manson never ran afoul with the law in his 83 years of existence on this Earth ... this according to a recent background check on the convicted killer.

Manson's pen pal, Michael Channels, filed new legal docs in his fight over Manson's estate. Included in the docs -- to determine how much property was in Manson's name -- was Manson's background check performed earlier this year, and the results are stunning.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, "Charles Milles Manson" with a birthday of "11/11/1934" triggered "NO RECORD FOUND" results under federal criminal court and national criminal record search.

Tad oversight, for sure. Manson, of course, masterminded one of the most heinous murder sprees in American history. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 9 consecutive life sentences.

Couple reasons why the background check might have missed all that -- the database might not go all the way back to when he was convicted (January, 1971), and including Manson's middle name and birthday may have thrown off the search, since it's possible Manson's criminal record doesn't include his middle name.

DeSean Jackson is sticking by his quarterback -- telling TMZ Sports he won't turn his back on Jameis Winston in the wake of his suspension for a 2016 Uber incident.

"You can't turn your back on someone when they going through something," the Tampa Bay Bucs wide receiver told us at LAX.

Jackson acknowledged it's a "tough situation" -- but said when it comes to Jameis, "He's a good dude and a good teammate."

As we previously reported, the NFL has suspended Winston for 3 games for touching an Uber driver in a "sexual manner" during a 2016 ride. In other words, sexual assault.

Winston apologized for the incident -- but sources close to Jameis have told us the QB is privately telling friends he did NOT grab the driver's crotch.

Jackson says he believes Jameis will bounce back after his suspension, saying -- "He's a champ, he done been through a lot in his career."

03 Greedo failed to appear in court Wednesday to turn himself in for a 20-year prison sentence and we've learned it's because he missed his flight out of Los Angeles.

Greedo's supposed to be a couple days in to his stint at the Potter County Detention Center in Amarillo, Texas. The trouble started when he missed his original flight to Dallas, which made him miss his connecting one to Amarillo.

The rapper was smart about it, though -- we're told he was in contact with prison officials the minute he touched down in Texas, letting them know about the delay. By the time he landed in Amarillo, law enforcement was waiting to take him to Potter.

The judge had issued a bench warrant for his arrest after Greedo was a no-show, which is standard protocol.

The rapper had a farewell concert two nights before in L.A. where he proposed to his girlfriend ... which, we're guessing, MIGHT have something to do with him missing his flight.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's 3-month-old daughter has been primarily in his care since the violent car dragging incident with his baby mama ... and we're told he's got custody on his mind.

Sources close to the 'Jersey Shore' star and Jen Harley tell TMZ ... their baby girl, Ariana, has been staying with him since the ex-couple's nasty fight last weekend in Vegas, for which Harley was arrested for domestic battery.

We're told Ronnie's mother has been helping with the babysitting and they are still allowing Jen to see Ariana ... but Ronnie and Jen aren't talking much unless it's about their daughter's needs.

Our Ronnie sources say he's considering getting a family attorney involved because, so far, there's absolutely no formal custody arrangement. We're told Ronnie wants 50/50 joint custody ... something he'd probably get.

We broke the story ... Harley told police Ronnie hit her multiple times during Sunday's domestic dispute, but cops determined she was the primary aggressor and arrested her.

Judge Joe Brown says President Trump should steer clear of picking a reality TV judge for the soon-to-be vacant SCOTUS seat ... 'cause most of 'em wouldn't come close to cutting it.

We spoke to the now-retired judge a day after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced he was resigning from his post on the Supreme Court, leaving Trump to make a new appointment.

During initial speculation of who the Prez might choose, some journos and pundits half-joked he'd go the TV route, since that's what he knows. Joe says that likely won't happen ... and he has his reasons.

He doesn't specify who exactly he's referring to, but you gotta assume Judy's off that list. She's definitely legit. Ditto People's Court Judge Marilyn, who was a sitting judge before taking the TV gig.

'RHOC' stars Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador have been running their mouths and spreading vicious lies about Alexis Bellino's estranged husband ... according to him, and he's threatening to sue.

TMZ has learned Jim Bellino's lawyer fired off letters to both women -- and in one, he rips Tamra for a recent interview where she called him a "shady mother****er" who's going to jail. He also says she defamed Jim by suggesting his divorce might be "fake and for legal reasons."

TMZ broke the story ... Jim filed for divorce from Alexis last week after 12 years of marriage.

In the letter to Shannon, obtained by TMZ, he says she flapped her gums on a podcast and lied about him shutting down his trampoline biz. Even worse, he says she falsely stated, "people get paralyzed ... apparently that happened" -- again, referring to his company.

Jim says both women are not only damaging him with their "morally corrupt" gossip, but could potentially harm his children.

"Deadliest Catch" star Sig Hansen caught a major break in his Uber assault and property damage case -- it's only gonna set him back a few hundred dollars, and he's avoiding jail time.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Hansen pled guilty to assault but the judge dismissed his property damage charge. He was given a deferred sentence of 12 months, and ordered to pay $343 in fines and fees.

We broke the story ... Sig allegedly spat on the driver last year in Seattle after the app canceled his ride, and the driver refused to take Sig and his fam the rest of the way with hard cash. He also allegedly kicked the car while exiting the vehicle. He was arrested shortly afterward.

Sig apologized for the incident, saying he made a "boneheaded move" and accepted responsibility for his actions.

The judge in the Kellen Winslow rape case just denied the ex-NFL star's request to be released from jail and put on house arrest because he's afraid Kellen could escape with some 'Mission Impossible' trickery.

Yes, we're serious.

Winslow's lawyer told the court that Kellen's house is equipped with a surveillance system -- and they'd be happy to give prosecutors full access to monitor the ex-NFL player at all times.

But, the judge shot that down -- in part because he saw Tom Cruise in a 'Mission Impossible' movie fool the Russians by tricking the cameras ... and he's worried Kellen could pull off the same move.

"So, what about all these movies I watch like Mission Impossible and stuff like that where they create this endless loop?" the judge said in open court.

"So the guy, like the Russians watching something ... he sees everything is fine and meanwhile, Tom Cruise and all his folks are going around the scene and doing all this stuff."

Yes, the judge is worried Kellen Winslow will use spy tricks.

Kellen's lawyer assured the judge, "Tom Cruise isn't on our team yet."

Ultimately, bail was denied. Kellen remains in jail until his next court hearing.

Texans superstar DeAndre Hopkins says there isn't much chance NFL players and Donald Trump will ever have serious talks over their issues ... 'cause D-Hop says POTUS is too "closed-minded" to listen.

We got DeAndre -- who was one of many in the NFL last season that knelt during the national anthem -- out at LAX and he explained to us why the league's spat with Trump might never end.

"I think Trump is more closed-minded and he thinks the reason that we're kneeling is because of the flag," Hopkins says. "When that's like not at all the reason we're kneeling."

Hopkins and other NFLers have said repeatedly their actions are in protest to social injustices in America -- not the flag or the military ... but that's something Trump just can't seem to understand.

"I kneeled last year and one of my best friends is a Purple Heart veteran and my uncle is a Purple Heart veteran and they understand that it's not about the flag."

"But, when a general person like that makes it look like, 'Alright, they're doing this because of the flag.' Then of course his followers are going to think the same. But, that's not the case at all, you know?"

DeAndre says he's sure NFL players will ignore the new rule the league just put in place -- seemingly in part because of Trump's issues with it all -- and will take knees during the anthem once again this season.

The man accused of breaking into Rihanna's house has a few new followers -- unfortunately for him it's the police.

According to new legal docs ... a warrant was issued for cops to gain access to Eduardo Leon's social media accounts as part of his felony stalking case. We broke the story ... Leon broke into Rihanna's L.A.-area home last month and spent an entire night hanging out, waiting for her to come home.

He told cops his plan was to have sex with her, but not use force to make it happen. He was tased and arrested instead.

Leon was also arrested a few days earlier for allegedly breaking into Rihanna's previous home, believing she still lived there. Cops believe gaining access to his social media will prove he was fixated on Rihanna and made repeated efforts to locate her.

Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson has been hit with a $2.75 MILLION fine by the NFL for workplace misconduct -- misconduct which included sexual harassment and racist language.

The NFL says an investigation into Richardson substantiated the claims made by Panthers employees who claimed Richardson sexually harassed female staffers and used the n-word.

The NFL says the investigation -- led by former U.S. attorney Mary Jo White -- also showed the improper conduct in the organization was limited to Richardson.

In other words, they don't believe it's a staff-wide problem.

As for his punishment, the NFL says Richardson's massive fine will mostly go to organizations that support domestic violence and sexual assault victims ... as well as places that fight racial discrimination.

3:01 PM PT -- Bieber's legal team claims the singer provided alternative dates to sit down for a depo, but Schwartz's attorneys rushed to file warrant docs before trying to work something out. They also claim Bieber hasn't been personally served the lawsuit.

Justin Bieber skipped a scheduled grilling from lawyers, and decided to make out with Hailey Baldwin instead ... according to his ex-neighbor who now wants Justin arrested.

The Biebs was ordered by a judge to attend a deposition, which was scheduled for June 22, in his infamous and STILL ongoing egging case with former Calabasas neighbor, Jeffrey Schwartz.

Problem is, JB didn't show up. According to new legal docs, Schwartz believes it was because he was in NYC packing on the PDA with Hailey. So now, Schwartz wants the judge to issue a bench warrant for Bieber and fine him $1,000 bucks a day for each day he refuses to sit for the depo.

Schwartz also accuses Bieber of engaging in "obfuscation and delay tactics" and points out he's already skipped out on 5 scheduled depos in the past 2 years. The judge has yet to rule on the warrant.

We broke the story ... Schwartz -- who's being repped by John Carpenter and Brian Kim -- wants big bucks from Bieber from all the emotional distress he and his wife suffered from the 2014 egging and the aftermath.