CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

Amber Heard wants a do-over in court, demanding a judge toss the verdict against her in the Johnny Depp defamation trial ... because of shoddy evidence and an alleged fake juror.

The actress's lawyers filed new docs this week in VA, asking the judge to either set aside the verdict in favor of JD entirely, dismiss the complaint or order a new trial. Take your pick!

The reasons they lay out are many, but essentially fall into 3 categories -- one, she argues there wasn't sufficient evidence presented on Johnny's side to convince a jury that her words had hurt his career/cost him roles ... and yet, they somehow decided she had anyway.

Amber's attorneys argue that Johnny's career was already on the ropes -- including within the 'Pirates' franchise -- before her op-ed in Dec. 2018, and yet ... she was found liable for that. Furthermore, AH's team claims JD and co. failed to prove she acted with actual malice in the sense that there was little to no evidence offered up showing she ever believed she hadn't been abused by him and didn't believe every word uttered or written in the op-ed.

They're also harping on the fact that Amber never named Johnny in the piece, and more importantly ... insist that the defamatory lines in question were, in fact, true on their face.

There's also this ... Amber and her team claim that one of the jurors who decided her fate may not have actually been the person summoned to court, and that the court apparently missed it by not properly vetting them. It's Juror #15, whose birth year on paper is 1945.

Amber's team says they've done a quick search on this would-be imposter -- whom they say is clearly younger than that -- and it appears this person might've been born in 1970. As a result, they want the court to investigate the matter further. If it's found they did erroneously end up on the jury ... just another reason to scrap this whole thing and start from scratch.

Mind you ... this is NOT Amber's appeal of the case -- which she's vowed to carry out, even though it would cost her a fortune she apparently doesn't have. Because of that fact, this seems to be a roundabout way to achieve the same thing, sans throwing down any dough.

Kitti Jones -- one of R. Kelly's exes who accused him of physical abuse and sexual coercion -- says there's only 2 ways he can fix himself ... taking accountability and serious therapy.

Kitti says R. Kelly needs to accept the harm he's inflicted on his victims and turn his life over to God ... plus making the most of the mental health treatment he's been ordered to undergo upon his prison release.

As we reported ... Kelly was recently sentenced to 30 years in federal prison following his conviction for 9 federal charges, including sex crimes and human trafficking.

Kitti, who appeared in both 'Surviving R. Kelly' docs and gave a victim impact statement in front of Kelly at his sentencing, says she's happy Kelly is off the streets so he can't hurt more women.

Justin Timberlake's deal to make a documentary about his blockbuster album "The 20/20 Experience" isn't sitting well with the project's director, who's now suing JT for years of hard work ... according to a new lawsuit.

The singer is being sued by John Urbano, who claims JT recruited him back in 2012 to shoot and edit a documentary film about the making of his third studio album.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Urbano claims Justin proposed an arrangement where he would share profits from the film with Urbano instead of paying him his normal fee -- but Justin shelved the doc, which is why the director feels he got the shaft.

Urbano claims he filmed Justin for a total of 60 days all across the world and spent about 2,500 hours editing the footage into a documentary titled, "The Making of The 20/20 Experience."

The director says if he had been paid on the front end for the project, his filming and editing fees would have reached $2,450,000 ... but he says the only money he's seen out of Justin is a modest $20,000 upfront fee, plus reimbursements for expenses incurred while filming. According to his math, Urbano's been paid just $7 per hour for the project.

Urbano claims Justin was moved by the documentary at first, but after his album became his most successful solo project he lost interest in the doc, which has never been released.

The problem for Urbano ... he says Justin promised to share profits with him, but if the doc sits on a shelf, the promise of a big payday goes out the window.

Urbano claims Justin used his network of agents, managers, and handlers to stop the director from getting paid ... and he wants compensation for an allegedly breached agreement.

The director wants Justin to cough up lots more money, and he also wants a judge to declare he owns all the rights to the documentary.

R. Kelly will be in his 80s when/if he gets out of prison, but there are still concerns the old man will remain a threat -- especially to minors -- so, he'll have to live under a slew of strict conditions and counseling.

When Judge Ann M. Donnelly handed down Kelly's 30-year sentence for federal sex crimes, she also ordered mental health treatment for the singer upon his release. According to docs, his treatment will include therapy for an unspecified sexual disorder, and he must avoid all contact with anyone under 18.

That seems like a no-brainer, considering how the disgraced R&B hitmaker ended up in prison -- but there are even more criteria.

As we reported ... prosecutors said Kelly is especially menacing to society, because he'd continued his criminal behavior for years after standing trial in Chicago for sex crimes. Seems that struck a chord with the judge, who ordered Kelly must inform anyone choosing to live with him that he is a sex offender.

The only way he'll be allowed to be around someone under 18 is if it's a family member, or it's in a therapeutic setting with a "responsible adult" present -- ditto for associating with convicted sex offenders. And, all of the above scenarios would first have to be approved by his probation officer.

He's gonna get to know that P.O. very well -- Kelly will remain under supervised release for 5 years once he gets out ... and, that's just for this sentence.

DDG's celebrating a big legal victory -- he's no longer facing charges for illegal gun possession -- and it's perfect timing, as the platinum-selling rapper has a big summer tour.

We spoke to DDG's manager, Dimitri Hurt ... who tells TMZ Hip Hop the new California gun laws allowing for more concealed weapons also played into the District Attorney's decision to reject the case and not pursue charges.

An excited DDG took to Instagram to celebrate the news, thanking Dimitri and jokingly calling vlogger Charleston White his "lawyer" in Akademiks comment section ... but it's actually Dimitri.

TMZ Hip Hop broke open the story ... LAPD pulled over DDG on June 7 for allegedly speeding and swerving in his Lambo, and he admitted having a loaded firearm in the whip.

Dimitri says DDG did make the honest mistake of speeding to a video shoot with the firearm, but with the charges dropped, he's now clear to travel for work.

This week, it's onward to Europe for the U.K.'s 2022 Wireless Fest, a Rolling Loud Portugal ... followed by shows in Amsterdam, Germany, Denmark and Poland as they make their way back to the U.S.

Britney Spears is not going to sit willingly for a deposition ... that was made clear by her lawyer, who filed legal docs saying Jamie Spears is "shameless"  by, among other things, asking a judge for a depo date "shortly after his daughter's wedding and just before Father's Day."

Attorney Mathew Rosengart claims in searing legal docs ... "Mr. Spears refuses to simply go away, as he should and as any decent man or father would do." Rosengart goes on to say Jamie is piling up legal fees to rehabilitate his reputation.

Rosengart says there's no legitimate purpose to force Britney into a deposition and calls it "morally abominable" and "revenge."

Britney and Rosengart have accused Jamie of gross conflicts of interest -- among other things, alleging he approved unjustified fees requested by business manager Lou Taylor and used Britney's money to pay for unwarranted personal expenses.

On the other hand, among the abuses, Britney has alleged ... that Jamie illegally forced her into rehab and refused to allow her to remarry. These are alleged abuses that might convince a judge that he has a right to confront Britney over these claims. The counter to that is that Rosengart is simply asking for an accounting to determine if Jamie squandered Britney's money, and that can be determined without Britney's direct participation.

A man who has already been arrested for stalking Ariana Grande has been arrested again ... this time after breaking into her Montecito home on her 29th birthday.

Aharon Brown has a history of dogging Ariana. He was arrested last September at her L.A. home after showing up with a large hunting knife, allegedly screaming at her security, "I'll f***ing kill you and her!" He was arrested for making criminal threats and a judge issued a restraining order prohibiting him from coming near Ariana.

That did not stop him. He violated the restraining order recently by trying to find Ariana and apparently got close. He was supposed to turn himself in Tuesday for violating the restraining order, but Sunday he traveled to Montecito and broke into her house.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... on Sunday, Brown somehow got into Ariana's Montecito home. She was NOT home at the time, but the security alarm went off and cops showed up and arrested Brown.

Johnny Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez is plotting her next move after winning his case against Amber Heard ... and she's in high demand in both the legal world and Hollywood.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Camille's considering a wide range of career options in the wake of the Depp-Heard trial, and her rise to fame, including media, law and even authoring a book.

Camille's a "big get" for lots of Hollywood bigwigs ... we're told she's speaking with agents and network execs about a bunch of projects ... like broadcasting roles, speaking engagements, branding opportunities and even starting her own production company.

We're told Camille's taking it slow, and is trying to decide if Hollywood, law or both are the right fit.

As for law ... we're told she's being courted by some major law firms. It makes sense ... law firms are all about snagging clients, and Camille is now in high demand by litigants around the country. We're told at least 4 big law firms are making a full-court press, and last Wednesday in NYC she met with a managing partner at one of them.

She's getting hit up by scores of folks who need a lawyer, and we're told there's one high-profile potential client who's close to going to trial, and she's interested in the case.

As we reported, Camille was hailed as "Wonder Woman" on her way to NYC ... jumping to aid a passenger who was suffering a medical emergency on her flight.

She's also pondering the idea of writing a book ... in her spare time, right?

As Camille mulls over her next move, we're told she's visiting her boyfriend, Ed, at his place in London, where they plan to celebrate her upcoming birthday.

Camille told us she was going to see Johnny again ... and our sources say they're trying to put something on the calendar while they're both in Europe.

Sounds like Camille's got quite the summer ahead.

Amber Heard is now officially on the hook for $8.35 million, and she could be on the hook for even more if she appeals the defamation verdict.

As you know, a jury awarded Johnny Depp the $8.35M after an explosive trial. The judge Friday officially entered the judgment into the court record, and there's a string attached if Amber decides to go forward with an appeal.

The judge said if Amber appeals she must post a bond in the full amount of Johnny's judgment PLUS 6% -- that's an additional $621k. Presumably, the 6% is an interest penalty for a delay in collection.

As for Amber, her rep released a statement invoking, of all things, the January 6th House hearings, stating ... she will indeed appeal, saying, "As stated in yesterday's congressional hearings, you don't ask for a pardon if you are innocent.  And, you don't decline to appeal if you know you are right."

Amber Heard is speaking out and showing her face for the first time since losing big in the Johnny Depp case -- saying she holds no ill-will toward the jury, but social media is another story.

The actress sat down for an interview with 'Today,' which is going to be aired in pieces throughout the week ... but right out the gate, NBC is teasing a couple juicy soundbites from her chat with Savannah Guthrie in which AH gets into her feelings about the trial.

For starters, she discusses the social media coverage -- which was overwhelmingly in favor of her ex, Johnny Depp, and which she was clearly aware of during the 6-week proceedings.

She says even if you don't believe her/think she lied, you can't deny the posts in the digital world have been lopsided, suggesting there hasn't been a "fair representation" of both sides online.

Interestingly, Amber's attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, also tried to deflect blame toward the viral aspect of the saga, rather than take ownership of the loss.

As for the 7 men and women who said they didn't buy her account, Amber says there's no hard feelings, but she thinks it was Depp's personality and super-stardom that won them over.

Watch the clip, she seems to think JD charmed their pants off, and she also believes the fact Depp's side was able to present witnesses first also helped.

Young Thug still found a way to be at Hot 97's Summer Jam even though he's locked up on RICO charges -- thanking fans for their support during an uncertain time.

We caught Young Thug's somber, yet uplifting message from inside MetLife Stadium where he urged fans and onlookers to help fuel the Protect Black Art initiative, a law that could prevent prosecutors from using rappers' lyrics in court against them.

“I just want to say thank you to all of my friends and my family for coming out and supporting us,” Thug began. “You know, your support during this time means a lot to us, ya know.”

"You know, this isn’t just about me or YSL, I always use my music as a form of artistic expression, and now I see that Black artists and rappers don’t have that, you know, freedom,” he continued. “Everybody please sign the ‘Protect Black Art’ petition and keep praying for us. I love you all.”

Team YSL has been getting plenty of support from fellow high-profile rappers like Drake and Lil Baby, with Meek Mill being the latest as he took time outta his Summer Jam set to double down PBA support.

Johnny Depp clearly understands the power of TikTok, but his attorneys reject the notion it had any impact on the verdict ... instead, they say it's Amber Heard's testimony that hurt her with the jury.

Camille Vasquez -- fresh off her promotion to partner in her law firm -- and Ben Chew told ABC's George Stephanopoulos their strategy was to use Amber's own words against her ... carefully crafting their questions based on her previous testimony. Vasquez believes that showed the jury all it needed to know about Amber.

As for Team Amber's claim the jury was influenced by the overwhelming support for Johnny on social media -- including TikTok, which Depp joined Tuesday -- Chew says it "played no role whatsoever," and the jury reached the verdict purely based on the evidence presented by both sides.

Remember, the jury was not sequestered, and the criticism is it would've been impossible for them to avoid the flood of posts supporting Johnny and attacking Amber.

Vasquez also shot down the idea the #MeToo movement was setback by the verdict in Johnny's favor -- saying, "We encourage any victim to come forward. Domestic violence doesn't have a gender." She added, "The facts are what they were. The jury made a unanimous decision based on those facts."

Chew and Vasquez carefully skirted a question about the possibility of Johnny striking a deal ... where he would let Amber off the hook for the $8.35 million judgment, and she would not file an appeal ... as she's claimed she intends to do.

Amber Heard’s sister has no regrets about the outcome of the Johnny Depp trial -- putting on a united front even in defeat.

Whitney Henriquez shared her support for her “sissy” on IG, this a few days after a jury ruled in favor of her ex-brother-in-law. She didn’t mince words … saying she’d do it all over again. The photo attached was just a hashtag -- #istandwithamberheard.

WH says, “I still stand with you, sissy. Yesterday, today and tomorrow I will always be proud of you for standing up for yourself, for testifying both here in Virginia and in the UK, and for being the voice of so many who can’t speak to the things that happen behind closed doors."

She adds, “We knew that this was going to be an uphill battle and that the cards were stacked against us. But you stood up and spoke out regardless."

Whitney says she knows what she saw, and would get on the stand for Amber a “million times over.” She also says she still stands with AH — as do others, despite the outcome.

You'll recall, Whitney was one of a handful of witnesses for Team Amber in the 6-week trial down in Virginia — and she was key, because she was the only person who could say they’d seen a physical fight with their own two eyes. Whitney claimed Johnny struck her first, and then went on to pummel Amber at the top of a staircase … aka, the “Kate Moss moment."

The opportunity to testify once more on Amber’s behalf might come sooner than later … assuming her sibling actually follows up with appealing the verdict like she’s said she will.

Lisa Bloom says her clients are already feeling the impact of the Depp-Heard trial by being silenced -- but she's being labeled a hypocrite ... because of Harvey Weinstein.

The famed women's rights attorney -- who has made a career following in the footsteps of her mother, Gloria Allred, by repping women with claims against high-profile men -- shared some insight into how the verdict against Amber is taking a toll on other alleged victims.

She writes, "I had to advise two women today that if they speak out about their sexual assaults, they can be sued. Even if they don't name their abuser. Even if they don't identify him by job or relationship. One wept at being silenced. The fallout from (Depp vs. Heard)."

Lisa also addressed a caveat proposed by some who say truthful accusers are A-OK ... "Some of you said they need not worry if they are telling the truth. If only. Defamation case = years of anguish in pretrial proceedings + 2-5 years to get to trial + a half mil to a million $ in attorneys fees (not to me). Few have the emotional strength and wealth for that."

It's a fair point ... women, in general, might second guess going public with allegations now, especially knowing they could be sued and lose. But, the flip side of that argument is ... Amber was literally one woman making claims against Johnny, while no other woman did.

Comparing JD to the likes of Weinstein or other notorious #MeToo men with a sea of accusers isn't fair -- you could say this was a unique one-off that won't have a chilling effect ... especially if you believe Amber lied, which a vast majority of folks (including the jury) do.

Speaking of Weinstein, Lisa's history with the guy is resurfacing in the wake of these comments of hers. Many are pointing out what they see as her being sanctimonious ... seeing how she was advising HW at the beginning of his own scandal in 2017.

As we reported, Lisa was doing extensive investigative work for Weinstein in the summer of 2017 ... looking into Rose McGowan and other accusers who were going public.

While that was true at the time, so too is the fact that Lisa has repped scores of women over the years, specifically alleged victims. So whether it's her or someone else, the argument has been and will continue to be made ... this verdict was mega.

GoFundMe is wasting no time in cracking down on pages trying to make money following the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial ... removing a phony $1 million campaign claiming to be raising money for Amber to pay Johnny's damages.

Shortly after the verdict, a fundraiser, created by someone named Kimberly Moore, was set up to help Heard. Moore claimed to have made contact with Heard's legal team and vowed Amber would have direct access to any money raised.

The page's description read, "I believe Amber, and social media protected the abuser. The judgment exceeds her net worth. It's so sad that he was able to get away with the abuse. The judgment furthers that abuse. If you can please help her."

However, a spokesperson for GoFundMe says they were able to flag the profile quickly -- before a substantial amount of money was raised. It was determined neither Amber nor anyone on her team had created the page ... and it was shut down.

We're told, the platform will continue to look for fake pages and act accordingly.

Of course, Heard's been ordered to pay Depp $8.35 million ... though her team had said it will appeal.

Johnny Depp could have been Paul McCartney in Scotland Friday night ... the crowd went wild when he took the stage as fans screamed, "INNOCENT, INNOCENT!!!"

Johnny was back in action with Jeff Beck, this time at the Glasgow Concert Hall. The venue was packed to the gills, as 3,000 fans showed deafening approval as Johnny sang cover songs like "What's Going On?" and "Isolation."

You don't hear the crowd scream "innocent" in the video, but yeah, it happened.

Johnny was clearly in a great mood, but didn't laugh or joke ... especially about you know what.

Johnny sang and played guitar for around half an hour, and the crowd loved it. He came back for an encore ... The Beatle's "A Day in the Life," which, by the way, begins, "I read the news today ...."

Yeah, the news has been good for Johnny this week, with his resounding courtroom victory over Amber Heard.