CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

G-Eazy and Three 6 Mafia's Juicy J shoulda known better when they ripped off the work of some Southern hip-hop legends ... so claim those artists in a new lawsuit.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Memphis-based DJ Squeeky and Gaylon Love say they own the rights to "Looking 4 Da Chewin" and claim G-Eazy's "No Limit" straight-up sampled their 1993 Southern hip-hop classic.

Squeeky and Love claim G-Eazy never got permission to sample the track and are suing for copyright infringement. They also want a slice of the profits from G-Eazy's "No Limit" track, which enjoyed mega-success when it dropped in 2017 as the lead single in G-Eazy's fourth studio album, "The Beautiful & Damned."

It's interesting ... "No Limit" features Cardi B and A$AP Rocky, and the remix also includes French Montana, Belly and Juicy J. But, Squeeky and Love are only going after G-Eazy and Juicy J.

The Memphis artists' lawyer Alcide Honore tells us, for starters, G-Eazy's getting sued because it's his track. As for Juicy J ... he hails from Memphis, so he should have known he was rapping over a popular Southern hip-hop track that first hit the scene in the early '90s. We're told other parties could be added to the lawsuit down the road, but for now, the legal team says G-Eazy and Juicy J bear responsibility.

It's been a rough week for Juicy J and counterpart DJ Paul ... both of whom were slapped with separate lawsuits earlier this week.

Nicki Minaj's husband's past is coming back to bite him in the ass -- he's been arrested by U.S. Marshals on an indictment for failing to register as a sex offender ... TMZ has learned.

Kenneth Petty was in federal custody Wednesday -- we're told he turned himself into the Marshals. According to court docs, he'll face a judge later today. Petty moved to California in July 2019, but according to law enforcement he got pulled over in Beverly Hills in November and that's when his legal troubles started.

We're told Bev Hills PD made a traffic stop on November 15 and determined Petty was a registered sex offender in New York state but had not registered in California ... as required.

He was arrested and released on a $20,000 bond. The L.A. County D.A. charged him for failing to register as a sex offender.

It appears he still didn't check in after that because now the feds are in on the case. He was indicted in federal court for the same thing ... failing to register.

As we've reported, Kenneth's rap sheet includes a 1995 conviction for first-degree attempted rape. He served almost 4 years in NY state prison for the crime and was required to register as a sex offender. If convicted on the federal charge for failure to register, Kenneth faces up to 10 years in prison.

TMZ broke the story ... Nicki and Kenneth hit up the Bev Hills Courthouse to get a marriage license in July ... around the time the couple moved to Cali.

We've reached out to Nicki's camp for comment, so far no word back.

Journey's leader, Neal Schon, is sending his bassist and drummer on their "Separate Ways" ... for allegedly trying to hijack the group name in a scheme that's landed them all in court.

Lead guitarist Neal, a founding member, and keyboard player Jonathan Cain are suing their long-time bassist Russ Valory and drummer Steve Smith, claiming they tried to take control of the band's corporation called Nightmare Productions, Inc.

According to the lawsuit, Russ and Steve allegedly thought the move would give them access to the "Journey" name, thereby allowing them to make millions for themselves after retiring. Neal and Jonathan say their rhythm section recently decided to hang it up.

Ill-conceived plan though, according to docs, obtained by TMZ. Neal and Jonathan say the band name is already licensed to another corporation called "Elmo" ... which was set up by former lead singer Steve Perry, Neal and Jonathan back in 1985.

Bottom line ... Russ and Steve are out in the cold, as far as making money off the band's name -- and now they've got this lawsuit on their hands too, for breach of fiduciary duty. Neal and Johnathan -- who co-wrote most of the band's huge hits with Perry -- also want damages of at least $10 million.

Journey's scheduled to tour this summer with The Pretenders -- so expect to see a new drummer and bass player on stage if you're going.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous mug and iconic voice are being ripped-off by a Russian robot manufacturer, and he wants more than $10 million to make it right ... or for the robot to go hasta la vista.

Arnold's company is suing Promobot, which makes autonomous service robots consumers can customize to look human. The product's called the Android Robo-C, and can be made to look like a person of your choosing.

The problem -- according to the suit -- Arnold did not give permission to Promobot to use HIS likeness to promote it, and is generally very strict about his face being used for ads because "such activity diminishes his hard-earned and well-deserved reputation as a major motion picture star." However, according to the lawsuit ... he's become the "unwilling face" of the product.

Arnold's company claims Promobot is using the Arnold-like model at public events to promote and market the Android Robo-C. Even more egregiously ... Promobot allegedly asked Arnold to pose for a photo with its robot while he was in St. Petersberg to deliver a speech in 2019 ... and he refused.

However, according to the suit, Promobot kept using the Arnold android ... including at CES in Vegas in January. At that point, Arnold's attorney -- legal pit bull Marty Singer -- fired off a cease and desist letter to the robot company demanding it stop.

Singer made it clear to Promobot ... he's won cases like this in the past, including scoring a judgment for more than $2.5 mil for Priscilla Presley, who's "far less commercially valuable" than Schwarzenegger. In fact, Arnold says he would not have accepted anything less than $10 million for using his likeness.

Promobot allegedly assured Arnold's team it would cease using the Arnold-bot ... it popped up again at the New York Toy Fair at the end of February. Hence, a lawsuit's now been filed for misappropriation of Arnold's right of publicity.

DaBaby's no longer sweating a battery case in Miami ... TMZ's learned prosecutors are dropping the charge but the rapper's not exactly out of the woods just yet.

The Miami State Attorney's Office says it dropped the battery charge against DB claiming one of the alleged victims would NOT cooperate. That alleged victim is a friend of concert promoter, Kenneth Carey. You'll recall Carey was the guy who got beat up and allegedly robbed on video. The other alleged victim is not seen in the video.

Even though the battery charge has been tossed, cops are still investigating the alleged robbery of Carey ... so DaBaby could potentially be charged.

TMZ broke the story ... Carey sued DaBaby claiming DB and his crew beat him to a pulp and in the process jacked his phone, money and credit card over a business deal gone wrong. That lawsuit -- Carey's suing for more than $6 mil -- is still active.

'Real Housewives' star Jules Wainstein has something her estranged husband wants -- a lock of hair -- because he wants to prove she's abusing drugs, claiming it made her crazy.

Michael Wainstein ran to civil court shortly after Jules was arrested last week on domestic violence charges in Florida -- asking a judge for a restraining order against his wife. He also wants to get her tested and treated for what he says is a very dangerous addiction.

Per the docs, obtained by TMZ, Michael claims Jules poses a serious risk to not only him ... but to their two minor children as well. He says one of the kids told him they saw their mom taking pills before she allegedly went on a mini-rampage during a custody exchange ... for which she was ultimately arrested, booked and charged with battery.

BTW, Michael also says in the docs ... one night while they were in NYC, Jules came home visibly high on cocaine and repeatedly punched Michael in the face when he confronted  her about it. Just another reason he's concerned now.

Mike claims he's aware of a past drug problem she's had with Rx pills, including improper use of Adderall. Because of "bizarre behavior" Michael says Jules displays in front of the children -- including allegedly using a baseball bat on his car, licking his window, punching Mike, etc. -- he believes the court needs to step in here.

Specifically, he wants hizzoner to force Jules to submit hair follicles for testing to see if she is, in fact, on something ... and if so, Mike wants her ordered into a treatment program.

This is all part of their divorce case, which was filed in New York. The restraining order and battery cases are in Florida where the kids were handed off from father to mother, and Michael ran to a Florida court for an emergency restraining order that's tied to the divorce case.

Three 6 Mafia's DJ Paul just got hit with his second lawsuit in as many days ... and this time Trippie Redd's caught up in the legal mess over a 'Hit' song.

Reginald Boyland, the man behind On The Strength Records, is suing DJ Paul over Trippie Redd's track "Death" ... which dropped last November. Confused? Let us explain.

Boyland says, in legal docs obtained by TMZ, "Death" sampled DJ Paul's famous 1997 "Hit a Mutha****a." Big mistake, according to Boyland, because he claims Paul no longer owns the rights to 'Hit.'

In the suit, Boyland says he got rights to the song in a 2015 settlement with Paul. He had sued DJP claiming 'Hit' sampled his track, "Pimps In The House."

Fast-forward to Trippie Redd's "Death" -- and Boyland's now calling out Trippie for never getting permission from him to sample 'Hit.'

Boyland says he'd already informed Paul and Trippie they owe him some "Death" dough but got no response. He's suing for copyright infringement and wants a slice of the profits from Trippie's track.

As we first reported ... a group of Memphis-based artists are also suing DJ Paul and Juicy J in a separate lawsuit for allegedly stiffing them on various songs.

District Attorney Jackie Lacey's husband was not a happy camper when protesters showed up on their doorstep -- wielding a gun and threatening to shoot if they didn't scram.

The Los Angeles County D.A.'s hubby was pissed off Monday morning, and aimed what appears to be a handgun at Black Lives Matter organizer Melina Abdullah. He angrily ordered her and whoever else was outside to get off their Granada Hills property ... or he'd fire.

Abdullah kept her cool during the confrontation, asking Lacey's husband, David, if Jackie could come to the door -- or if he could relay the BLM camp was there to see her.

He wasn't having any of that, though, telling her he didn't care who she was or what org. she was with ... once again demanding they scram before slamming the door shut. Apparently, Lacey had agreed to meet with BLM L.A. that morning ... but didn't show up.

It appears BLM went to Lacey's crib to protest in an effort to coax her out. Abdullah says she was simply there to "invite" Lacey, almost as a reminder that she'd agreed to meet with them. That said ... it's unclear what more, if anything, led up to this moment.

Law enforcement sources tell us the LAPD is aware of the video and spoke with the person the gun was aimed at (Abdullah, in this case). We're told she refused to cooperate, and for now ... the department is investigating the circumstances further. No arrests were made.

Steven Spielberg's daughter was arrested in Tennessee this weekend after an altercation with her boyfriend -- and it all started because he said something rude to her ... so say cops.

Mikaela Spielberg got busted Saturday night in Nashville, after returning home with her BF from a bar. Cops were called after an apparent argument erupted between them after the dude said something "rude" to her, which allegedly resulted in Mikaela hurling objects at him ... one of which struck him in the hand and left damage.

The responding officers saw a visible injury on the BF which looked fresh -- they say there was dry blood on his hand and that his wrist looked swollen. The police say both parties admitted to a physical dispute but determined Mikaela was the aggressor.

One of the reasons they ended up booking her on domestic assault charges is because cops say her story on what exactly happened constantly changed, while cops say the BF's story remained consistent. They make a point to say the guy didn't want Mikaela prosecuted, but the officers say their department is still moving forward.

Mikaela was booked and held on $1,000 bond, and has since been released.

Of course, the arrest comes shortly after news broke that Mikaela's forging a solo career in porn.

Ex-NFL star Deltha O'Neal is EXTREMELY lucky to be alive today ... TMZ Sports has obtained the crash pics from his DUI case -- and you can see his car was a mangled mess.

As we previously reported, O'Neal was involved in a terrifying wreck back on Aug. 7, 2019 .... after cops say he lost control of his Mercedes going around a curve on a Florida roadway.

Cops say O'Neal and his passenger, Joseph Babcock, struck a curb, slammed into a utility pole, caught on fire and ripped through trees before their ride finally came to a stop.

O'Neal and Babcock were both seriously hurt in the accident ... with officials saying Babcock broke his femur, while O'Neal fractured his back and neck.

In police photos we obtained of the car shortly after the crash ... you can see it's a miracle that's ALL that happened to the guys -- 'cause there was hardly any car left post-accident.

According to court docs, O'Neal had admitted to drinking before the wreck ... and he was later arrested and hit with two counts of DUI.

Babcock, meanwhile, sued O'Neal over the crash ... demanding cash, claiming the former Denver Broncos Pro Bowl DB was responsible for all of his injuries.

O'Neal -- who logged 34 interceptions in his 9-year NFL career -- is currently fighting both cases in court. His next appearance in his criminal case is slated for April.

Lori Loughlin and her lawyers are continuing their attack on prosecutors by lambasting them and their star witness for blabbing to the media after the judge ordered them to put a cork in it.

Lori's lawyers filed new legal docs Friday, including a letter to the judge, which notes Hizzoner laid down the law Thursday during a court hearing, ordering all parties not to try the case in the media.

Lori's lawyers point to interviews the attorney for Rick Singer gave to the L.A. Times and the Wall Street Journal, in which the lawyer says the government "never pressured his client to say anything untruthful."

There are several problems with the interviews. First, the judge said not to do them. Second, the statement flies in the face of what Singer wrote in black and white ... at the time he said he was getting pressured by the government to lie in the case.

TMZ broke the story, Singer wrote, "Loud and abrasive calls 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 to the coach and that it was a donation and they want it to be a payment."

In other words, Singer wrote the FBI agents wanted him to lie and say the money the parents paid were bribes and not donations, and when he balked they screamed at him.

Now, Singer's lawyer is giving interviews saying the government never pressured Singer to lie. Thing is ... Singer wrote his notes on the heels of his conversations with the FBI -- and a year later he says something different.

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."