CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

Lil Xan's gas station blow-up -- after a guy apparently called him out for disrespecting Tupac -- might cost him ... 'cause the rapper's being sued for pulling a gun.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ -- Anthony Sanchez is going after Lil Xan for their June 7, 2019 altercation at an L.A. 7-Eleven ... the tail end of which Sanchez recorded video.

Sanchez claims he asked the rapper about a controversial comment he'd made, calling Tupac's music "boring" -- and says Xan pulled a gun out and pointed it at him.

In the lawsuit, Sanchez says he backed away and began recording the incident, and says the rapper continued to wave the gun around ... taking his finger on and off the trigger. Sanchez says he feared for his life.

The video shows Sanchez called Lil Xan a "bitch" a few times before Xan brandished what at least looks very much like a gun. According to the suit, Xan also threw his cup out of the window as he drove away and hit Sanchez ... which seems pretty trivial after the whole gun stuff.

Sanchez claims he suffered severe emotional distress, and he's suing for assault and battery as well.

"Cheer" star Jerry Harris should remain behind bars until his trial because he's "a clear and present danger to the community and most notably defenseless children" ... so claim the feds.

Harris has a bond hearing scheduled for Wednesday, and federal prosecutors filed legal docs asking the judge to deny his release on bond as he awaits his trial for child pornography.

According to the new docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds claim Harris exploited and violated at least 5 to 10 minors for more than 2 years ... requesting they send him sexually explicit images of themselves.

Prosecutors also allege his criminal conduct includes sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy ... and repeatedly targeting young boys by reaching out to them via his phone and persuading them to engage in sexually explicit activity.

In the docs, the feds claim Harris fessed up to sexually assaulting at least one minor boy in an unlocked public bathroom during a cheer event.

To make their point about him remaining a danger to the public ... prosecutors claim even when Harris was tipped off to a possible investigation into his crimes, he was not able to control his impulses and continued to victimize multiple other minors.

Somebody sent notorious prisoner Erik Menendez some herb from the outside -- and now, officials are trying to figure out if he was in on it ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Menendez was moved into isolation Monday at the R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego -- where he's currently incarcerated -- after some mail arrived for him ... a package containing a bunch of weed. The area where he's being housed is called the Administrative Segregation Unit.

We're told the package of marijuana was intercepted by prison personnel. Prison officials have launched an investigation ... and we're told one of the things they want to know is whether Erik planned on either distributing the weed or using it as currency, or whether it was just for his personal use.

Our sources say Menendez was siloed away in a separate wing, away from other inmates. Prior to the incident, he could interact with fellow prisoners in the yard, but for now, pending the investigation, he's all by his lonesome.

If prison officials conclude Erik had someone from the outside send him the weed, the matter would be referred to the D.A. for prosecution.

Dr. Dre's estranged wife, Nicole Young, is being investigated by the LAPD for alleged embezzlement ... sources close to the case tell TMZ.

We're told Dre's business partner, Larry Chatman, recently went to the police and filed a report, claiming Nicole withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from their business account without authorization ... something Larry had previously alleged in legal letters fired off to Nicole's side in the past few weeks.

In the report to LAPD, Dre's team claims Nicole embezzled $385,029. We're told LAPD detectives are aware Larry believes Nicole is the culprit, and they're looking into it now. For the record, Dre did not file the report.

As we previously reported ... Dre's called out Nicole for 2 withdrawals -- which total the $385k -- in their divorce case. Nicole has said she had a right to the money in that corporate account because her name is on it.

If charges are brought forth from this, it's possible Nicole could do time.

Nicole's legal team has previously told us Chatman's claims against her are nothing but a smear attempt and a PR stunt as she navigates her pending divorce from Dre. Her attorneys maintain she's done nothing wrong thus far.

We've reached out to Nicole's lawyer again about the police investigation ... so far, no word back.

Nathan Apodaca -- AKA the Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" skateboarder -- is putting on his legal face ... he wants a streetwear company to stop using his Doggface to sell merch.

Here's the deal ... Culture Kings is hawking a "Dreams Vintage T-Shirt" with the viral star's face on it for $36.95 ... but Nathan isn't feeling the good vibes with this merch, and says he's owed a piece of the pie.

Nathan's lawyer -- yep, he's got one now -- Jeffrey R. Klein of Fisher & Wolfe LLP, fired off a takedown notice, obtained by TMZ. It says Nathan owns the rights to the photograph on the shirt and claims Culture Kings had no right to make money off of it.

He's threatening a lawsuit if Culture Kings doesn't pull the shirt.

As you know ... Nathan's got a merch line of his own, and his personally designed line of Doggface clothing is selling like crazy after launching with UpMerch.com.

Ronni Hawk -- one of the stars of the Disney sitcom, "Stuck in the Middle" -- just got charged for bringing a knife to a nasty fight with her boyfriend.

TMZ has learned the L.A. City Attorney slapped Hawk with 3 misdemeanor counts for the July incident. She's now facing charges of domestic battery, assault with a deadly weapon and brandishing a knife.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Ronni and her BF, Miles Fallon, got into an argument, and things escalated when he bolted from the house. We're told Ronni grabbed a knife and chased after Miles while he was in the parking lot.

Cops were called to the scene and arrested Ronni.

TMZ broke the story when the 20-year-old was taken to jail. Our sources said officers who responded noticed Miles had visible injuries, including scratches.

Phil Collins is booting his ex-wife out of her crib ... because he says he owns it, and he's tired of her B.S.

Sources close to the famous drummer and singer-songwriter tell TMZ ... his long, rocky relationship with Orianne Cevey is officially over ... after all, she remarried in August, and he wants her out of his Florida house STAT.

We're told Phil's asked her to vacate and she's refused, and instead is threatening to release false and embarrassing accusations about him unless he renegotiates their 2008 divorce settlement.

For the record -- Collins paid Cevey a reported $46.76 million ... and our sources say he's not giving her another dime. He believes she squandered the fortune through a series of bad investments, along with an expensive divorce from the man she married after Phil.

Our sources say Phil gave his ex until 3 PM Friday to vacate, but she didn't, and he says she's now changed the security codes and has been unruly with the staff.

We're told Phil plans to file an eviction lawsuit as soon as courts open up next week.

In case you haven't gotten the picture, the 2 have a pretty wild history. They got married in the late '90s, had 2 sons together -- Nicholas and Mathew -- but filed for divorce in '06, shortly after the youngest son was born.

After the record settlement, Cevey got remarried to Charles Mejjati, but then divorced him to go back to Collins in 2016.

Things seemed to be pretty peachy up until a couple months ago, when we're told Orianne got married again to a man named Thomas Bates ... telling Phil she was just traveling to Las Vegas for business.

Our sources say Collins continues to fully support his sons -- all of their expenses are paid for through a fully-funded, irrevocable trust -- but he believes he's no longer financially on the hook to his ex-wife.

Tory Lanez is defending himself publicly following his felony assault charge in the Megan Thee Stallion shooting ... arguing he deserves his day in court.

The rapper broke his silence Friday morning after the L.A. County D.A.'s Office charged him Thursday with one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle.

Tory's responding by reminding fans the "charge is not a conviction." He also posted emojis to say "time will tell" ... and the "truth will come to the light."

As we reported ... The D.A. also alleged Tory inflicted great bodily injury, and if he's convicted, the rapper/singer faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison.

The charges came on the heels of Tory releasing an album on which he claims his innocence in multiple songs.

Prosecutors had been mulling over a charge of felony assault with a firearm against Tory after Megan said she was shot back in July.

Previously, he'd only been arrested for possession of the firearm cops found in the SUV the night of the shooting.

With the new charges ... prosecutors are straight-up pointing the finger at Tory as the man who pulled the trigger ... leaving Meg with a gruesome foot injury.

Ex-NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf has been charged with 2 misdemeanors stemming from an alleged domestic violence incident back in May, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story ... the QB was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery in Palm Springs, CA on May 22.

Details about the specific allegations are still unclear -- but what is clear, prosecutors believe Leaf committed a crime that day.

According to court records, prosecutors are moving forward with 2 charges against Leaf -- 1 count of misdemeanor battery and 1 count of violating the personal liberty of the accuser ... aka false imprisonment (also a misdemeanor).

Both charges carry a maximum 1-year jail sentence.

44-year-old Leaf was listed on his booking sheet as 6'6", 250 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Of course, Leaf was the #2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft -- but his career flamed out fast and his life fell apart soon after.

Leaf has been arrested multiple times for things like drug possession and burglary ... but he had sobered up and became a program ambassador for an organization that runs sober houses in multiple cities including L.A. and N.Y.

Before the arrest, Leaf had been covering college football for ESPN.

'Tiger King' star Doc Antle is facing a slew of felony and misdemeanor charges now for his treatment and transport of lion cubs.

Antle, the owner and founder of Myrtle Beach Safari, was indicted Friday in Virginia for felony wildlife trafficking after a months-long investigation found evidence he trafficked lion cubs between South Carolina and Virginia ... according to Virginia's Attorney General.

You'll recall ... Netflix's "Tiger King" documentary mentioned Antle's safari park was raided last December, and now it seems that raid was part of this investigation.

Antle is also charged with 1 felony count of conspiracy to sell or transport endangered wildlife, 4 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and 9 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

In addition, 2 of Antle's daughters, Tawny Antle and Tilakam Watterson, were charged with misdemeanors for animal cruelty and violating the Endangered Species Act.

The same investigation led to felony charges against Keith A. Wilson, owner of Wilson's Wild Animal Park. Authorities say they seized 119 animals, including lions, tigers, bears, camels, goats, water buffalo, and more from Wilson's roadside zoo and claim he got some of the animals from Antle.

Tory Lanez has been charged in connection with the shooting involving Megan Thee Stallion ... just weeks after the singer released an album claiming his innocence.

The L.A. County D.A.'s Office hit him with one count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and one count of carrying a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle. The D.A. also alleges Tory inflicted great bodily injury.

If convicted, the rapper/singer faces up to 22 years and 8 months in prison.

As we reported ... the prosecutors had said they were mulling over a charge of felony assault with a firearm against Tory after Megan said she was shot back in July. Remember, Tory had been arrested but only charged with possession of a firearm. Prosecutors are now explicitly pointing the finger at Tory as the man who pulled the trigger ... leaving Meg with a gruesome foot injury.

It took Meg some time before she went public and accused Tory by name as the person who shot her. She didn't mince words saying ... "Yes, this n***a Tory shot me. You shot me, and you got your publicist and your people to these blogs lying and s**t, stop lying!"

As we reported, sources connected to Tory say there were mitigating circumstances -- and based on what we know ... we believe Tory's going to say it was an accidental shooting. Megan didn't help the D.A.'s effort with a social media caption -- which has since been deleted -- that said she had her back to the SUV when she was shot in the heel. That might indicate she didn't see it with her own eyes when Tory allegedly pulled the trigger.

You'll recall ... video of the incident showed cops pulling over the SUV in the Hollywood Hills -- with Tory lying face-down on the pavement and Megan gingerly tip-toeing ... leaving bloody footprints with each painful step.

Katy Perry just got a little peace of mind -- a judge granted a permanent restraining order against the man she claims has been stalking her and directing threats at her family.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... 38-year-old William Terry must stay 100 yards away from Katy, her fiance Orlando Bloom, their newborn baby girl, and Orlando's son Flynn from his previous marriage to Miranda Kerr for the next 3 years.

Terry's also prohibited from trying to contact Katy, her family or her staff on social media or posting anything about her ... and has to stay away from her concerts or live performances.

We broke the story ... Katy sought protection from Terry after he allegedly jumped the fence at her Beverly Hills property in September and was busted by cops for trespassing.

Katy claimed Terry tried to do this in August as well, after posting alarming messages on social media for months leading up to it. She feared he'd try it again if she did not get court-ordered protection.

Terry's troubling online behavior allegedly included numerous graphic and sexually explicit posts about Katy, comments about killing dogs and cops, threats to "snap Orlando Bloom's neck" and wishing Flynn and Miranda would "catch covid and die."

Netflix is being dragged into a criminal courtroom in Texas over the controversial film, "Cuties" ... a film a grand jury believes shows young kids in sexual situations.

The grand jury in Tyler County, TX just handed up the indictment ... and according to the docs, Netflix is being charged with promotion of lewd visual material depicting children. By streaming "Cuties," Netflix allegedly promoted the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child younger than 18, appealing to the prurient interest in sex.

The criminal indictment -- a rare move against a company -- also says the movie offers no serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value, and alleges the head honchos at Netflix recklessly authorized and/or tolerated its dissemination through its platform ... and, therefore, should be held accountable.

Critics have been very vocal about the controversial film -- some feel it encourages the sexual exploitation of pre-teens ... some have even used the word "pedophilia" to describe "Cuties."

The film is about a group of prepubescent girls who form a dance squad and practice moves they see in music videos. At one point, they even dress in revealing outfits and carry themselves like adults.

Ironically, the film's creators have said they intended the film to be a critique of the hypersexualization of kids ... but that message has been lost on many viewers.

There was a whole #CancelNetflix movement in the wake of the film's release. Netflix picked up the distribution rights after "Cuties" debuted at Sundance earlier this year.

If convicted, Netflix isn't going to prison. Most likely, the company would be forced to pay criminal fines, and possibly pull the movie from the platform.

Cassie Randolph's war with Colton Underwood is now in the hands of law enforcement ... TMZ's learned she filed a report claiming he put a tracking device on her car.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Cassie went to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department Wednesday night to file a complaint about the allegation she first made against the 'Bachelor' star in her request for a restraining order against him.

Cassie's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, tells TMZ ... "It was her intention to first, try and work through this process privately in a manner that gives both her and Colton safety, security and respect. We are confident this is possible."

TMZ broke the story ... Cassie alleged Colton planted a tracking device, and that her brother found it taped to the bottom of her car's back bumper. She claimed he was trying to track her whereabouts long after they had broken up.

She made other claims about him showing up uninvited to her L.A. apartment and her parents' house in Huntington Beach. The judge signed off on Cassie's restraining order, and Colton's been ordered to stay away.

James Otis -- famous for destroying Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2016 -- is back at it again, he just got busted for the same stunt ... even with an elaborate costume.

LAPD arrested Otis for felony vandalism after he allegedly took a pickaxe to Trump's star last week, completely destroying it beyond all recognition.

The cops claim James recently went on social media expressing his intention to damage Trump's star -- plus, Otis told us he was the vandal who dressed up as the Incredible Hulk.

As we reported, he was first arrested for this before the 2016 election.

LAPD says video of Friday morning's vandalism appeared to show James as the culprit, and when they contacted Otis' camp they were told he wanted to turn himself in for the crime.

Cops say James did just that Monday, turning himself in at the police station in Hollywood. Our law enforcement sources say he's still in jail, where he's being held on $20,000 bail.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce estimated the damage to Trump's star to be over $3,000 ... and crews are already working to restore it.

The Whitney Houston hologram that recently surfaced will have to be placed back under wraps ... TMZ has learned it was already banned by a judge before the leak.

As we first told you ... a Whitney hologram originally intended for "The Voice" years ago leaked last week, and was supposedly a new and improved version. Quality aside, Whitney's estate was pissed because it didn't approve the release.

Alki David, the man whose company designed the hologram, believed he was allowed to use it on Scott Storch's variety show, and he did. David thought he was in the clear because he had previously worked on a Whitney hologram way back in 2016. That one was scrapped because her estate didn't like the look.

As it turns out, the estate says David was wrong

According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- a judgment signed in July 2018 terminated the license agreement and contract Whitney's estate had signed with David back in 2015.

So, Whitney's team insists David had no legal standing to re-build or re-brand the Whitney hologram.