Court

D4vd remained under contract with Interscope Records for eight months after he allegedly murdered Celeste Rivas ... with the label cutting ties just four months before his arrest.

Louis Poimiroo -- Interscope's senior vice president of finance -- testified Wednesday during Day 2 of D4vd's preliminary hearing ... confirming the singer's contract through Mogul Vision was terminated in December 2025, and no payments were made to him in 2026.

The timeline is striking ... prosecutors allege D4vd stabbed 14-year-old Celeste to death inside his Hollywood Hills home on April 23, 2025. Just three days later, he released his debut studio album, "WITHERED."

Poimiroo testified Interscope paid D4vd and entities connected to him more than $5.1 million between 2022 and 2025 -- including roughly $2.3 million in 2025 alone. The payments covered recording funds, legal and management fees, and other expenses tied to his music career.

Cher struck out in her attempt to have Sonny Bono's widow, Mary Bono, pay more than $1 million in legal fees Cher racked up in their court battle over music royalties.

Here's the deal ... Cher filed a complaint against Mary years back seeking $1 million in damages in royalties from the songs she and Sonny recorded together, including "I Got You Babe" and "The Beat Goes On."

She said she was entitled to 50% as a part of their 1978 divorce agreement, but Mary allegedly attempted to use certain copyright laws to terminate Cher's rights. A California judge sided with the Grammy winner in May 2024 and said she was owed more than $418,000 in unpaid royalties.

Cher then went after Mary to pay the hefty attorney fees she incurred in the lawsuit ... but on Friday, a judge denied Cher's motion, reasoning that the copyright law she invoked to collect the attorney's fees did not apply to this issue because the dispute was mainly over the old divorce agreement, not copyright law.

Celeste Rivas' body had liquefied and looked like "mush" in the graphic photos shown during D4vd's preliminary hearing Tuesday ... according to the 14-year-old's family's attorney.

We caught up with Patrick Steinfeld outside court after the hearing, and he tells TMZ the alleged evidence presented against the singer is "damning" based on what he saw inside the courtroom.

Steinfeld says the exhibits were so "extremely painful" for the family to sit through that Celeste's mother, Mercedes Martinez, sobbed throughout the hearing and "never recovered."

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's daughter Vivienne is the latest of the former couple's children to ask a court to drop "Pitt" from her last name.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the 18-year-old filed a petition seeking to legally change her name from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie. The reason for the request is listed simply as "personal."

PEOPLE was first to report the news.

Vivienne has already been using the surname Jolie professionally, receiving a "Vivienne Jolie" credit in the Playbill for the Broadway production of "The Outsiders," which she helped produce alongside her mother.

D4vd still had Celeste Rivas' name tattooed on his left ring finger when he was booked into jail ... a chilling detail revealed as Day 1 of his preliminary hearing came to a close.

An investigator testified Tuesday that officers spotted "Celeste" on the singer's finger during booking ... along with "Shhh" on his right index finger and a religious reference on his right palm ... as prosecutors displayed photos showing the faded tattoos in court.

D4vd appeared relaxed as the images were shown, stroking his chin and studying the evidence with his thumb and index finger resting on his face.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman faced the media on the first day of D4vd's preliminary hearing ... revealing prosecutors plan to call more than 10 witnesses -- and they still haven't decided whether to seek the death penalty.

The prelim began Tuesday morning in a downtown L.A. courtroom ... with prosecutors presenting evidence in an effort to convince a judge there's enough to warrant a murder trial in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas -- Hochman says he expects the prelim to last 5-7 days.

D4vd -- real name David Anthony Burke -- appeared alongside his attorneys as prosecutors began laying out evidence they claim ties him to Celeste's brutal death and mutilation.

Joseph Duggar's attorneys wants to question his in-laws as they fight criminal charges related to allegations he molested a 9-year-old girl ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kendra Duggar's parents, Paul and Christina Caldwell, are scheduled to be questioned under oath on September 14 at the State Attorney's Office in Panama City, Florida.

Investigator Darrell "Chase" Norris is also set to be deposed, while a man named Thomas Lowe will be questioned later that afternoon. The notice says the testimony is being gathered for discovery and possibly to use at trial.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, a Georgia judge ordered the Minnesota Timberwolves star to pay $3,222 a month in child support. 

In 2023, Anthony signed a 5-year deal with the Timberwolves worth over $200 Million. Ayesha’s monthly income was listed as zero. 

Mackenzie Shirilla is trying to breathe new life into her latest appeal ... but Ohio prosecutors say she's merely recycling arguments the court already rejected.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office urges the Supreme Court of Ohio to deny Shirilla's motion for reconsideration ... arguing she has not raised a single new issue warranting another look at her case.

Prosecutors acknowledge reconsideration can be used to correct a decision later deemed erroneous ... but say it is not available when someone simply reargues their case.

Celeste Rivas' parents made the trek into court on Tuesday ... looking serious as they arrived for the preliminary hearing in D4vd's murder case.

Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez were spotted walking down the street in downtown Los Angeles ... holding hands on their way into the courthouse ... and looking solemn.

Celeste's parents have attended some of the prior court proceedings ... so it's not a total surprise to see them in court today ... but today's prelim won't be any easier for them to stomach.

D4vd's preliminary hearing begins today, and over the course of this week the prosecution will be presenting an avalanche of evidence in court as they try to convince a judge there's enough to warrant a murder trial ... and it's expected to get graphic.

The proceedings are finally getting underway after a few delays ... back in April, D4vd was arrested charged with first degree murder in the stabbing death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

D4vd -- real name is David Burke -- is also charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and unlawful mutilation of human remains.

It will be interesting to see what evidence the prosecution has -- they say they have DNA evidence, surveillance footage, text messages and phone records -- but they've already laid out some of it in court documents ... claiming D4vd and Celeste began a sexual relationship when she was 13.

Diddy says one of the lawsuits against him is so baseless that he's now asking a judge to make the woman who sued him ... and her lawyers ... to pay up.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Diddy is asking a federal judge to sanction Grace O'Marcaigh and her attorneys, claiming they filed what he calls a frivolous amended complaint against him even after a judge ruled California courts don't have personal jurisdiction over him.

In the filing, Diddy's lawyers argue O'Marcaigh's amended complaint simply repackaged the same jurisdictional arguments the court had already rejected instead of fixing the problems identified by the judge.

D4vd's asking if he can ditch his handcuffs for his preliminary hearing in Celeste Rivas' murder case.

According to NBC 4 Los Angeles, the singer filed a motion requesting his cuffs and other restraints be removed for the prelim, which is set to start tomorrow.

D4vd's attorney, Blair Berk, said in the motion that he's never tried to escape or been disruptive, arguing that his 5 court appearances have all been uneventful.

Blac Chyna claims her ex-boyfriend, Twin Hector, has been calling her nonstop ... she says he sounds possessive and refuses to accept their relationship is over despite their ongoing legal battle ... and now she says she's "extremely frightened."

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Blac Chyna details the alleged calls ... claiming Twin Hector called her repeatedly on April 28, 2026, throughout the afternoon and evening.

Chyna said she answered one of the calls and he spoke for 10 minutes while she remained silent. She claims he eventually told her, "So you can run as long as you want, but you're never gonna be able to hide from me."

Tulsi Gabbard's brother Bhakti's family was pushing for him to get help due to an alleged mental health episode before he was arrested for allegedly trying to lure children into a hotel room ... at least according to his wife.

Bhakti's wife, Kimberley, filed for a temporary restraining order on July 17 ... the same day he was charged for an alleged July 12 incident at a Waikīkī hotel pool. In her petition, obtained by TMZ, she said her husband of nearly a decade has been exhibiting bizarre behavior.

Kimberly claimed Tulsi's brother recently renamed himself "Batarti" and "Jim Morrison Jr." ... and she says he had a "psychotic break."

She claims to have "photos and video to prove this erratic, impulsive, and bizarre behavior that has made me concerned and feel/fear for my safety."

Liam Payne's close friend, Roger Nores, is officially in the clear in the investigation into the One Direction star's death ... but prosecutors aren't done with the case just yet.

Court records obtained by the NY Post show Argentine businessman Nores has now been fully cleared of all criminal charges tied to Payne's fatal October 2024 fall from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Prosecutors did not appeal the ruling, making the dismissal final.

As TMZ previously reported, Nores had been accused of abandoning Payne despite allegedly knowing the singer was struggling with addiction. Nores maintained he was simply Liam's friend -- not his caretaker -- and insisted he'd done everything he could to help him.