Court

The 18-year-old motorist who was punched and thrown to the ground by an Arkansas State Trooper in a violent arrest is punching back ... because she's suing him.

Alisa Hackett filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Trooper Moisses Arellano, claiming he struck her face during an August 1 traffic stop because she talked back to him.

Hackett says the use of force was NOT justified ... she claims she was unarmed, posed no threat to the trooper or anyone else, had no means of escape and was suspected of no more than a minor traffic offense.

Christian Obumseli's attorney is explaining why his family approved Courtney Clenney's plea agreement ... and he says it's the first step towards holding her accountable.

Larry R. Handfield tells TMZ ... Christian's family would have liked to see Courtney receive more prison time for pleading guilty to manslaughter -- she was sentenced to 6 years -- but they recognize no amount of prison time could ever bring Christian back.

He says the guilty plea not only makes Courtney a "convicted felon" ... but also "completely undermines the narrative that has been presented over the last four years, that she acted in self-defense when she took Christian's life."

Soap star Steve Burton's ex-wife, Sheree Burton, is firing back at his claims that she is making it difficult for him to see their daughter ... denying she's alienating him from their kid.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Sheree told the judge in their custody battle that she wants to move from California to Tennessee, which is the opposite of Steve's alleged travel plans.

Sheree, who was married to Steve for 23 years, said she has always been their 12-year-old daughter Brooklyn's primary caregiver. She said Steve "traveled extensively and spent the majority of his time in New York or Tennessee when he wasn't on set in Los Angeles."

Beyoncé is being dragged to court over an alleged unauthorized sample on her hit "Alien Superstar," TMZ has learned. 

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, a company called Hirose Enterprise and a producer named Shuji Hirose are suing Beyoncé and various music companies for alleged copyright infringement.

Hirose says it owns the rights to a song titled "Moonraker," performed by a musician named John Holiday. The company says Beyoncé sampled the “spoken-word introduction” of the song "Alien Superstar," which was released on her 2022 album "Renaissance."

8/11 -- 5:25 AM PT -- Gleb Savchenko tells TMZ ... "There is a lot of context missing from what has been alleged. Olivia is safe, she is not being hidden, and I am not avoiding authorities. This is an ongoing family court matter involving longstanding custody and residency issues, and I am addressing everything through the proper legal channels with my attorneys."

He continues, "My priority throughout all of this has been and continues to be the well-being of my children. Because there are active legal proceedings and minors involved, I don’t want to litigate the details publicly, but I do want to make clear that any suggestion that I have abducted my daughter or am hiding her is not an accurate characterization of the situation."

Gleb adds, "Regarding Olivia’s phone, she is nearly 16 and is in communication with her mother. I have not prevented her from communicating with her mother."

"Dancing with the Stars" pro Gleb Savchenko's ex-wife wants authorities to find him and their teenage daughter ... saying she has no idea where they're staying in Los Angeles.

According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Elena Samodanova says she filed a request with Hong Kong's Department of Justice to have 15-year-old Olivia returned to China.

Elena says she was informed the case was then sent to a California District Attorney’s office ... and that U.S. authorities were now taking steps to locate Gleb and Olivia before deciding what happens next.

With jury selection underway in Tupac Shakur's murder trial, Reggie Wright Jr. is hopeful that the truth will finally come out.

We got Death Row Records' former head of security to sit down with us ... and he's hoping the prosecution will get some answers, especially after Duane "Keffe D" Davis has been pointing the finger at him.

Keffe D -- who's on trial for Tupac's murder -- has been tried to pin the rapper's death on Reggie, claiming he's the one who orchestrated the hit.

Social media star Ash Trevino is being ordered to avoid men and women with criminal records now that she's avoided jail time in her welfare fraud case … which is interesting, given authorities claim she had relationships with 50-75 inmates over the past couple of years

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the Texas judge who decided Ash will not have to serve jail time imposed certain restrictions on her newfound freedom ... namely, who she associates with.

Prosecutors claimed she had relationships with dozens of inmates from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice over the past several years ... and now the judge looks like they're taking steps to try and change her alleged sexual proclivities.

Chud The Builder is tasting freedom after two months in a Tennessee jail ... TMZ has confirmed he posted bond and has been released.

The streamer -- real name Dalton Eatherly -- was released Monday morning from the Montgomery County Jail ... two months after a judge set his bond at $1 million.

A rep for the Montgomery County Circuit Criminal Court tells TMZ ... Chud posted $1 million bond and he had 10 bail bonds services each cover $100,000. We're told Chud put up 10% of his bond.

Chud was behind bars after being charged with attempted murder in connection with a May 13 shooting outside a Montgomery County courthouse.

The triple-murder trial for Lindsay Clancy is entering its third week ... and a psychiatrist who treated the Massachusetts mother in the weeks leading up to her children's brutal deaths is set to testify.

Clancy is accused of strangling her three children ... 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and and 8-month-old Callan ... with elastic workout bands at her Duxbury home -- before she tried to kill herself.

Her defense team is attempting to make a case for insanity, arguing Clancy was experiencing postpartum psychosis when she allegedly brutally killed her kids.

In-N-Out is being grilled with a religious discrimination lawsuit ... a former cook says the company treated her differently and ultimately fired her after she asked for a different work schedule due to her Christian beliefs.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Arianna Rodriguez said she had been working as a cook for the burger chain's Long Beach, CA location for nearly 5 years without issues with a schedule that allowed her to attend church on Sundays.

She claims this wasn't an issue until a new manager started in October. She alleges her Sunday availability then became a "recurring source of workplace conflict," and she got her first-ever write-up during this time.

12:18 PM PT -- Taylor Frankie Paul had her felony assault conviction from three years ago knocked down to a misdemeanor after prosecutors and the judge agreed she followed all stipulated conditions for the case to be reclassified.

TFP is due back in court today for a review of her felony assault case involving ex Dakota Mortenson ... and if all goes well for the reality star, the charge will be knocked down to a misdemeanor ... and we'll be streaming live.

Here's the deal ... "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star pleaded guilty to third-degree aggravated assault back in August 2023 stemming from a viral fight between herself and Dakota where she hit him and threw metal stools ... one of which hit her child.

Basically, in the plea deal she cut, other charges were dismissed ... and just as important, if she could behave herself and follow all the conditions set for three years, a judge could knock it down to a misdemeanor.

Well, today's the day ... and Taylor will be there, either in person or over Zoom.

Stefon Diggs claims his male sexual assault accuser, Christopher Griffith, is full of it ... and only trying to make new claims in their legal battle in an attempt to get more publicity for himself.

The NFL star filed court docs, obtained by TMZ, opposing Christopher's effort to amend his countersuit to add new evidence to support his claims against Stefon.

As we've previously reported, Christopher claims Stefon sexually assaulted him at his home in 2023 ... and then had members of his family and friends beat him up a week later. Stefon's denied the claims against him.

Christopher recently asked the court for permission to add claims Stefon defamed him when he spoke out about the lawsuit on social media.

Stefon wrote, "Mamas a n**** lying on my name because he got caught stealing."

Nolan Wells' friends are launching an investigation of their own ... with their attorneys heading to Horn Island to get a firsthand look at where the 18-year-old disappeared, and where he was found dead.

Attorneys J. Tyler Cox and Edward Andrew Paltzik tell TMZ in a joint statement ... they, along with their clients, plan to inspect the Mississippi barrier island Friday as they begin investigating Nolan's death on behalf of their clients -- Warren Hudson, Jax Pitalo and Morgan Seymour.

They stress they won't be gathering evidence during the visit ... saying the purpose is to understand the island's "layout and dynamics." Paltzik "needs to lay eyes on the island himself."

Kevin Hart's company was shut down in its effort to keep a legal battle with two former employees out of the public eye and handled in private arbitration ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, a Los Angeles Superior County Court judge denied Kevin's request to move his case against Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam to arbitration, which would keep it out of the public court system.

The court found the agreements Eric and Lesley signed with Kevin's company, Hartbeat, had arbitration provisions but found that the ex-employees made a "persuasive showing" that the arbitration agreements were unconscionable and could not be enforced against them. As such, the judge denied Hartbeat's motion to move the case to arbitration.

Paul Pierce's alleged texts going back and forth with his ex, Princess Santiago, over their newborn child have been revealed as part of their ongoing case over custody and support.

In new court docs, obtained TMZ, Princess attached a series of texts she says were sent between her and Paul.

In one alleged text, dated February 6, Princess says ... "I just wanted to let you know that your son is here. He was born today. If you'd like to see him tomorrow, let me know."

Princess, who appears not to have received a response from Paul, says she sent another text to him on February 15, which reads, "I gave you so many chances to do the right thing and not have to go down this path … you're letting history repeat itself, acting just like your father. My son will not be ignored or treated like the black sheep."

The woman suing Kyrsten Sinema for allegedly breaking up her marriage has questions about her ex-husband's conversations with the former Senator's legal team ... and she wants a judge to make him answer them ... TMZ has learned.

Kyrsten's boyfriend, Matthew Ammel, was recently deposed by lawyers for his ex-wife, Heather Ammel, in her case against Sinema.

Heather claims Kyrsten's lawyer was present when she grilled Matthew about his relationship with the politician. During the depo, Heather said Kyrsten's legal team objected to some questions being asked on the grounds of attorney-client privilege, claiming Kyrsten and Matthew's lawyers had an agreement to work together in the case.

In her filing, Heather claims Matthew's story about his romance with Kyrsten changed to be more aligned with Kyrsten's version of events.