Crime

A jury in New York just awarded $1.68 billion to 40 women who accused director James Toback of sexual assault, psychological abuse, false imprisonment and coercion.

The money breaks down like this ... $280 million in compensatory damages and $1.4 billion in punitive damages.

Toback was sued in December 2022 by dozens of women who claimed he coerced them into meetings they believed were auditions of job interviews ... only for the meetings to allegedly turn sexual.

Bryan Kohberger's autism diagnosis may come up at his murder trial, but the state won't argue it elevated his alleged crimes to an even more severe level ... because a judge just ruled they can't.

Kohberger appeared in court Wednesday, and the conversation turned to his recent diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder ... which the judge made clear should not be used by the state of Idaho during the sentencing phase -- if he's found guilty -- as an "aggravating factor." BK's attorney argued the diagnosis should keep him from being sentenced to death.

An "aggravating factor" is a factor in the case which makes the crime even more heinous ... such as premeditation, committing the act in front of a child, or showing a lack of remorse, for example. So the judge is basically granting the defense's request.

Hip Hop music industry legend Kevin Liles is preparing to try and dismiss a sexual assault lawsuit against him.

Kevin filed new legal docs Tuesday asking for permission to file a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed earlier this year by a woman who claimed he raped her way back in 2002 while he was an executive at Def Jam Recordings.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kevin claims he will argue to dismiss the case on the grounds that the woman waited too long to file her claims and the statute of limitations on her claims has run.

Days after Henry Cejudo subdued a would-be hit-and-run driver, the MMA star's Arizona studio was burglarized ... and one of his prized UFC belts was stolen, in addition to a bunch of expensive electronics.

Sources tell TMZ Sports that 38-year-old Cejudo's Phoenix-area spot was targeted around 4:30 AM ... and one of his two belts was taken in the haul. Henry's podcast producer also lost valuables ... including multiple cameras, computers, microphones, and even his wallet.

"Everything's gone," Cejudo's collaborator, Dylan Rush, said Tuesday. "It sucks. I want to give up, but I won't. It's terrible."

Xavier Worthy and his ex-fiancée, Tia Jones, are dropping their legal cases against one another ... after reaching an agreement on Tuesday.

TMZ Sports has learned ... as part of the deal the two struck, the Kansas City Chiefs star is rescinding his application for a protective order as well as the lawsuit he filed against Jones late last month.

In exchange, Jones is also pulling back her application for the permanent protective order she had been seeking against Worthy.

Tony Buzbee is taking legal steps to try to dismiss a Jay-Z lawsuit against him, claiming they struck a deal and Jay reneged -- but Jay's camp says Buzbee is full of it.

Buzbee, the Texas lawyer famous for representing 120 alleged Diddy victims, filed new legal docs Monday to dismiss the defamation lawsuit Jay-Z filed against him in Alabama.

Tony was representing the Jane Doe who claimed Jay-Z and Diddy raped her in New York back in 2000. She ultimately dropped the rape lawsuit ... and Jay-Z then sued her and Buzbee in Alabama, where she lives, over bringing the case in the first place.

Henry Cejudo is convinced his actions at a hit-and-run incident last week helped save the suspect's life.

The wild scene, of course, all unfolded on Friday night in the UFC star's Phoenix neighborhood ... when he says he saw a group of young adults in a vehicle careening down his block at around 80 MPH.

Cejudo told TMZ Sports on Monday the car went airborne after it hit one of his neighbor's sprinkler systems ... and then it crashed through one of his other neighbor's houses.

Erik and Lyle Menendez are firing back at Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman ... telling him it's stupid to compare them to Sirhan Sirhan because they actually admitted to killing their parents.

The Menendez Brothers distance themselves from RFK's assassin in new legal docs where they push back on Hochman's motion to withdraw his predecessor’s motion to resentence them.

Hochman's on the record saying Erik and Lyle should not gain their freedom, comparing their case to the denial of parole for Sirhan ... but the brothers say there's no way to seriously put them on the same plane as Sirhan.

Tigers Assistant General Manager Sam Menzin quit his job with the ball club last Thursday ... just as the Tigers were about to fire the front office executive amid an investigation into claims he sent lewd photos to female staffers.

According to The Athletic ... they spoke with three women who claimed they received unsolicited photos of the now 34-year-old's genitals dating back to as early as 2017. Two of them worked for the MLB team, while the other worked in baseball, but not for the Motor City squad.

The pictures were allegedly sent via Snapchat -- which automatically deletes images after they're seen.

Event planner Andy King is disappointed in Billy McFarland -- saying he hoped prison would've knocked some sense into him after the first Fyre Fest fiasco, but clearly not ... 'cause round two is already going up in flames.

In a lengthy IG post, Andy said he was all for giving Billy a second chance -- standing by him when no one else would ... even linking up with him a year and a half ago to help him focus on empathy and paying back people from the OG festival. But clearly, it was all for nothing.

Andy added that on top of losing hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money, his career also took a hit -- getting labeled as toxic for his ties to the infamous fraudster.

Erik and Lyle Menendez say they finally have something to look forward to as they inch closer to a possible release from prison, and they're revealing how they've evolved during their 35 years behind bars.

The brothers tell us why they are -- for the first time since 1990 -- hopeful for the future in our new special, "TMZ Presents: The Menendez Brothers: The Prison Interview" ... premiering tonight on FOX.

Lyle says the word hope is new for them, and Erik says he's striving to be a better person every day and finally beginning to like himself -- but the key for them will be whether the California parole board finds they no longer pose a danger to society.

Cassie plans on testifying during Diddy's upcoming trial -- and it won't be anonymous, TMZ has confirmed.

"Victim 1" is "prepared to testify under her own name" during the upcoming trial, where Diddy will defend himself against charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Cassie is the person known as "Victim 1." There are three other alleged victims who have requested their identities remain secret during the trial. Prosecutors say using pseudonyms instead of real names will prevent harassment and other adverse consequences for the alleged victims.

Russell Brand's not letting his legal troubles derail his pre-planned family vacation ... hitting the beach with his wife and two children just one day after he was charged with rape and sexual assault in the United Kingdom.

The actor hit up a beach in Miami with his fam Saturday ... splashing around in the waves while his wife Laura held their son who was born back in 2023.

The trio -- joined by their older daughter too -- splashed around in the water ... and RB dunked his head, wetting down his long locks.

7:25 AM PT -- Joseph McBride, lawyer for the Tate brothers, is blasting the investigation ... telling TMZ it's a "pathetic delay tactics by a group of weak lawyers running from a fight in the Florida Defamation Case, because they know the evidence is overwhelmingly on our side."

He adds ... "The SDNY is subject to Washington. Washington is not involved. We are not worried. Nothing changes. Our march to victory continues."

The Tate brothers' legal issues in the U.S. are piling up -- federal prosecutors are now investigating them ... according to an attorney involved in a civil suit with them.

Russell Brand has been spotted for the first time since being charged with rape and sexual assault in London over alleged incidents dating back to 1999.

The English comedian and actor was photographed walking outside Florida's Gasparilla Inn around 10:30 AM on Friday -- shortly after the charges were announced.

He appeared to be on a family vacation ... as he was on a stroll with his wife, Laura. Two of their three children were also photographed.

Taylor Schabusiness clearly isn't a fan of members of the bar ... 'cause she just attacked another one of her lawyers -- though it seems the officers in the court were ready to handle her.

The convicted murderer was in court Friday for a hearing related to her alleged assault of a prison employee back in July ... hands cuffed, but otherwise unrestrained while sitting with her lawyer.

Her attorney's talking about sequestering a witness in the case when Taylor loses it ... throwing an elbow into his arm -- when she's tackled by a few different officers.