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Paula Abdul claims one of the "American Idol" executive producers, Nigel Lythgoe, sexually assaulted her multiple times while she was judging 'Idol' and "So You Think You Can Dance" ... according to a new lawsuit she's filed.

Paula filed the lawsuit Friday in L.A. County ... and in the docs, obtained by TMZ, she alleges the first assault happened during "one of Idol's initial seasons" while they were on the road for regional auditions. Paula claims she and Lythgoe got into an elevator at their hotel, and once the doors closed he shoved her against the wall and grabbed her genitals and breasts ... and tried to tongue-kiss her.

In the suit, Paula says she tried to push him away, and then ran to her room once the elevator doors opened. Paula says she immediately called one of her reps to inform them about the alleged incident -- but fearing she'd be fired in retaliation, she decided to keep quiet.

She says the second alleged encounter happened after she signed a new contract in 2015 to be a judge on 'SYTYCD' -- which was also executive produced by Lythgoe. According to the docs, at some point during her 2 seasons on the show, Lythgoe invited Paula to his house to discuss work opportunities ... and she says she accepted because she thought it was a professional situation.

However, she claims the evening ended with Lythgoe forcing himself on top of her while she was on a couch ... and trying to kiss her. In the suit, she says he was telling her they would make an "excellent power couple." Paula says she pushed him off of her, said she was not interested and immediately left.

Paula alleges there was another instance during her 'SYTYCD' that happened in 2015 -- she claims she witnessed Lythgoe grope one of her assistants.

Aside from the disturbing allegations of assault, Paula also claims Lythgoe "taunted" her by calling her at some point to say they should celebrate because it had been "7 years and the statute of limitations had run."

More broadly, Paula alleges she was the victim of harassment and discrimination -- in terms of compensation -- during her time judging 'Idol.'

She is suing Lythgoe, 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia North America for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and negligence.

Paula says she's coming forward now due to California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act ... which gives plaintiffs a window to file claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.

El conductor que estaba al volante del camión que atropelló fatalmente a Laura Lynch,  una de las fundadoras de The Dixie Chicks, la semana pasada está siendo investigado por posibles cargos criminales.

El sargento Eliot Torres, del departamento de Seguridad Pública de Texas, le dice a TMZ que debido a que se perdió una vida, están trabajando para determinar si el conductor estaba bajo la influencia de alguna sustancia en el momento del accidente.

Nos confirman que el conductor se hizo exámenes de sangre en el hospital para las pruebas de drogas y alcohol y que los resultados solo se darán a conocer por el hospital una vez que un juez firme la citación elaborada por los investigadores.

Si los resultados son positivos en drogas y/o alcohol, los investigadores potencialmente presentarían cargos contra el otro conductor.

El conductor también podría ser acusado de otros delitos como la conducción temeraria o arriesgado cambio de carril después de analizar la escena y hablar con los testigos, pero todo depende de lo que la investigación arroje.

Como hemos informado, un testigo ocular ya habló y detalló el momento en que el camión entró en el carril de Laura para intentar adelantar otros 2 carros. En esa maniobra, golpeó su vehículo de frente en la carretera 62 a las afueras de El Paso.

The driver behind the wheel of the truck that fatally struck Dixie Chicks founding member Laura Lynch last week is being investigated for potential criminal charges.

Texas Department of Public Safety PIO Sgt. Eliot Torres tells TMZ that because a life was lost, they're working to determine whether the driver was under the influence at the time of the accident.

They confirm the driver had their blood drawn at the hospital for drug and alcohol testing ... and the results will only be released by the hospital once a judge signs off on the subpoena drawn up by investigators.

If the results come back positive for drugs and/or alcohol, investigators will potentially seek charges against the other driver.

The driver could also be charged with other offenses like reckless driving or unsafe lane change after scene analysis and speaking to witnesses -- but it all depends on what the investigation yields.

As we've reported ... an eye witness has already spoken out ... detailing the moment the truck entered Laura's lane while trying to go around 2 other cars and struck her vehicle head-on on Highway 62 outside of El Paso.

Zac Brown is definitely out of the honeymoon phase -- 4 months after he and Kelly Yazdi tied the knot, they're now separated ... TMZ has learned.

Zac and Kelly tell TMZ in a joint statement, "We are in the process of divorce. Our mutual respect for one another remains. We wish each other the best and will always appreciate our time together. As we navigate this personal matter, we simply request privacy during this time.”

We broke the story that the pair secretly tied the knot on Aug. 31 in Coweta County, Georgia ... a little over a year after the model/actress was spotted wearing a giant engagement ring.

Speculation the newlyweds had split started when fans recently noticed Kelly had disappeared from IG ... and when she reactivated her account, she took Brown's name off her bio.

She also stopped following Zac on Insta, and took down all posts and photos that included him.

This was Zac's second stab at marriage -- he was previously married to Shelly Brown for 12 years until 2018, and they share 5 kids.

El guitarrista Frankie Sullivan, miembro fundador de la banda Survivor, sufrió un robo en su casa de Los Ángeles y la policía dice que los ladrones se llevaron unos relojes de lujo que cuestan una tonelada de dinero.

La policía le dice a TMZ que los ladrones entraron a principios de este mes a su casa de San Fernando Valley, ubicada en las colinas, a través de la ventana del guitarrista de "Eye of the Tiger". Se llevaron un montón de relojes avaluados en más de $300.000.

La policía cree que fue obra de un grupo de ladrones sudamericanos que vuelan al país para asaltar casas caras -varias de ellas pertenecientes a famosos- y que supuestamente utilizan caminos de herradura en las montañas para acceder a las propiedades de lujo.

Los oficiales están instando a colocar cámaras de vigilancia en las propiedades, a asegurarse de que la zona esté bien iluminada y a poner alarmas en las puertas correderas de cristal y en las ventanas del segundo piso. Dicen que así es como los ladrones están entrando a las casas.

Como informamos, la casa de Keanu Reeves también fue asaltada a principios de este mes, y fuentes policiales nos dicen que el arma robada de su propiedad era una pistola Glock.

Guitarist Frankie Sullivan -- a founding member of the band Survivor -- had his L.A. home burglarized ... and cops say the thieves made off with fancy watches worth a ton of dough.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... burglars smashed their way through the window at the "Eye of the Tiger" guitarist's San Fernando Valley home in the hills earlier this month, taking a bunch of timepieces, worth more than $300,000.

Cops think it was the work of a South American burglary crew that flies into the country to hit expensive homes -- several belonging to celebs -- and they allegedly use fire roads in the mountains to access the luxury properties.

Law enforcement is urging folks to put trail cams around their property, make sure the area is well-lit ... and put alarms on sliding glass doors and second-story windows. They say that's how the burglars are getting into the homes.

As we reported, Keanu Reeves' home was raided earlier this month, too ... and law enforcement sources now tell us the gun stolen from his property was a Glock pistol.

John Salley vehemently disagrees with the NBA's decision to hit Draymond Green with an indefinite ban this month ... telling TMZ Sports the suspension was a complete overreaction.

The four-time NBA champion said this week he's in favor of sidelining Green for smacking Jusuf Nurkic during the Warriors vs. Suns game on Dec. 12 ... but he thinks the indefinite part of the punishment is simply taking things too far.

"You can have a conversation, give him a certain amount of games for him to simmer down and have intelligent conversations with him," Salley said of Green. "But to get rid of him indefinitely, I think that is a bigger thing."

Salley told us he loves Draymond's playing style -- which makes sense ... considering the 6-foot-11 former center was a part of the '80s/'90s "Bad Boys" Pistons squads -- and he clearly believes Green hasn't done much wrong to warrant the latest suspension.

"I would take Draymond Green every day and twice on Sunday," he said.

In fact, Salley told us the guy would've been a perfect fit on his old Detroit teams.

"I hope Draymond comes back and I love his play," Salley said. "And I know he wears a Bad Boy T-shirt under his uniform."

Slipknot está siendo llevado a los tribunales por su fallecido baterista Joey Jordison. La empresa que gestiona su patrimonio afirma que la banda está sacando provecho de las pertenencias de Joey, exponiéndolas en un museo itinerante.

Según los documentos obtenidos por TMZ, la empresa que gestiona la herencia de Joey está demandando a la banda, alegando que utilizó la muerte de Jordison en 2021 para aumentar las ventas de su álbum "The End, So Far", de 2022.

La demanda afirma que el álbum no se estaba vendiendo tan bien después de la muerte de Joey en 2021, por lo que los miembros del grupo, Corey Taylor y Michael Shawn Crahan le dijeron a los fans que el álbum estaba dedicado a Joey y que la "toma de conciencia de que Jordison realmente había fallecido 'se coló' mientras lo hacían".

Es más, la compañía afirma que Corey y Michael mintieron cuando dijeron a los fans que se pusieron en contacto con la familia de Joey para expresar sus condolencias tras su muerte.

Parece que la disputa se remonta bastante lejos aquí. La compañía afirma que los compañeros de banda de Joey abruptamente lo echaron del grupo a través de un correo electrónico mientras él estaba luchando contra la mielitis transversa aguda, una condición que le hizo perder el uso de su pierna izquierda.

Según la demanda, Joey y Slipknot acordaron posteriormente devolver todas las propiedades de Joey, incluyendo su equipo musical, pero la compañía afirma que eso nunca sucedió, diciendo que "al menos 22 artículos" permanecen en posesión del grupo, incluyendo cosas como las máscaras de Joey, su icónica batería Pearl y sus zapatillas Adidas.

La demanda dice que algunos de esos artículos son parte de la exposición en el museo itinerante de la banda, conocido como Knotfest.

Tras la presentación de la demanda, Slipknot respondió con sus propios documentos legales, negando las afirmaciones y pidiendo al tribunal que desestimara a demanda.

Slipknot is being hauled into court over its late drummer Joey Jordison -- the company managing his estate claims the band's cashing in off Joey's belongings by displaying them in a traveling museum.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the company running Joey's estate is suing the band, claiming it used Jordison's death in 2021 to boost sales for their 2022 album, "The End, So Far."

The lawsuit claims the album wasn't selling as well following Joey's 2021 death, so band members Corey Taylor and Michael Shawn Crahan told fans the album was dedicated to Joey and the "realization that Jordison had passed away really 'crept in' while making" it.

What's more, the company claims Corey and Michael lied when they told fans they contacted Joey's family to express condolences in the wake of his death.

It looks like the beef goes back pretty far here -- the company claims Joey's bandmates abruptly booted him from the group via email while he was struggling with acute transverse myelitis -- a condition that caused him to lose the use of his left leg.

According to the suit, Joey and Slipknot subsequently agreed to return all of Joey's property, including his musical gear and equipment -- but the company claims that never happened, saying "at least 22 items" remain in the group's possession, including things like Joey's masks, his iconic Pearl drum set and his Adidas sneakers.

The lawsuit says some of those items are part of the display in the band's traveling museum, known as Knotfest.

After the complaint was filed, Slipknot responded with its own legal docs ... denying the claims and asking the court to dismiss the lawsuit.

Madonna is NOT pushing pause on her big tour again, despite a huge ticket provider claiming she's postponing upcoming shows.

Here's the deal ... a message popping up on Ticketmaster is claiming Madonna's upcoming shows in Boston are postponed, and now her fans are freaking out.

However, a rep for Madonna tells TMZ ... the shows are not postponed or canceled and she'll be in Boston Jan. 8-9 for her two scheduled shows at TD Garden.

It's unclear why Ticketmaster is giving a pop-up notice that reads, "The Event Organizer has had to postpone your event." We reached out to Ticketmaster ... so far no word back.

As we reported, Madonna announced "The Celebration Tour" back in January 2023 ... it covers her long discography -- spanning over 4 decades.

The 35-city megatour was set to begin in July, but had been postponed for several months in June after Madonna fell ill with a terrible bacterial infection ... something she later revealed put her in a coma for 2 days.

Madonna's been touring since October ... and there have already been a few highlights... like when she gave Santa Claus a holiday lap dance at last week's show in D.C. -- and the man with the bag, aka Jerry Wise, took a rough tumble while on stage. Saint Nick let us know he's doing just fine after the spill.

Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rashaan Evans was arrested on Tuesday ... and on Friday, cops released his mug shot -- and you can see, he was not thrilled to have been thrown behind bars.

The 28-year-old -- who was cut by America's Team on Wednesday following the arrest -- took the photo hours after cops placed him in handcuffs after officers say he reeked of weed in his 2021 Ram 1500 near the Cowboys' practice facility in Frisco, Texas.

According to police documents, cops say at around 10:46 PM they drove by Evans, who was in the driver's seat of his car ... and smelled a strong odor of marijuana.

They claim when they eventually questioned the football player, he told them there was "just a nugget" in the ride.

Cops say, however, that when they searched the Ram, they found burnt marijuana residue, marijuana cigarettes, rolling papers and a vacuum-sealable bag containing three separate baggies of marijuana.

They say the baggies weighed a total of 2.240 ounces.

Evans was ultimately booked on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession. And, hours later, the Cowboys moved on from him.

Evans had just joined Dallas' roster in October. He had played in nine games so far this season -- including the Cowboys' loss to Miami on Sunday -- tallying nine total tackles.

Don Lemon says the most detrimental presidential candidate Americans could elect isn't Donald Trump ... but rather Nikki Haley.

The former CNN host joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," and said he thinks there's good reason to sound an alarm on Haley's campaign ... saying she's a more dangerous candidate than Trump.

Don says it's a case of the devil you know versus the devil you don't ... calling out Haley for being unclear on her views, flip-flopping on Trump's insurrection and ripping her track record on abortion and racism.

The way Don sees it ... we've already survived one Trump presidency, and Haley presents a new set of unknowns that might end up being worse than anything Trump ever did.

It's another shot at Haley from Don ... as we reported, he blasted her on social media Thursday for leaving slavery out of her answer on the cause of the Civil War.

Haley's apologized and asked for grace, something Don says is hypocritical.

Remember, Don and Nikki had beef when he was at CNN ... he called her past her prime, and says she showed him no grace for his poor choice of words ... which he's said was just a prime case of misspeaking on live television.

Don's speaking out on political issues for the first time since leaving his post at CNN ... and he says he can finally speak his mind about all candidates, including Republicans.

While he says he doesn't want Trump back in office, and Haley might be worse ... he tells us why Chris Christie is earning his respect, even though he disagrees with most of his policies.

Don Lemon dice que el candidato presidencial más perjudicial que los estadounidenses podrían elegir no es Donald Trump, sino más bien Nikki Haley.

El ex presentador de CNN se unió a nosotros el viernes en "TMZ Live" y nos dijo que hay buenas razones para hacer sonar las alarmas con la campaña de Haley, diciendo que ella es una candidata más peligrosa que Trump

Don dice que es un caso de diablo conocido a diablo por conocer, y critica a Haley por no ser claro respecto a sus puntos de vista, por cambiar de opinión sobre la insurrección de Trump y por su historial sobre el aborto y el racismo.

Desde la perspectiva de Don, ya sobrevivimos a una presidencia de Trump y Haley presenta un nuevo conjunto de incógnitas que podrían terminar siendo peor que cualquier cosa que Trump haya hecho.

Este es otro tiro de Don hacia Haley, como informamos, el presentador la atacó en las redes el jueves por dejar la esclavitud fuera de su respuesta sobre la causa de la Guerra Civil.

Haley se disculpó y pidió comprensión, algo que Don considera hipócrita.

Recuerden, Don y Nikki tuvieron problemas cuando él estaba en CNN. Don le dijo que había pasado su mejor momento.

Don está hablando sobre temas políticos por primera vez desde que dejó su puesto en CNN. Dice que finalmente puede decir lo que piensa de los candidatos, incluidos los republicanos.

Aunque dice que no quiere Trump de nuevo en el cargo, y que Haley podría ser peor, nos explica por qué Chris Christie se está ganando su respeto, a pesar de que no está de acuerdo con la mayoría de sus políticas.

If Dr. Bennet Omalu -- the inspiration for the famous Will Smith "Concussion" movie -- were advising Elijah Moore following his scary head injury on Thursday night ... he says he'd tell the Browns wideout to retire.

"That is my recommendation," the famed neuropathologist tells TMZ Sports.

Moore was hurt in the second quarter of Cleveland's win over the Jets on "Thursday Night Football" -- and the scene was horrifying.

The 23-year-old's face slammed into the turf ... and after he appeared to lose consciousness, he convulsed on the ground several times.

Moore did not finish the game and stayed the night at a local hospital -- and Omalu says if he had things his way, it'd be the last time Moore ever sees an NFL field again.

"He was having a seizure," Omalu said Friday. "A seizure is a manifestation of brain damage, brain injury."

"That is permanent damage."

There currently is no timetable for a return for Moore -- he's been placed in the NFL's concussion protocol while he remains at home recovering.

Omalu tells us if Moore doesn't retire -- he'd at least urge the receiver to sit out the rest of this season ... even if that means missing Cleveland's upcoming playoff run.

"Given what I saw in that video, he should be benched for rest of the season," Omalu said. "For at least three months."

El estado de Nevada está tratando de evitar la solicitud de Duane "Keefe D" Davis de salir de la cárcel antes del juicio, pues insisten en que el presunto asesino de Tupac Shakur es demasiado peligroso.

Para aquellos que no lo saben, los abogados de Keefe D le pidieron a un juez la semana pasada que lo liberara de la custodia en su propio reconocimiento antes del juicio, que actualmente está programado para comenzar en junio, y si el tribunal no lo permite, están pidiendo en su lugar establecer una fianza no superior a los $100k.

De acuerdo con los nuevos documentos obtenidos por TMZ, los fiscales dicen que la solicitud de Keefe D es absurda y entregan varias razones de por qué no debería estar en libertad antes de su juicio. Por ejemplo, dicen que es un ex miembro de alto rango de la South Side Compton Crips y que ha confesado en varias ocasiones su participación en el asesinato de Tupac en los últimos años.

Los fiscales también afirman que Keefe le hizo amenazas creíbles a los testigos mientras estaba encerrado.

También aseguran que tienen montañas de pruebas, incluyendo las propias palabras de Keefe D, que apuntan a Keefe como la persona que orquestó el asesinato de Tupac en 1996, a pesar de que Keefe se ha distanciado de esas antiguas declaraciones.

El estado le está pidiendo a la corte que lo mantenga tras las rejas hasta la fecha del juicio en junio, y cree que hay razones más que suficientes para hacerlo.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard's enjoying a bit of luxury to kick off her new post-prison life at an Airbnb that's pretty modest ... but still a far cry from a cold jail cell.

Gypsy and her husband, Ryan, are staying in a cozy 4-bedroom home in the Kansas City area, and it has everything she needs to adjust to her new normal ... all for $132/night.

The newly renovated home has 2 living rooms where Gypsy can make fresh memories ... as well as a fully equipped kitchen, natural accent lights, and tasteful decor for that homey feeling.

Gypsy and her family will likely add a glowing review for the property ... as it was the perfect spot for a party to celebrate her prison release Thursday following 7 years incarcerated for her mother Dee Dee's murder.

The Airbnb is currently booked out until 5 January -- though it's not clear if Gypsy and her clan made the reservation till then.

We do know Gypsy's hanging around in town until at least New Year's Eve for the Chiefs game ... where she's hoping to run into her idol, Taylor Swift.

In the meantime, Gypsy's making up for lost time ... going shoe shopping, snapping Insta selfies, and hitting up a McDonald's.