Fairly Legal

Timothy Busfield's arrest warrant isn't the first time he's been embroiled in legal drama regarding allegations of child sexual abuse -- a judge ordered the actor to pay $150K for an unsuccessful defamation lawsuit years ago.

Here's the deal ... back in 1996, Busfield filed a lawsuit against the law firm Messerli & Kramer, claiming they made up a story about him sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl while shooting the 1994 movie "Little Big League," according to a report from Deseret News published at the time.

The alleged victim was an extra on the film, which Busfield starred in ... and he reportedly settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.

Ronnie Radke is taking his first steps toward figuring out who is allegedly impersonating him online ... filing a lawsuit in an effort to subpoena Snapchat.

The singer and rapper filed a suit against multiple John Does earlier this week ... alleging that, since at least April of last year, an individual he calls John Doe 1 has credibly impersonated him on Snapchat for "purposes of harming, intimidating, threatening and/or defrauding" others.

He's also suing John Doe 2 -- who may or may not be the same person as John Doe 1 -- for allegedly impersonating him on Instagram with the same aim to defraud others.

Melissa Gilbert denounced child sex abuse weeks before her husband, Timothy Busfield, was charged in a criminal complaint accusing him of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse.

Gilbert's condemnation of such activities came via a Nov. 15 Instagram post in which she reflected on a troubling fact about her days on "Little House on the Prairie."

She noted that her character was scripted to fall in love with a years-older love interest, played by Dean Butler, and she said she now knows how inappropriate it was. The pair had an 8-year age gap.

The families of the 4 University of Idaho students slaughtered by Bryan Kohberger in 2022 are suing the school where he was employed as a teaching assistant at -- Washington State University -- for damages, as they accuse the institution of failing to act on numerous warning signs about the murderer.

The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of Washington on Wednesday by family members of Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin and is demanding Washington State be held liable for "its own decisions and actions to remain idle in the face of known extreme and repeated instances of discrimination, sexual harassment, and stalking by Kohberger occurring in its educational program."

The lawsuit argues that almost as soon as Kohberger arrived on campus in Pullman, Washington -- about 10 miles from the city of Moscow, where he murdered his victims -- he "developed a reputation for discriminatory, harassing, and stalking behavior, instilling substantial fear among young female students and fellow WSU employees, necessitating regular security escorts for multiple females."

Actor/director Timothy Busfield says he's the real victim in his child sex abuse case, claiming an actress told him the criminal accusations are part of a revenge plot.

As you know, Busfield -- best known for his roles on "West Wing" and "Thirtysomething" -- was charged in a criminal complaint filed this week in New Mexico with abusing 2 underage boys who were working with him on a TV show.

Prosecutors accuse Busfield of inappropriately touching the boys while he was directing them on the set of "The Cleaning Lady" in 2022. At the time, prosecutors say, the child actors were 7 and 8, and their parents reported the alleged crimes to the Albuquerque police two years later.

During a police interview, Busfield told detectives the show's lead actress, Elodie Yung, said the mom of the 2 boys "wanted revenge, and I'm going to get my revenge on Tim Busfield for not bringing her kids back for the final season," according to the charging documents.

Another social media love story has officially crashed and burned ... The Scotts are done, with Kristy filing for divorce from estranged husband Desmond Scott.

TMZ obtained the court docs out of Harris County, Texas, in which Kristy cited alleged infidelity as the reason she sought the split ... saying it completely wiped out any reasonable chance of reconciliation.

The paperwork says the couple will soon stop living together as husband and wife.

Sounds like Daniel Stern didn't want to be home alone ... because cops issued him a citation for allegedly trying to hire an escort.

The "Home Alone" star got busted in Camarillo, California after cops said he was trying to bust with the aid of some hired help.

Law enforcement in Ventura County tells us Daniel was cited for soliciting prostitution on Dec. 10 ... which is smack in the middle of the Christmas season, when his 'Home Alone' movies typically doing big streaming numbers.

According to police docs obtained by TMZ, it looks like Daniel was cited at a hotel in Camarillo, California.

Actor and director Timothy Busfield, famous for his work on "The West Wing" and "Thirtysomething," is being accused of pedophilia ... prosecutors in New Mexico allege he sexually abused underage boys who were child actors on a TV production set.

According to a criminal complaint filed Friday in New Mexico, obtained by TMZ, Busfield is charged with child abuse and two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor under the age of 13.

The charges stem from allegations that he sexually abused two boys on the set of "The Cleaning Lady."

According to the complaint, one of the boys told law enforcement Busfield touched him in his "private areas" while on set after a scene had ended ... when the kid was just 7 years old. Prosecutors say the boy alleged Busfield touched him inappropriately 5 or 6 times between takes ... and they also claim the boy alleged he was inappropriately touched by Busfield multiple times when he was 8 years old.

Matt Prokop -- a former child actor who was once the subject of a restraining order for allegedly abusing Sarah Hyland -- has been arrested in Texas, TMZ has confirmed ... and child pornography is involved.

Law enforcement in Victoria County tell TMZ ... Prokop is currently in custody at the county jail and is being held without bail after being arrested on Christmas Eve on multiple charges, including alleged possession of child pornography and resisting arrest.

Prokop, who is from Victoria, Texas, was arrested for allegedly violating bond conditions from a previous set of charges filed in 2024 ... according to local TV news Crossroads Today.

The Pennsylvania man who allegedly stole more than 100 skeletal remains from gravesites wasn't exactly a criminal mastermind ... at least according to prosecutors.

New legal docs, obtained by TMZ, shed light on how Jonathan Gerlach allegedly went about sloppily turning his Pennsylvania home into a haunted house.

Prosecutors allege Gerlach left behind tons of evidence of his crimes ... they found cigarettes, Monster Energy, Liquid Death and NOS Energy cans in the crypts he allegedly burglarized ... and he used his Ace Hardware Rewards Card to pay for some of the tools he used to break into the graves.

Cops say they searched Gerlach's home in Ephrata, PA, and discovered 100 sets of full or partial human remains in his basement.

Offset's allegedly making threats toward an influencer and refusing to pay her back thousands of dollars he borrowed ... this according to the influencer herself.

Celina Powell -- a model and internet personality best known for her associations with people in hip hop -- made the claims online Friday ... starting off by telling fans they should look to Offset if anything bad happens to her.

She then followed it up by writing online she's tired of fearing Offset just because she's tried for weeks to recoup $15K she says she gave him and he gambled away ... claiming he's lobbing threats her way.

Jason Lee was accused of both abusing his power as Vice Mayor and misusing $50,000 from the City of Stockton’s risk fund for a "Wild 'n Out" event last year ... but a thorough investigation has cleared his name!!!

California's Stockton City Council posted legal docs at the top of the month that they -- and the law office of Hanson Bridgett LLC -- held two hearings in August and December 2025 to determine if Lee was guilty of any financial violations, or even should have recused himself in deciding to push the event forward.

The investigation noted the event announcement carried the connotation it was to tout Lee's celebrity ... but it was ruled that his interests aligned with the city's well-being.

Jonathan Ross' career in federal law enforcement has taken him into the middle of numerous tense situations ... including the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good on January 7, 2026.

Here's a look at his past and the aftermath of the Minneapolis shooting.

Ross was deployed in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 with the Indiana National Guard as a machine-gunner on a gun truck, according to The Associated Press.

He reportedly attended college upon his return and joined the Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas, in 2007. He worked as a field intelligence agent and remained with the agency until 2015.

Ross said he worked as a firearms and active instructor and was a member of a SWAT team and a team leader with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force during courtroom testimony last month.

Ross joined ICE in 2015 and has served as a deportation officer in Minnesota since then. He's assigned to fugitive operations, focused on arresting "higher value targets."

Ross was reportedly the leader of a team of ICE agents who had been assigned to arrest an undocumented immigrant in Bloomington, Minnesota, in June 2025. Although agents had grouped outside the home of Roberto Munoz-Guatemala, the target drove away from his residence.

Ross chased Munoz-Guatemala and pulled his vehicle in front of Munoz-Guatemala's, then ordered him to put the car in park. Ross directed Munoz-Guatemala to lower his window and ended up breaking the window before attempting to unlock the driver's door.

Munoz-Guatemala then began driving while Ross' arm was caught in the car and dragged Ross more than 100 yards before he was knocked loose from the vehicle. Ross suffered various cuts and abrasions in the incident, and he received more than 30 stitches.

Ross shot Munoz-Guatemala with a Taser during the incident. Munoz-Guatemala was later arrested, charged, and found guilty of assault on a federal officer with a dangerous or deadly weapon.

Ross and Good's paths crossed on January 7, 2026, in traffic on a residential street in southern Minneapolis ... a group of ICE agents was going door to door in the area looking for undocumented immigrants.

Good's vehicle was blocked on both sides on the street, and agents approached and was ordered her to step out of her Honda Pilot by an agent, who put his hands on her driver's-side door ... she backed up her vehicle before moving forward slightly, and Ross fired several rounds at her at close range, numerous videos show.

Good was struck in the head by at least one bullet, and she was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Good's identity was confirmed later in the afternoon. Ross was identified by the Minnesota Star Tribune the following day.

Although Good's death has been widely denounced by Minnesota officials and others across the country, Ross has been commended by the Trump administration, including by J.D. Vance, who said Ross "deserves a debt of gratitude."

Vance said Ross had been doing a "very, very important job" for the country and suggested Good was to blame for her own death online and in a White House press conference Thursday.

Kristi Noem addressed the incident in a Wednesday press conference, and reiterated the administration's position -- that Ross wsa acting in self-defense when he shot Good.

12:24PM PT -- "Haley Kalil disclosed private and intimate details about Matt Kalil that were of no legitimate public concern and subjected Matt Kalil and his family to widespread ridicule and unwanted attention,” Matt Kalil's attorney, Ryan Saba, tells us.

“Haley Kalil shared these sensitive personal details about her ex-husband in an apparent quest to seek fortune and fame. Her actions were extreme, outrageous, beyond all possible bounds of decency, and have caused substantial harm to Matt Kalil, his family, and his business.”

Haley Kalil's well within her rights to talk about the Coke cans her ex Matt Kalil's packing in his pants, her lawyer says ... because she has erotic autonomy.

Matthew Bialick -- Haley's lawyer -- tells TMZ ... he plans to file a motion to dismiss Matt's lawsuit within three weeks of being formally served the summons or complaint, which hasn't happened yet.

Bialick says it's totally unreasonable to file a lawsuit on the basis of making someone liable for "exercising her sexual sovereignty by truthfully describing a sexual experience that left her in tears" ... adding it violates his client's right to free speech.

The wife of Renee Nicole Good -- the woman who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis Wednesday morning -- has issued a statement after her spouse's death.

FYI ... Renee was in traffic on a residential street Wednesday when ICE agents ordered her out of her Honda Pilot. One officer reached for her car door, as Renee backed the SUV up slightly and began moving forward -- and an agent in front of the vehicle fired at her at close range. She was hit in the head and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Renee's wife, Becca, told MPR News she wanted to show her gratitude toward everyone who'd supported her family in the wake of the shooting.

She wrote her late wife was "made of sunshine" and was a Christian who believed all religions taught what she described as "the same essential truth" -- embracing and caring for one another.

Becca wrote she and Renee had moved to Minneapolis in search of a place with a strong sense of community, and said their sense of peace was ripped from her following her wife's death.

She said she was left to raise the 6-year-old son she shared with Renee and was committed to teaching him why the people who shot his mother "had fear and anger in their hearts."

Donald Trump said U.S. forces are preparing to attack cartels on land in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News that aired Thursday night ... and it appeared he was suggesting Mexico was the target.

Discussing the recent Venezuela military operation that resulted in the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, Trump told Hannity ... "We’ve knocked out 97 percent of the drugs coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land with regard to the cartels. The cartels are running Mexico."

POTUS' intention to invade Mexico is not new ... he said the idea of ordering strikes were on the table in November, according to NBC News.

Trump said then the United States would do "whatever we have to do" to stem the apparent flow of drugs into the country ... although he didn't say if he'd obtain the Mexican government's permission to conduct operations in Mexico. Mexico has rejected the idea outright.

Trump asserted he knew about the locations of all of the alleged major Mexican drug traffickers and described their actions as warlike -- and said he is more than willing to utilize physical intervention.