Fairly Legal

'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic and his new legal team had nothing to do with a helicopter flying over his old zoo ... according to sources close to the FAA investigation.

We broke the story ... Joe's former business partner, Jeff Lowe, filed a complaint over a chopper illegally flying near his Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park last week in Oklahoma.

Jeff suspected Exotic's legal team was involved because the aircraft's tail number matched the one they used in a promo video for Joe ... but TMZ's learned that's not the case.

Sources close to the investigation tell us a chopper did fly over the zoo on the afternoon of May 10, but the pilot told investigators he was simply taking his daughter and her friend on a ride to check it out ... and he thought the zoo was closed.

We're told the pilot claims he did a few orbits outside the zoo's boundaries and maintained a safe level of altitude ... and says his flight tracker logs will prove it.

Our sources say the pilot also made it clear to the FAA he was not hired by Joe's legal team to spy on Lowe's zoo or upset the animals ... the trip was just something to do during quarantine boredom.

However, the pilot was hired by Exotic's Team Tiger for its video to push for Joe's Presidential pardon. A source close to the pilot says he owns it and has been flying for 30 years ... but absolutely was not hired by the team to fly to the zoo.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar claims he did NOT pull out a gun and rob people at a Florida cookout this week ... and claims he's got 5 witnesses who will back up his story.

Dunbar's attorney Michael Grieco tells TMZ Sports ... 5 witnesses came to his office Friday morning and signed sworn affidavits insisting Dunbar was NOT involved in the May 13 incident.

"My client is innocent," Greico tells us ... "Never been arrested before. This is a man who's never been in handcuffs, never been in trouble. He didn't do anything wrong. He's completely innocent."

As we previously reported, Dunbar -- along with NY Giants player Deandre Baker -- are accused of taking more than $7,000 in cash and several pricey watches at gunpoint during a party gone wrong.

The Miramar Police Dept. says multiple witnesses saw both men ordering partygoers to turn over their valuables while Baker barked orders.

Officials say there were conflicting statements from witnesses as to whether Dunbar was also brandishing a gun.

Law enforcement says Baker ordered a 3rd man -- who was wearing a red mask -- to shoot someone at the party, but the masked man did not do it.

The police report suggests Baker was the shot caller -- and Dunbar was an accomplice.

But, Greico tells us his client is 100% innocent -- and he's accusing police of "celebrating" the fact they've got high profile suspects in their sights.

"They did a virtual touchdown dance on Twitter," Greico told us ... "They tagged the Giants and the Seahawks in a tweet. One of the most unprofessional things I've ever seen."

Greico is also upset officials are ordering his client to surrender in person -- which could put him at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When asked if his client would surrender, Greico told us he's trying to work with law enforcement to try and get them to withdraw the warrant ... but insists he's not helping his client hide from cops.

"I'm not holding him up anywhere."

Both Dunbar and Baker are facing multiple felony charges and if convicted, they both face serious prison time.

Two NFL players -- including a 2019 1st round draft pick -- have been accused of armed robbery and arrest warrants have been issued, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement confirms NY Giants cornerback Deandre Baker (the 30th overall pick in 2019) is facing 4 charges of armed robbery and 4 charges of aggravated assault with a firearm.

Seattle Seahawks corner Quinton Dunbar is facing 4 counts of armed robbery.

According to police, the two men were partying in Miramar, FL on May 13 ... when things took a disturbing turn.

Cops say Baker and Dunbar were allegedly hanging at a cookout -- playing cards and video games -- when an argument broke out and Baker whipped out a semi-automatic firearm.

Cops say the men began to rob party guests ... with Dunbar assisting in taking watches and other valuables at the direction of Baker.

At one point, cops say Baker directed a 3rd man -- who was wearing a red mask -- to shoot someone who had just walked into the party ... but fortunately, no one was actually shot.

Lawyers for Ahmaud Arbery's family aren't closing the book on that mysterious note left at the shooting scene -- they've gone to cops with new information that could tie its author to the case.

Attorney Lee Merritt, tells TMZ ... he and his team of investigators received what they believe is a credible tip claiming the note's author is someone who shares ties to Travis and Gregory McMichael and/or William "Roddie" Bryan.

You'll recall, the note says, "Ahmaud, I am so sorry. I should have stopped them. I am so sorry."

Merritt tells us the tip was anonymous, but it allegedly came from someone in Brunswick, GA -- and the person referenced the note's handwriting, saying it caught their attention.

There was no signature on the cryptic note -- or any other context -- but it certainly seemed to insinuate there's another witness out there.

Merritt says his team has shared the tip with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the D.A.'s Office.

The GBI said on Thursday it had already identified the author and determined he or she was not connected to the murder investigation -- but Merritt's tip could change that.

As you know ... the McMichaels are still in jail after their arrests for murdering Ahmaud. The horrifying confrontation was captured on video by Bryan ... who denies any involvement with the McMichaels or tracking down Ahmaud.

Tristan Thompson did have sex with the woman saying he's her baby daddy, but it was years before she claims, years before her baby was born and long before he began dating Khloe Kardashian ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the NBA power forward tell us ... he had a one-night stand with the woman, Kimberly Alexander, sometime during his rookie season in 2011-2012. However, we're told this doesn't line up with her repeated claim he fathered her child ... because the kid in question is between 4 and 5.

After Alexander made the paternity claim, our sources say Tristan confirmed with his legal team he had sexual relations with her but was confident about taking a test because it was impossible for him to be the father based on the timeline.

We're told Tristan and his lawyer, legal pit bull Marty Singer, made it clear ... if Tristan was the dad, he'd gladly pay child support, but he was confident he wasn't, and the DNA test proved his point.

As we reported ... Tristan and Khloe are now threatening to sue Alexander, claiming she's been lying about the kid -- despite Thompson's paternity test proving he's not her child's father -- and defaming Khloe.

Our Khloe sources point out she has no direct ties to the paternity case -- she only got her lawyer involved because Alexander allegedly made false claims about her after Tristan's test came back negative.

We're told Khloe's mindset is it's an issue strictly between Tristan and the woman ... since it occurred years before Khloe and Tristan began dating in August 2016.

Tristan, we're told, thinks it's all just a money grab.

A woman claims an unprovoked attack by YouTube star Vitaly Zdorovetskiy left her with seriously painful facial and head injuries -- including a bloody, swollen eye -- and the photos are sickening.

We broke the story ... Vitaly was arrested April 12 for allegedly assaulting a woman in Miami Beach while she was jogging by herself. She told cops he jumped out and tackled her, then proceeded to punch her in the head and chest. As far as we can tell, they didn't know each other.

Photos of the alleged victim, Lily Jensen -- obtained by TMZ from her attorney, Dan Dolan -- show the extent of her injuries after the alleged attack. She required stitches above her right eye, her eyeball was bloodied, and the area around her eye socket was badly bruised and swollen.

Vitaly's facing a criminal charge of felony aggravated battery for the incident, and now, he's also facing a lawsuit from Jensen. She's suing him for battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress claiming she was ambushed without provocation.

According to the suit ... Vitaly "jumped out from behind bushes and punched her from behind, tackled her to the ground and while straddling her, savagely punched and beat her mercilessly with a closed fist about the head, face and body until her screams for help were heard by neighbors."

Jensen's seeking damages for medical bills, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, loss of earnings and mental anguish.

Dolan adds ... "Ms. Jensen was the subject of an unprovoked and savage attack on Easter Sunday by somebody who seems proud of behaving in this fashion. This can't happen in Miami or anywhere and we hope that he faces the justice he deserves."

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are threatening to take a woman to court for continuing to claim Tristan's the father of her child -- and they say DNA proves he's not.

The lawyer for the co-parenting exes -- pit bull attorney Marty Singer -- fired off a cease-and-desist letter to Kimberly Alexander, saying ... "We demand that you immediately stop defaming them with malicious defamatory lies and specious fabrications" about the paternity of her child.

According to the letter ... Tristan had previously taken a paternity test in which it was "unequivocally proven" he's not Alexander's child's father, but she's continued to spread lies about Khloe and the NBA star, including claims they falsified or "fixed" the test.

Singer says the test was performed at one of the nation's more reputable labs and was approved by Kimberly's lawyers.

The letter also alleges Alexander has defamed Khloe by claiming she has paid people off to shut them up, as well as Tristan ... by claiming he's a deadbeat dad.

Finally, Singer says even though one test has already proven Tristan's not the father, he agreed to take a second test to confirm ... but Alexander refused, and subsequently lost her legal counsel.

Singer adds of Alexander ... "It is obvious that the reason you are spreading these lies about my clients is because you want your 15 minutes of fame."

Khloe and Tristan are demanding Alexander stop defaming them on social media and elsewhere, and remove any damaging posts about them ... or she'll be sued.

And, speaking of paternity ... just a reminder that Khloe is NOT currently pregnant with Tristan's baby either, despite persistent rumors she is. They are together in this legal battle, though.

Vince McMahon claims ex-XFL commissioner Oliver Luck "abandoned" his duties when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March ... and that's one of the main reasons Vince fired him, according to court documents.

Remember, Oliver Luck sued Vince McMahon back in April, claiming he was wrongfully terminated from his role as the commish and CEO of the XFL on April 9.

In his initial court docs, Luck redacted many of the details behind his allegations.

But now, Vince's attorney has filed his own court docs spelling out the reasons McMahon axed Luck. The details have now been made public.

First, McMahon claims Luck "effectively abandoned his responsibilities" on March 13 by shutting down the XFL offices in Connecticut ... and instead, working from home in Indiana.

McMahon claims Luck failed to "devote substantially all of his business time to his XFL duties as required by the contract."

Second, McMahon claims Luck approved signing ex-NFL receiver Antonio Callaway without first getting approval from Vince.

By the way, Callaway had previously been suspended by the NFL for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. McMahon claims he ordered Luck to cut Callaway immediately -- but Luck refused.

Luck's argument, according to court docs, is that Callaway didn't violate the XFL's personal conduct policy.

Third, McMahon claims Luck misused an XFL-issued iPhone -- using the phone for personal reasons when it was supposed to be exclusively used for work.

For his part, Luck claims McMahon's allegations are bogus and he's digging in his heels on the argument he was wrongfully terminated.

As for the COVID-19 allegation, Luck claims he simply couldn't return to Connecticut because the state had implemented a stay-at-home order on March 20, and he adhered by the mandate.

Luck claims he did everything he could to continue doing his job while sheltering-in-place.

Luck is demanding $23.8 million in salary and damages. He had signed a 5-year contract in 2018 with a $5 million annual salary and a $2 million bonus.

Ahmaud Arbery's alleged murderers came face-to-face with a young black man in their neighborhood less than 2 weeks prior to the shooting -- and now another neighbor claims it was Ahmaud they confronted.

Travis McMichael called police on February 11 at around 7:30 PM to report an unknown "lighter-skinned black male," wearing a red shirt and white pants, was trespassing on a construction site in Brunswick, GA ... this according to a police report obtained by TMZ.

In the report, cops say McMichael told them he saw the black male cut across one property and enter the construction site. McMichael told cops he returned to the property and "observed the unknown male run back through the open house under construction toward the area of the back yard."

Cops responded and searched the property, but no one was there. They say the property owner, Larry English, told them "it appears the unknown male is only trespassing and plundering around as he has yet to see where anything has been taken." Cops say security footage of the incident circulated Facebook and a neighborhood watch app but nobody could identify the unknown black male.

Another neighbor, Diego Perez, says he was also present for the Feb. 11 incident, along with Travis and his father, Gregory, at the February 11 incident. It should be noted ... the police report never mentions Gregory or Diego.

Diego told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he was there because Larry English -- who was out of town -- sent him the security cam footage, and asked him to go check it out.

But, Perez says he was also on the scene Feb. 23 right after Ahmaud was shot. He claims Ahmaud is the same person the McMichaels confronted 12 days earlier.

As we've reported ... Travis and Gregory were arrested for murder and aggravated assault shortly after the chilling video of Ahmaud's shooting leaked last week.

It's interesting that the younger McMichael described the Feb. 11 trespasser as "lighter-skinned' ... because Ahmaud had a darker complexion.

A guy was caught on camera choking his ex-girlfriend's dog -- and now ... he's facing criminal charges for the sickeningly evil deed.

30-year-old Shane Mitchell allegedly took his ex's pup -- a Doberman named Rubyjean -- without permission, and when he showed up at the owner's front door with Rubyjean, the owner threatened him with a call to the cops. That set Mitchell off, and what happened next is disturbing.

While his ex remained behind her front door during the argument, her Ring doorbell cam recorded Mitchell angrily reaching down and yanking up the dog by its leash, suffocating it, and letting it dangle in front of the camera. The owner shrieks from inside, pleading for him to stop -- then, the video ends.

Cops in Slidell, Louisiana say Mitchell was eventually arrested and booked on animal cruelty charges after the clip made the rounds online, and even better news ... Rubyjean is okay.

She's back in her home and doesn't seem to have suffered any permanent damage as a result of the choking. The city's police chief issued a strong statement of the heinous act, saying ... "I was sick to my stomach watching that video." He added, "How someone can hurt a defenseless animal is beyond me."

The father and son accused of murdering Ahmaud Arbery are sitting ducks in the jail as they await prosecution -- and because of that ... the men are being isolated behind bars.

Glynn County Undersheriff Ron Corbett tells TMZ ... Travis and Gregory McMichael are being housed in a separate wing of the Glynn County Detention Center away from the general population ... for their own safety. In other words, they're in protective custody.

Because of the high-profile nature of the case -- and tensions enormously high in the community -- Corbett says both of the McMichaels are siloed off in separate cells -- telling us the cells are not close enough for them to communicate with each other.

What they can do, we're told, is eat alone, periodically leave their units under a secure setting -- but only among themselves -- and that's about it, really. We're told there are no TVs in the section of the jail where they're being housed, so they can't follow the case in the news.

For security reasons, Corbett refused to say whether the men were on suicide watch or whether threats have been made on their lives.

TMZ broke the story ... Ahmaud's mother tells us she wants prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic allegedly managed to have a helicopter fly over his old zoo and freak out all the animals -- at least that's what Joe's ex-business partner and owner of the zoo, Jeff Lowe, thinks ... but Joe's team is calling BS.

According to the FAA ... it received an official complaint about a chopper illegally flying over Lowe's Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park Sunday afternoon in Oklahoma. We're told an investigation is underway.

Sources close to Jeff tell TMZ ... the helicopter violated restricted air space and at one point was hovering right over the zoo's gift shop. We're told this caused the animals to go nuts and stressed out the endangered ones, which violates the Endangered Species Act.

As for the connection to Exotic ... our sources say Lowe's people got the chopper's tail number as it buzzed nearby, and discovered it matches with the one featured in a video produced by Joe's legal team.

We broke the story ... the legal team made the video to ask President Trump to free Joe, claiming he was framed for putting a hit out on his foe, Carole Baskin.

We're told Jeff's wife, Lauren, called and reported the incident Monday to the FAA.

Joe's rep, Eric Love, tells us ... Team Tiger has no knowledge of the incident. Love says no one on the team was involved, and says the helicopter used for the video was one they chartered ... it's not theirs.

Of course, the whole thing raises eyebrows. As you may recall from 'Tiger King' ... Joe once flew a helicopter over Baskin's Big Cat Rescue park in Florida to check it out, which she also claimed caused the animals distress.

We had to read this legal doc several times, because it was so shocking ... Island Express -- the company that owned the helicopter that sent 8 innocent passengers to their death -- claims Kobe AND 13-YEAR-OLD GIGI knew flying could result in an accident and therefore, Vanessa Bryant has no case.

It's true ... Island Express filed an answer to Vanessa's wrongful death lawsuit and, they threw in every argument in the book, including Act of God.

So, here's how it breaks down. Island Express says in its answer, "Kobe Bryant and GB [Gigi] had actual knowledge of all of the circumstances, particular dangers, and an appreciation of the risks involved and the magnitude thereof, and proceeded to encounter a known risk, and voluntarily assumed the risk of the accident, injury ... thereby barring or reducing [Vanessa's] claim for damages."

Island Express never explains how a 13-year-old girl appreciates such risks, and while we're on the subject, did anyone know helicopters are so dangerous that passengers who dare to board do so at their own peril? If that's the case, how come Island Express didn't have a big sign in front of the helicopter?

It gets even crazier. Island Express says it's not responsible for the crash because it was an Act of God. Well, blinding fog is definitely an act of God. Flying into it at 180 MPH is not.

And then, just like the pilot, Island Express blamed the crash on the passengers -- in this case Kobe and Gigi, saying their lawsuit should be thrown out because they were negligent.

And, there's more. Island Express said the accident was the result "of an unavoidable accident." Turning the helicopter around before going into the fog, or going very slow as the pilot ascended or descended might have made it avoidable.