Fairly Legal

New York's top prosecutor is taking the Daniel Prude case out of the local jurisdiction's hands and putting the decision of whether to bring charges squarely with the people.

Attorney General Letitia James says she'll be convening a grand jury soon to review the case and see if any crime had been committed by the Rochester police officers ... who put a spit sack over Prude's head earlier this year, which ultimately lead to his death.

As we reported ... Prude's brother called 911 for help after Daniel was acting erratically. He was intercepted in the snowy streets, completely naked. While complying with officers' demands at first, Prude eventually tried standing up ... and was pinned to the ground.

With a knee to his back and a hood over his head, Prude eventually lost consciousness. He was placed on life support and died 7 days later. His death was ruled a homicide by complications of asphyxia while being restrained, plus other contributing factors.

Empaneling a grand jury essentially takes the power to charge anyone out of a prosecutor's purview and puts it with grand jurors, who'll take a look and be presented an argument one way or another by the lead investigative office -- in this case, the New York Attorney General.

Safe to say, if the AG is making this move ... it's because she wants impartial people to judge what happened and then determine if charges should be filed. So far, seven of the cops have been suspended with pay, but no charges have been filed.

Rochester's mayor, Lovely Warren, decried Prude's death this past week ... claiming ignorance over the true nature of his detainment. Not everyone is satisfied with that explanation, especially since Prude died 6 months ago.

Dr. Dre's estranged wife claims in legal docs Dre was violent with her in the past, and she also ticked off why she needs nearly $2 mil a month in temporary spousal support while their divorce winds its way through the legal system, and the expenses she lists are eye-popping.

TMZ broke the story ... Nicole Young wants $1,936,399 to cover her expenses.  Here's the breakdown

-- Laundry and cleaning $10,000 a month

-- Clothes $135,000 a month

-- Education (tuition and living expenses) $60,000 a month

-- Entertainment $900,000 a month

-- Charitable contributions $125,000 a month

-- Mortgage. $100,000 a month

-- Telephone, cell phone, e-mail $20,000 a month

In all, she says she actually has a monthly nut of $2,530,000

As we reported, sources connected to Dre say he's covering all her expenses, including the Malibu house where Nicole is staying, chefs, security, etc.

But, in her docs, Nicole says Dre has been controlling with the pursestrings, denying her the right to use, among other things, her AmEx black card.

In her docs, Nicole goes into detail about the prenup she signed, using the "gun-to-the-head" metaphor just before their wedding. She also says Dre ripped it up several years into the marriage, although he denies it. At stake -- as much as a billion dollars.

Nicole says things really fell apart April 1st, claiming Dre was intoxicated at their West L.A. home when he started yelling at her, "F*** you. F*** you. Get the f*** out. Get the f*** out. Go to Malibu."

She claims at one point he ordered ... "Do not spend one more cent ... period. You can't be mean and disrespectful and spend my hard-earned money. F*** that!!! Yes that's a threat ... I'm putting the beach house up for sale next week ..."

Nicole also claims Dre is furious at her that her lawyers are trying to dig into his personal finances, threatening "war" if she persists.

She also claims she became alarmed when he had his brother-in-law come to the Malibu home to pick up his Glock. She says she feared Dre and wouldn't turn it over because she says Dre had a "history of violence and coercive control, both before and during the marriage." She does not elaborate, but does mention texts messages from Dre after they separated. In one, he said, "Why are you ignoring me? Why are you ignoring me ... should I come see you?" She says the text was "frightening" and instilled fear in her.

As we reported, Nicole is also asking for $5 million to cover her attorney's fees.  She filed for divorce 2 months ago.

Kim Kardashian could become the next Martha Stewart ... because it looks like she's getting ready to tackle the world of home goods!!!

Kim's legal team filed new docs to lock up the rights to "KKW Home."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kim is eyeing the sale of "KKW Home" products in retail outlets known for bath and shower products, plus home and bedroom furnishings and accessories.

And, from the looks of things, Kim's planning to slap her moniker on pretty much every home good product you could possibly buy ... bath mats and rugs, towels, shower curtains and liners, linens, drapes, afghans, throws, comforters, blankets, scented oils, room fragrances, candles, body and loofah sponges, bathroom caddies, soap dishes and dispensers, toilet paper holders, organizing and storage containers, trays, baskets, bowls and even wastebaskets.

Basically, everything under the sun when it comes to filling out a living space.

It's no surprise ... Kim's recently been looking to expand her business empire during the pandemic ... as we first told you, she's also looking to grow her beauty biz into skincare.

Kodak Black is praying for more than just his release from prison ... because he says he can't get access to a rabbi to practice his Jewish faith behind bars.

Kodak's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ he's ramping up to file a lawsuit if his client doesn't get what he says he's been requesting for months ... a consultation with his own personal rabbi -- or any rabbi, really, at this point.

Of course, the other headline here is ... Kodak Black's Jewish??? We're with ya, and Cohen explained the rapper identifies with the faith -- even though he has yet to convert. He claims the feds have gone radio silent on his efforts to connect with his go-to rabbi.

If nothing changes, Cohen says they'll be suing for a violation of Kodak's First Amendment right to practice his religion.

He admits the chaplain at Kodak's facility in KY recently emailed to say face-to-face spiritual meetups were being temporarily axed due to COVID. However, Cohen says the chaplain also told him phone calls with the rabbi shouldn't be an issue.

Oh, and if you're wondering why Kodak's so adamant about getting access to any rabbi and a Torah, we're told he thinks it will help his mental state. Kodak believes God has a plan for him, and wants to talk it out with a pro.

Steven Spielberg's daughter no longer has to worry about her domestic violence case ... because TMZ's learned it's been tossed.

A spokesperson with the Office of the Attorney General in Nashville tells TMZ ... Mikaela Spielberg successfully completed court-ordered counseling classes after her February arrest. We're told Mikaela had already been attending counseling since October 2019, but the focus of her weekly classes changed following her arrest. We're told the final report was very good ... resulting in the judge dismissing her domestic violence case.

As we reported ... Mikaela was arrested following an argument with her BF after returning home from a bar. She allegedly erupted and hurled objects at him after he said something "rude" to her.

Cops observed a visible injury on the BF -- dry blood on his hand and a swollen wrist -- and determined Mikaela was the aggressor.

Naomi Campbell is being dragged into court by her ex-boyfriend, who's filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit, claiming she owes him a lot of dough.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Naomi's ex, Vladislav Doronin -- a Russian businessman -- claims she's refusing to pay back money he loaned her, and is still holding on to some valuable property of his.

In the docs, Vladislav claims Naomi's refusing to return his personal property, which he values at more than $3 million. It’s not clear yet how much money he claims to have loaned her.

The supermodel started dating the Russian billionaire way back in 2008, and they were together for five years before breaking up in 2013. Vlad often showered her with gifts, including getaways on his yacht and a house in the shape of the Eye of Horus on Cleopatra Island in Turkey.

Jacob Blake appeared publicly for the first time after being shot in the back 7 times and paralyzed ... he entered a plea in his criminal case from his hospital bed.

Jacob made a court appearance via video Friday, on charges unrelated to the incident in Kenosha. He was sitting in his hospital bed, wearing a blue dress shirt with a yellow tie.

Blake's accused of criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and 3rd-degree sexual assault. The charges were filed before he was shot by police, and they are unrelated to the shooting which left him unable to walk.

Jacob briefly spoke to the judge when asked if he understood the charges against him ... he pled not guilty to all 3 charges.

As you know ... Jacob was shot 7 times in the back by a cop as he tried entering his vehicle.

Ex-New York Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas is fighting back in his hit-and-run case ... pleading NOT GUILTY to all charges, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 25-year-old is accused of slamming his black Chevrolet SUV into a pickup truck after exceeding speeds of 100 MPH in Chico, Calif. on June 15.

Cops say multiple witnesses saw the former Pro Bowler wreck the car and then flee the scene on foot.

Officers add, when they were finally able to detain Aldrick hours later, they say his hands, legs and bare feet were bloody.

Aldrick was eventually hit with three misdemeanors over the incident -- including reckless driving on a highway and hit-and-run -- but court records show he pleaded not guilty to all charges last week.

The case is obviously a big deal for Rosas ... he was cut by the Giants shortly after the arrest -- and has yet to land with another team despite being one of the league's better kickers.

We've reached out to Rosas' attorney for comment ... but so far, no word back yet.

Dr. Dre's wife is seeking a steady flow of serious cash from the music mogul as they head toward divorce ... but our sources say she's not going to get it without a fight.

Nicole Young just filed legal docs asking for temporary spousal support from Dre ... and the amounts are staggering, even for the uber-wealthy.

According to the docs, Nicole wants $1,936,399 monthly in temporary spousal support. She wants an additional $5 million in lawyer fees ... even though she just filed for divorce 2 months ago.

This huge swing by Dre's estranged wife has all the makings of a contentious and bitter divorce battle ... especially since there's already a raging prenup dispute.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... nothing has really changed for the 2 since Nicole filed for divorce -- she still lives in their Malibu house and has access to all the cars, personal chefs and other luxuries.

Our sources say Dre's going to push back, arguing Nicole doesn't need anywhere close to that amount since her lifestyle hasn't changed. Nicole, on the other hand, will argue she doesn't want to depend on Dre paying all the bills ... thus the need for temporary support.

As we reported ... things are already contentious after Nicole filed docs in early August claiming she was forced to sign the prenup back in 1996. She says 2 years into their marriage he told her he was ashamed he made her sign the prenup and tore it up in front of her.

Dr. Dre -- whose net worth is estimated at $800 million -- denies he ever tore up the prenup, and says she signed it willingly and wants it enforced.

A Bay Area police officer's been charged with voluntary manslaughter for shooting and killing a black man who was wielding a bat in Walmart.

The San Leandro cop, Jason Fletcher, made no attempt to de-escalate the situation before fatally shooting 33-year-old Steven Demarco Taylor ... according to Alameda County District Attorney, Nancy E. O’Malley.

The D.A. claims Taylor didn't pose an imminent threat of death or great bodily injury to Fletcher or others in the store, and says she made the decision Wednesday to charge the officer with manslaughter.

As we reported ... cops responded to the Walmart outside Oakland on the afternoon of April 18, and encountered Taylor with an aluminum bat in his hands.

Police say they used Tasers on him first near the shopping carts area, but video showed he was shot multiple times by either a Taser or a gun ... even after he had dropped the bat and fallen limp to the ground.

Prosecutors claim Fletcher did use a stun gun on Taylor first, but then shot him in the chest. The entire encounter lasted roughly 40 seconds.

Black Americans are in the midst of 2 pandemics -- COVID-19 and the systemic racism that took root 401 years ago ... so says civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Ben joined "TMZ Live" on Thursday and didn't mince words ... saying there's a hypocritical justice system when it comes to how Black Americans are treated, and the fatal shooting of Dijon Kizzee in L.A. is just the latest evidence.

Kizzee's family has hired Crump, who says he's assembling a "dream team" of attorneys to push the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. for more evidence. As you know, home security footage shows deputies firing on Kizzee at least 15 times as he was running away from them.

Crump finds Kizzee's death especially outraging because Kyle Rittenhouse killed 2 protesters in Kenosha, and was still able to walk right by police while brandishing his firearm.

He says it's a clear sign of the systemic racism Black Americans have faced since 1619 ... the first year African slaves were brought to American soil. You've gotta see his take on what he's now calling "COVID-1619."

Crump, who also reps Breonna Taylor's family, is baffled by the fact the L.A. County Sheriff's deputies were not wearing body cams ... but he's thankful that, especially in L.A., cameras are always rolling.

Britney Spears is making it clear -- she doesn't trust her dad and wants the public to hear what he and other professionals are doing to keep her in the conservatorship, and she also says the #FreeBritney movement's not only real ... she supports it.

Britney's lawyers just filed docs opposing her dad Jamie's motions to seal parts of her ongoing conservatorship case ... because she wants everyone to know what's up.

Britney is fighting her dad's move to appoint a co-conservator of her estate [handling business matters] to a lawyer who was deeply involved in her conservatorship for years. She wants someone independent to take the reins.

Britney argues there are no medical issues or sensitive issues with her children to protect, so there's no reason to keep the hearing secret.

The lawyer says, "... Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret."

The lawyer adds, "Far from being a conspiracy theory or a 'joke' as James [Jamie] reportedly told the media, in large part this scrutiny is a reasonable and even predictable result of James' aggressive use of the sealing procedure over the years to minimize the amount of meaningful information made available to the public."

Mikal Smith -- son of ex-NFL head coach Lovie Smith -- was arrested in Arizona this week after officials say he's been pimping, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 43-year-old -- who served as an assistant coach under his father with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Bucs -- was booked on Thursday for a slew of disturbing charges.

Officials tell TMZ Sports ... Smith is facing everything from pandering (another word for pimping) along with receiving earnings from a prostitute and sex trafficking.

He's also facing charges of money laundering and conspiracy.

The details surrounding the case are unclear -- we're working on it.

Mikal was a former college football player at the University of Arizona back in the day before getting into coaching.

He worked as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bears when his father was the head guy over there ... and later followed Lovie to the Tampa Bay Bucs, where he worked with defensive backs.

Mikal also coached at Trinity International University before working at the NFL level.

A fired college baseball coach allegedly hijacked Twitter accounts and started a social media war with the school after he got the axe ... and now, the university is suing the guy over it.

Here's the deal ... Saint Xavier University in Chicago, Ill. says in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, it hired Rocco Mossuto to coach its baseball team back in 2014.

The problem ... the university says after officials canned the guy in 2020 -- he hoarded all of the team's Twitter account passwords and refused to give them back to the school for WEEKS.

In fact, the university claims during that time period ... Mossuto tweeted out a bunch of inflammatory things about the school from the official accounts -- blasting the sports programs on multiple occasions.

Eventually, the school says Mossuto returned the accounts ... but claims the drama didn't end there.

In the lawsuit, SXU says Mossuto created more accounts that were almost identical to the university's official ones -- with similar bios, pictures of the team mascot, and handle names -- and they say it was all an effort by the ex-coach to disparage the school.

Now, SXU is suing Mossuto for trademark infringement and conversion ... and is asking for unspecified damages.

Multiple attempts to reach Mossuto for comment were unsuccessful.

Mossuto had found some success coaching the Cougars before his termination this year ... his team won the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament in 2016 and was runner-up at the same event the following year.

L.A. County Sheriff's deputies gunned down a Black man in South L.A. this week -- which can now be seen in full view through new surveillance video that was just released.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump posted footage obtained by a security camera at a nearby home, not far from where 29-year-old Dijon Kizzee was shot multiple times and killed on the spot Monday afternoon. His death has come under scrutiny and sparked protests.

LASD says officers were attempting to stop Kizzee after they found he was "in violation of vehicle codes" while riding his bike. They say they pursued him when he fled ... and things escalated into a physical confrontation between Kizzee and at least one deputy, which you can see here.

The Sheriff's Dept. goes on to say that during the struggle, some items Kizzee was carrying fell on the ground ... one of which they claim was a handgun. LASD claims at that point, Kizzee broke free and tried fleeing once again, but officers fired multiple rounds and took him down.

Crump and others contend that even if a gun was in Kizzee's possession during the altercation, he didn't point it at them and was not a threat by the time he ran a second time. They're demanding Sheriff Alex Villanueva release the names of the deputies who fired the shots ... while also asking for their arrest and eventual prosecution. The case is under investigation.

Silento allegedly got loud and threatened people with a hatchet while trying to find his girlfriend ... and now he's facing felony charges.

The "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" rapper was arrested last weekend after a bizarre incident in which law enforcement sources tell us ... he walked into a house with a hatchet in hand as he looked for his GF.

We're told someone in the house screamed for help and others took him down and disarmed him. Our sources say shortly afterward, Silento's friend arrived and told him it was the wrong house ... and they fled as cops were called.

Police caught up with the rapper, though, and took him to jail. He's now officially been hit with 2 felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon.