Fairly Legal

Dr. Dre's full of it if he says he doesn't have the cash to keep supporting his estranged wife's lifestyle ... at least that's what her accountant says in new legal docs.

Nicole Young filed docs detailing how much she claims the couple spent over a 3-year period and how much dough Dre has on hand right now ... and it's impressive.

According to the docs ... Young's CPA says Dre has a whopping $262 MILLION available right now in cash and Apple stock. The accountant says selling Apple stock was the primary source of funding their lifestyle from 2017-19, and believes that will continue to be the case.

So, just how much were they spending during that time? The CPA claims their marital living expenses were $2.3 mil PER MONTH -- and despite spending about $245 mil over that 3-year period ... their available cash still increased by $26 million. Hey, Apple's been a good investment.

Based on these figures, Nicole's accountant insists Dre's got plenty of funds to contribute to Nicole's attorney fees, and "maintain the status quo" of their lifestyle.

Of course, that's a big part of the spousal support battle in their divorce. We broke the story ... Dre has warned Nicole she needs to learn to start spending less and claims he's giving her more than enough to live on for now.

As we reported ... he says he's been dishing out $293,306 a month to her while their divorce plays out, but she's filed docs seeking $2 million a month in temporary spousal support.

The family of the Southern California man who died after being arrested at a grocery store is following through with a lawsuit that describes the incident in eerily similar detail to George Floyd's death.

Ernie Serrano's mother, Maria Lowrie, has filed a wrongful death suit against the County of Riverside and its Sheriff's Dept -- along with the Stater Bros. Market where the incident occurred -- claiming they killed her son.

According to the legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Lowrie claims Serrano was shopping on December 15 when store security began to pester him and then physically confronted him.

Serrano's mom says the security contacted the sheriff's office and falsely accused him of assault with a deadly weapon -- she claims he was unarmed. The store claims he had reached for the security guard's weapon.

According to the suit ... when deputies showed up they immediately were hostile toward Serrano and "escalated a very minor situation, into a fatal situation."

Lowrie claims her son was not aggressive toward the officers, but they responded with unreasonable brute force -- including beating him and using a Taser.

According to the suit ... the deputies were not satisfied with tasing and beating Serrano with a baton, so they took him down and pummeled him with their fists. Lowrie claims they continued to torture him for nearly 7 minutes, including slamming him on his stomach on a checkout stand and cutting off his air supply.

Lowrie says while her son was pinned down, he screamed out "I can't breathe man" and pleaded for help. Instead, a spit mask was placed on him, which allegedly restricted his breathing even more ... and Serrano's mom claims he was spitting blood into it as he begged them to take it off.

According to the suit ... after 6 minutes and 40 seconds of being pinned down forcefully, a deputy realized he wasn't breathing and had lost consciousness. Lowrie believes he was likely already dead by the time of this discovery.

Serrano's mom's accusing the deputies of ignoring all of the factors that can lead to death by asphyxia, denying him proper medical care, and assault and battery leading to his death. She wants the Stater Bros. held accountable for negligence as well.

Justin Combs just wanted to party, but he didn't obey Miami's rules of the water -- so instead, he ended up getting ticketed and towed away from the party. Bad form.

Miami Beach PD tells TMZ ... Diddy's son got busted for operating a jet ski more than 30 minutes after sunset Monday night on Biscayne Bay, and to make matters worse -- we're told neither he nor 2 passengers riding with him were wearing life jackets.

Both things are against the law, so police tell us Justin was issued multiple citations and the Miami Beach PD Marine Patrol towed him back to land to ensure his safety.

We're told this went down around 8 PM, and a witness on the scene tells us Justin was on the jet ski with 2 women heading to a yacht off Star Island to hang out.

We're told cops got to them before they could board the boat, though. It's unclear if they found another way to the yacht later on ... or if they had to settle for partying on land.

Miya Ponsetto, the SoHo Karen who attacked a Black teen after falsely accusing him of stealing her iPhone, had a second DUI arrest last year ... and that means a jailhouse jumpsuit could be in her future.

TMZ obtained court records of Ponsetto's DUI arrest from October 3 in Ventura County -- she was charged with DUI, resisting arrest and obstructing or delaying a peace officer or EMT.

She's entered a not guilty plea for that arrest, but the details sound eerily similar to her previous DUI bust. As we first reported, Ponsetto was stopped on May 28 in Malibu and law enforcement sources told us she went wild on cops during the arrest.

Now, on September 28, she ended up pleading no contest, and a judge gave her 3 years probation ... the terms of which call for her to stay out of further legal trouble. So, getting arrested just 5 days later for a 2nd DUI is a serious problem for her.

According to court records, a letter of a possible probation violation has already been sent to L.A. County where she's on probation. It'll be up to the D.A.'s Office and a judge, but Ponsetto's now looking at the possibility of doing time for the violation.

She's due back in court Jan. 28, for the 2nd DUI. She also has a pretrial hearing that same day for a drunk in public arrest from last February in Bev Hills -- and of course, NYPD still wants to talk to her about the iPhone incident.

Tyrese's estranged wife filed for divorce more than 3 months before he announced their split, and she claims he changed the locks at their home ... something Tyrese denies.

Samantha Lee Gibson filed divorce docs back in September, and in the petition she alleges Tyrese had, just a few weeks earlier, cut her off financially, and locked her and their 2-year-old daughter, Soraya, out of the family's Georgia home.

Tyrese is calling BS, though ... in docs he filed, he denies leaving them out in the cold. On the other hand, he admits having major issues with Samantha's demand for $20,000 per month in child support. He calls that number "unreasonably high."

As for what led up to their split -- Tyrese says when he flew home from a movie set in late August, Samantha confronted him ... kicking off a tense, 3-hour conversation where she threatened to call cops.

Tyrese says he left the house in an Uber because he wanted no part of a police interaction due to "multiple public incidents involving police brutality and racially motivated killings of unarmed African American people."

Bobby Shmurda's 2021 is off to a good start, because the incarcerated rapper could get sprung early -- as soon as next month -- if he can stay out of trouble.

The Department of Corrections just updated the Miami rapper's conditional release date to February 23, 2021 ... which is about 10 months earlier than when his sentence was expected to end at New York's Clinton Correctional Facility.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... this decision was made by the Time Allowance Committee, which consists of prison staff, but not the parole board. We’re told the Committee reviewed Shmurda's behavior and participation in prison programs and decided to bump up his conditional release date.

If he is released, he'll be under parole supervision, but we're told any mess-ups or bad behavior between now and Feb. 23 could nullify the earlier conditional release date ... and he'd likely have to serve out his full sentence until December 11, 2021.

As we first told you ... Shmurda was denied parole in September due to multiple violations while in prison -- including allegedly having a shank, fighting and drug possession. The possibility of a February release would seem to indicate he's turned things around since the parole board's rejection.

As we reported ... the rapper copped a plea deal back in September 2016 to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon.

Uncle Sam is coming after the big cats at Jeff Lowe's zoo, all because of a euthanized tiger cub ... but he says he had no choice.

Here's the deal ... the feds want to seize a bunch of big cats the 'Tiger King' star is looking after at his zoo in Oklahoma, following what they say was an unauthorized euthanasia.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds claim Jeff put down a tiger -- which they insist is a big no-no without Uncle Sam's blessing -- so the feds are asking him to hand over all his big cats that are a year old or younger, plus their mothers.

But, Jeff says it's not his fault, telling TMZ ... he noticed a young cub, almost 6 months old, limping around its enclosure. He says the cub was pulled from its mother and taken to a veterinarian for x-rays.

Jeff tells us the vet diagnosed the cub with metabolic bone disease, and said the animal needed to be euthanized ... so they did.

Remember ... the USDA last year claimed the animals at Jeff's zoo were in "serious danger" because they were allegedly getting substandard care.

Nicki Minaj's being sued for more than $200 million over her song "Rich Sex" ... which a Queens rapper claims she ripped off after he played it for her.

Jawara Headley -- a Queens rapper who goes by Brinx Billions -- is suing Nicki, claiming he let her hear his version of "Rich Sex" sometime before 2016. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Brinx claims Nicki told him it would be extremely marketable and become a global hit.

But, Brinx -- who calls himself a songwriter, artist, music producer, composer and rapper -- claims Nicki jacked his song and put it on her "Queen" album. Although, he's not credited as such ... Brinx insists he's the sole author/creator/composer/writer/producer of "Rich Sex."

Brinx says he's known Nicki since 2007, when they met on MySpace, but he's still pissed his pal allegedly ripped specific lyrics, such as ... "It ain't such a thing as broke and handsome." Beyond lyrics, he says her song also has similar music, musical notes, musical arrangement, musical beats and musical rhythm.

Brinx is suing Minaj, along with Universal Music Group, Young Money, and Cash Money, for more than $200 million in damages. We've reached out for comment, so far no word back.

Miya Ponsetto is doing a really bad job at laying low in her hometown, because she's been out and about ... and not without controversy.

The 22-year-old -- who falsely accused Keyon Harrold's teenage son of stealing her phone -- has surfaced in her SoCal neighborhood, where on Sunday ... her mother called the cops on a few paps who were looking to snap some shots and get interviews with the latest 'Karen.'

Check out these photos ... it's Nicole Ponsetto pulling over on the side of the road and speaking with officers, whom we're told then came over and talked to the paps to figure out what was going on. The cops apparently determined things were on the up and up, so they left.

That's where things get interesting ... one of the paps who spoke to cops said an officer told him Nicole had said they were wasting their time because Miya had left town. Nicole drove off ... alone. Thing is ... around a half-hour later, Miya and her mom pulled up into their driveway. You can see Nicole facing off with paps, who filmed from a distance.

As we reported, the NYPD and the paparazzi, are looking to talk to Miya about her SoHo altercation.

Since leaving NYC, Miya's been spotted in and around Ventura County ... she even had a quick walk-and-a-talk with a photographer a couple days ago on her way outta Mickey D's.

The cameraman asks her point-blank ... does she regret what she did to 14-year-old Keyon Jr. -- namely alleging he'd stolen her phone only to have returned to her from someone else later. Watch ... her answer (or non-answer) is telling -- doesn't sound like she's remorseful.

In fact, Miya even goes so far as to say that she doesn't "know what the problem is here" and adds that she's 22 herself, almost as if that justifies anything. She also points out that she's of Puerto Rican descent without being asked ... again, almost like a cop-out.

She finally ends the interview and slams her car door -- the photog asked all the right questions (including whether she's aware that the NYPD would like a word) but Miya doesn't offer much on that front. She drives off in the same Range Rover as the one Sunday.

In any case ... Miya and her mom are far from out of the woods when it comes to legal woes. As we told you, she and her mother were arrested last year for an incident at the Peninsula in Bev Hills ... one in which her mom allegedly attacked a cop. Both were charged for being drunk in public, while Miya's mother was also charged with battery on an officer.

The Black teenager who was falsely accused of stealing a woman's phone is now in need of therapy because the incident has seriously scarred him ... this according to his parents.

Keyon Harrold tells TMZ ... he and his ex-wife, Kat, are currently vetting therapists and looking to get their son -- 14-year-old Keyon Jr. -- into trauma therapy soon. Keyon (the dad) tells us his son is seriously traumatized ... and a lot has to do with Miya Ponsetto immediately zeroing in on him.

Keyon Jr. asked his dad a simple question that unearths lots of serious issues, including self-doubt ... "Why Me?"

Keyon says he's raised his son to become a proud, Black man, saying, "I have tried to instill dignity in my son. I'm trying to build his ego, because for so long egos of Black men have been shattered."

Keyon feels without professional help, his mission may be torpedoed by Ponsetto's vicious attack on his son. His dad tells us, "He wonders if he's good enough to own an iPhone, or whether he's out of place at a nice hotel." That, Keyon says, must immediately be nipped in the bud.

There's also a practical problem. Both parents are musicians and travel a lot, which means they stay at hotels quite a bit. Keyon says his son is now showing fear about going to hotels. Keyon Jr. has told his dad he's afraid someone will come from behind and tackle him. He's also afraid of being accused of a crime. In fact, he told his dad the day of the incident he felt like a criminal.

Keyon's handling it with broad strokes ... "You definitely belong, everywhere you go."

By the way ... long before the incident, Keyon and his son have talked about social justice issues, and the tragedies of Emmett Till, Michael Brown, George Floyd, and on and on.

The woman who attacked a black teen after falsely accusing him of stealing her iPhone seems to have a penchant for creating disturbances in hotels, because she was arrested for one back in February.

Miya Ponsetto is now in the crosshairs of authorities for her antics in an NYC hotel, and TMZ has learned she also caused quite a fuss -- allegedly -- at the Peninsula hotel in Bev Hills back in February.

Miya and her mom, Nicole apparently wore out their welcome when Peninsula staff ordered them to leave, but they refused. Law enforcement sources tell us, someone from the hotel called police, told them the women looked drunk and refused to leave ... so Beverly Hills cops showed up to handle the situation.

Our law enforcement sources say when they arrived and tried to get Miya and Nicole to leave, Nicole allegedly pushed and kicked a cop. Both women were arrested ... Nicole for battery on a police officer and being drunk in public. While Miya was arrested for being drunk in public. They have a court hearing later this month.

Now get this ... the L.A. County District Attorney charged both women on May 27, 2020.  The very next day, Miya was arrested again, this time for drunk driving. She pled no contest and was sentenced to 3 years probation, 30 hours of community service and she must take a 9-month alcohol/drug counseling program.

As for the phone incident -- in case you don't know turns out she left her phone in an Uber -- seems Miya has a thing for phones -- her Etsy page is littered with custom phone cases she favors. Even if she's obsessed with phones, it's no reason to flip out on 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr., New York authorities are considering serious charges against her.

Zoë Kravitz has filed for divorce ... just 18 months after she married Karl Glusman.

Zoë filed for divorce 2 days before Christmas ... this according to PEOPLE.

It's a stunning turn ... just this past summer they celebrated their 1-year wedding anniversary, posting a pic from their wedding day.

The 2 started dating in late 2016, and it became quite the thing. When they married in June 2019 at her father, Lenny Kravitz's Paris home, it became a coveted invite, for the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Denzel Washington, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Chris Pine, Cara Delevigne and Marisa Tomei.

As you know both are actors ... Zoë, stars in "Big Little Lies," and Karl's in "Nocturnal Animals."

Prince's death has been riddled in estate challenges for years, and now the IRS is getting into the act, claiming the folks managing the estate have grossly undervalued it.

Uncle Sam claims the estate is worth double what the money managers claim. The estate set the value at just over $80 million, but the IRS says it's worth more than $160 mil.

Obviously, the taxman wants his cut, and that's why the U.S. Tax Court is now in the picture. The IRS claims the estate shorted the taxes due by $32.4 mil ... that's double what the estate planned to pay.

There have been all sorts of figures thrown around by the various heirs -- some of whom have mounted challenges -- some estimates put the estate's value as high as $300 mil.

The IRS really wants its pound of flesh. It's also asking for a $6.4 million penalty for the undervaluation. The estate filed legal docs this summer claiming the IRS's numbers are way, way off.

The men responsible for Ahmaud Arbery's death have a litany of requests for their murder trial -- notably, they don't want the word "victim" uttered in court while referring to him.

Defense attorneys for Travis and Greg McMichael -- the father and son who chased Ahmaud down with their truck and then proceeded to shoot and kill him in a struggle -- have filed new motions ... which include barring the prosecution from ever referring to Ahmaud as a victim in front of the jury, 'cause they say that's a conclusion that can't be reached before a verdict.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the McMichaels argue no crime has been committed -- remember, they've pled not guilty and argued self-defense. As a result ... they say "loaded words" like "victim" might prejudice jurors against them from the jump.

The McMichaels want neutral language used for a fair shake, as they haven't conceded to any wrongdoing on their part.

There's more ... the McMichaels also asked that only one "in life" photograph be permitted at trial to depict Ahmaud -- and that that photo show him alone without any family members or friends. Not just that, but the defense asks that no family member of his be able to identify him in court ... they want that done by an unrelated, third party witness, if necessary.

The reason ... they argue too many photos of the guy will create an ingrained bias in the jury's collective mind, and paint Ahmaud as a sympathetic character. They say they don't want his family involved in ID'ing either because of possible emotional outbursts, which may also affect the jurors. So in other words, the McMichaels want this as sterile as possible.

One last thing ... the McMichaels have asked that BLM face masks not be permitted in court, that any jail calls they've made be stricken as usable evidence, but that Ahmaud's criminal record be admissible.

Andre Hill, the black man who was shot and killed by a Columbus, Ohio cop, lay dying for a full 10 minutes before he received ANY first aid from officers ... this based on newly-released body cam video.

In an horrific scene .... you see 47-year-old Hill laying partly inside an open garage as cops hover around him. They don't give him first aid, but they do walk over and handcuff him and then wait a full 10 minutes before doing chest compressions.

Hill was unarmed, and you hear a woman inside the house who comes out and says, "He was bringing me Christmas money. He didn't do anything." One of the cops orders her back inside the house.

As for why Officer Adam Coy, a 19-year veteran of the force, shot and killed Hill ... Coy saw Hill enter an open garage. Coy asked Hill to come out of the garage, but according to another cop who was on scene did not command him to come out with hands up. The observing officer says she saw Hill raise one hand with a cellphone in it. Coy screamed, "There's a gun in his other hand, there's a gun in his other hand" and then Coy shot Hill.

There was no gun in Hill's other hand or anywhere else. He was unarmed.

Coy and the other officer did not turn on their body cams before the shooting, which is a violation of department policy. But, the body cams have a feature that captures the minute before they're turned on, and that's why the shooting was captured on video, although muted.

As for the new body cam video, it's all post-shooting. We have not put the full video in this post, but there's a full 10 minutes when cops do nothing to help the dying man.

Coy has been fired for violating department policy by failing to turn on his body cam and also failing to render first aid.

Country star Tyler Rich ended 2020 with an horrific shock ... he found a dead body.

Tyler was jogging at a park in Massachusetts when he came upon the body of a man. The body was in a heavily wooded area and at first Rich thought it was a young, homeless man who was asleep.

Tyler kept running but became concerned and circled back to make sure the guy was ok. He explained what happened next ... "I realize he isn't breathing, and as I get around to the front of him, all I see is a lifeless face covered in blood. Everywhere.  Looked like maybe shot, or blunt force. At this moment, I freak out and sprint up the steep hill to try and find anyone with a phone to call police."

He said that he then stumbled upon a couple walking on the main path and used their phone to call authorities. After they arrived, Rich gave his statement to law enforcement officers and the FBI.

Tyler says cops came and they found a gun in the guy's hand, under his body, concluding "it potentially could have been a suicide ... Not that there is any type of thing that could help me cope with finding him like this."

Although Tyler says it was a small comfort to know the body wasn't discarded by someone else, he's still extremely shaken ... “I’m doing what I can to process this, the image, the reality. It’s been a rough 24 hours ... Something I’ll never unsee or forget ... He looked like a young, normal kid. Someone with a family probably wondering where he was.”

Tyler and his wife were in Massachusetts visiting relatives for the holiday.

Cops are not disclosing any more information about the death.