Fairly Legal

Britney Spears is apparently doubling down on her desire to have kids with her longtime boyfriend, Sam Asghari, because she's touting his daddy looks.

The singer posted photos this weekend of her and Sam on a hike in the great outdoors, where they're both leaning up against a tree along a path ... posing and looking cute together.

She captioned it ... "@SamAsghari looks like such a dad in these pics 😂😂😂." Sam does seem to have a furrowed brow here, and is in what we suppose you might consider a "dad" stance (maybe).

In our minds though, this is just Britney further telegraphing her wishes -- especially because she dug out old pics to make her point. Sam posted these back in February.

Remember, Britney told a judge a few weeks ago that her conservatorship is blocking her from marrying Sam, and from having more children -- something she says she wants.

She claimed the conservatorship won't let her remove an IUD ... not without a ton of red tape, anyway. That's just one of the many reasons Britney listed for wanting completely out ... without a medical evaluation.

Jodie Turner-Smith's Cannes Film Festival visit came to an abrupt halt this weekend -- this after having to talk to cops about someone jacking her jewels ... according to a new report.

The "Queen & Slim" actress -- who was there promoting her new film, "After Yang" -- filed a police report Sunday after an alleged theft from her hotel room from this past Friday, which left her out a ton of money ... so says Variety, citing sources familiar with the situation.

The outlet reports that Jodie spent a good amount of time with officers Sunday ... something she herself shed some light on through her Twitter account, writing -- "didn’t think i would be spending 2.5 hours in the police station on my final day in cannes, but here we are…"

According to Variety ... the estimated value of the jewelry taken was somewhere in the ballpark of several tens of thousands of euros -- which is a heck a lot of greenbacks, too.

Bill Cosby now knows there's at least one place his return to stand-up comedy won't take him -- one of New York City's most popular venues for comics is telling him, HELL NO.

TMZ broke the story ... Cosby is plotting a tour on the heels of his prison release, and his camp says several promoters and comedy clubs are interested -- but the famed Comedy Cellar in NYC's Greenwich Village is definitely not.

Owner Noam Dworman tells TMZ ... his venue's not the slightest bit interested, and he doesn't want Bill to even step foot inside his club. While the Comedy Cellar is known for allowing comics and content that make audiences super uncomfortable, it sounds like Cosby is off-limits.

It's worth noting the club did allow Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari on its stage in 2018 following their sexual misconduct scandals.

As you know, Cosby was released from prison last month after Pennsylvania's Supreme Court overturned his sexual assault conviction.

Dworman says even his audiences -- which largely welcomed Louis and Aziz -- wouldn't support a Cosby comeback.

SharkNinja's products are supposed to blend ingredients, not flesh -- but a California woman claims one of its blenders did a gory number on her fingers.

Nicole Guttormsen's suing the kitchen appliance company over its Nutri Ninja BL480 blender, which she alleges is a defective and dangerous product ... and she says these pics of the bloody mess support that.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Nicole says she was blending ingredients in the Nutri Ninja when the canister shot off the base ... leaving the spinning blades exposed and causing significant injuries to her hand and fingers.

We'll say this ... her alleged photo evidence ain't for the queasy.

You can see 3 of Nicole's fingers suffered gnarly injuries. While it's not spelled out in her lawsuit, it sure looks like some of the cuts went to the bone.

In any event, Nicole claims the blender's defective because it generated an excessive amount of pressure and the threads that are supposed to secure the canister onto the blade assembly don't work properly.

The man who was violently hit in the face by MMA fighter Joe Schilling in a June bar fight was covered in blood shortly after the barrage of punches -- new police video shows.

In the clip, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see spatters of blood all over 31-year-old Justin Balboa on June 27 as he tried to explain to officers what had just happened to him at a local bar in Florida.

Video shows Balboa (whose face was blurred by cops in the video) telling cops that a man -- later ID'd as Schilling, the former Bellator fighter -- knocked him out cold "for no reason."

"We were all having a good time and this guy just cracked me," said Balboa. "And, then he chased me. He chased me down, bro. Like chased me down. Beat my ass, bro. He wanted to kill me. For no reason. 'Cause he hates me."

Balboa described Schilling to cops as "at least" 6-foot-5 ... and weighing about "f***ing 270" pounds.

Later in the clip, as officers and medical personnel checked out Balboa's face ... they all said he DEFINITELY needed stitches to repair his busted lip.

Balboa has since filed a civil lawsuit against Schilling and the bar ... with his attorney, Robert Solomon, telling TMZ Sports Balboa is also cooperating with prosecutors and wants them to bring a battery charge against Schilling.

A woman who allegedly had a mental health episode aboard an American Airlines flight appears to have been taped down after freaking out in the air ... and the crew's drastic response is getting some side-eye.

This video was captured by TikTok user @lol.ariee a few days ago, during a late-night AA flight that she says was taking off from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and was in the air for about 2 hours. During that time ... a situation unfolded that caused a bit of a panic.

According to the TikToker, flight attendants started frantically running up and down the aisles at around 1:30 AM, locking bathroom doors and securing the scene for something that was happening up near the front. She says no one said anything ... just hush-hush whispering.

Eventually, she says the captain got on the intercom, and told everyone to stay in their seats 'cause of the problem toward the front, which he apparently said they were handling. When they eventually landed, this user captured the aftermath ... a woman duct-taped to her seat, with her mouth also taped -- who was crying out as passengers passed her to deplane.

As the TikTok user exited the plane, she recorded paramedics who were standing by with a stretcher. She later posted other videos saying she'd heard the woman was trying to actually get out of the plane during the flight, and seemed to be having an episode of some sort.

Sources familiar with the situation confirm that latter account to us ... saying the woman was, indeed, going ballistic. But, we haven't heard about her allegedly attempting to open doors or anything. In any case ... people are openly wondering if AA handled this the right way.

If she was actually having a breakdown of some sort ... some have questioned if restraining her in that manner might actually do more harm than good. Of course, others have pointed out that, in a scenario like that, the crew has to do what they must to keep people safe.

As for American, a rep for the company tells us this ... "While in flight from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Charlotte (CLT) on July 6, the crew on board American Airlines flight 1774 reported a potential security concern after a customer attempted to open the forward boarding door and physically assaulted, bit and caused injury to a flight attendant." They add, "For the safety and security of other customers and our crew, the individual was restrained until the flight landed at CLT and could be met by law enforcement and emergency personnel."

Zoe McLellan -- an actress most famous from 'NCIS' -- has up and vanished with her and her ex's kid ... so claims the father ... who got a court involved, which has branded her as wanted.

Court records obtained by TMZ show an arrest warrant out of L.A. County was issued for Zoe a few months ago in May ... with outstanding charges of kidnapping, child custody deprivation and child stealing alleged against her for an issue dating back to 2017.

We covered the drama back then -- McLellan's ex-husband, J.P. Gillian, was in a custody war with her over their then 4-year-old, Sebastian ... whom Gillian claimed McLellan was taking to Toronto while she filmed "Designated Survivor" without his permission or consent.

It appears that ended up happening ... except, now, Gillian says he hasn't seen or heard from McLellan OR his boy since at least April 2019. His attorney, Lawrence Markey, tells us ... the child is still missing, and that Gillian and co. believe the kid is still with Zoe.

It doesn't appear she's been hauled in yet -- there's no record of her arrest within the L.A. County Sheriff's Office. Sources familiar with the case say last Gillian heard ... McLellan was said to be somewhere near NOLA. But again, we're told Gillian doesn't know their whereabouts now -- or their status for that matter. We're told they're virtually off the grid.

It's a pretty wild story ... made even more eyebrow raising by the fact that McLellan doesn't appear to have acted in anything major since 2019. So, there too she's kinda vanished.

Atlanta Falcons LB Barkevious Mingo was arrested earlier this week for "indecency with a child" ... TMZ Sports has learned.

30-year-old Mingo -- who was the 6th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft -- was arrested July 8 by Arlington Police Department ... and booked into Tarrant County jail for "indecency with a child, sexual contact," according to court records and law enforcement officials.

We're told the charge is a 2nd degree felony. If convicted, a 2nd degree felony can carry up to a 20 year prison sentence in Texas.

Mingo's bond was set at $25K ... and he was released the following morning.

The details surrounding the arrest are not yet clear.

After starring at LSU, Mingo has bounced around in the NFL ... spending time with the Browns, Patriots, Colts, Seahawks, Texans, and Bears before signing with the Falcons this year.

BM won a ring with the Patriots at Super Bowl LI ... recording 2 tackles during the Pats historic comeback against the Falcons.

The Falcons provided us a statement on Mingo's arrest, saying ... “Our organization became aware of the allegations involving Barkevious Mingo today and are currently gathering information on this incident."

"The Falcons take the allegations very seriously and will continue to monitor the situation.”

We've also reached out to Mingo's reps ... but so far, no word back.

A police officer from upstate NY is on leave after he punched a woman he was arresting right in the throat -- knocking her flat on the ground ... and it's all on video.

The DeWitt Police Dept. released body cam footage -- which they spliced together -- showing what led up to the scuffle inside an East Syracuse Walmart on July 4 ... where the cops were dispatched on reports of women fighting inside, and allegedly using pepper spray.

When the cop in question showed -- who has since been ID'd as Rory Spain -- he tried separating the quarreling parties ... and ended up restraining the lady he ultimately punched, Tyreana Edmonds, with handcuffs. As he attempted to lead her away, things escalated.

In the video, you see Edmonds apparently try and bite Officer Spain's arm ... after which, he cocks his arm back, with his fist balled up, and unloads on the front of her neck. The punch lands, and Edmonds is tossed back ... falling hard to the ground after absorbing the blow.

You can hear people around who are filming react in outrage ... and when they approach, Officer Spain tells them to get back. He and his fellow officers arrested her and others involved in the prior altercation ... and they all face multiple charges over this.

Britney Spears has just taken the first step to end her conservatorship ... TMZ has learned she's contacted a large law firm ... and assuming the firm agrees and is permitted to represent her, the first order of business will be filing legal docs asking the judge to remove her father as conservator of her estate.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Britney wants to hire powerful lawyer and former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart. Britney has signed the following document:

"Pursuant to my statement in open court on June 23, 2021, my rights, and my desire to end the above-referenced conservatorship as to my father Jamie P. Spears, it is my desire to choose and retain my own counsel, at Greenberg, Traurig, LLP as set forth above."

The document is signed "BRITNEY JEAN SPEARS"

Rosengart, a partner in the firm, has represented a number of high-profile clients over the years, including Steven Spielberg, Sean Penn, Ben and Casey Affleck, Eddie Vedder, Soledad O'Brien, Michael Mann and NBA star Jimmy Butler.

TMZ broke the story ... Britney's long-time, court-appointed lawyer in her conservatorship case, Sam Ingham, resigned earlier this week. Our sources say Ingham believed he could no longer represent Britney because, in part, of her comments in court that she was never informed until recently she could end the conservatorship. We're told Ingham and others dispute that and say Britney was told numerous times over the years -- many times on the record in court -- that she could end the conservatorship, but she always declined to do so.

Britney became increasingly upset over the years ... especially with her dad, and wanted him out both as the conservator of her person and conservator of her estate. Jamie resigned as conservator of her person but remains sole conservator of her estate.

Bessemer Trust was scheduled to become co-conservator of Britney's estate but withdrew a week ago.

Our sources say Rosengart and his team have not formally agreed to represent Britney, but if he does the mission will be to attempt to end the conservatorship, although the first step is removing Jamie.

Britney has already asked the judge to end the conservatorship without any further medical evaluation. That will be an uphill climb, because nearly 2 dozen doctors and therapists have weighed in over the years ... saying Britney has a serious mental illness that would imperil her safety if left to her own devices. The judge did not indicate whether she's receptive to bypassing a mental health exam as a pre-condition to ending the conservatorship.

The other hurdle Britney must jump -- she's in a conservatorship, so she's unable to enter into a contract without the approval of her conservator. The person who must sign off -- none other than Jamie Spears. This would explain why the first step would be to attempt to remove Jamie.

Britney Spears has a front-row seat for a battle royale between her father and her personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, who's firing back at Jamie Spears ... claiming she's the only one moving Britney closer to her ultimate goal of freedom.

Montgomery filed docs Friday, blasting Britney's dad for attempting to lay blame at her feet for Britney's brutal testimony about her treatment under the conservatorship. In the docs, Montgomery says she's received "countless" messages about one thing -- getting her father out of her life and the conservatorship.

Jodi says, "It is ironic that Mr. Spears now wants the conservatorship to 'reflect her wishes' since it is no secret that Ms. Spears has wished her father out of her life for years."

As for Jamie implying, in a previous filing, that Jodi or others have prevented him from communicating with Britney ... Jodi's attorney writes, "Ms. Spears is the one who cut him off ... That is her choice not Ms. Montgomery's."

According to the docs, Jodi also says it's absurd for Jamie to suggest she's making decisions without him, because "everything costs money," and all the expenses go through Jamie in his role as conservator of Britney's estate.

Jodi insists she is actively working to address the concerns Britney raised during her testimony by working with her medical team to develop a "comprehensive care plan" that will create a path to ending the conservatorship.

The driving point Jodi's making is ... she's down with Britney's desire to be free of the conservatorship, but wants to do it responsibly with input from her doctors -- and she's implying Jamie is not.

In the docs, she points out Britney's father has never fully relinquished control, as he's remained either a sole or co-conservator for the last 13 years -- and she claims he's left open the possibility he'll be the last man standing to claim full control.

As we've reported, several entities have recently jumped ship -- including intended co-conservators of the estate, Bessemer Trust, Britney's attorney, Sam Ingham, and her longtime manager Larry Rudolph ... although he was not directly involved in the conservatorship.

Jodi says she's "committed to staying" so she can complete Britney's new care plan and eventually dissolve the conservatorship. Something she calls "a goal that may not necessarily be shared by Mr. Spears."

Britney Spears' personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, is looking to get paid for her work ... and she's asking the court to approve a 6-figure check.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jodi is asking the court to approve her fees of $221,090 for the work she did for Britney's conservatorship from Nov. 1, 2019 to the end of February 2021.

In the docs, Jodi's also asking the court to approve an additional $65,465 to cover the cost for her personal lawyer.

Jodi's fee requests come on the heels of her seeking 24/7 security in the wake of what she claims is a flood of death threats coming her way since Britney's scathing testimony, filled with complaints about her treatment under the conservatorship.

As we first told you ... Britney's dad, Jamie Spears, objected to Jodi's request to have the estate pick up the tab for beefed up security, which she estimated would cost $50k per month.

NFL superstar Frank Clark is now facing up to 3 YEARS behind bars ... after prosecutors hit him with a felony charge of possession of an assault weapon Friday, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told Clark was arrested by California Highway Patrol on March 13th after allegedly being caught with an illegal firearm shortly after midnight.

It's not the first time he's run into this kind of trouble -- as we previously reported, Clark was arrested on June 20 ... after cops say they saw an uzi in his Lambo SUV during a routine traffic stop.

Officers say the firearm was sitting inside of an open duffle bag in the ride ... so they arrested the 28-year-old Chiefs pass rusher.

According to a source close to Clark, the football player claimed the gun was NOT his ... and instead belonged to a member of his security team.

Prosecutors have NOT yet charged Clark for the June incident.

If convicted on the charge from the March incident, Clark faces up to three years behind bars.

The two-time Pro Bowler is due in court next week for a hearing on the matter.

Clark is one of the Chiefs' best players ... he's logged 14 sacks since joining K.C in 2019, and is in the middle of a 5-year, $104 MILLION contract.

A driver in Ohio got in serious trouble when he tried to avoid a weed bust by swallowing the green, and he's damn lucky the state trooper who pulled him over knows the Heimlich.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... the crazy traffic stop went down in Portage County, when Trooper Charles Hoskin pulled over Stephan R. Elash for speeding. Police say he also wasn't wearing a seat belt, but that was the least of his worries

As you can see in Hoskin's dash cam footage of the July 3 stop ... he realizes Elash is having trouble breathing, so he tells him to step out to try to dislodge what's caught in his windpipe.

After a few Heimlich thrusts, the driver tries to throw up, but it's still not working. That's when Trooper Hoskin had to really apply some force ... which saved Elash's life.

You can see the driver admit he swallowed a gram of weed, and apologize to the officer. EMS checked him out and he was okay, medically. Legally? Well, he was cited for speeding, failure to wear a seat belt -- and yes, hit with a misdemeanor for marijuana possession. It's still illegal in Ohio.

After Elash's stop, the Ohio State Highway Patrol issued an important, though pretty obvious, warning -- "Don't try to swallow a bag of drugs prior to getting pulled over in an attempt to keep a trooper from finding them."

"Marrying Millions" star Bill Hutchinson has just been charged with raping an unconscious teenager while vacationing in Southern California.

Prosecutors from the Orange County D.A's Office revealed Friday the 63-year-old real estate developer allegedly sexually assaulted two 16-year-old girls vacationing with him in the ritzy beach town of Laguna Beach.

Prosecutors say Hutchinson raped one of the teens while she was unconscious. He's accused of bringing the two 16-year-old girls on vacation on 2 different occasions in April. He's accused of raping one of the girls while she was unconscious and committing four acts of sexual battery against the girl.

What's more ... prosecutors say when the alleged victim declined to go back to Laguna Beach again, Hutchinson is accused of returning to his vacation home with the other 16-year-old girl at the end of May and committing sexual battery against her during the trip.

He's been charged with 1 felony count of rape of an unconscious person and 5 misdemeanor counts of sexual battery.

Prosecutors say, if convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 8 years in state prison and 2 1/2 years in Orange County jail. The news comes on the heels of Hutchinson's arrest in Texas, where he's accused of assaulting a 17-year-old girl at his Highland Park home.

He turned himself in to Highland Park police earlier this week but later posted $30k bond. There's now an active arrest warrant in Orange County for Hutchinson.

Tekashi69 is a reputation slayer ... so says a Japanese tattoo artist in a new lawsuit claiming the rapper jacked his name and defamed him by calling him a heroin addict.

The tattoo artist, Takashi Matsuba, filed legal docs in NY claiming his reputation is in danger thanks to Tekashi69. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Matsuba claims 6ix9ine "has created confusion and the false public perception that" Matsuba is associated with Tekashi69. He says he’s not.

Matsuba says the confusion is easy to see … the rapper’s moniker is substantially similar to Matsuba's first name. Only 1 letter's different.

Matsuba says in the Hulu documentary "69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez" ... there's a scene where the tattoo artist's name "TAKASHI MATSUBA" is superimposed on the screen. He claims the director's then heard saying "Peter's roommate, a Japanese tattoo artist named Takashi would inspire Danny's new persona, Tekashi69."

Matsuba also has beef with Showtime, claiming the documentary on that channel defamed him in the March documentary "Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine."

Matsuba says Tekashi's heard in the doc saying, "There was this tattoo artist named Takashi from our neighborhood. And he was this heroin addict. He did heroin to create. He did it to get himself in his little world. He did it to be himself. And that’s where I got the name Tekashi from. And that’s who I am.”

Matsuba says the quote is false and defamatory because he has never used heroin.

The tattoo artist says the quote is damaging to his profession because "tattooing requires the use of needles, and heroin is connected in the public’s mind with hypodermic needles.”

Matsuba says he demanded producers to edit the documentary to remove his image, name and likeness from the Hulu doc ... but says they've refused. He's suing for damages.