Fairly Legal

Another major American college is being sued by students claiming they're not getting their money's worth with the campus shutdown, and this time it's all about the U.

The University of Miami's been hit with a new class-action suit filed by an architecture major who claims in legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- that she, and all others enrolled at the school, "lost the benefit of the education for which they paid" due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The student says in-person classes haven't been held since March 17, and claims online learning options offered "are subpar in practically every aspect, from the lack of facilities, materials, and access to faculty."

She says online classes are especially ineffective for an architecture student like herself because she's "unable to participate in model making" and "unable to receive in-person feedback from instructors."

The student says in addition to tuition, she and others have also paid miscellaneous fees -- a student center fee, a wellness center fee, an activity fee, an athletic fee, and a health and counsel center fee -- but they can't get the full benefit.

According to the docs, the student understands the university can claim it had no choice but to cancel in-person classes over COVID-19 concerns, but she says the school "nevertheless has improperly retained funds for services it is not providing."

In short, she wants a refund of any spring tuition money for which she and her peers didn't get the full bang. So, to speak.

One of XXXTentacion's murder suspects fears he'll die from coronavirus while he's behind bars ... and now he's begging a judge to let him out on bond.

Dedrick D. Williams -- the first of 4 suspects arrested and indicted for the rapper's murder -- has written a letter to Judge Michael A. Usan claiming he's afraid of contracting COVID-19 because his immune system is very weak.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Williams gets right to the point in his letter, writing, “I am sending you this letter to save my life.” He claims a deputy at the Broward County main jail infected an inmate with the deadly virus and says he's afraid because he claims nobody's being tested at the jail.

Williams says he's being held behind bars because he violated probation but swears he's innocent of his involvement in the rapper's murder. He's asking the judge to allow him to bond out at least until the pandemic blows over.

As we first reported ... Derrick -- along with Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome and Robert Allen -- were indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder. All 4 men were also charged with armed robbery with a firearm.

Williams says he's been behind bars for 21 months now and claims he's stayed out of trouble while in jail. And, get this ... Williams is hoping his history with the judge will sway him to take his side. He writes to the judge, “Since the age of 17 I’ve had you as a judge. I am now 24. Never have I missed court or failed a drug test since being in your courtroom.”

He also tried tugging at the heartstrings .... telling the judge he doesn't want his children to be without a father. But, don't forget ... Williams has a long rap sheet. As we reported ... he has at least 11 felonies under his belt, according to arrest records.

Williams ended his letter telling the judge, "I hope that you and your family are safe as well." The judge has not yet made a ruling.

"Straight Outta Compton" star Jason Mitchell was trying to get straight outta dodge to a better quarantine spot when he got busted for drugs and weapons, but it's all a big mix-up ... at least according to his camp.

Mitchell's agent, Dr. Glenn Toby, tells TMZ ... the vehicle the actor was driving when he got arrested in Mississippi is not his -- and neither are the guns, 2 pounds of marijuana and 1,300 doses of MDMA cops found inside. He claims it's a friend's rental car.

According to Toby ... Jason was using the car to flee with his immediate family to a safer spot to shelter-in-place during the coronavirus pandemic, because where they were staying had become dangerous.

The agent would not elaborate, but claims Mitchell decided to leave in his friend's rental instead of hiring a car service ... due to fears of COVID-19 exposure.

Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson tells us ... Mitchell was initially pulled over for careless driving, and there was a woman and a minor inside. We're told the woman was not charged in the bust, and cops allowed her to leave with the child.

Our sources say the woman and child are Mitchell's family members, and they were heading to his mother's home before getting stopped and arrested.

Law enforcement declined to comment on whether the vehicle was his friend's rental car.

We broke the story ... Jason, who played Eazy-E in the N.W.A biopic, is facing 2 felony charges for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and 2 more felony charges for possession of a weapon by a felon.

Bill Maher is just the best, even from home!!! He had Jay Leno on Friday night on "Real Time with Bill Maher," who took aim at Jussie Smollett and Lori Loughlin, and it was hilarious.

Bill asked Jay how the rich folks are faring in Bev Hills, and Jay was quick to answer. We'd tell you what was said, but the video is way funnier.

And, Jay has an update on Olivia Jade, who could soon be donning a white smock ... for humanity, of course. It's really funny.

Ex-NBA star Kermit Washington is begging officials to let him out of prison ASAP, claiming he's at a high risk of catching and dying from COVID-19.

68-year-old Washington -- a former NBA All-Star -- is serving 6 years in prison for running a bogus charity scheme and stealing around $1 MILLION that was supposed to help starving and HIV positive children in Africa.

But, Washington fears his incarceration could turn into a death sentence because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In new court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, Washington says he's at a "high risk of death or serious illness from COVID-19" -- noting the "extreme rate of infection" and the number of deaths of inmates in the nationwide prison system.

Washington says he was scheduled to be transferred to a medium-security prison in mid-April -- but was afraid the mass transfer of inmates would increase his risk of contracting the disease.

Public records show Washington was moved to the new prison, despite his objections.

There's more ... Washington also wants to be moved out of prison altogether and transferred to house arrest, so he can complete his sentence safely at home.

"Only the court can correct this injustice and protect me and my life."

Washington was the 5th overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. Most people know him as the guy who almost killed Rudy Tomjanovich during a fight in 1977.

Despite the brutal injuries Rudy suffered at the time, he previously told TMZ Sports he "feels sorry" for Kermit and hopes for the best for him.

Columbia University's not hurting for money with BILLIONS at its disposal, but it's refusing to refund tuition while the pandemic's shut down campus ... so claims one pissed off student.

The student filed a class-action lawsuit against the Ivy League school saying even though Columbia did the right thing by closing its campus and moving classes online, the school refuses to give back tuition and fees already paid by students.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the student says they're entitled to get their money back because their online classes do NOT provide benefits they've already paid for upfront ... like in-person instruction, access to campus facilities, student activities and other benefits.

And, the real gut punch, allegedly ... the student claims Columbia's refusal to refund is especially galling because it's sitting on a $10.9 BILLION endowment. The student, who filed anonymously for fear of reprisals, says they've already paid a substantial amount of dough in tuition and fees.

And, if they're taking classes online, the student notes the cost of getting an online-only degree from Columbia is about 17% cheaper than a traditional degree.

Pace University -- another private institution based in NYC with campuses across Westchester County -- is also being sued by a different student making similar accusations. He claims Pace has an endowment of approximately $182 million but has refused to issue refunds.

Students at Michigan State, Purdue, Drexel and Liberty universities have also been suing for similar reasons.

We've reached out to Columbia and Pace, so far no word back.

Jeff Dunham says a company is constantly ripping him off to sell shirts, but now it's gone way too far by doing the same thing with overpriced face masks, to try to profit off the COVID-19 pandemic ... and he's had it.

According to a new suit, filed by legal pit bull attorney Marty Singer, Dunham alleges Raymond Lei, Ooshirts, Inc. and sites like teechip.com have jacked the world-famous ventriloquism characters he spent years developing and are using them to sell merchandise ... including coronavirus-related masks and tees.

What's worse -- Dunham claims Ooshirts and its websites have "exploited the name, photograph, image and/or likeness of Jeff Dunham himself" in order to profit off its counterfeit products, which he says has led to fans questioning why he is trying to make money off a pandemic. Dunham says this is causing great harm to his reputation and his brand.

The most recent example of Ooshirts' "unlawful conduct" -- according to Dunham -- is slapping his most beloved crotchety old man character, Walter, on masks ... and selling them online for $19.95.

Dunham says this is just one example, but claims the company has been doing this for years with all of his other characters -- Achmed the Dead Terrorist, Bubba J, Peanut and Jose Jalapeno on a Stick -- as well.

The comedian says he's been doing this routine with Lei and Ooshirts for a while, where he identifies infringing products and gets them taken down, but they always keep popping up with more ... so now he says "enough is enough."

Dunham is suing for violating his right of publicity, as well as infringing on his copyrights and trademarks and wants more than $10 million in damages.

It's another swing and a miss for R. Kelly -- the judge shot down his 2nd attempt to get released from jail due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal judge acknowledged the disease has spread at MCC Chicago, where Kelly is being held awaiting the first of many trials. However, the judge said Kelly's motion for release on bond did not present enough evidence the singer is uniquely at risk to contract the coronavirus.

As for Kelly's argument, he's not a flight risk because he's previously showed up for scheduled court appearances ... the judge wasn't buying that. She said Kelly is now facing more serious charges, including allegedly tampering with witnesses ... so again, no dice on release.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly's lawyer told the judge the singer's in a vulnerable position at MCC Chicago especially after claiming an inmate on Kelly's floor has recently been hospitalized for COVID-19.

He also insisted Kelly is NOT a flight risk because the singer doesn't really have the means. They pointed out Kelly owes nearly $2 million to Uncle Sam, and any money he does make from royalties is going to pay bills.

The judge's decision didn't reference his financial trouble, but she did address Kelly's insistence he would lay low -- while wearing a GPS monitor -- and stay off social media. She said due to the pandemic and law enforcement resources being stretched ... "They cannot ensure that a defendant with a history, incentive and opportunity to interfere with potential witnesses will not do so."