Legal

Busta Rhymes just sued a former employee for allegedly pretending to be his manager and booking him for gigs without the rapper's permission.

Busta is suing Rasheem "Bubba" Barker claiming the guy had no authority to make deals on the rapper's behalf but still managed to make money off Busta's back by getting promoters to pay thousands up front and keeping the dough.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Busta says Barker's misdeeds included when he booked Busta for gigs in 2016 and 2018 and put $60k in advances in his personal bank account.

Busta also claims Barker stole $8k that was supposed to go to Busta's travel expenses earlier this year for a trip to Toronto.

The rapper claims as a result of all this, someone got a default judgment against Busta for $22,478 after he no-showed a gig booked by Barker. Busta's pointing the finger at Barker and wants him to cover those and other damages. He's suing for more than $500k.

ICYMI ... earlier this week, Busta went off on Barker accusing him of pretending to be Busta's manager. He's now taken his beef from Instagram to the courthouse.

Tekashi69 might have way more legal woes on the horizon than the full plate he's already dealing with, 'cause the feds are looking into the Chief Keef shooting case, in which cops think 6ix9ine implicated himself on tape.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the shooting case -- which has gone unsolved so far with the NYPD -- is now under review with federal prosecutors, who are combing over the evidence to see if it might lead to any additional charges.

We broke the stories ... police who've been investigating the June shooting in NYC already believe Tekashi was involved and might very well have put a bounty out on Keef's cousin, Tadoe, as the rainbow-haired rapper seemed to say in this clip.

We're told the video TMZ posted of Tekashi saying he's got a "30 pack" on Tadoe, with whom he'd just gotten off the phone, is a key piece of evidence the feds are looking at. And, remember, one of the guys who police say tailed Chief Keef prior to the shooting is a "known associate" with direct ties to Tekashi.

Ya know, Tekashi can't be happy to hear that. He's already facing a number of racketeering charges as it is.

A federal judge in Brooklyn says New York state's nunchucks ban -- made wildly popular in the U.S. by Bruce Lee in the '70s -- is unconstitutional because it violates the 2nd Amendment.

The judge says the right to bear arms is not limited to guns ... it applies to all weapons that have some legal purpose. In the case of nunchucks, Judge Pamela Chen says they have been widely used over many, many years for martial arts training and defense -- a perfectly legal activity.

Judge Chen says a weapon that has a legal purpose cannot be summarily banned under the 2nd Amendment. She says, the "relative dangerousness of a weapon is irrelevant when the weapon belongs to a class of arms commonly used for lawful purposes."

Her Honor draws a distinction between nunchucks and, say, pipe bombs, because the latter is really targeted for lawbreakers.

The mother of Kenneka Jenkins -- who was found dead in a hotel freezer -- says the establishment is to blame for her daughter's 2017 death ... and now wants $50 million.

Teresa Martin has filed suit on behalf of her late daughter's estate against the Crowne Plaza Chicago-O'Hare Hotel for negligence, claiming there were several opportunities for the company and its staff to step in and help prevent Kenneka's death last September ... but failed to do so.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Teresa alleges that the hotel was made aware of Kenneka's disappearance from a room where a party was being thrown shortly after she wandered off, and says she was assured by Crowne Plaza personnel that they'd check surveillance footage in an attempt to locate her right away. She says they completely screwed that up.

Teresa says the hotel staff either didn't check the footage soon enough, or didn't properly review it ... because the 19-year-old could be seen clear as day stumbling into the kitchen in video later obtained and released by police who investigated her death.

She goes on to allege that Kenneka walked by several hotel staffers who didn't help her, and that the freezer Kenneka walked into was easily accessible to the public. She also claims the freezer had a faded sticker on it that failed to instruct people on how to unlock the door.

Kenneka's body was found in the freezer nearly 24 hours after she was reported missing. Her cause of death was hypothermia and it was ruled accidental. Tons of rumors swirled around the circumstances of her death, with some suspecting foul play.

Despite the police closing out their investigation without any arrests or charges, Kenneka's mother says the blame still lies with the hotel. She's asking for more than $50 mil in damages.

Pras says he doesn't know why the Dept. of Justice is putting him at the center of a scheme to help a Malaysian financier funnel millions into the country -- but he's got a hunch it's due to his skin color.

We got the Fugees rapper at LAX where we asked him about this crazy new civil lawsuit filed by the U.S. DOJ. He's accused of conspiring with Jho Low in 2017 to sneak tons of cash into U.S. bank accounts. Allegedly, Low's intention was to bribe DOJ officials to influence a criminal probe into his alleged misuse of international dough.

The feds filed suit to recover some of those funds -- but Pras is not listed as a defendant. He's mentioned because of his business dealings with Low. The DOJ's still investigating and says criminal charges against Low and/or Pras could be coming.

Complicated, right? That's how Pras reacted to the allegations, but he did have one possible explanation for the suit ... they're pointing at him because he's black. At least that's the "vibe" he's getting.

Low has been tied to other celebs he lavished with gifts, which are now being seized by the feds. Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly received Marlon Brando’s 1954 Oscar from Low, as well as a Pablo Picasso painting, and supermodel Miranda Kerr was gifted jewelry and a see-through grand piano.

President Trump didn't fork over hush money to Stormy Daniels to keep their sexual liaison from his wife, because Melania knows his "history" with women ... so says U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge.

The Ohio congresswoman scoffed at the notion Trump might argue his motivation for the Stormy pact was saving his marriage. As for whether it was a cover-up for election purposes ... Fudge says it's not definitive one way or the other.

For the record ... Trump has denied all of the affairs alleged by women since he was elected.

Stormy Daniels went back to her home state to protest a law setting minimum age requirements on strippers, which she calls an illegal attack on women and a bad precedent.

The former porn star was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Sunday, standing in front of the steps to a courthouse, where she and a bunch of other protesters decried an appeals court's recent decision to uphold the controversial L.A. law after it was challenged by 3 women.

The bill was originally called SB 468, and it stated that strip clubs couldn't employ dancers under the age of 21 (aka no 18, 19 or 20-year-old strippers allowed). It got signed into law in 2016, but will be reinforced again this month ... which is why Stormy is pissed.

She definitely didn't miss the opportunity to bash the legislation, calling it "f***ing sexist" ... and claiming it targets female dancers and not males. We checked the language of the law, and while it doesn't flat out say it's aimed just at women, many have interpreted that way.

Check out Stormy's take on why the law isn't actually a good tool to help fight human trafficking -- like it was pushed as when first introduced -- and what folks should do about it.

Oh, and apparently it was pretty freakin' cold out there in Louisiana. Wait 'til the end ...

The judge who closed out Tekashi69's child sex case now admits there was a major screwup with his original sentence, but she also suggests it's a moot point now that he's locked up.

A spokesperson for Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Felicia Mennin -- who sentenced Tekashi in October for his 2015 child sex case -- tells TMZ the error was in the plea deal prosecutors struck with 6ix9ine's attorneys.

According to the spokesperson, "The original sentence was the result of a negotiated plea. All parties involved, the prosecution, defense and the [trial] judge (not Mennin) signed off on it." Now, here comes the big BUT ... "As an error was made, the case was placed back on the calendar and the sentence corrected."

Translation: Judge Mennin dropped Tekashi's probation Tuesday, and gave him credit for time served to correct an oversight -- namely, that the terms of the plea deal were unlawful.

Remember, Judge Mennin handed down a light sentence of 4 years probation as opposed to jail time. Sentencing guidelines for a class C sex assault felony -- for which 6ix9ine was convicted -- call for a minimum of 10 years probation, and a max of 5-15 years in prison.

What's unclear is how Tekashi's time served -- less than 3 weeks in jail -- equals that minimum of 10 years probation. We asked Menin's spokesperson what the judge's sentence would have been had she initially noticed the plea deal screwup.

Michael Avenatti and his estranged wife have an agreement in place for him to pay her child and spousal support, and it requires him to fork over a ton of his assets ... TMZ has learned.

According to docs filed in Orange County, a judge ordered Avenatti to pay Lisa Storie-Avenatti $37,897 per month in child support, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2018. We'll do the math for ya ... it's $454,764. The order also requires Avenatti to pay her spousal support of $124,398 per month, retroactive to Jan. 2018. That's roughly $1.5 million.

Now, cut to Dec. 4, when both parties filed docs stipulating Avenatti write child support checks for $40k now, and another in January.

As for the balance ... according to the docs, Avenatti agrees to hand over a bunch of his assets for Lisa to liquidate. The loot includes 5 luxury wristwatches -- some worth more than $50k -- a Frank Gehry sculpture, and several other expensive works of art.

Additionally, he has to hand over the keys to a 2017 Ferarri 488 GT Spider he was leasing. By the way, those go for about $300k.

There's no reason Kareem Hunt shouldn't be arrested and charged with battery for attacking that woman back in February ... so says famed prosecutor Christopher Darden.

"I would have filed battery charges against him," Darden tells TMZ Sports ... saying the video evidence would essentially make it an "open-and-shut case."

Darden is most famous for his work in the O.J. Simpson trial, but also prosecuted tons of cases during his 15-year run as a part of the L.A. County District Attorney's office.

In fact, Darden tells us exactly what he would do to get the conviction -- even if the victim refuses to cooperate.

Darden also says prosecutors in Ohio still have time to make things right and arrest Hunt -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks the NFL star would benefit from a court-ordered sentence like a diversion program, therapy or anger management.

Worth noting ... the victim has 18 months from the day of the incident (Feb. 10, 2018) to go to prosecutors and seek criminal charges before the statute of limitations expires.

10:14 AM PT -- Trump just addressed the situation, and he issues a stern warning to reporters like Acosta ... follow the rules or end up back in court.

9:49 AM PT -- Acosta hit the ground running, and is already back at the White House just hours after his victory.

9:20 AM PT -- Sounds like the White House fully intends to challenge the judge's ruling. Sarah Sanders said, "In response to the court, we will temporarily reinstate the reporter's hard pass."

"Temporarily" being the keyword there.

Sanders added, "We will also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future. There must be decorum at the White House."

Translation: They're not done battling Acosta.

President Trump had it out for CNN White House Correspondent Jim Acosta ... so says a federal judge who has just ordered The White House to give Acosta his press credentials back.

The judge didn't buy the White House party line, because it shifted from Acosta making contact with a W.H. intern as the basis for its decision, to Acosta's "general conduct."

The judge did not base his core ruling off the First Amendment but rather the Due Process clause of the 5th Amendment. The judge said the decision to revoke the pass was "so shrouded in mystery that the government could not tell me ... who made the decision."

The judge went on to say Trump has no obligation to call on Acosta during White House news conferences but Acosta has a right to due process before his hard pass can be revoked.

CNN and its chief White House reporter, Jim Acosta, sued Trump Tuesday after Acosta's hard pass was yanked following aggressive questioning last week during a press conference ... Trump and Co. pulled his pass after he made contact with a White House intern, who was trying to take the mic away from him.

CNN argued in court Trump was infringing on Acosta's 1st and 5th Amendment rights by pulling his press pass, adding the real reason behind the move is his extreme hatred for CNN.

For his part, Trump's White House lawyers responded by saying the Prez can pick and choose who gets on White House grounds to cover his administration.

Originally Published -- 7:28 AM PT

Disney took "A Bug's Life" from the big screen and into the bedroom ... according to a new lawsuit filed by a woman claiming the Disneyland Hotel is infested by bed bugs.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ivy Lizette Ewell Eldridge says she developed a severe skin rash over her entire body after an April stay in the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, and the hotel failed to tell her about a bed bug infestation.

In the suit, she says bed bugs latched onto her body while she slept and "sucked her blood until they were gorged." She claims the rash was so bad, she needed medical treatment.

We've obtained photos of her alleged injuries and, yeah ... they're gross.

The Weeknd's superhero alter ego, "Starboy," was an idea stolen from another comic book creator ... according to the lawsuit the author's filed against the singer.

Eymun Talasazan, the comic book writer, says he created a comic book universe in 2014 that revolved around R&B and rap stars. According to the suit, Talasazan had convos with The Weeknd's people in 2017 about folding "Starboy" into his comic book universe.

Remember, by that time Weeknd already had the hit song and album with the same name.

Talasazan -- who is repped by entertainment attorney Kirk Schenck -- says they never ended up working together. However, he says he did file for a trademark on "Starboy" -- as a comic book hero -- right around the time of his discussions with Weeknd's peeps. The singer was aware of that, and as we reported ... filed an opposition to the trademark.

Cut to 2018, when The Weeknd debuted his own comic book, "Starboy" ... in connection with Marvel. Talasazan says the Marvel comic had a "near identical premise" as the one he pitched to Weeknd's people the year before.

The Marvel connection is interesting because Talasazan says he began collaborating with Stan Lee in 2016 on a story arc and additional characters for his Starboy universe.

Schenck tells us, “This is not a case about who created or first used the term 'Starboy.' This case will decide if a songwriter automatically (without filing a trademark application) obtains trademark protection for all later uses of a word, even if those later uses have nothing to do with albums, song titles, music or lyrics.”

Jim Obergefell -- the gay man who took his fight to marry the person he loves to the United States Supreme Court and won -- is scared to death gay marriage could be a thing of the past.

We got the plaintiff in the landmark 2015 case, Obergefell vs. Hodges, Tuesday at LAX, and laid it out in clear terms ... Donald Trump has already fundamentally altered the federal court system and there's a chance the declaration that there's a Constitutional right to marry the person of your choice may be overturned.

His fear has some basis in fact. Trump's 2 additions to the U.S. Supreme Court swing the balance of the court to the right. It's especially important because the gay marriage decision was decided by a 5-4 vote.

A guy who claims he got beat up during a brawl at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club is now looking at the dust-up with 20/20 vision ... and his sights are set on suing.

Jose Irizarry just filed suit against Hov's New York-based sports bar and lounge, alleging the venue's lack of adequate security combined with insufficient crowd control led to him getting seriously f***ed up during a melee that broke out this past March. For the record ... Jay isn't named in the lawsuit.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Irizarry claims he was minding his business at 40/40 when all of a sudden a huge fight broke out between some attendants and security ... and he became collateral damage.

Irizarry says he was struck in the head and body during the brawl, and endured pain and suffering, lost wages and medical expenses that he wants the club to cover.

Harvey Weinstein's legal team is going for the kill amid a crumbling criminal case against their client -- now asking a judge to toss the remaining charges against HW.

Weinstein's lawyer, Ben Brafman, filed a new motion Monday in Weinstein's case asking a judge to dismiss all charges.

The linchpin ... calling into question the credibility of one of Weinstein's accusers, who alleges he forced her into oral sex.

Weinstein's lawyers argue that the woman in question, who's been ID'd as Mimi Haleyi, stayed in contact with Harvey 7 months after the alleged assault. In Weinstein's filing, obtained by TMZ, the lawyers say she sent texts to his phone -- one of which allegedly read ... "Hi! Just wondering if u have any news on whether harvey will have time to see me before he leaves? xMiriam."

As we reported ... Mimi claims that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her while she was on her period and, at one point, she says he took out her tampon. Mimi also claims that Weinstein said, "Don't you feel we are so much closer to each other now?"