Legal

R. Kelly says his ex has been running her mouth for far too long ... and he now wants a judge to shut her up.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Kelly's legal team filed a motion alleging the singer's ex, Drea Kelly, has breached a marital settlement agreement they signed back in January 2009. In it, Drea agreed she would not say a peep about the time they were married.

In docs, Kelly's team says he wants a judge to order her to not speak about anything related to their marriage. Kelly says they agreed neither would divulge "any account of their private lives, business activities, relationship with each other, marriage or circumstances surrounding the dissolution." 

Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, tells TMZ ... Drea's interview on "TMZ Live" last month is one of the reasons for the motion. You'll recall she said if he can't pony up the child support dough, he should look into a job at Del Taco. Greenberg says, "Kelly has not made one disparaging remark about Drea publicly -- and there's plenty he could say."

Greenberg added, "Drea has two strands of income -- child support from R. Kelly and blasting R. Kelly publicly."

Greenberg, according to docs, also says Drea violated the agreement talking about the marriage on the reality show 'Growing Up Hip Hop.' Kelly also wants her to stop running to the media and dragging him through the mud. 

As you know by now ... Kelly and Drea have been at war over child support in the midst of Kelly's other criminal cases. Kelly's team told us he's paid Drea every cent he owes her. 

A former assistant coach for the USC Trojans football team is suing the school -- claiming he was fired and humiliated after reporting multiple violations to school officials ... and now he wants at least $2 MIL to make things right. 

The man behind the lawsuit is Rick Courtright -- who was hired as a senior defensive analyst in early 2016, after coaching at various levels (including the NFL) for nearly 33 years. 

During his time with USC, Courtright claims he witnessed some violations and felt obligated to report them to the USC compliance office so they could address the matter in-house. 

Among the allegations, Courtright claims he learned 2 USC graduate assistants working for the football were paying other students to take their classes for them -- with the blessing and funding coming from USC defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. 

In his lawsuit, Courtright says he also reported safety violations -- including an incident where 2 football players were injured in an unsupervised pre-game warmup, where they were not wearing proper protective gear. Courtright says the players suffered concussions as a result. 

After he blew the whistle, Courtright says people at USC retaliated against him -- from gluing his computer mouse to his desk ... to leaving nasty sticky notes at his work-station calling him a "d*ckhead" and an "a**hole."

He also claims various clothing items were stolen, people stopped talking to him and eventually USC head football coach Clay Helton placed him on administrative leave before forcing him to resign in May 2018. 

Courtright adamantly believes the treatment was a direct result of his whistleblowing -- and he's demanding more than $2 MILLION. 

We reached out to USC -- so far, no official comment. 

Jenelle Evans believes her kids are at great risk while under the care of her mother, Barbara, and it's all because of Evans' erratic brother, Colin, who has a lengthy history with the cops.

Police records -- obtained by TMZ -- show police have had at least 8 interactions with Colin since February. Colin has called to report stalkers at his home, possible break-ins, trespassers and made claims someone was putting chemicals in his water. He has even listed David as a possible suspect in the reports ... though no evidence seemed to support David's involvement.

There's also a report of a woman who claims Colin approached her and claimed she was taking photos of him and his house ... the woman was only taking photos in the woods. Police advised Colin to leave people alone.

Police have also responded to Barbara's home several times over the last few months ... including a disturbance call where a family member had thrown items in the home and issued threats.

Our sources say David and Jenelle will stop at nothing to get their kids back, and believe the dangers of being with Barbara and possibly around Colin are much greater than anything they'd face at home.

Lil Durk is desperate to get out of Atlanta for a slew of performances ... he says he's gonna get sued by festival owners if his court-ordered restrictions keep him from taking the stage.

The rapper is out on bond in his attempted murder case, but he's not allowed to be in public from 11 PM to 7 AM ... and he says that's a huge problem for his scheduled summer gigs, arguing his curfew makes traveling outside ATL nearly impossible.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Lil Durk is asking the judge to allow him to fly to Philadelphia next weekend so he can headline the Dope Shows Festival, claiming he's risking a lawsuit against him if he doesn't show up.

Durk wants the judge to change the terms of his release to allow him to travel to performances and scrap his curfew when he's on the road.

As we first reported ... Durk says his court-ordered bedtime is killing his wallet, because he's already been forced to cancel 6 shows, costing him a huge chunk of cash and making it difficult to provide for his 6 kids and other family members.

Durk's legal issues stem from a February shooting in Atlanta. Prosecutors say he was directly involved, a claim Durk vehemently denies.

DaBaby got some good news, bad news to start his weekend -- he will NOT serve any jail time in his North Carolina gun case ... but there are strings attached.

According to the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office ... the rapper was convicted Thursday of carrying a concealed gun, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation and 30 days in jail -- however, the jail sentence is suspended.

If DaBaby stays outta datrouble during probation, he'll dodge jail altogether.

The case dates back to November ... when the rapper got into a fight with a man inside a Walmart, and the altercation resulted in the other guy getting shot and killed. DaBaby initially claimed he was threatened and was protecting himself and his kids. He never copped to pulling the trigger.

DaBaby was ultimately arrested in connection with the fatal shooting but he was NOT charged with killing the man -- instead, he was charged with misdemeanor carrying a concealed gun.

Question remains ... who shot the man in Walmart? The DA's office tells TMZ ... investigators are still investigating that aspect of the case. There have been no other arrests or charges in connection with the shooting.

Chaka Khan's scorned ex-manager wants the singer to tell her something good ... by cutting a fat check for the money her manager claims she's owed. 

According to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ ... Olasumbo Kuti claims she was hired to be Chaka's manager in 2013, and she says when she was fired in 2017 Chaka owed her a huge sum of money that has never been paid out. 

In the docs, Kuti claims Chaka owes her a cool $236,600 for her business and personal management services. That's not all, Kuti claims she owns 5 percent of 3 of Chaka's businesses, and Kuti is also asking the court to award her that small slice of ownership. 

Kuti says she did wonders for Chaka's bottom line during her time as her manager ... but Kuti says when Chaka cleaned house a few years ago, she was screwed out of a huge chunk of change. 

We reached out to Chaka's team ... so far, radio silence.

Tyra Banks wants to make dairy her cash cow ... and it looks like she has plans to turn a sweet profit off of her favorite cheat meal, with the help of her famous catchphrase.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the supermodel applied for the trademark "Smize Cream," which she wants to slap on a new brand of ice cream.

The docs don't lay out the specifics of Tyra's dip into the world of delicious desserts, other than the name ... but it sounds tasty.

Tyra's own ice cream actually makes sense ... she coined the term "smize" -- as in, smile with your eyes -- and the 45-year-old has been candid about body image in connection with her recent Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition cover, saying people shouldn't feel guilty about occasionally indulging in ice cream.

No word if Tyra plans to fire up a "Smize Cream" truck this summer, but we can dream.

7:35 AM PT -- The hearing is over, it only went about 20 minutes, and Cuba's attorneys did not get a ruling on their motion to dismiss. The judge said she would not make any "rash decisions," and certainly not before prosecutors have a chance to respond on July 17.

Judge Keshia Espinal added she would rule on the motion to dismiss on August 14.

Prosecutors filed a deposition from the accuser in which she details her account of the alleged groping.

Cuba Gooding Jr. just arrived to a Manhattan courthouse for a hearing in his groping case ... and the actor is trying to convince the D.A. to drop the charges against him.

We got Cuba strolling into court Wednesday morning, flanked by his legal team and NYPD officers for security. As we've reported, prosecutors have charged Cuba with one count of misdemeanor forcible touching and one count of sexual abuse in the third degree.

The Oscar winner's attorneys, Mark Heller and Peter Toumbekis, say their client is innocent and have filed a motion to dismiss the charges. The judge is expected to address that motion Wednesday in court.

Cuba was arrested earlier this month, turning himself in to police a few days after a woman called 911 alleging the Oscar winner touched her breast without her consent while at a New York bar. He's pled not guilty.

TMZ broke the story ... Cuba feels his accusers own words -- from blog entries -- show she has a "warped mental state." His motion to dismiss widely quotes blogs where she allegedly said she was starving for attention and also suffering PTSD and anxiety disorder.

Cuba also wants a full exoneration, and his lawyers have argued the case is littered with factual inconsistencies, a lack of conclusive video evidence and an alleged screwup in the NYPD investigation.

Story developing ...

The woman who claims NHL star Evander Kane stiffed her out of $3 MIL for aborting his child was ordered to reveal her real name in court in order to proceed with the case ... so she's decided to unmask herself.

An L.A. County Superior Court judge ruled Hope Parker -- who had previously used the alias "Jane Doe" in her lawsuit against Kane -- cannot use the alias moving forward.

"There is no clear California law allowing her to remain anonymous," the judge said in a ruling.

But, instead of dropping the case and keeping her identity secret, Parker has filed new documents using her real name ... sending the message that she's not backing down.

As we previously reported, Parker claims she had been dating Kane on-and-off from 2015 to 2018 ... and says she had two abortions during that time.

But, Parker says when she got pregnant for a THIRD time with the San Jose Sharks forward ... she did NOT want to abort it -- until he offered her $3 million.

She claims she went through with the procedure ... but when but Kane never ponied up the cash -- she sued, seeking over $6 MILLION in her lawsuit.

Kane filed legal docs of his own back in 2018 essentially saying that since he's not accused of committing a crime, the accuser should not be able to hide behind an alias.

The strategy was pretty clear -- if the judge forced her to reveal her name, Kane believed she would be more likely to drop the suit out of fear of embarrassment.

But, that's not the case ... Parker is actively working to amend her lawsuit to add her real name, according to court docs.

1:08 PM PT -- Cardi has officially left the building ... with plenty of love from her fans.

Cardi B is entering her plea on all the new charges in the strip club beatdown case.

Fresh of her Album of the Year win at the BET Awards ... Cardi arrived at the courthouse in Queens decked out in a black pantsuit. Inside the judge told her she's being charged with attempted assault in the 2nd degree and various other charges.

The judge gave Cardi the option of having all the charges read aloud in court. Her attorney said that would not be necessary -- and then Cardi said, "Not guilty sir, honor"

As we reported ... Cardi was indicted last week on 12 charges, including 2 counts of felony attempted assault with intent to cause serious physical injury. Other charges include misdemeanor reckless endangerment, assault, criminal solicitation, conspiracy and harassment.

This came after the rapper was initially charged with just 2 misdemeanors for allegedly ordering an attack on 2 strip club bartenders who are sisters -- Jade and Baddie Gi -- back in August 2018.

However, after Cardi rejected a plea deal that would have given her a conditional discharge in return for pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor ... a grand jury was convened and eventually handed up the 12-count indictment.

There are 2 codefendants in the case and they were also arraigned today -- both plead not guilty.

TMZ broke the story ... Cardi was arrested in October for her alleged role in the strip club incident, in which the 2 women claim they were injured when Cardi's people began throwing bottles and chairs.

If convicted on the new felony charges, we're told Cardi faces up to 4 years in prison.

Justin Theroux's just showed his neighbor who's boss, because a judge settled their nuclear war over a roof deck ... and Justin came out on top.

The fight between Justin and neighbor Norman Resnicow has gone on for more than 2 years, and it redefined nasty.

It was all over a 40-square foot strip of roof deck ... and the judge said it was always his, even before the legal dispute erupted. As for the nastiness ... Resnicow allegedly once threatened neighbors with a harpoon-like device for siding with Theroux, and he even inserted himself in Justin's breakup with Jennifer Aniston.

In his suit, Justin said Norman was threatening to cut off water and electricity to his roof deck if he didn't comply with Norman's demands.

A lot of legal mumbo jumbo in the court's decision, but the bottom line ... the judge concluded Resnicow was a deck trespasser and it was rightly owned by Justin.

Blac Chyna won't be prosecuted for allegedly brandishing a knife and threatening her hairdresser.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office tells TMZ the cases against Blac Chyna and her hairdresser were both rejected ... due to insufficient evidence.

The L.A. District Attorney had the first look at the case, but determined there wasn't enough there to charge Chyna or the hairdresser with a felony, so they gave the case to the City Attorney ... and now it's officially done.

Our law enforcement sources say the case was weak from the beginning.

TMZ broke the story ... BC and her hairdresser got into a heated exchange last month at Chyna's home in the San Fernando Valley. The hairdresser claimed Blac Chyna went after her with a blade and filed a police report, and BC appeared as a named suspect for assault with a deadly weapon.

Blac Chyna insisted she was actually the victim, not the aggressor ... and claims the hairdresser started hurling soda cans during the argument.

10:46 AM PT -- Kevin Jr.'s attorney, Ray Hamlin, tells TMZ he expects the case will be fully resolved. Hamlin says Kevin Sr. is not interested in bringing charges against his son. What's more, there's a state-wide conditional dismissal program Kevin Jr. can qualify for -- available to those without a prior criminal record -- to completely clear his name as long as he stays out of trouble.

8:30 AM PT -- Wendy and Kevin Sr. were in a car outside the courthouse. We're told they were advised it was unnecessary for them to go inside because the case was continued.

7:40 AM PT -- Kevin Jr. showed up in court and there was a change of plans, because neither of his parents showed up. He entered a not guilty plea ... and the prosecutor asked for more time so he'd have more time to review the case.

The prosecutor said he wanted to "review factors in the case" and said he thought the case would be resolved at the next hearing. That screams plea bargain or outright dismissal of charges. As you know, Kevin Sr. has said he did not want to press charges.

Wendy Williams will be right behind her son Tuesday in court when he enters a plea in his assault case, and it looks like the incident that got him arrested may have significantly reduced tensions between Wendy and her soon-to-be ex-husband.

Sources connected to Wendy tell us, she along with estranged husband Kevin Hunter, will present a united front, supporting their 18-year-old son ... who allegedly punched his dad in the nose during a heated argument.

It seems the incident last month may have actually eased tensions between Wendy and Kevin. We're told the divorce is going forward for sure -- this after Wendy learned Kevin father a baby with his mistress -- but we're told she believes it doesn't cancel out their 28-year relationship. Wendy told a friend, "There's still love between us, regardless of the divorce," adding they are still friends.

Our sources say Wendy does not want to create a spectacle in the New Jersey courtroom. She will say nothing in court ... she's only there to support her son, as is Kevin.

Kevin Sr. does not want to press charges, but because it's a domestic incident prosecutors often press on regardless.

Short story ... Wendy is saying she and Kevin Hunter Sr. will "work through this" and will maintain a relationship grounded in friendship, in no small part for the benefit of their son.

Jenelle Evans and David Eason are back in court, hoping to regain custody of their kids ... but most likely just getting an opportunity to see them face to face.

The troubled couple walked quietly into the courthouse Tuesday morning in Whiteville, North Carolina, where there's been no shortage of tense moments in recent weeks. As you know, all of Jenelle's kids -- 9-year-old Jace, 4-year-old Kaiser and 2-year-old Ensley -- were removed after a judge decided the couple's issues -- especially David killing the family dog -- put the kids at risk.

While Jenelle has said she's sticking with David no matter what ... they've agreed to attend counseling in hopes of getting back their children. Still, the drama's continued even at these court-monitored visits with the kids.

You'll recall, Jenelle got into a nasty little exchange with her mom, Barbara, earlier this month outside the courthouse. Jenelle said her own mom has blocked her number. Barbara insinuated the only reason Jenelle was hugging her daughter, Ensley, was for the cameras.

Then, there's Jenelle's ex, Nathan Griffith. You might recall Jenelle and David confronted Nathan, who was talking to our guy. David flipped them off. Nathan tried to make things right with them but to no avail.

Tiger Woods is no longer a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a former employee at Tiger's Florida restaurant, who died last year in a DUI crash.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... the estate of Nicholas Immesberger sued The Woods -- along with Tiger and his girlfriend, Erica Herman, the restaurant's GM -- claiming Nicholas was overserved alcohol at the restaurant in the hours before the crash.

In the original suit, the Immesberger estate claimed Nicholas -- who was a bartender -- stayed after a shift on 12/10/2018 and was served to the point of "severe intoxication" before being allowed to get in his car and drive. He crashed and died shortly after.

The family claimed Tiger and Erica knew Nicholas personally -- knew he had an alcohol problem -- and should never have allowed him to be served alcohol.

But, Tiger's attorney, Barry Postman, says the family has had a change of heart when it comes to Woods personally ... and have voluntarily dismissed his name from the lawsuit.

"The decision was clearly appropriate and reflected the fact that Mr. Woods should not have been included in the lawsuit in the first place because he had nothing to do with Mr. Immesberger's death,'' Postman said in a statement.

"While the situation was tragic, the facts will ultimately show that the cause of Mr. Immesberger's car accident were the many decisions made by Mr. Immesberger on the night of his passing.''

The Tupac Estate, Tom Petty's ex-wife, Hole and countless others involved in the most epic songs in history are suing Universal Music Group, claiming UMG screwed them out of more than $100 million by secretly pocketing money it got after a fire destroyed hundreds of thousands of master recordings.

It's a class action lawsuit and could include the likes of Elton John and many others.

Here's the backstory ... a fire destroyed as many as 500,000 master recordings in UMG's archive vaults on the Universal Studios backlot warehouse.

The suit alleges there was a deal where UMG and the artists split profits from master recordings 50/50.

UMG told Billboard shortly after the fire, "We had no loss, thankfully. We moved most of what was formerly stored there earlier this year to our other facilities." The suit claims that was a big, fat lie.

According to the lawsuit, UMG filed insurance claims of at least $150 MILLION based on the fact the master recordings were destroyed ... and they did not share a penny of that with the artists. The suit claims UMG intentionally tried to deceive the artists by concealing the payments.

The suit asks for more than $100 mil. No word on other artists who may join the class action.