Legal

Chuck D is suing his record label ... claiming they stole over a million dollars in commissions, as well as a substantial portion of his music publishing catalog.

In the lawsuit -- obtained by TMZ -- the Public Enemy MC says after he signed with Reach Global Music and Terrordome Music Publishing in 2001, they took advantage of his lack of business acumen and screwed him out of tons of cash and the rights to his songs.

In the docs, Chuck D claims the record label's created a complex master plan to hide money from him ... including what he says were hidden transactions, false and fraudulent copyright registrations and accounting tricks.

According to the suit, Chuck D says he only became aware of the scheme against him in February, when he finally got his hands on some of the documents that he claims were used to defraud him. Chuck D claims he's lost a 42% stake in his music catalog, as it existed in 2012, forever.

A$AP Rocky is finally getting his day in court ... entering a not guilty plea in a Swedish court, and his family's also there showing support.

A$AP's mother, Renee Black, was escorted through the crowd of reporters, photographers and onlookers outside the Stockholm courthouse Tuesday morning.

Once the trial began, the rapper's attorney told the judge A$AP is pleading not guilty to assault, and said his client was acting in self-defense.

The trial is continuing ... so check back here for updates. The trial could go for up to 2 more days, but it's unclear if prosecutors and A$AP's team will need that much time to present their cases.

As you know ... A$AP has been in custody since early July, getting detained after turning himself in to Swedish authorities following a street brawl in the nation's capital. He was officially charged with assault last week, and he faces a maximum sentence of 2 years in prison.

However, the prosecutor told TMZ he will NOT recommend the full 2 year sentence if A$AP is convicted. A panel of 4 judges will hear the case, and at least 3 of them must rule an assault was committed for a conviction. In the event of a tie, the prosecutor can ask for a new trial. If A$AP is convicted, a judge will decide his sentence a week later.

As we've reported ... the man who attacked Rocky's crew in Stockholm will NOT be prosecuted for any crime, even though video appears to show the alleged victim, Mustafa Jafari, actually inciting the violence by harassing A$AP and his crew.

In the first video from the incident ... you clearly see Jafari strike A$AP's bodyguard in the head with a pair of headphones. Meanwhile, A$AP played peacemaker, trying to defuse the situation and saying no one wants to go to jail.

Nicki Minaj and her fiance took a big step toward the altar, because we've learned the couple just got a marriage license in Los Angeles, although it's all on the down low.

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... Nicki and Kenneth Petty took a trip together to the Bev Hills Courthouse Monday. Witnesses say they saw Nicki and her boo at the marriage license bureau window, and they got the paperwork they need to tie the knot.

Nicki and Kenneth were trying to keep a low profile inside the courthouse as they waited in line at window that read, "marriage licenses and ceremony appts. ONLY" ... and Kenneth paid for the license before they left. Nicki was wearing a ball cap, but it's hard to hide that knee-length bright red 'do.

It's interesting ... back in June, Nicki said on her "Queen Radio" show that she and Kenneth had already gotten their marriage license.

No word on when Nicki and Kenneth will make it official ... but typically the license is pulled shortly before the nuptials. A marriage license is good for a maximum of 90 days.

Nicki and Kenneth began dating last year after rekindling their flame from their teen years.

This will be Nicki's first marriage.

Courtney Love was able to get her daughter's ex-husband to sit for a psychiatric examination to determine the state of his mental health in the epic legal battle over a famous Kurt Cobain guitar.

Frances Bean's ex, Isaiah Silva, sued Courtney, Sam Lutfi and others last year for allegedly conspiring to kill him to get back Kurt's guitar -- which he'd been awarded in their divorce. Now the defendants have hammered out a deal to have a psychiatrist check out Silva.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the exam is happening Tuesday at 10 AM PT at a facility in SoCal. It'll run for about 7 hours and will consist of interviews, a mental status examination, as well as standardized psychological testing. In short, they wanna figure out if Silva's in his right mind.

The docs say that Isaiah will be asked a number of questions about the background of what he's alleging in the lawsuit and how it's still affecting him today.

Additionally, doctors could grill him about other topics that are presumably relevant in determining his mental health -- like his education, employment, marital history, legal history, substance use and family history.

The examiner's notes will be included in Isaiah's lawsuit, and the entire process will be recorded on audio.

You'll recall ... Isaiah sued Courtney, Sam and others, excluding Frances, for allegedly getting together and plotting to break into his crib, kidnap and then murder him -- all in an attempt to get Kurt's famed 'MTV Unplugged' guitar back.

Katy Perry just took an L in court ... a jury ruled her song "Dark Horse" stole heavily from a gospel song that came out 5 years earlier.

Monday's verdict is the latest step in a lengthy legal battle that started back in July 2014, when Katy was sued by the Christian rapper, Flame -- he claimed her 2013 hit song "Dark Horse" is a complete rip-off of his Grammy-nominated gospel song, "Joyful Noise."

Flame's music label uploaded the music video to YouTube way back in 2008, and it's since racked up millions of views. He says Katy jacked the underlying beat ... but she called BS, claiming there are NO meaningful similarities.

According to the suit ... Flame claims Perry also destroyed his reputation in Christian music circles because he's now associated with the anti-Christian witchcraft and imagery that's present in her "Dark Horse" music vid.

The case will now proceed to the damages phase -- AKA, when Katy finds out how much the loss will cost her.

As we reported ... Katy showed up to court last week wearing a mint-colored suit and took the stand, claiming she never heard the song "Joyful Noise" before the filing of the lawsuit.

The President of the U.S. Soccer Federation is responding to the pay gap lawsuit filed by the U.S. Women's National Team ... saying he has proof the women actually make MORE than the men despite bringing in WAYYY less money.

Remember, the USWNT sued the Federation back in March for gender discrimination -- claiming,  "The female players have been consistently paid less money than their male counterparts."

Now, U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro is responding in an open letter ... essentially saying he hears what the women are saying -- but the numbers don't back up their claim.

"U.S. Soccer has, over the past decade, paid our Women’s National Team more than our Men’s National Team in salaries and game bonuses, and we continue to make unprecedented investments in our women’s program," Cordeiro wrote.

Cordeiro included a "fact sheet" that spells out his case and explains ...

"From 2010 through 2018, U.S. Soccer paid our women $34.1 million in salaries and game bonuses and we paid our men $26.4 million -- not counting the significant additional value of various benefits that our women’s players receive but which our men do not."

Cordeiro says the Men and Women have different pay structures based on how they negotiated their Collective Bargaining Agreements ... including more guaranteed pay salary for the women and different ("more robust") benefits packages.

The men CAN earn larger bonuses ... but they're guaranteed nothing, according to Cordeiro.

Corderio also says when you break down the revenue generated by each team, the men come out on top ... by far.

"From 2009 through 2019 -- a timeframe that includes two Women’s World Cup championships -- the Women’s National Team has earned gross revenue of $101.3 million over 238 games, for an average of $425,446 per game, and the Men’s National Team has earned gross revenue of $185.7 million over 191 games, for an average of $972,147 per game."

"More specifically, WNT games have generated a net profit (ticket revenues minus event expenses) in only two years (2016 and 2017). Across the entire 11-year period, WNT games generated a net loss of $27.5 million."

Still, Cordeiro says, "U.S. Soccer does not view these as losses, but rather as an important investment in our Women’s National Team and in the long-term growth of women’s soccer."

Molly Levinson -- a spokesperson for the U.S. Women's National Team -- is responding to the letter ... essentially saying it's a crock of BS.

"The numbers USSF uses are utterly false which, among other things, inappropriately include the NWSL salaries of the players to inflate the women’s players compensation."

She adds, "Any apples to apples comparison shows that the men earn far more than the women. The fact is the women’s team requested the same compensation structure as the men have, so they would be paid equally for equal performance."

"The USSF fact sheet is not a 'clarification.' It is a ruse."

"Here is what they cannot deny. For every game a man plays on the MNT he makes a higher base salary payment than a woman on the WNT. For every comparable win or tie, his bonus is higher. That is the very definition of gender discrimination. For the USSF to believe otherwise, is disheartening but it only increases our determination to obtain true equal pay."

WWE legend Jerry Lawler thinks officials in Tennessee and a local sheriff are responsible for his son's 2018 death ... and now he's "seeking justice" in a new $3 MILLION lawsuit, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Brian Christopher Lawler -- AKA Grandmaster Sexay -- died by hanging himself in his jail cell in July 29, 2018 following an arrest for DUI and evading police. He was only 46.

But, Jerry claims his death could have easily been prevented -- if officials would have followed proper protocol when dealing with a person they KNEW had a history of suicide attempts.

Lawler's attorney, Jeffrey Rosenblum, tells TMZ Sports ... Brian -- who suffered from depression -- told officers during his 2018 arrest that he had attempted suicide in 2013 and 2015.

But, when Christopher was put in a jail cell for the 2018 arrest, officials at the Hardeman County Sheriff's Dept. made no effort to protect him from himself, Rosenblum says.

Rosenblum says Christopher was attacked by another inmate during his confinement -- and suffered a head injury, left eye gash and a possible concussion. But, Rosenblum says officials refused to get him medical help.

Instead, Lawler was allegedly placed in solitary confinement with his shoes and shoe laces -- and the cell had two large bolts sticking out of a high point on one of the cell walls.

Lawler ultimately used his laces and the bolts to hang himself, Rosenblum says.

Before his death, Rosenblum alleges that Lawler repeatedly cried out for help and screamed that he needed to go to the hospital ... but never received the medical attention he requested.

Rosenblum says the family has filed a lawsuit in the hopes of holding officials accountable -- and any money they are awarded will go toward supporting Brian's son.

He also wants an apology from the Sheriff's Dept. and a court order "requiring Hardeman County to correct their unconstitutional deficiencies so that no other family has to go through what this family has had to endure over the past year."

As for the $3 mil, Rosenblum says that number is for compensatory damages "with an additional award of punitive damages to be determined by the jury for the benefit of Brian’s minor son."

Tyga is throwing a Hail Mary in a case where he was accused of royally screwing over a concert promoter, and wait till you hear how the promoter dissed him!!!

The rapper's on the hook for $65,000, because he promised Z Entertainment back in 2015 he would not perform anywhere in Vegas other than Z's venue, and he doubled-crossed them.

Fact is ... Tyga never even responded to Z's lawsuit so Z got a default judgment, which Tyga now wants the judge to set aside so he can properly defend himself.

Z says in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tyga's a deadbeat with FOURTEEN LAWSUITS filed against him. And, the unkindest cut of all ... Z refers to him as a "quasi-famous rap star."

True enough ... Tyga's had a list of creditors a mile long pounding at his door over the years ... from car dealers to landlords and lots in between. He makes plenty of money, but when it comes to writing checks ... well, he fires blanks.

Z now wants the judge to say "checkmate."

Chloe Grace Moretz is now fully protected -- at least legally -- from a man who keeps getting busted by cops for hopping her fence.

Chloe and fam just scored a permanent restraining order, which is supposed to keep the guy away from them for 3 years. The restraining order protects Chloe, her 2 brothers, her sister and her mom. The guy can have no contact -- direct or indirect -- with any of them.

The restraining order replaces the temporary restraining order a judge issued at the beginning of the month.

The guy was arrested outside the actress' Los Angeles home TWICE ... after the guy climbed over their private gate and started banging on windows and doors, trying to gain access to the residence. He got arrested, showed up the very next day, and got busted again.

Aaron Hernandez's estate has struck a settlement with the families of the two men he was accused of killing in a 2012 drive-by shooting, lawyers for both sides confirm.

The former New England Patriots tight end had been charged with murdering 29-year-old Daniel de Abreu and 28-year-old Safiro Furtado outside of a Boston lounge ... but Hernandez was found not guilty at trial.

Prosecutors had argued Hernandez flew into a violent rage after someone accidentally bumped into him inside the bar, spilling his drink in the process.

Hernandez was painted as a homicidal maniac who waited outside the bar for hours for the men to leave and then followed their car down the street ... eventually opening fire and killing them.

But, Aaron's attorneys claimed it was actually the NFL star's friend who killed the 2 men over a drug deal gone wrong.

Days after the acquittal in 2017, Hernandez killed himself inside his prison cell where he was serving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd.

The families of the 2 victims had filed the wrongful death lawsuit against Hernandez while he was still alive -- and the case has been dragging on for years.

While details of the settlement have not been disclosed ... a lawyer for de Abreu’s widow, sent a statement to Boston.com saying it "honors the legacy and memory of Daniel de Abreu, my client’s former husband."

Presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is outraged because she claims Google has silenced her ... so she says in a new lawsuit, but Google says not so fast.

Gabbard's campaign filed the lawsuit claiming in the hours after the first Democratic Presidential Debate last month, the tech giant suspended her Google ads without notice.

Gabbard says her campaign worked frantically to find out why, but she claims Google fed her BS answers and to date has "not provided a straight answer or let alone a credible one."

Gabbard -- an Iraq War veteran -- says the suspension came at the most crucial time in her campaign ... because immediately after her performance at the debate, Gabbard became the most searched candidate after entering relatively unknown.

Making matters worse ... Gabbard claims Google's sending campaign emails into people's spam folders. She says this is not happening with other candidates and calls it censorship.

Gabbard's suing because she says it's a violation of her First Amendment rights.

We've reached out to Google, and a spokeswoman tells TMZ ... the search engine has "automated systems that flag unusual activity on all advertiser accounts -- including large spending charges -- in order to prevent fraud and protect our customers."

A big rapper says Coachella's to blame for an unprovoked attack by the music festival's security that left him with with some serious and lifelong injuries ... thus, a new lawsuit.

Belly just filed against the famous festival, claiming it caused the incident by hiring a security company that WAILED on him back in April 2018 while Belly's friend, The Weeknd, performed on the main stage. According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Belly claims approximately 25 security guards pummeled him without cause.

Belly -- who performed at the festival earlier that night -- says he had all the necessary credentials to access all areas on the grounds ... including the most exclusive and restricted VIP sections.

Belly -- who enlisted the firebrand of attorney Ben Meiselas -- says he was headed to a backstage VIP area, when out of nowhere, security bum rushed him and repeatedly grabbed, punched, kicked and choked him. The brutal attack was all caught on video.

Belly says the attack left him bruised, battered, concussed and nearly unconscious. He claims he suffered permanent physical and mental pain and trauma. Belly -- who is also suing Coachella's organizers and the security firm it hired -- wants a ton of money, but he wasn't specific.

A$AP Rocky has just been charged with a crime after spending weeks in a Swedish jail ... prosecutors just hit him with Assault Causing Actual Bodily Harm stemming from a street brawl in the country's capital ... and if convicted he could spend 2 years behind bars.

The prosecutor said A$AP will continue to be held in jail pending a trial ... and the trial date has not been set, although it could be today. A rep for the prosecutor tells TMZ the trial will be held within the next 2 weeks. The prosecutor expects the trial will last 3 days.

Two members of Rocky's crew have also been charged with the same crime and they will also be held pending trial.

The Swedish prosecutor just boasted he had access to more information than people on the internet. He said he's reviewed video and also talked to witnesses, and determined the claims by Rocky and his 2 crew members of self defense and provocation didn't hold water, despite the fact the alleged victim is the one who unrelentingly harassed and attacked Rocky and his crew first.

The prosecutor says he also considered the alleged victim's statement, which he says was supported by witness statements. We're told the alleged victim admits striking A$AP's bodyguard with a set of headphones, but only after the bodyguard lifted him off the ground by his neck, so the prosecutor viewed the headphones attack as self defense. BTW, the lifting by the neck is not on video, and interestingly, if the prosecutor really felt the bodyguard was the aggressor he would have been presumably charged ... and the bodyguard has already been cleared.

The charge has been 3 weeks in the making ... A$AP has been in jail alongside two of his associates since turning himself in to Swedish authorities earlier this month. Prosecutors inadvertently played their hand last week, announcing they were going to charge the Harlem rapper ... and on Thursday the hammer finally dropped.

The only good news for Rocky ... he and his crew will not be charged with Aggravated Assault, a more serious crime which carries a 6-year prison sentence.

As we reported ... the man who attacked A$AP's crew in the streets of Stockholm will NOT be prosecuted for any crime, even though he incited the violence and kept harassing Rocky until he eventually snapped.

In the initial video ... you hear A$AP attempting to diffuse the situation, playing peacemaker and saying no one wants to go to jail.

In video from the street brawl ... A$AP finally loses his cool, throwing his attacker to the ground and absolutely pummeling the guy.

The Swedish justice system is not bowing to pressure from the U.S. government ... with the Prime Minister essentially telling President Trump and the State Dept. to butt out after their attempts to free A$AP.

A$AP's mom thinks Sweden is out to get her son, and she believes it's because he's black ... even though A$AP himself says he won't make race an issue in his assault case.

Lil Nas X is using his popularity to jack old songs and rack up millions of views -- and dollars -- without rights to do so ... according to a new lawsuit.

The 20-year-old rapper -- who's been the hottest thing in hip-hop and possibly country this year -- is being sued, along with Sony, by a company called The Music Force for jacking the 1982 Bobby Caldwell song, "Carry On."

According to the suit ... X posted a track on YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud that appropriated parts of "Carry On" without permission, and as of early July it had nearly 4 million YT views.

The Music Force alleges Lil Nas was "motivated by greed and malicious intent."

The company is also suing Sony because it recently signed the rapper to a record deal ... and it says it should made sure its artist got the song cleared.

The Music Force is asking for a whopping $25 million, claiming X has destroyed the value of its Bobby Caldwell song by jacking it.

We reached out to Lil Nas and Sony ... no word back so far.

Channing Tatum is now legally protected from a woman who broke into his home and squatted there for more than a week.

The woman made herself comfortable in Tatum's crib for 10 days back in June ... and on Tuesday a judge ordered her to stay 100 yards away from Channing, his estranged wife, Jenna Dewan, and their child, Everly. The intruder can't make contact with them either. Channing's current girlfriend, Jessie J, is NOT one of the protected parties.

As we reported ... one of Channing's personal assistants discovered the woman making herself comfortable at Channing's home while he was out of town. His assistant performed a citizen's arrest until cops were able to arrive and take her away.

Authorities say the woman had some personal belongings in the crib. Channing acknowledged the woman had paid him a visit before, claiming she knew him.

Attorney Blair Berk was in court on Channing's behalf, as Tatum is currently in London. Berk provided an email that the woman sent, in which she claimed that she had a relationship with Channing, and that she believed he communicated with her via music.

Future wanted to kick some ass before a melee broke out that left his bodyguard knocked out cold ... but his team pulled him away, fearing he'd end up like A$AP Rocky ... behind bars.

As we reported, a group of around 10 guys started harassing Future and his crew at the Ibiza Airport ... and sources connected to Future say it was full-on racist attack, which began with racial epithets. A fight erupted, and Future's bodyguard did some street justice with 6 of the guys before he got coldcocked with an alleged rock to the head.

We're told before the fighting began, Future was fully engaged and enraged, but his team had A$AP on the brain and didn't want the rapper to end up in a Spanish jail, so they literally pulled him away from the scene. That's when the bodyguard took over.

Future clearly wanted in on the action, because his anger was apparent hours later when he referred to the attackers as "fake goons" and other choice words.

It's interesting ... it sure looks like Sweden is trying to send a message to black rappers that they come to the country at their peril. The message seems to have been received loud and clear, and rappers visiting other European countries are adjusting their moves accordingly ... clearly out of fear the justice system will screw them.

By the way ... eyewitnesses tell us the sucker punch video is edited to make it look like Future was watching nearby with no concern for his bodyguard ... but fact is he didn't see it and had already left the scene.

The good news ... our sources say the bodyguard is doing fine.

As you know ... things played out much differently for A$AP in Stockholm earlier this month, where a man allegedly harassed and attacked the rapper's bodyguard. Rocky tried to diffuse the situation but eventually snapped and now has hell to pay.