Legal

The L.A. school funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is about to face new claims of bullying -- including one incident involving a 14-year-old trying to kill herself.

Sources tell TMZ ... there is a new lawsuit about to be filed by the same lawyers at Geragos & Geragos who filed the first suit against the Animo Westside Charter Middle School. As TMZ first showed you ... that initial suit surrounds this video of one student choking another, whose parents claim he suffered permanent brain damage in the incident.

We're told the forthcoming suit documents the alleged bullying experienced by a now-14-year-old girl, who's claiming she too was mercilessly bullied last year on the campus ... and the school failed to stop it.

Our sources say the girl is claiming to have suffered both physical and verbal abuse from multiple students, with one girl leading the pack. We're told it got so bad, the alleged victim started cutting herself ... and months later, attempted suicide.

She had to be hospitalized on a psychiatric hold as a result. Her family is blaming the school as well as Green Dot -- the organization that operates the school.

Bill and Melinda Gates are not being sued, and neither is their foundation ... which has donated more than $7 million to Green Dot.

We're told the girl's family believes there is video of at least some of the bullying incidents she allegedly endured -- and their attorneys are working on getting their hands on it.

Our sources also say since we broke the story about the brain-damaged student ... several other parents have contacted attorneys with similar complaints about severe bullying at Animo Westside.

Todd Chrisley's daughter, Lindsie Chrisley, is concerned her family might come after her in the wake of her very public accusations of extortion -- so now, she's protecting herself.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Lindsie is taking the beef with her family so seriously she's hired an armed security guard who will protect her practically around-the-clock. The new muscle was front and center when we saw Lindsie Monday outside her attorney's Atlanta office.

She made no attempt to hide it ... she's concerned about retaliation, even from a family member.

Our sources say Lindsie even went to her local police dept. to voice her fear about her father or brothers getting violent after she accused them of extorting her with an alleged sex tape. She claims they were trying to coerce her into lying about their tax woes.

Our sources say Lindsie's spending $130/hour for her security guard, who is an off-duty police officer.

Despite having said she eventually wants to reconcile with her family, Lindsie's obviously worried about her immediate future. Her troubled brother, Kyle -- who's publicly supported Todd in this feud -- was arrested for battery back in 2012, when Lindsie claimed he'd hit her in the face.

Check out her response on how she's coping with all the family drama -- Lindsie tells us she's disgusted by her dad and brother ... and now it sounds like the bridge between them is toast.

Jeffrey Epstein's team is not satisfied he died as a result of a suicide by hanging -- in no small part because 3 fractures in his neck almost never point to suicide -- and they are not ruling out the possibility someone strangled him and then put a sheet around his neck to make it look like death by hanging.

Sources connected to Epstein tell TMZ, his team is frustrated officials at the Manhattan Metropolitan Correctional Center and the medical examiner haven't given them nearly all the information required to form a conclusion on cause of death. The medical examiner says it was a suicide by hanging, but Epstein's team says the ME is jumping the gun.

The suspicions on Epstein's team center on the 3 fractures around Epstein's neck -- the hyoid bone in the Adam's apple area, along with 2 fractures on either side of the thyroid cartilage. It is extremely rare hanging can result in 3 such fractures. The fractures are way more consistent with strangulation.

We're told Epstein's team is also very suspicious 2 guards responsible for monitoring him fell asleep at the same time. One guard, maybe, but 2 raises questions.

Ezekiel Elliott says the security guard he pushed in a Las Vegas altercation demanded $500,000 in an attempt to extort him ... this according to police docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

The Dallas Cowboys star's attorneys say they were emailed a complete list of demands from 19-year-old Kyle Johnson and his father, Kelly Johnson, after Zeke shoved Kyle at the Electric Daisy Carnival last May.

Police docs show Kelly emailed Zeke's attorneys just days after the altercation with AT LEAST 14 things he wanted from the running back to stay quiet on the incident ... including $500,000 cash.

The list of demands featured a public apology from Elliott, a press conference with Elliott and Kyle, $25,000 for the junior college football team Kyle played for, and signed jerseys from Zeke, Amari Cooper and Dak Prescott.

The demands list also included -- among several other things -- tickets to Cowboys games (both home and road), Ohio State games and a meet and greet with Jerry Jones and his son.

Police docs show one of Elliott's attorneys responded to Kelly's email with a phone call ... and Kelly claims in that conversation the attorney told him "what [he] was doing was extortion."

According to the docs, Kelly said after that conversation he decided to take Kyle's story to the public ... allowing Kyle to do an interview with a Los Angeles TV station on May 28.

Kelly and Kyle eventually filed a criminal complaint against Elliott over the incident ... but according to the docs, prosecutors felt they could not move forward with charges against 24-year-old Elliott.

There's more ... in the docs, Kyle admits Elliott not only apologized to him after shoving him during the May incident, he gave him a hug and took a picture with him.

In an affidavit from Elliott in the docs, he echoes that story, saying, "I had no intention to push and/or harm or intimidate Kyle Johnson."

"After Kyle Johnson fell and I was finished speaking with the officers nearby, I immediately apologized to Kyle and he indicated to me that he was not hurt."

Elliott added, "We gave each other a hug and he asked me to take a picture with him, which I was happy to do as there was never any intention to harm or hurt Kyle."

We've reached out to Kelly regarding the docs, but so far, no word back yet.

As for Zeke's camp, when reached by phone Friday, they declined to comment on the matter.

Elliott is currently holding out from Cowboys camp seeking a new contract. His team kicks off the season on Sept. 8 against the New York Giants.

Amber Portwood's domestic battery case has produced more fallout ... her baby daddy wants to get the hell outta dodge and it begs the question ... will their 1-year-old son come with???

According to legal docs ... Amber's BF, Andrew Glennon, says he wants to move from Indiana to Malibu -- where he's from, lives and works. The huge issue here ... their custody case over their son, James, is still up in the air.

Andrew says he has zero ties to Indiana and wants to move back to Cali in November. He currently has custody and Amber has supervised visits but their custody case is far from over. One thing seems certain ... Andrew's all but done with Amber.

As true "Teen Mom OG" fans know ... her 10-year-old daughter, Leah, also lives in Indiana with Amber's ex, Gary Shirley. They've lived their whole lives in Indiana ... so if Andrew later says he wants to bring James with him ... it could complicate things.

This is the latest fallout from Amber's domestic battery case. TMZ broke the story ... Amber was arrested for domestic battery and criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon on July 5 after she went after Andrew, who claimed she hit him with a shoe while he held James.

Amber has 60 days to respond to Andrew's relocation plan.

R. Kelly believes Michael Jackson's attorney is just the guy he needs to help set him free -- but if that happens, it's gonna come at a steep cost.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly met with famed lawyer Tom Mesereau -- who beat the rap for Michael Jackson back in 2005. We're told after the 4-hour meeting, Kelly was in hook, line and sinker. We're told Mesereau hasn't agreed to rep Kelly -- at least not yet -- but it could very well happen.

Here's the rub. Mesereau is one of the best and most sought after criminal defense lawyers in the country. He's turned prosecutors flat-footed in trials where it seemed open-and-shut against his client. Did we mention he scored a not guilty verdict for accused wife murderer Robert Blake?

That said, Tom doesn't come cheap, and money has become super tight in Kelly's world. He's already hired a battery of lawyers, and he's making next to nothing.

We're told Kelly and his team are trying to figure out ways to raise the money to hire Mesereau.

As for why the singer wants to 86 his current attorney, Steve Greenberg, and his team -- our sources say R. Kelly believes they care way too much about getting media attention for themselves ... Greenberg calls the whole thing, "A complete load of crap."

R. Kelly's financial woes have been well documented -- he needed outside help to pay his initial $100k bond, and spent additional time behind bars because he couldn't ante up $161k in back child support to ex-wife Drea Kelly. He's currently paying Drea $21k/month in support.

We're told if Mesereau is brought on, attorney Raed Shalabi -- who also visited with Kelly Wednesday -- will likely join the team too.

The criminal cases keep piling on. Kelly was recently hit with more sex crime charges, this time in Minnesota, where prosecutors say the disgraced singer once paid a teenage girl to have sexual contact with him in his hotel room.

Justice is served!

Deborah Sue Culwell -- the woman who was caught on surveillance video tossing 7 pups into a dumpster in Coachella earlier this year -- has pled guilty and been sentenced to 1 year in jail.

The sentence, which also includes 6 years' probation after her time behind bars, was reduced to 174 days with credit for time served.

Culwell was originally charged with 7 felony counts of animal cruelty, plus 7 misdemeanor counts of abandoning the dogs – and she pled guilty to all 14 charges. She was initially facing up to 7 years behind bars, so it's surprisingly good luck for the Cruella de Vil wannabe.

In addition to the jail time, she must undergo random drug testing, and also complete mental health counseling. She also cannot possess any animals during the probation. Thank God.

At the time of the bust, the 54-year-old animal abuser reportedly had 38 other dogs in her custody.

As we reported, the woman was caught in April casually dropping a plastic bag filled with 3-day-old puppies into a dumpster, with temperatures hovering around the mid-90s.

A Good Samaritan dug the lil guys out of the trash. He alerted authorities and the animals were taken to Riverside County Animal Services.

6 of the 7 puppies survived, and the case triggered mass outrage across the country. The 6 pups all went into foster care and we're told several were adopted.

Michael Madsen just cut a deal in his DUI case ... and he'll spend a few days in jail.

Michael pled no contest Thursday to one misdemeanor count of driving with a .10% blood alcohol content and was sentenced to 4 days in jail and 5 years probation. He's also been ordered to complete community service in the hospital morgue program.

TMZ broke the story ... the veteran actor was busted for DUI back in March, after cops say he crashed his Land Rover into a pole in Malibu. Police say Michael reeked of booze, and he was arrested after bombing a field sobriety test.

The "Reservoir Dogs" star was eventually hit with misdemeanor DUI charges ... and it even cost him a movie gig.

Michael's been down this road before ... he was also busted for DUI in Malibu way back in 2012, when his BAC was twice the legal limit. He entered a 30-day rehab after that bust, and the judge also ordered him to get outpatient treatment.

Danny Masterson is being sued by 4 women who accused him of rape ... who claim they've been mercilessly stalked by the Church of Scientology in an effort to silence them.

In a lawsuit, the women claim the "That 70's Show" star is involved in an unrelenting Church conspiracy to cover up their allegations. The stalking claims are pretty brutal. For instance, Chrissie Bixler says in the suit ... her dog mysteriously died after she came forward with the rape claims -- and she says an autopsy revealed it died from unexplained traumatic injuries to its trachea and esophagus.

According to the docs, Bixler adds she's been run off the road by a vehicle that had been following her back in June -- and that same month a friend of Masterson's allegedly threatened to release nude photos of her when she was underage.

Bobette Riales publicly accused Danny of sexual assault back in 2017, claiming he drugged and sexually assaulted her while they dated from 2002 to 2004. She says she's since been surveilled and followed. In one instance, she says neighbors observed a man snapping pictures from her driveway, and then later that night someone broke a window at her home.

The 2 other alleged victims, who are suing as Jane Does, make very similar claims about being mysteriously menaced.

For her part, Bixler says the attempts to silence her started even before she went public with the allegations. In the suit, she says she first disclosed the alleged rape to a Scientology employee ... who told her, "You can't be raped by someone you are in a consensual relationship with." She claims the employee also told her the Church considers it a "High Crime" to report Masterson to cops -- and she would be labeled an SP (suppressive person).

The women are suing Masterson, the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige.

We've reached out reps for Danny and the Church of Scientology for their response to the lawsuit.

Equal pay mediation between the U.S. Women's national team and the U.S. Soccer Federation has gotten UGLY ... and now the dispute is likely heading to court.

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."

The USWNT had agreed to meet with the USSF in New York City this week to discuss the heated issue ... but according to team spokesperson Molly Levinson, both sides remain far apart.

"We entered this week’s mediation with representatives of USSF full of hope," Levinson says. "Today we must conclude these meetings sorely disappointed in the Federation’s determination to perpetuate fundamentally discriminatory workplace conditions and behavior."

"It is clear that USSF, including its Board of Directors and President Carlos Cordeiro, fully intend to continue to compensate women players less than men. They will not succeed."

Of course ... Cordeiro made his stance very clear last month ... saying the women's team actually makes MORE than the men's team, despite bringing in a lot less.

He even provided a fact sheet to back up his claim.

Levinson continued ... "We want all of our fans, sponsors, peers around the world, and women everywhere to know we are undaunted and will eagerly look forward to a jury trial."

A singer has just filed a lawsuit claiming she was sexually molested when she was just 14 by her producer/agent/mentor.

The lawsuit does not mention the name of the girl or the alleged perpetrator. It claims she recorded an album in 2005 when she was 14, and she was signed to a 7-album deal. The lawsuit claims the entertainment company she worked with is "one of the most beloved, best-known and most valuable companies in the history of the world."

She says she was introduced to a man who was assigned to be her day-to-day producer/mentor/agent.

She says he became very controlling and the relationship changed. She claims in the lawsuit he began telling her he loved her and they were soulmates. She says he also made negative comments about her looks and weight.

She says he would rub and fondle her genitals and her body, digitally penetrate her and he would orally copulate her and forced her to do the same to him. She also claims they had intercourse, both vaginally and anally. On one occasion she claims she was drugged before anal intercourse.

She claims the man spent a significant amount of time with her mom to "groom" her.

The girl says the sexual abuse continued for 2 years ... on occasion at Staples Center, a music video set on the Warner Bros. lot, hotels, cars on public streets and other places.

Jeffrey Epstein's death last Saturday has rocked the facility where he hanged himself, but it has also raised the ire of the judge in his criminal case.

Federal Judge Richard Berman sent a letter to the warden of the Metropolitan Correctional Center -- obtained by TMZ -- in which he says ... "Thank you for your letter of August 10, 2019 regarding the death of Jeffrey Epstein. Mr. Epstein's death is a tragedy to everyone involved in his case."

The Judge then goes on to challenge the Warden ... "One open question, among others, is whether the investigations referenced in your letter will include the incident at MCC involving Mr. Epstein on or about July 23, 2019. To my knowledge, it has never been definitively explained what the BOP concluded about that incident."

You knew it was coming ... the University of Michigan is hilariously roasting the hell outta its big-time rival, Ohio State ... mocking the school's recent application to trademark the word "THE."

News of the weird trademark attempt broke yesterday ... when attorney Josh Gerben noticed OSU -- which always likes to refer to itself as THE Ohio State University -- filed with the intent to make merch with the distinction.

The school's been getting made fun of ever since ... and now the Buckeyes' archnemesis is getting in on the fun.

Boom. Roasted.

Of course, if you're not familiar with the rivalry, these schools absolutely HATE each other ... and have crazy traditions, like OSU crossing out all "M"s on campus during Michigan week in the football season.

R. Kelly wants to change up his legal team ... by bringing on one of the most powerful, successful criminal defense lawyers in the country ... Tom Mesereau.

Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ ... Mesereau is in Chicago right now, meeting with Kelly, who is charged with various sex crimes in 4 different jurisdictions -- Illinois State, Illinois Federal, New York Federal and Minnesota State. Raed Shalabi -- one of R. Kelly's current attorneys -- accompanied Mesereau into the jail to meet with Kelly behind bars.

In case you don't know ... Mesereau has worked miracles in the courtroom. He got Michael Jackson acquitted of child molestation in 2005, and got Robert Blake acquitted of murdering his wife, also back in 2005.

We're told Mesereau has not officially signed on, but that's the plan. If he does, he will be the lead attorney and possibly the sole attorney representing Kelly.

The big question ... how's Kelly paying his legal and other bills? As you know, he's struggled to pay child support and was even jailed for a time before someone footed the bill.

A$AP Rocky did not beat the rap in Sweden, because the judges in his assault case have found him guilty ... but he will NOT have to go to prison.

The 4 judges in the case issued their written ruling Wednesday ... concluding A$AP was guilty of assaulting a man during a street fight in Stockholm. The judges said Rocky, and his 2 friends who were also standing trial, "were not in a situation where they were entitled to self-defense."

The case hinged on whether A$AP threw a bottle at the victim during the all-out brawl in late June. Prosecutors argued Rocky hurled the bottle and badly cut the guy, but they couldn't produce a single witness who saw a bottle fly during the melee. Rocky conceded he was holding a bottle for protection, but put it down and it never made contact with the guy.

The judges said prosecutors did not prove the bottle was used to hit the victim. As a result, the judges said the crime did not warrant any further time served, and added Rocky will NOT have to do community service.

Rocky got a suspended sentence ... meaning he'll have to pay various fees and fines, and if he does he's in the clear. The judges felt Rocky and his co-defendants got ample punishment already with time served -- 1 month in a Swedish jail.

The upshot ... the court found hitting and kicking the victim while he was on the ground was a crime -- namely, assault -- because A$AP and his crew were not in danger of imminent harm, but prosecutors failed to prove the biggest issue ... that A$AP struck the victim with a bottle, and that's why he got no jail time.

A$AP and the co-defendants will, however, have to pay restitution to the victim, and also cover Sweden's court expenses.

As we reported, the alleged victim was the initial aggressor, harassing Rocky and his crew despite pleas from the rapper to leave them alone. The guy also attacked Rocky's bodyguard before A$AP took care of business.

A$AP was jailed for a month, and 3/4 of that time spent behind bars was before he was even charged. A$AP never claimed his arrest was racially motivated ... but his mom and G-Eazy had a different view.

The case became an international incident -- claims of racism and inhumane conditions in the jail. President Trump intervened ... but that didn't sit well with the Swedish Prime Minister who told him to butt out.

After a month in jail and a 3-day trial, the judges allowed Rocky to fly home to the states while they decided his fate. Prosecutors wanted Rocky to remain in jail pending the verdict, because they said he was a flight risk.

A$AP blew out of Sweden on a private jet, and was gleeful when he touched down at LAX.

As we reported ... Rocky performed last weekend at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA for the first time since his arrest and told his fans, "Hopefully I'm not guilty and hopefully we ain't gotta go back to jail or nothing like that."

Rocky seemed to indicate he would have returned to Sweden to do the time if found guilty -- however, that won't be an issue.

Robi Draco Rosa -- once a member of the super famous Latin boy band, "Menudo" -- wants out of his marriage ... he's filed for divorce.

Robi filed docs in L.A. to divorce his wife, Angela Lizette Alvarado, of nearly 30 years. They got married in 1991 and list June 22 as their date of separation. They have no minor children and he went with the ol' "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split.

As for spousal support, he wants the court to sort that out later.

Rosa, of course, was famously a member of "Menudo" -- arguably one of the biggest Latin boy bands in history -- around the same time when Ricky Martin joined as a 12-year-old in 1984.

They became lifelong friends and Rosa played a key role in Ricky's solo success. Rosa was a producer and songwriter for Ricky's "Livin' la Vida Loca" which was nominated for 2 Grammys (Record of the Year and Song of the Year) in 2000.