Legal

Conor McGregor just showed up in court in Ireland where his lawyer told the judge the UFC star will plead GUILTY in his pub attack case.

The UFC superstar is facing one charge of assault after he socked a man in the face at the Marble Arch Pub in Dublin back on April 6, in footage obtained by TMZ Sports.

The charge carries a maximum punishment of 6 months behind bars.

McGregor showed up to court Friday in a fancy suit ... but he wasn't smiling and goofing around. Instead, he was clasping his hands and had his game face on as he walked into the building.

Inside the courtroom, McGregor's attorney told the court his client will be pleading guilty -- but  it's not over yet. The court is on a short recess and will resume at 7 AM PT.

The victim in the incident did NOT show up to the hearing and chose not to submit a victim impact statement, according to local reports.

Prosecutors are lobbying to screen the attack video in court before sentencing this afternoon, but Conor's side is trying to block that.

The decision will ultimately be made when court resumes after the break.

McGregor has previously admitted to ESPN he was "in the wrong" for punching the man at the bar ... saying, "That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did."

"I tried to make amends and I made amends back then. But, it doesn't matter. I was in the wrong."

Seems like now he's worked out a plea deal with prosecutors. We'll find out soon how this whole thing will play out.

Stay tuned ...

Fox Nation host Britt McHenry is taking a big step toward filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against her former cohost, Tyrus and Fox.

Britt's beef with Tyrus made headlines earlier this year when she complained to the network about the former pro-wrestler sending her lewd texts -- but now she's raised the stakes by filing a sexual harassment complaint with New York State's Division of Human Rights.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Britt details those alleged text messages, and several incidents she certainly considered creepy. For instance, in October 2018 she claims her "UN-PC" cohost sent several texts saying how much he loved her hair and legs, and specified sexual acts he wanted to do to her. In November, he allegedly sent one saying, "I'll show you what it mean to be bad Britt McHenry// D**k pic coming in 5 sec!!!!"

Britt says after that she tried to maintain a cordial working relationship with Tyrus ... so they went out to dinner in November 2018, after a taping. She claims he drank excessively and while walking after the meal, he "grabbed my hand in an aggressive and sexual manner." She says she pulled away and went to her hotel room, leaving him in lobby.

Then, a couple months later on New Year's Eve, she says her boyfriend came to NYC and Tyrus flipped out -- allegedly sending her angry texts. She claims the tormenting continued into January 2019, and she finally went to the executive producer of "UN-PC" to report Tyrus ... but she claims nothing changed.

Britt, who's hired celeb attorney Lisa Bloom, says she went back to the EP after an April 12, 2019 incident where Tyrus allegedly screamed at her on set. She claims the EP told her to quit complaining because she was "replaceable" and Fox "never wanted" her in the first place.

She says Tyrus was never disciplined and ended up getting his own show -- while Fox stopped promoting her and stopped inviting her as a guest on other Fox News programs.

All of this is a clear precursor to a lawsuit for 2 reasons. First, the filing with NY State has to be made before filing a lawsuit. Secondly, she's hired Bloom.

We've reached out to Fox News and Tyrus' reps for comment.

Cuba Gooding Jr. definitely made contact with the backside of a TAO nightclub server -- that's clear in this surveillance video, but it could still be key in helping the actor beat the charges.

TMZ's obtained security footage of the alleged butt-touching incident that got Gooding indicted on 2 of the 6 counts he's facing. Natasha Ashworth claims he used his right hand to pinch her right buttock as he was walking past her at TAO in NYC ... around 4:20 AM on Oct. 24, 2018.

Two camera angles back up much of Ashworth's account of what went down. After the initial contact, you can see she's agitated and there's a heated convo. She claims she told Gooding not to touch her butt, and he replied, "Aw, that's no fun, and I didn't, I touched your back."

The video shows Cuba attempting to point out where he claims he touched her. However, as prosecutors said in the indictment ... you see Natasha grab his arm and motion him away.

What's NOT clear from the video is what kind of contact Gooding made with Natasha's backside -- a glancing touch, a pat or the "pinch" she and prosecutors allege. That could help the Oscar winner if this goes before a jury, where prosecutors would have to prove the allegation beyond a reasonable doubt.

On the other hand, Gooding is charged with sexual abuse in the third degree and forcible touching -- and a jury could see the contact constituting the latter.

His attorney, Mark Jay Heller tells us, "This is a bogus butt grope claim. The video proves Cuba is innocent beyond a reasonable doubt."

Gooding will be in a Manhattan courtroom Thursday to be arraigned on counts 5 and 6 -- related to a separate accuser.

TMZ broke the story, there's also security footage of the rooftop bar incident from this past June which resulted in the initial indictment. You'll recall, that accuser claims Gooding touched her breast.

He's pleading not guilty to all 6 counts.

As we first reported ... Ashworth is also suing Gooding Jr. for assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Her attorney, Joshua Kleiman, declined to comment on the surveillance video.

Kim Kardashian is an Ivy League-caliber lawyer, at least for Halloween ... because she's recreating Reese Witherspoon's famous scene from "Legally Blonde."

Kim's going as Elle Woods for Halloween this year, and she's going all-out with a spot-on costume AND a carbon copy of the video essay Elle put together to gain admittance to Harvard Law School.

It's the perfect costume for Kim. As you know, she's setting her sights on becoming a lawyer, just like Reese's character in the super-popular romantic comedy.

Ya gotta see the video, Kim's pulling out all the stops to follow in Elle's footsteps ... with a couple wardrobe changes, some movie extras, multiple sets and some high-quality production value.

Gotta admire Kim's Halloween spirit!!!

For those unfamiliar with "Legally Blonde" ... Reese plays a sorority queen with an eye for fashion who wants to win back her ex-boyfriend by getting a law degree from Harvard.

And, unlike Blac Chyna, Kim's only pretending to apply to Harvard ... not posting fake acceptance letters.

Amber Portwood has a chance to avoid jail time in her domestic violence case after striking a plea deal ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the "Teen Mom OG" star has agreed to plead guilty to 2 felonies -- domestic battery and intimidation. As part of the deal, she'll get 906 days of probation and if she successfully completes it ... the domestic battery charge will be dismissed and the intimidation charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor.

Amber must also take 26 weeks of a Batterers' Intervention Program, submit to random urine and breath testing. She's also been ordered not to contact her ex-BF, Andrew Glennon, EXCEPT for arranging custody exchanges of their 1-year-old son, James.

TMZ broke the story ... Amber was busted back in July in Indianapolis after Andrew claimed she attacked him while he was holding their son. Andrew said she came after him with a machete during the attack.

Kylie Jenner just got a restraining order against a man who showed up at her home, aggressively knocked at her door and asked to see her.

According to the docs, filed by Kylie's lawyer Shawn Chapman Holley and obtained by TMZ, a guy came her home Tuesday and walked up Kylie's driveway and started pounding the door. He claimed he was there to see her. A security guard escorted him off the property and he was arrested.

A security guard filed legal docs saying the guy was acting erratic and nervous and get this ... even though she's in a gated community he was able to hike onto the property and get to her front door.

Kylie says she's scared for Stormi and her own safety and she's afraid the guy will continue to stalk her and come to her home in the future. She says the guy follows her and other members of her family on social media.

Kylie was not home when the guy showed up.

He's been ordered to stay 100 yards clear of her home, her car and her.

R. Kelly's officially got problems from head-to-toe -- an infection on one of his little piggies forced him to miss a date ... with the judge.

The singer's lawyer, Steven Greenberg, says Kelly was absent from federal court in Chicago Wednesday because he had an infection that required his toenail to be removed.

Kelly was worried someone would step on his ailing tootsie if he appeared in the courtroom ... according to Greenberg. He adds that Kelly is in a walking boot as he recovers from the infection and procedure.

As for the hearing ... it was mostly procedural and just the lawyers for both sides were present -- no defendants were there either. The next hearing was scheduled for February.

The case is one of several sexual assault cases against Kelly ... he's also facing federal charges in New York and has state cases in Illinois and Minnesota.

No word if any future hearings for any of those cases will be impacted by the, umm ... bump and grinding of his toenail. Nasty.

Eva Marcille is pleading with a judge to keep her baby daddy away from their daughter, because she fears he's capable of going on a killing spree like Chris Dorner.

The 'RHOA' star filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, responding to Kevin McCall Jr.'s request to have the judge reevaluate their custody arrangement for 5-year-old Marley Rae -- but Eva says there's no need to because her ex is dangerous.

In the docs, Eva claims Kevin is unstable and has admitted to her he could do worse damage than Dorner -- the ex-cop who went on a killing rampage in 2013 that ended with a manhunt and fatal shootout in Southern California.

Eva also claims Kevin praised a man that killed her good friend and himself in a murder-suicide. She alleges he referred to the guy as his "hero." Eva even included a screenshot from one of Kevin's IG posts where he seemed to make ominous threats against her ... and called himself a "ticking time bomb."

Adding insult to injury, Eva says Kevin's been wrapped up in more legal woes -- including a recent domestic violence charge -- which she believes should disqualify him from spending time with their daughter.

According to the docs, Eva claims Kevin's not only been an absentee father for most of Marley's life, but he also hasn't paid a dime of child support.

She says nothing needs to change in terms of custody, and she wants a judge to toss Kevin's request entirely.

We reached out to Kevin ... so far, no word back.

R. Kelly's been ordered to use the money from his extensive music catalog to pay his ex-wife child support.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a judge just ordered the R&B singer to use his royalties from entities such as BMI and Sony to pay Drea Kelly the $20,833 he owes her each month.

You'll recall ... Drea's been coming after Kelly for back child support, and at one point he was so far behind on payments he ended up in jail. He eventually squared things up for that tab, but he's gotta keep up with the monthly payments.

According to the docs, Kelly's asking the court to cut him a little slack, but for now the judge says the dough must be drawn from those hefty royalties.

As we've reported, Kelly's had plenty of financial issues ... scrambling to come up with cash for bail, child support and even a retainer for famed defense lawyer Tom Mesereau ... which never happened.

Kevin Hart appears to be sparing the driver of a nasty car wreck that nearly killed him  -- because we've learned he isn't planning to take the guy to court.

Sources close to the comedian tell TMZ ... Kevin does not intend to sue driver Jared Black, whom the CHP determined caused the crash by driving recklessly. In fact, we're told Kevin's not even going to file a claim with Jared's insurance company to cover his medical bills and the cost of the 1970 Plymouth Baraccuda, which was totaled in the single-car crash.

Our sources say Kevin likes Jared and Jared's fiancee is close to Kevin's wife, Eniko. The fiancee, Rebecca, is Eniko's personal trainer.

We're told Kevin will use his personal health insurance to cover medical costs. It's not like he needs the money. It's unclear whether he's just going to write off the value of the car.

The medical bills are going to be huge. Kevin had surgery for 3 fractures on his back and is undergoing intensive therapy. All of that put the medical bills in the stratosphere.

Here's the kicker... we're told that Jared himself has lawyered up, and could file suit against Kevin for not having the proper safety harnesses in the car. If he does sue, there's a problem, because no one in the car was even wearing their safety belt. So, even if there were harnesses, it wouldn't have done anyone any good if no one strapped in.

Felicity Huffman is swapping her prison green jumpsuit for a business casual look ... but she's still serious about settling her debt to society.

The "Desperate Housewives" star and her hubby, William H. Macy, headed into a downtown L.A. building that's homes to the federal probation offices. Unclear exactly who Felicity met with a hearty handshake outside the building, but we do know she was required to check in with her probation officer within 72 hours of being released from prison.

As we reported ... Felicity got outta jail Friday after doing just 11 days behind bars at FCI Dublin in Northern California for her role in the college bribery scandal.

She quickly made her presence felt ... and might have even made a friend or two while in the big house.

Anyway, as part of her sentence, Felicity also has to log 250 hours of community service -- which she might have gotten a jump on last month -- and remain under supervised release for one year.

Certainly looks like she's toeing the line when it comes to sticking to her sentencing guidelines.

Jonathan Cheban -- Kim Kardashian's longtime friend and frequent guest on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" -- just turned his Instagram handle into his legal name. Chow down!!!!

JC filed legal docs in Florida -- his primary residence, it seems -- asking a judge to sign off on the name change from Jonathan Cheban to .................... wait for it ...

...

...

.... just a little bit more

........... FOODGOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's actually just Foodgod, but you get the idea. And yes, there's no capital G in the name, and the words aren't split up either as some media outlets have stylized it in the past. Sorry about that, holy folks and grammar nerds. Unfortunately for you, the Foodgod has spoken.

TMZ got a hold of the official judgment that was entered last week. It ain't all that fancy -- a name change isn't complicated. But, for Jonathan Foodgod, it carries significant weight.

If you don't know, FG's been all about the eats for a while now -- being a bonafide foodie is kinda his thing, and he proudly showcases it all over his social media pages. Literally, it seems like just about every post is related to good grub ... he even sleeps with food.

And, of course, Jon's been rockin' the @foodgod handle for a minute too. But, if you check out his IG today ... you'll see he's got the registered trademark symbol next to it.

AMC's "The Walking Dead" is waging legal war with the creators of a comic book series ... and just like the zombies at the heart of both stories, the dispute refuses to die.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... "The Toking Dead" filed a trademark application back in August 2017, but AMC fired back with a cease and desist, claiming copyright infringement ... and the legal standoff is still going down.

For those unfamiliar ... 'Toking Dead' is a comic strip about 2 friends who open a marijuana dispensary, and when disaster strikes and people mutate into zombies, the guys discover their weed holds the key to saving humanity.

It's kinda easy to see why the honchos at AMC don't want their super-popular show mixed up with potheads. Yeah, some people still don't like Mary Jane.

Anyways, 'Toking Dead' responded to the 'Walking Dead' legal threat by pushing forward with its trademark application and eventually publishing the comic in June 2018 in the NY Gazette.

AMC got pissed and quickly filed an opposition to the 'Talking Dead' trademark ... and now the whole thing is once again in legal limbo.

Jeremy Renner's ex-wife seems to be trying to show why she should get sole custody of their daughter as the court battle wages on ... opting for a day in the hay as exhibit A.

Sonni Pacheco was seen Saturday with her and Jeremy's 6-year-old daughter, Ava, at a pumpkin patch in L.A., where it was just mom and the kid enjoying themselves. In photos and video we got of their outing, you can see Ava having a great time.

She goes up and down an inflatable slide a few times while Sonni looks on, and certainly seemed down with the festive scenery all around her as she held hands with her ma.

It even looks like there might've been some other parents there with their own kids tagging along, as Sonni was seen mingling with a woman and a guy in a black shirt. Safe to say, it was a cozy looking scene -- the opposite of what's been going on behind closed doors.

As we've reported ... Jeremy and Sonni are locked in a bitter custody battle right now, with allegations being hurled against each other left and right. Sonni has said that Jeremy is a substance-abusing loose canon who threatened to kill her as well as himself.

He denied that, and claimed she was the one with substance abuse issues ... not to mention being sex obsessed and introducing that type of content to their kid. He's also called her mentally unstable and a liar, who's only attempting to smear him for revenge.

One of the guys who allegedly robbed Safaree at gunpoint last year won't roll the dice on a trial -- he's pled guilty to a felony and is cutting a pretty good deal ... considering he was staring down a potential 20 years behind bars.

Carl Harry is the only one of the 3 alleged robbers to cop a deal. He's pled guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit theft, and prosecutors have agreed to recommend a sentence of 364 days in the Bergen County Jail, with 5 years probation after that.

Harry's other 6 charges will be dismissed. So, pretty good tradeoff.

The other 2 men charged, Shawn Harewood -- who Safaree knew fairly well -- and Tacuma Ashman, are slated for trial in December. Their 7-count indictments still stand.

As we reported, Safaree was held at gunpoint and robbed of more than $180k in cash and jewelry. Authorities say the men had been tracking Safaree for a while and cornered him in a parking garage where it all went down ... to their dismay, right in front of security cameras.

Jeremy Renner's ex has filed more documents in their bitter custody battle ... this time claiming some upcoming depositions should go down under extremely secure conditions, because she feels threatened by the actor.

Sonni Pacheco claims in the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jeremy put a gun in his mouth, threatened to kill himself and fired the gun into the ceiling while their 6-year-old daughter, Ava, was asleep in a nearby bedroom. Pacheco also claims he wanted to kill her and himself because Ava would be better off with no mother than having to deal with Sonni.

Renner has denied Pacheco's allegations and says he made no such comments. But, she's now asking the judge in the custody war to set aside a room at the courthouse where her depo and the depo of their nanny can be taken in order to feel safe there. She notes you can't bring a gun into a courthouse.