Legal

MC Lyte's marriage has hit the ultimate ruff patch ... because the old school hip-hop icon is calling it quits.

Lyte, one of rap's female pioneers, filed divorce docs in L.A. Monday, just 3 years after her marriage to Marine Corp veteran and entrepreneur, John Wyche.

As for the reason for the split ... officially, according to docs, it's the classic irreconcilable differences.

The couple wed at a beach resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica back in August 2017. The "Ruffneck" rapper said they met on Match.com and the relationship took off from there ... but it probably didn't last long enough for the dating site to brag about it.

The L.A. Kings have suspended the man who plays team mascot "Bailey" ... this after the guy was accused of repeatedly sexually harassing a female Ice Crew member.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... a woman using the alias Jane Doe filed a lawsuit last week claiming Tim Smith -- who suits up in the Kings' Lion costume for events -- was repeatedly inappropriate toward her.

In the suit, Doe claimed Smith hurled lewd jokes her way, made sexually-charged comments and leered at "her breasts and buttocks."

The woman also claims after she complained about Smith -- who manages the team's Ice Crew in addition to playing the mascot role -- he retaliated by firing her from the squad.

Doe says she was eventually able to join back up with the Kings ... but says Smith's action remained inappropriate toward her.

The Kings said in a statement shortly after we published the allegations that they're taking the case seriously ... and have now banned Smith from all team activities until they complete an internal investigation.

"We are aware of the recently-filed lawsuit alleging misconduct by one of our employees," Kings officials said. "The LA Kings take these allegations very seriously and, as an organization, we believe that everyone has the right to work in an environment free from any form of harassment or discrimination."

"We will conduct a thorough investigation into this matter. The employee in question has been suspended, effective immediately, pending the conclusion of that investigation. We are withholding any further comment at this time."

He lost his job. He's fighting domestic violence allegations -- and now, Derrius Guice has been ordered to appear in court over a reckless driving incident.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the ex-Washington Football Team running back was popped going 95 in a 55 near Dulles Airport back in June -- the latest in a string of speeding incidents in Virginia.

He was cited for misdemeanor reckless driving and a court date has been set for Sept.

Normally, this isn't a big deal ... but for Guice, it's another strike against a once-promising NFL star battling to keep his career.

As previously reported, Guice was arrested earlier this month on several serious domestic violence-related charges ... including felony strangulation.

Officials say Guice attacked his GF on 3 separate occasions from February to April -- and if convicted on all counts, he faces serious prison time.

While digging around on the domestic violence case, we came across a bunch of speeding incidents involving Guice dating back to May 2019.

In total, 4 speeding tickets over the course of 13 months -- seems Guice has a lead foot.

Guice's attorney has said the RB "adamantly denies" the domestic violence charges.

Kim Kardashian has her sights set on her next prison case -- saying she's going to put her resources toward helping free a famous rapper who's Master P's sibling ... AKA, C-Murder.

She made the announcement Sunday, noting evidence has been questioned in the case and that eyewitnesses have since recanted their testimony about pinning him to the crime he was convicted of committing, not to mention jurors allegedly being pressured to vote guilty.

Kim writes, "On January 18, 2002 a tragedy occurred when a young man was killed. The next day Corey Miller was arrested for the murder." She went on to say he was convicted on a ruling of 10-2, and that if his trial happened today ... it would have to be unanimous.

She says true justice means catching the actual killer -- C-Murder was accused of fatally shooting a 16-year-old at a Louisiana club -- and that in light of these new developments over the past several years, it's time to get him out, or have him retried at the very least.

Right now, C-Murder is serving a life sentence at the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Kim also says she's teaming up with C-Murder's ex-girlfriend, Monica, in the effort to free him. Monica's been outspoken about the cause for a while -- and now, she has a powerful ally in KK to actually get some movement. Kim's bringing on some high-leverage attorneys.

It looks like C-Murder himself is incredibly appreciative of the love and dedication Monica's shown over the years ... 'cause he shouted her out in a new IG post in light of the news.

He writes, "Moses when they took me I told you go live your life because you didn’t deserve what the system was about to do to me. You still stood for me, without me asking created a team that could change the outcome of a very unfair fate! You been Forever Tru , One in a Lifetime!! @monicadenise got em saying #FreeCoreyMiller."

A 9-year-old Oklahoma boy yearning for a family might get his wish soon, thanks to his "I hope one of y'all pick me" vid that tugs hard on those heartstrings.

The adorable foster kid, Jordan, has been in the care of the State's Dept. of Human Services for 6 years, but earlier this week he made it clear he'd love nothing more than to have someone to call Mom or Dad ... and the message really resonated in the adoption community.

Casey White, an Oklahoma DHS official, tells TMZ ... there was an explosion of interest in Jordan -- 5,000 online inquiries in the first 12 hours.

Casey says the department had to implement an overtime plan just to handle the calls and emails about adopting Jordan ... and it's focused on finding him the best home STAT.

Jordan's brother is also in Oklahoma, so DHS is looking for another family in the State so the 2 can stay close.

Jordan's been through a lot in his 9 years -- including some traumatic events -- so he needs a patient, understanding family ... preferably one where he's the only child or would have a much older sibling, so he can get the attention and support he needs.

Casey tells us the DHS is confident with the outpouring of love he's received ... he'll be with a loving family within 6 months.

We're told once DHS finds the right fit, there will be a trial period to make sure it's working out ... because he's had adoptions fall through in the past.

For that reason, Jordan's not even aware of his viral fame, because DHS wants to be very careful about not getting his hopes up and hurting him if things don't go according to plan.

Joe Exotic still has Carole Baskin on his mind, even from behind bars ... and wants to get involved in the renewed search to find her missing millionaire husband.

TMZ's learned the 'Tiger King' star wants to jump right into the newly launched push to find out what the hell happened to Don Lewis when he went missing way back in 1997 ... and Don's family is welcoming his assistance.

The day after Don's 3 daughters held their news conference announcing a new lawsuit against Baskin and a fresh investigation, Joe reached out offering info from his prior investigations into Carole ... according to John Phillips, the lawyer for Don’s family.

We're told Don's daughters were down to work with Joe, and right now the plan is for him to speak to their lawyer to figure out what, if any, useful info he has for the investigation.

The family announced a $100,000 reward for info that leads them to Don, and as 'Tiger King' fans know ... Joe dedicated years of his life trying to dig up dirt on Carole, as he thinks she played a role in Don's disappearance.

Don disappeared on August 18, 1997, after leaving his Tampa home ... and some folks allege Carole fed him to her tigers. She's denied all the allegations.

Ewan McGregor and his ex-wife have finally reached the end of their divorce case ... and we've learned the actor is parting ways with half of his royalties from the 'Star Wars' prequels.

According to the divorce judgment, the judge signed off on Ewan and Eve's split of the property from their 22-year marriage ... and they'll be splitting royalties and residuals from the projects Ewan worked on during the marriage. That includes FOUR 'Star Wars' movies, which it's fair to say amounts to a LOT of dough.

To give you some perspective, the 3 prequels each earned between $649 million to more than $1 billion -- although it's unclear if his royalties include back end ... a cut of the box office. Of course, he's also starred in "Angels & Demons," "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and "Moulin Rouge."

According to the docs, Ewan will keep THIRTY vehicles, and Eve gets to keep a $6.62 million L.A. crib ... plus all of her jewelry, some bank accounts, along with a mere 5 vehicles. She'll also get $501,704 in cash to even out the asset split.

Eve will also get base child support of $14,934 per month and base spousal support of $35,868 per month ... plus additional kickers if Ewan earns more money than usual in a given year. The exes are sharing joint legal and physical custody of their 9-year-old daughter, Anouk.

As we first reported ... Ewan filed for divorce back in January 2018.

R. Kelly's alleged manager is facing more legal fallout over what the feds claim are efforts to run interference for the disgraced singer.

Donnell Russell has just been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice for an alleged threat to shoot up an NYC theater in December 2018 when the Lifetime documentary, "Surviving R. Kelly," was being screened there.

The feds claim Russell admitted to first sending a cease-and-desist letter trying to end the screening -- but when that failed, prosecutors allege he phoned in the shooting threat ... and successfully nixed the event, which was being attended by a number of Kelly's alleged victims.

TMZ broke the story ... law enforcement sources told us an R. Kelly associate was a person of interest over an alleged threat that came in just 20 minutes before the start of the screening. Russell was charged with 1 count of conspiracy to threaten physical harm and 1 count of threatening physical harm. Each charge carries a max sentence of 5 years in prison. This, of course, is just the tip of the legal iceberg for Russell.

Peter Fonda died because the hospital and doctors that were supposed to treat him failed to do their damn jobs ... so claims Peter's widow in a new lawsuit.

Margaret Fonda is suing Providence Saint Joseph's Health Center in Santa Monica and a number of its doctors, claiming they negligently failed to properly consult, diagnose and treat the late actor.

According to newly filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the hospital and doctors allegedly failed on a score of issues -- such as ordering proper tests, advising him of the necessity of more frequent follow-up tests and recommending he seek treatment from other specialists.

Margaret alleges Peter died due to the hospital and doctors' failure to perform those duties.

TMZ broke the story ... the iconic actor died from lung cancer back in August 2019. He was 79. Margaret is suing for damages.

We've reached out to the hospital for comment, so far no word back.

Harvey Weinstein doesn't want to be dragged to Los Angeles to face further prosecution for alleged sex crimes ... because he's already serving a 23-year sentence in New York and feels a trip to an L.A. jail would be a death sentence because of COVID.

The L.A. County D.A. wants Weinstein extradited to Los Angeles for another sexual assault trial, but Weinstein's lawyer, Norman Effman, tells TMZ ... he's gonna fight the move.

Effman says his client's health would be at serious risk if he's transferred to L.A. -- where coronavirus cases have been surging -- especially the county's jail system which has been plagued by COVID-19 outbreaks.

As you may recall ... Weinstein tested positive for the virus in March and recovered, but his lawyer says that's no guarantee he's immune now.

Effman points out the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York -- where Weinstein's currently locked up -- has had a low infection rate and zero COVID deaths.

So, he argues, there's no reason to send Weinstein from a relatively safe environment to a dangerous one.

Effman says Weinstein's not fighting extradition altogether ... he just wants to wait until the conditions are safer. The coronavirus outbreak already delayed his extradition back in May. A hearing's set for this week to address the issue again, but it's clear ... Weinstein won't go quietly.

Weinstein was sentenced in March to 23 years in prison in New York after being convicted of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree and rape in the third degree.

He's still facing 5 felony charges in L.A. -- sexual battery by restraint, forcible rape, sexual penetration by use of force, sexual battery and forcible oral copulation.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and his ex Jen Harley might seem like they're giving their toxic relationship another shot, but their friends can breathe easy ... instead of reuniting, they're being responsible adults.

The "Jersey Shore" star was out and about with Jen and their daughter, Ariana, Wednesday in Huntington Beach, but we've learned it's not a sign of a rekindled romance. Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ ... Ronnie and Jen are having family outings from time to time now, but only for Ariana.

We're told they took the last few months to get in a good place as co-parents and friends, and they've figured out it's healthier for the entire family to remain friendly and support their kid.

Ronnie had a restraining order against Jen, but it was dissolved in May after they came to a mutual agreement they no longer need it ... according to court docs.

As you know ... Ronnie and Jen have been to hell and back when it comes to their romantic relationship, which friends urged them to end long ago when things started getting violent.

He recently copped a plea deal in their domestic violence case -- and, for now, they're making the co-parenting thing work too.

The man who plays "Bailey" -- the L.A. Kings lion mascot -- is being sued for allegedly sexually harassing a female "Ice crew" staffer, TMZ Sports has learned.

The woman behind the suit is using the alias Jane Doe to protect her identity -- but says she was hired for the Crew in 2018 to work fan events for the Kings and the Ontario Reign (the Kings' AHL affiliate).

But, things went south, according to the lawsuit, when Tim Smith -- the man who plays "Bailey" the mascot -- began routinely hurling sexually charged comments in her direction.

She claims Smith was not just a performer, but managed the Ice Crew and wields the power to hire and fire people.

But, Doe says Smith created a terrible environment for female employees -- constantly cracking lewd jokes, making inappropriate sexual comments and would leer at her "breasts and buttocks" ... making her feel super uncomfortable.

Jane Doe claims she made it clear the advances and comments were unwanted -- but Smith retaliated against her by firing her from the Ice Crew.

Doe says a team official begged her to come back and promised to shield her from Smith -- acknowledging Smth's problematic conduct.

But, when she returned, Doe claims Smith was back to his old tricks ... and even describes an incident where he allegedly put his crotch in her face in the mascot locker room while making lewd comments and thrusting his hips.

Doe says she ran out of the room and later quit for good.

She's now suing Smith along with the Kings and AEG, which owns the hockey team. She's claiming sexual harassment, retaliation and more -- and demanding more than $1 million in damages.

The case of Carole Baskin's disappeared husband, Don Lewis, is going the route of 'Don't F**k with Cats' -- with an online group claiming it's dug up a massive, and crappy, clue about where his body might be.

Jack Smith -- the spokesman now repping Don's family -- tells us he and a group of internet sleuths joined forces earlier this year after the premiere of 'Tiger King' and formed a Facebook group to search for the truth about Don's still-unsolved disappearance in 1997.

Welp, we're told the group believes it discovered a new lead, tied to an existing theory about Don -- namely, that he was allegedly buried on his and Carole's animal sanctuary property under a septic tank system.

According to Jack ... the research team has obtained the actual receipts and permit paperwork for the septic tank's installation. Carole has publicly acknowledged two septic tanks -- one that she claims was installed well before Don's disappearance, and another installed well afterward.

BUT, if you believe what Jack and co. claim these receipts show ... a septic tank system was, in fact, worked on and installed right around the time of Don's disappearance ... 23 years ago this month.

They claim the receipts show a permit to install the septic tank was pulled on August 4, 1997, and that work on such a system was completed by or before the 15th later that same month, with a mound of dirt delivered to Carole's address the day prior.

So, what does that all mean??? According to Don's family and this crack Facebook team of investigators, it points to the possibility that Carole wasn't truthful with her timeline ... and that Don may very well be under the ground, like Joe Exotic himself suggested in the docuseries.

We're told the group will turn this finding and others they claim to have over to the cops, in hopes of cracking the case wide open again.

We've reached out to Carole about the group's new findings ... so far, no word back.

Cuba Gooding Jr.'s lawyer is making what sounds like, on its face, an odd argument in his sexual assault case -- claiming women with small breasts tend to be delusional.

The actor and his legal team appeared in a Manhattan courthouse Thursday for a preliminary hearing in his trial, and things took a strange turn when one of his attorneys argued a woman's negative feelings about her breasts can directly affect her perceptions of reality ... specifically when it comes to sexual assault.

Now, some context -- the attorney, Peter Toumbekis, raised this because one of Gooding's accusers once blogged about women's self-esteem and body issues. It seems he used her words as a jumping off point for his theory ... but it's a risky, if not straight up offensive, legal maneuver.

There was no jury present today, but if Gooding's team uses that tactic later in trial ... it might backfire. Suggesting an accuser misperceived something as sexual assault due to the size of her breasts could easily be seen as victim shaming to a jury.

Reporters asked Gooding about it as he exited the courtroom, and he only removed his face mask to reveal a Black Lives Matter symbol. He didn't say a word.

As we reported ... there are at least 22 women who have accused the actor of sexual misconduct. Back in October, Cuba pled not guilty to 6 sexual abuse charges.

TMZ obtained security footage of an alleged butt-touching incident that relates to 2 of the 6 counts he's facing. Remember, Natasha Ashworth had claimed he pinched her butt while walking past her at TAO in NYC back in October 2018.

There's also the June 2019 incident ... in which a woman accused Cuba of groping her thigh and breast while at the Magic Hour Rooftop Lounge in NYC.

Gooding's other attorney, Mark Heller, tells TMZ ... the strategy for their opening statement to the jury will be to play video they believe shows absolutely no crime was committed.

Nick Cannon is NOT planning to file a $1.5 BILLION lawsuit against ViacomCBS for the rights to his show "Wild 'N Out" ... he says those reports are fake news!!!

Nick's reps are clearing the air after reports surfaced this week the comedian was going to sue the media conglomerate over the rights to his hit improv comedy series.

As you know, Viacom severed all ties with him due to anti-Semitic comments on his podcast, "Cannon's Class"

Nick's team tells TMZ the reports of a forthcoming lawsuit are inaccurate. His reps say Nick is focusing on bringing people together and fighting bigotry, racism and hate. They claim a huge payday is the last thing on his mind.

Viacom is MTV's parent company, home to Nick's 'Wild n' Out' gig, and some folks figured Cannon would take legal action to assume control of his creation ... but he says it ain't happening.

Breonna Taylor's family had a momentous meeting this week with Kentucky's Attorney General, and for the first time since her death, Breonna's family is hopeful justice will be served.

The attorney who reps Breonna's family, Sam Aguiar, tells TMZ AG Daniel Cameron did not play his hand and say if he'll charge the cops in her death, but he showed a real interest in Breonna and her mom, Tamika Palmer, says they walked out of the meeting feeling good about the case.

We're told Cameron was well versed on the case and asked a lot of questions about Breonna. He wanted to know about her life and promised an open line of communication as the review process continues.

Cameron said during the meeting, which lasted 45 minutes, he's waiting on the FBI's ballistic report. He believes the conclusions may unlock some of the mystery surrounding her death and will give him the information he needs to interview new witnesses and re-interview old ones.

Breonna's family has been met by radio silence for months, and their frustration grew to a fever pitch. Now, for the first time, Tamika feels optimistic Breonna's case is getting a fair review.

It's a far cry from the family's outrage after Cameron posted pics of his engagement party.