Legal

Stormy Daniels' attorney, Michael Avenatti, is making a name for himself by going after President Trump, but now he's facing his own lawsuit ... and he's accused of doing something very Trumpian.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Avenatti's being sued by Jason Frank, a former partner at Egan Avenatti ... Michael's law firm, because he claims Avenatti stiffed him out of a couple mil.

Frank alleges Avenatti pulled a Trump in 2016 by refusing to hand over his firm's tax returns. Frank says he needed that data to figure out how much money he was owed under their deal when he left the company ... which he says is 25 percent of firm profits, plus a cut of client fees.

According to the docs, filed by attorney Eric George ... Frank and Avenatti's firm eventually duked it out in arbitration, and the firm settled with him for $4.85 million.

Problem is, according to Frank, when it came time to fork over the first $2 mil payment ... the firm stiffed him. Now he's suing to get Stormy's lawyer to pay up.

One of the best 'Survivor' contestants/lying scoundrels thinks producers should go easy on the 2 dimwits who broke their NDAs before airtime ... but says they still gotta pay.

We spoke to Jonny Fairplay of season 7 fame and podcast host Survivor NSFW -- known for lying about his grandmother dying and getting 3rd place -- and he tells us Alec Merlino and Kara Kay shouldn't be taken to court for violating their $5 million confidentiality agreements. He's got an alternative.

Jonny says the duo should lose their prize money from the show -- which he predicts is more significant than just a 1st or 2nd round payout, based on an apparent alliance/romance they seem to have formed ... which must've taken at least a few rounds.

BTW ... Jonny tells us just how much money is on the line for these two if showrunners go with his suggestion. It ain't $5 mil ... but it would definitely hurt a bit.

'Survivor' contestants can apparently get through weeks of competition and mind games, but not a basic NDA agreement ... as two numbskulls just proved, and it could cost them dearly.

Sources connected to the reality show tell us a pair of contestants, who we're told are starring in the upcoming season, flagrantly broke their confidentiality agreements this week by posting a photo together ... when they were specifically asked not to just last week.

Filming for season 37 wrapped last Wednesday, and upon arriving back home ... sources say contestants were emailed a reminder not to spoil anything with social media activity -- like following each other and, obviously, posing together.

Turns out, a guy named Alec Merlino and girl named Kara Kay did just that Sunday, captioning their pic with a not-so-subtle "F*** it" -- which fueled rumors they're on the show. Welp, those rumors were true ... Alec and Kara are on the show, and hit it off in Fiji.

We're told producers are now pissed at them for breaking protocol, and are now looking at possible legal action, withholding prize money ... or both.

Production sources say the NDAs have a $5 million penalty, but good luck collecting. Still, the contestants could possibly be on the hook for enough to make it hurt.

'Star Trek' icon Nichelle Nichols will have a new team handling her financial affairs in response to her son's claims she's battling dementia ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, an L.A. County judge signed off on Kyle Johnson's request to have 4 fiduciaries be his mom's conservators until mid-August, when there will be a court hearing. The hope is Nichelle will be able to attend that hearing.

As we first reported ... Kyle says his mother, who famously played Lt. Uhura, suffers from severe short-term memory loss, and needs court-ordered protection to block people from taking advantage of her.

Apologies to Will Smith ... the 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' might be getting dethroned soon, 'cause there's a potential new heir being eyed for a TV reboot -- and he's a she ... TMZ has learned.

The company that owns the rights to 'Fresh Prince' filed a few trademark applications seeking to lock down rights to "Fresh Princess" for a television program and virtually every other media platform.

They're also looking to trademark the "Fresh Princess" on a bunch of merch -- including bags, backpacks, animal collars and, of course, lots of clothing and footwear.

As we reported ... the folks in control of 'FP' recently wanted trademarks for new 'Fresh Prince' toys, which fueled speculation a cartoon version of the hit '90s show was on the horizon ... especially since Will seemed to endorse an animated take on the Banks.

No word on whether Will would be involved with a female-focused reboot.

Kanye West might be an Adidas guy now, but that doesn't mean he's ready to let go of his Nike days ... he now wants to re-up his claim to the name of one his most famous kicks.

Kanye has applied for a trademark to snag exclusive rights to "Red October" -- the name of a shoe he released with Nike back in 2014.

If approved, the trademark would allow 'Ye to use (and presumably license) his "Red October" mark for shirts, jerseys, bras, thongs, parkas, capes, body stockings, tankinis, baby bibs, swim caps, PJs, gloves and lots of other stuff as well. Oh ... and footwear too, of course.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kanye's OG 2013 trademark application for the name fell through since he didn't finish filing all the necessary paperwork. Makes sense he'd want this -- the shoes are still wildly popular, and retail for thousands.

Looks like he's back to button up the issue ... more than 4 years later ... in February. Attaboy, 'Ye.

Charles Manson's still on ice, but the battle's heating up for his body -- and the 3 lucky finalists in line for the corpse all have some issues, which have now fallen in a judge's lap.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ and filed by the Kern County Coroner, 3 men are claiming Manson's bod. The first is Michael Channels, who submitted the first will from Manson -- but it's only partially legible. Plus, Channels is listed as a witness, which casts doubt on the will's validity.

Contestant #2 is Matthew Robert Lentz, who claims to be Manson's son and also filed a will, but his only has 1 witness -- at least 2 are required -- so it's incomplete.

Last up ... Jason Freeman -- who says he's Manson's grandson -- filed legal docs to prove he's Charles Manson Jr.'s son ... seemingly making him the murderer's next of kin. The problem here is, before his death, Manson told prison officials he had no family.

In other words ... it's legal helter skelter. Good luck sorting it out, your honor!

2 Chainz says he's still on the fence over taking Walmart to court for allegedly ripping off his Dabbin' Santa sweaters ... but sounds like he's leaning toward a phone call to his lawyers.

We got the rapper at LAX and asked if he was following through on his thinly-veiled threat to sue Walmart for selling sweaters that look almost identical to his OG concept from 2015.

He doesn't completely reveal his plans, dropping "we'll see" a few times -- and added his sweaters are all about charity. The insinuation is clear: What the hell is Walmart doing with the cash from theirs?

Michael Jackson's estate and his companies are off the hook in the alleged child molestation lawsuit filed after the singer's death.

An L.A. County judge dismissed Wade Robson's 2013 suit on Tuesday ... saying he filed too late for the estate to be held liable -- and Robson's attempt to recast it as a lawsuit against Michael's companies was off the mark.

Robson had claimed MJ's companies facilitated the singer's pattern of child molestation and helped him lure victims. In the ruling, the judge said IF Jackson had molested Robson, his companies couldn't be held liable because they had no control over the singer ... essentially, MJ was the boss.

The judge did not rule on the merits of Robson's molestation claims.

What's more, the judge said Robson coming into contact with Jackson had nothing to do with his companies ... since it was Robson's own mom who reached out to MJ and asked him to help her son's career.

Charles Manson's body is in limbo now that 2 people have come forward laying claim to the corpse ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Jason Freeman -- who claims to be Manson's legit grandson -- has contacted the Kern County Sheriff to say he wants Manson's body. The other candidate is Michael Channels, who was Manson's longtime pen pal.

Channels has one thing in his favor ... Manson's will. TMZ broke the story, Manson left everything to Channels and we know he's already informed the Sheriff he's the executor -- and he's filed it in probate court.

Even though Freeman might be Manson's kin -- he claims he's taken a DNA test -- he'd still have to contest the will in court to get a shot at the body.

"Sharknado" is big business and its producers aren't about to let some theater company bite their style ... so they're suing to shut down a stage version before its first run swim.

The Asylum Co. just filed suit against Theatre Row Studios and several other people for allegedly attempting to put on a staged reading/rendition of the instant cult classic TV movie series. Asylum says the stage folks are promoting their version as "Shark-nado" ... and planned to perform it in Southern Cali.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Asylum says Theatre Row's take is a straight ripoff which could hurt the real McCoy's bottom line if the court doesn't shut it down, stat.

The stage company isn't promoting the play right now on its website, but Asylum says the damage has been done with previous ads ... to the tune of $10 million!

We reached out to Theatre Row ... so far, no word back.

The "old" Taylor Swift may be dead, but the new one still wants to make a buck off her ... TMZ has learned.

T-Swift has filed to trademark a bunch of titles and catchphrases from her new album, "Reputation" -- for instance, the line, "The old Taylor can't come to the phone right now" from her single "Look What You Made Me Do" ... as well as the song title itself.

According to the docs, she wants to use the lyrics on a ton of merchandise ... like t-shirts, notebooks, guitar picks, jewelry, bags, and pretty much any other accessory a Swiftie could want.

We know Tay Tay's touring soon -- and now you have a better idea of what will be on her overpriced concert merch list.

Sofia Vergara just got a huge W in her frozen embryo battle with her ex -- a judge dismissed the case, saying Nick Loeb had no business suing her in Louisiana ... TMZ has learned.

According to docs, the judge said the court had no jurisdiction because the embryos were conceived in California, and neither parent has any permanent ties to the state. Sofia shot a movie there in 2014. Nick claimed they'd dated and planned their life together in the state, but the court didn't buy that.

In the docs, the judge noted Loeb probably only filed in Louisiana because of its favorable laws pertaining to the rights of unborn children ... but there's no getting around the whole jurisdiction issue.

The judge actually called the pre-embryos "citizens of California" ... and said weighing in on the case would require a potential constitutional evaluation over the embryos' rights.

As we reported ... Sofia filed docs in February asking the court to end the embryo war.

DMX is losing his mind under house confinement -- because he's already asking a judge to let him out so he can support his fam.

X's lawyer, Murray Richman, fired off a letter to a NY federal judge Monday asking that his client be allowed to travel to Atlanta, Vegas, Philly, and L.A. for some August/Sept. gigs ... the most immediate being Thursday in ATL.

The judge shot down the ATL request because it came in too late. The judge made it clear ... all requests to leave the house must be submitted at least a week in advance.

As for the other requests ... X's probation officers want the judge to turn thumbs-down, because they think it'll interfere with his drug program. Murray tells TMZ ... he's negotiating to get X out for some of the upcoming dates, saying the guy's got 15 kids to feed and needs to make a living.

You'll recall ... X violated bail conditions in his tax evasion case by skipping town without a heads-up to the court ... and later failing drug tests. That's why he's now on house arrest.

It seems when it comes to X, home is NOT where the heart is.

Natalee Holloway has been missing for 12 years, and her story is still embroiled in controversy ... a story that has triggered a new lawsuit.

Edward Kramer just filed suit against 2 production companies -- Brian Graden Media and Lipstick -- for allegedly stealing his idea for a miniseries about Holloway's cold case. He says what's worse, he worked for the companies for more than a year without getting as much as a penny.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kramer claims after Lipstick put him in touch with BGM in 2014 to develop the Holloway project, he was tasked with doing a lot of the legwork, like figuring out how to turn it into a miniseries, doing interviews, and getting the pitch ready for NBC and Oxygen (which is airing "The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway" this week).

Kramer says when he began asking about compensation, he got the runaround.

He's asking a judge to block the airing of the show.

We've reached out to BGM ... so far, no word back.

Taylor Swift has come out swinging at her butt groping trial -- reportedly testifying that a Denver radio DJ "grabbed my ass underneath my skirt" while posing with Swift for a photo and stayed "latched on" to her bare ass.

The singer is currently on the stand describing an incident before her 2013 concert in Denver in which Swift claims she was sexually assaulted by David Mueller.

"He did not touch my rib. He did not touch my hand. He grabbed my bare ass," Swift testified.

"He stayed latched on to my bare ass ... as I moved away from him visibly uncomfortable."

"It was a very shocking thing that I have never dealt with before … He grabbed my ass underneath my skirt. It was underneath my skirt."

Mueller's attorney has pointed out that Swift continued to meet-and-greet with fans after the alleged incident -- making it unlikely that it happened at all.

Swift responded that she didn't want to disappoint her fans.

Mueller's attorney told Swift during the questioning that she could have taken a break from the event. Swift replied. "And your client could have taken a normal photo with me."

He's denied the allegations outright.