Legal

Roy Moore followed through on his threat -- he's suing Sacha Baron Cohen for portraying him as a pedophile on national TV ... and he's gunning for tens of millions of dollars.

Moore and his wife, Kayla, filed suit against Sacha, Showtime and CBS for duping him into appearing on Cohen's "Who Is America?" In the episode Sacha, disguised as an ex-Israeli intelligence officer, waved a wand that could supposedly detect enzymes secreted by pedophiles.

Of course, the device went off like crazy when he used it on Moore. Viewers might have laughed, but Roy isn't.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the entire interview was set up under false pretenses. The Moores say they never would've agreed to meet with Sacha or sign his release form had they known it was all a sham.

More importantly, they say Sacha's gag -- which aired last month -- made Roy look like a sex offender, and seriously tarnished his reputation, caused emotional distress and financial damage. They insist Roy is not a sex offender, and Sacha's prank amounts to defamation. They're suing for at least $95 million.

The former U.S. Senate hopeful faced multiple allegations that he'd preyed on minors decades ago ... accusations that surfaced while he was running for Senate in Alabama last year. He vehemently denied the claims, and has never been charged with a crime.

Teresa Giudice claims Chief Keef plastered the inside of her mansion on the cover of his mixtape without getting permission ... so she's gunning to sue.

James Leonard Jr. -- an attorney for the 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star -- tells TMZ she and her family noticed Chief put what looks like a pic of their Montville Township, Towaco home as the cover art for his new project, "Mansion Musick."

Leonard Jr. says this is clearly something Teresa and co. deserve to be compensated for, adding it's an invasion of their privacy.

It might be an uphill battle for Teresa -- the photo was once used to market the house when it was for sale a while back, so it's not exactly a private family photo. They ended up not selling.

BTW ... looks like Teresa's not a fan. She only found out about the cover art because one of Teresa's daughter's friends follows Keef and noticed the cover art matched the crib.

The mixtape dropped in July.

Another side note ... this house is one of the homes the Giudices nearly lost a few years back during their legal troubles. One of their NJ homes ended up getting demolished after it went up for auction with an opening bid of $100.

4:00 PM PT -- Mel B says she is not a "raging alcoholic," though she does drink socially. She also denies she takes "illicit drugs," and says she's not a sex addict ... these are her responses to Belafonte's request for sole legal and physical custody.

Mel B claims Russell Updegraff's declaration in which he makes these claims has no credibility, because she says he's an ex employee who has an ax to grind, and he and Belafonte are hell bent in dragging her through the mud and ruining her reputation out of spite.

She says she is willing to submit to random drug testing for a limited period of time to prove she's a fit parent, and wants Stephen to do the same.

And, in her legal docs Mel B repeats her claim that Belafonte has abused her so badly she's suffering from PTSD.

Mel also agrees to submit to a child custody evaluation with psychological testing, because she strongly opposes Stephen getting full custody. She also states the following -- she's not a "sex addict" who brings home random men, she is not a raging alcoholic as Stephen paints her to be, she does not take illicit drugs ... and her children's well-being is her top priority

There's more ... Anthony Santa Maria -- Mel B's housekeeper and childcare services provider -- vouches for Mel in the docs, claiming he's never witnessed her drunk "or even buzzed," and he's never seen her do anything remotely dangerous or neglectful with her kids.

Short story ... Mel B says Belafonte is angry, hungry for media attention and he has waged a vicious campaign to destroy her so he can stay in the spotlight.

10:15 AM PT -- We've learned Mel B and Stephen reached a settlement in the judge's chambers. The details are confidential. On her way out of court, we asked Mel if she was going to rehab ... but she was mum.

Stephen Belafonte says Mel B isn't fit to retain custody of her children, because she's in the grip of an alcohol-fueled spiral ... so claims ex-husband Belafonte.

Belafonte appeared in court Friday, armed with documentation from people who have been close to Mel B. She showed up as well, covered in sweat.

One of the declarations Belafonte submitted is from Russell Updegraff, who said in legal docs he's been responsible for watching her 2 kids, Madison and Angel, who he says are at serious risk because of a profound drinking problem on Mel B's part.

Updegraff claims Mel B drinks daily ... often starting as early as 10 AM. He says the day begins with beer, and then turns to wine and eventually hard liquor ... including vodka, tequila and gin. He says Mel B typically passes out, awakes and then becomes mean and belligerent.

Updegraff says the drinking problem is so bad, she's asked him to go to the store and get 12 bottles of wine, 2 bottles of vodka and one to two 12-packs of beer ... which she consumes in 4 to 5 days.

According to Updegraff's declaration, Madison, who turns 7 Saturday, and 11-year-old Angel are scared and stressed. He claims Mel B was sometimes physically abusive to Angel, digging her nails into her, grabbing her and shaking her.

Updegraff also says Mel B has been a cocaine user, although the docs suggest the real issue now is alcohol.

And, Updegraff says Mel B often brings various men home, with the kids present. In one case, he says a strange man tried to bring Madison into the shower, and he had to intervene and stop him.

He also says Mel B would regularly leave town for 1 to 2 weeks at a time and never check in to see how the kids were doing.

The hearing will be held this morning. We will update when the judge rules.

Belafonte wants temporary custody of kids so Mel B can go to rehab and get clean. He does not want to take the kids away from her, but fears they are at extreme risk given Mel B's state.

Prince's estate is going after a record label, claiming it's run by a group of bootleggers conspiring to cash in by jacking his tunes and plastering the Prince logo on all their rip-off merchandise.

Prince's estate just filed docs -- obtained by TMZ -- against Eye Records ... which the estate says is described as a "bootleg label dedicated to Prince." According to the docs ... Eye Records has illegally released 18 Prince compilations since Prince died in 2016, including CD sets titled 'Blast From The Past.'

Eye Records allegedly uses the online store newlovesigne.com to sell the bootlegged music, which includes live performances and unreleased studio tracks ... like "Prince Atlanta," which contain live recordings of the musician in his last-ever show.

Prince's estate is suing the record label and the individuals it believes are involved in the bootlegging scheme for monetary damages ... including $2 million for every one of their alleged Prince trademark violations ... and they claim there are a lot.

A rep for Prince's estate tells us, "There was nothing more important to Prince than the quality of his music and how his fans experienced it. With this filing, our hope is to preserve the integrity of the music and remain true to Prince's wishes."

Dr. Dre and Xzibit screwed 3 people out of a fortune in the cannabis industry by taking their time, money and hard work, and then pretending they never existed ... according to a new suit.

Three individuals are suing the rappers and their weed company, Brass Knuckles, claiming they did a ton of legwork for them and eventually struck a deal to acquire a 14.5 percent stake in the business ... but then got hosed.

According to the docs, Dre -- who the 3 individuals claim is a secret co-owner of Brass Knuckles -- was happy with their work and was going to be involved in promoting some major projects associated with the biz.

The 3 people claim they reached an agreement with Dre, Xzibit and others in the company to pay $5 million to buy their 14.5 percent, and everything was going fine ... until the Brass Knuckles execs got greedy.

According to the docs ... the company was originally valued at $50 million, but after the deal was struck with the group of 3 and they ponied up the $5 mil for their share, it was determined the company was actually valued at $170 mil.

The 3 claim at this point ... Dre, Xzibit and company pretended the deal never existed. The 3's lawyer, Larry Ecoff, tells us his clients were essentially kicked to the curb after the higher valuation, and "this case is all about greed and weed."

They're now suing for breach of contract and want monetary damages ... along with a judge to rule they are 14.5 percent owners of the company.

Dr. Dre's lawyer, Howard King tells us ... this lawsuit is "without any allegations of anything done by [Dre] that would justify naming him as a defendant," and that doing so "is nothing more than a blatant and short-sighted attempt by the plaintiffs to generate publicity for their cause."

Steven Tyler is done giving Donald Trump chances ... the Prez better stop using Aerosmith's songs at campaign rallies ... and that means now!

We got Steven and his GF Aimee Friday in Bev Hills, going into Optometrix, when our photog asked about his repeated demands that Trump stop using songs like "Livin' on the Edge" and "Dream On" at various campaign rallies.

Trump has ignored the demands, and clearly Steven has had it up to here. His lawyers fired off 2 cease and desist letters during the 2016 Presidential campaign as well.

Tyler's lawyers fired off a letter to Trump Wednesday, telling the Prez to cut the crap .. this after "Livin' on the Edge" was played Tuesday at a West Virginia rally.

Tyler tweeted ...

Former "The Parkers" and "Moesha" star Countess Vaughn claims her longtime BF has been abusing her for years -- and most recently threw bleach in her face -- and it was more than enough for a judge to grant her an order of protection.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, the '90s sitcom star claimed David Benjamin Richard Whitten chucked bleach at her face back in June to keep her from working as an actress.

Countess says the BF has felt insecure anytime she moves up in her career, and she's endured a decade of physical, verbal and emotional abuse from him -- including alleged slapping, beating, strangulation and sexual assault.

She says Whitten has threatened to leak explicit videos of her and even threatened to kill her at times. She's got a couple kids -- one with Whitten -- and she fears for their safety if Whitten is allowed to have contact with them.

Rudy Giuliani just added a new edition to the "alternative facts" library from the Trump White House -- telling a reporter "truth isn't truth" when it comes to ... well, the truth.

The President's personal attorney was on NBC's 'Meet the Press' with Chuck Todd and got grilled on why 45 hasn't sat down for an interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller to wrap up the Russia investigation. Giuliani's reason ... let's not rush into a lie under oath.

He basically says Mueller's gonna get a he said, he said -- from Trump and Comey -- as to who said what to whom ... who knew what ... and when. And, because Comey used to be tight with Mueller in the FBI, Rudy says it's a no-brainer who the latter will believe.

Nichelle Nichols is spry and lucid, and doesn't need to be controlled by a bunch of people who don't have her best interests at heart -- including her son-- so says a woman claiming to be her close friend.

According to new legal docs filed by Angelique Fawcette ... the 'Star Trek' icon's son, Kyle Johnson, doesn't really care about Nichols' well-being ... she says he's trying to use her health issues as an excuse to gain possession of her riches.

Fawcette claims Nichelle even wrote a note to her son in March 2017, letting him know she wants to amend her will because he allegedly told her ... "I can't wait to get rid of this sh*t and sell [your] house and property."

As for Nichols' recent dementia diagnosis ... Fawcette says it's not credible because the doctor who diagnosed is not a psychiatrist and lacks necessary qualifications. And, Fawcette says she's consistently observed Nichelle performing daily activities with no issues ... she just needs occasional reminders to pay her bills.

We broke the story ... Johnson claimed his mother needed court-ordered protection because people were taking advantage of her. A judge signed off on a conservatorship.

Fawcette claims it's all a ruse set up by Nichols' son, so he can get his hands on her money. She says Nichelle's doing just fine and wants to keep living her life and handling her own business ... and her 2013 video interview with Nichols is more proof.

The company handling Beyonce and Jay-Z's tour merch got a court order halting vultures gunning to sell fake B&J gear at an upcoming Boston-area concert ... according to new legal docs.

Three Ten Merchandising Services got a restraining order in advance of Bey and Jay's Aug 5 concert at the Gillette Stadium outside of Boston to prevent bootleggers from selling knockoff "On the Run II" merch.

In the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the licensing company said it wanted to give local authorities the right to immediately seize any fake 'OTR2' merch on the spot when they see it -- otherwise, they say separate civil lawsuits would have to be filed in what they estimate would rack up to at least $450k in legal fees.

The company said that the peddlers have already manufactured bogus tour gear, and this is their only means to put a stop to it. The judge agreed.

The world's top modeling agencies screw their famous clients by urging them into surgery, cramming them into apartments and controlling their dating lives ... according to a new lawsuit.

Model Louisa Raske filed a class action lawsuit against Major Model Management, Wilhelmina, Next, Elite and other top tier agencies claiming the companies instructed models to undergo medical procedures for weight loss and to attain the all-important thigh gap.

In the suit, she also says the agencies tried to run their social lives. For instance, a model named Eleni Tzimas says she was told by Elite to attend high-profile events because people like Donald Trump would be there. Another claims her agency encouraged her to break-up with her bf, who was in the military, so she could date an "a-list celebrity or professional athlete."

Personally, Raske says her agency, Next, used one of her shots on a L'Oreal hair product without ever paying her. She eventually got paid $31k, but insists she was owed more.

Another model, Marcelle Almonte, says her agency, MC2 Models, crammed her into a 2-bedroom Miami apartment with at least 8 other models, and charged $1,850 per month. Doesn't sound like that much, except market value on the place was only $3,300 per month.

Stormy Daniels' lawyer thinks Michael Cohen has more dirt to spill on President Trump, and he's forecasting a spanking ... the likes of which Donnie has never felt.

We got Michael Avenatti Saturday leaving Craig's in WeHo, where he was being followed by paps like your standard A-lister. He rattled off answers on the Cohen tapes -- one of which has already featured 45's voice -- and speculated on what's next for the Prez.

Mike says Cohen has turned the corner on his former client, and will probably leak more tapes in the days to come. In other words ... a second spanking for DT, according to him.

Justin Bieber just avoided the wrath of the law -- for now -- dodging a potential bench warrant for his arrest.

According to the court clerk, a judge refrained from issuing the bench warrant Tuesday in L.A. making it likely that JB and his former neighbor, Jeffrey Schwartz, have finally agreed on a new date for Justin to sit for a deposition about the 2014 egging incident.

We broke the story ... Justin missed his deposition on June 22, and Schwartz said it was because the pop star was canoodling with Hailey Baldwin in New York. The couple's been back and forth between the Coasts for well over a week now, and were East as recently as Monday.

As for things getting this far in the first place, Bieber's legal team told us they'd tried rescheduling with Schwartz ... but that he ran off to court before attempting to work something out.

6/1/18 5:10 PM PT -- It looks like the puppet wars are over -- Sesame Street just dismissed its lawsuit against producers of "The Happytime Murders" ... according to new legal docs.

Melissa McCarthy and her cast of raunchy puppets are free to keep using their "Sesame Street"-inspired tagline -- 'cause a judge says the 2 ideas are clearly not the same thing.

A judge in NYC handed down a ruling Wedenesday in favor of STX Productions -- which is producing McCarthy's "The Happytime Murders" -- saying the film's catchphrase, "No Sesame. All Street.," makes a blatant distinction to fans that this is NOT "Sesame Street."

As we reported ... Sesame Workshop is suing STX for allegedly infringing on their company name, and trashing their kid-friendly reputation with a not-so-kid-friendly flick.

Lawyers for "Sesame Street" reportedly tried saying that an older court case about a 1970s porn movie named "Debbie Does Dallas" being found to infringe on the Dallas Cowboys' good name supported their argument now ... but the judge shot that down, saying that flick's X-rated ... this one's R ... and there's a difference.

STX issued a statement through their pupper lawyer, Fred, Esq., saying ... "We fluffing love Sesame Street and we're obviously very pleased that the ruling reinforced what STX's intention was from the very beginning — to honor the heritage of The Jim Henson Company's previous award-winning creations while drawing a clear distinction between any Muppets or Sesame Street characters and the new world Brian Henson and team created."

Long story short ... ejaculating puppets walked away with a win on the street.

Prince might've had a biological daughter who was never looped in on what would happen with the late singer's estate ... so claims a woman in new legal docs.

The woman in question, Snowe Melinda Saxman, filed paperwork in a Minnesota court -- obtained by TMZ -- in which she says she believes she's Prince's birth daughter ... but her evidence is pretty thin.

Saxman says she was adopted, and never knew her real parents -- but, based on her "substantial physical, temperamental and aspirational similarities to Prince" ... she has reason to believe she's his actual kid. She also claims she looks like Prince, and has musical prowess like her father. As she puts it ... she's "very artsy" and a "natural-born star."

There's more ... Saxman goes on to say she recently did a background check of herself through a company called Family Tree DNA, which she claims shows she's matched up genetics-wise with numerous people in Prince's family tree, including John Lewis Nelson, Mattie Della Baker, and others. She says she didn't match with Prince directly 'cause his DNA's not in the system.

She says she was never notified about any proceedings in Prince's probate case, which some of his heirs claim is burning cash like crazy managing the singer's posthumous affairs. Sounds like she wants to get in on the Estate ... and stake a claim to what's left behind.

The 'Survivor' contestant who broke her NDA by allowing herself to be featured in a photo with her castmate isn't out of the woods yet ... 'cause there's more evidence of wrongdoing.

TMZ has learned that Kara Kay had been filmed in multiple videos taken by fellow 'Survivor' contender Alec Merlino in the days leading up to their now-infamous photo ... as well as in clips after it went up. She's seen hamming it up for the camera in all of them.

The videos make it clear -- Kara knew she was being recorded by Alec for his Instagram stories ... despite their $5 mil NDAs saying they were strictly forbidden from associating on social media. The pair apparently had a "F*** it" attitude ... just like the caption.

As we reported ... Alec is the only one punished for now. Producers are withholding his appearance fee of $10k and disinviting him to the finale taping.

It looks like punishment for Kara is in the works. True, she wasn't the one who posted the photo, but sources close to the production tell us the various videos she shot are ample evidence she broke confidentiality.

Stay tuned ...