Legal

Jason Derulo has a zero-tolerance policy for being mistaken for another R&B superstar -- so much so, he attacked 2 guys at a Las Vegas hotel for calling him ... Usher.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ... cops were called to the ARIA hotel during the early hours of Tuesday morning after Derulo threw fists with the men.

Eyewitnesses tell us Derulo and one of the men were passing each other on an escalator when the guy seemed to troll Derulo by yelling, "Hey, Usher! F*** you, bitch!!!" That's when Derulo got pissed and punched him right in the face, sending the dude to the floor.

It didn't end there ... Jason allegedly also slapped the second guy moments later, and security had to step in to break up the scrum. You can see part of the fight in the video ... even though Jason was walking with a large dude, perhaps his bodyguard ... he still charged directly at the guys after the Usher line.

At the time, the 2 victims did not want to press charges, but there's always the possibility of a lawsuit. Either way, they have up to one year to change their minds and move forward with charges. Jason did get a trespassing notice from ARIA, and was removed from the property.

Titans defensive end Bud Dupree grabbed a man and then wrestled with him for several seconds inside of a Walgreens in Nashville on Sunday night ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the footage, you can see the NFL player walk through the doors of the drug store and immediately get in the face of a man near the cash register.

It's unclear what prompted the verbal altercation -- but sources close to Dupree allege he was being heckled with nasty comments ... claiming the man threatened to spit on the women and kick Bud in the knee.

After exchanging words with the guy, Dupree appeared to try to grab the man's cell phone.

The 6-foot-4, 269-pound pass rusher then forcefully put the man in a bear hug, and all hell broke loose.

Video shows nearly everyone inside the store got involved in a wrestling match between the two ... before Dupree was ultimately separated from the group.

Dupree then seemed to try to leave the store, but as others stayed inside, the 28-year-old Tennessee defender went back, appearing to try to get others out of the fracas.

A separate video of the incident filmed from inside of the Walgreens, and obtained by Broadway Sports, appears to show Dupree ordered one of the people he was with to take a person's phone in the middle of the altercation.

As we reported, after conducting an investigation into the incident, cops cited Dupree for misdemeanor assault. They say the football player is due for booking on the citation in three weeks.

Cops have just cited Tennessee Titans defensive end Bud Dupree for misdemeanor assault ... after they say he attacked an employee at a Nashville Walgreens on Sunday night.

According to the Metro Nashville Police Dept., several shoppers at the drug store got into an argument with a 20-year-old store employee and then left ... only to return a short time later with Dupree.

Cops say the 6-foot-4, 269-pound pass rusher then attacked the employee -- grabbing the man and his phone.

According to the police, a physical altercation then ensued ... before 28-year-old Dupree left the scene.

In a statement to TMZ Sports, cops say they issued the football player a citation for assault. They added he's due for booking on the citation in three weeks.

As we reported, the incident all went down just hours after Dupree had helped the Titans beat the Miami Dolphins at Nissan Stadium in Tennessee.

Dupree -- who just signed an $82.5 million contract with the team -- logged one tackle in the game and played 60 percent of Tennessee's defensive snaps.

The guy suing Nirvana for featuring his naked baby body on their famous 1991 album cover seems to have forgotten to come as he was to court -- so now his lawsuit's been thrown out.

Spencer Elden's lawsuit against the band -- not to mention Kurt Cobain's estate -- has been dismissed, for now, with the judge noting dude and his lawyers failed to respond to a motion to toss the entire thing filed by the defendants ... a deadline for which had been set on Dec. 30.

That day apparently came and went without any word from Elden and co. -- so, the judge granted Nirvana's wish of nixing the whole suit ... at least for the time being. Elden now has until Jan. 13 to submit an amended complaint if he wants to keep pressing the issue.

As for what was in that motion that Elden never came to the table for ... it was full of arguments from Nirvana's attorneys that said not only did this guy wait too long to file his child pornography claims -- but also that Elden himself had apparently leaned into his Nirvana fame on several occasions over the years.

As we reported ... Elden claimed he was violated when his then 4-month-old naked self was plastered on the "Nevermind" album after alleged promises it would be censored ... saying it caused him to suffer lifelong damages. He was asking for a pretty penny to make himself whole.

Elden's legal team refused to comment on the latest update or any future plans. A strange U-turn, no doubt -- almost as if he sat down and thought ... never mind!

The Washington Football Team will announce its new identity next month ... but there's one name that's already off the table -- RedWolves.

WFT prez Jason Wright broke the news to fans early Tuesday morning ... saying the fan-favorite "RedWolves" and more simple "Wolves" branding won't work due to trademark issues.

"One of the most awesome and powerful aspects of this process has been getting to hear and understand your preferences directly, and we know that many of you loved one or both of these names," Wright said in a statement.

The 39-year-old added the organization made a huge emphasis to focus on fan opinions, but other teams had already beaten them to the punch.

"Understanding the weight and importance of our team name, and excitement around other name options -- both internally and within our fan base -- we didn't want to risk going down a route that could be dotted with legal hurdles," Wright added.

"The prospect of years of litigation wasn't something that we wanted you, our fans, to have to bear as you begin to embrace a new brand."

A Southwest passenger says the airline is at fault after her dog wasn't able to breathe in his carrier and suffered a tragic death during a flight.

The 3-year-old French bulldog, named Charlie, was a comfort pet and a paying passenger that had been flying in a dog carrier on a SW flight last month to Pennsylvania.

Charlie's companion Courtney tells us the dog started having breathing problems during a connecting flight of their Dec. 21 journey. She claims when she tried to open the carrier or take Charlie out, an airline attendant refused to allow it and threatened to turn the plane around, or Courtney would face other consequences.

Courtney says it was "brutal," and claims Charlie had been otherwise healthy. She believes he overheated and suffered heatstroke and seizure due to the temperature on her first flight -- although, we're told a necropsy has not been done to confirm that.

She claims she had asked an attendant on that first flight to turn up the AC to cool down Charlie. During the connecting flight, she claims she tried explaining he would die if he continued to have trouble breathing ... but wasn't allowed to help him as he moaned for air.

As a result, she's alleging the Southwest staff "let him die." Courtney is an X-ray technician who says she'd been traveling around the U.S. to help Covid patients, and Charlie was her support animal.

Courtney's lawyer Evan Oshan tells TMZ his client was only offered a ticket refund, but now wants to sue for the loss of Charlie and for pain and suffering. She also wants the flight attendant fired.

YG's been suspected of robbery for nearly two years now, but he finally has an answer on whether he'll be prosecuted ... and that answer is a resounding no.

The L.A. District Attorney's Office declined to file charges against the rapper because it says there wasn't enough evidence to link him to the crime ... this according to docs obtained by TMZ.

It's interesting though because it sounds like YG might have been on the scene during whatever the heck was happening. In the docs, the D.A.'s Office says, "Not enough evidence of what defendant did to aid and abet the crime. Presence during the crime alone is not sufficient."

We still don't know exactly what this was all about to begin with -- YG was arrested in January 2020 during an early morning raid on his house. Cops came heavily armed, with weapons and warrants, but, at the time, his powerhouse attorney, Joe Tacopina, assured us his client would be cleared.

It took a while, but turns out he was right ... Tacopina says the D.A.'s decision is a happy Christmas gift for his client. He tells us he actually had conversations with the D.A. over this matter, and got them to see the light -- namely, that YG hadn't done anything wrong ... and that charging him wasn't in anyone's best interest.

Tacopina thinks cops had a grudge against YG, and we're simply hassling him.

Tristan Thompson is officially a dad of three -- revealing he's the father of a baby boy recently born to a woman from Houston after getting the results from a paternity test -- and apologizing to his former girlfriend and mother of his child, Khloe Kardashian, in the process.

The NBA star posted Monday, saying, "I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that paternity has been established, I look forward to amicably raising our son. I sincerely apologize to everyone I've hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately."

He then turns his attention to Khloe, with who he has daughter True, saying, "You don't deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you. You don't deserve the way I have treated you over the years. My actions have certainly not lined up with the way I view you."

He continues, "I have the utmost respect and love for you. Regardless of what you may think. Again, I am so incredibly sorry." Khloe and Tristan split in the summer.

It's an about-face for Tristan ... as we reported, he and Maralee have been duking it out in court over the paternity of the baby boy. As we told you ... Maralee Nichols sued Tristan for child support and claims he tried to pay her $75,000 to keep quiet about the baby.

Tristan's alleged messages claimed he's retiring after this NBA season, making him unemployed -- and, at least according to him -- requiring him to pay a smaller amount in child support.

TT asked a judge just last month for an emergency gag order to silence Maralee talking about the paternity case.

It's Tristan's third known child, and according to Maralee's timeline ... he was still publicly with Khloe when they hooked up back in March.

Both TT and KK have publicly supported each other since the split, and are co-parenting their daughter.

Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme's allegedly threatened to kill his ex-wife's new boyfriend ... and now the guy just got court-ordered protection.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Josh allegedly started making death threats after Gunner Foxx started seeing Josh's ex-wife, Brody Dalle, back in 2020 ... and Foxx says things finally came to a head this past Christmas Eve.

Gunner claims he was doing some Christmas shopping at a mall in Thousand Oaks, CA when Josh approached him and threatened to throw him off a balcony.

In the docs, Gunner claims Josh first got in his face inside an Apple Store, telling him ... "I'm going to kill you, you f****** p****" ... and seemingly challenging him to a fight.

Foxx claims Josh approached him again outside the Apple Store, viciously berating him and threatening to kill him, and toss him over the second-floor balcony. He says at one point Josh actually grabbed his arm and tried to throw him over the railing.

In the docs, he claims Josh dug his fingernails into his hand during the altercation, and he truly believed Josh was going to throw him to his death.

Gunner claims he called law enforcement and cops responded, but not before Josh got the hell outta there -- still, he went ahead and filed a police report.

In the docs, Gunner says he lives with Josh's ex and their children in Malibu ... and thinks Josh broke into the home and even slashed his tires.

Foxx beelined it to court and a judge granted him a temporary restraining order requiring Josh to stay at least 50 yards away from Gunner and Gunner's 2 daughters.

Elizabeth Holmes is one huge step closer to doing hard time -- the jury found her guilty on 4 of the 11 charges she was facing in her fraud trial.

The founder of the blood-testing startup Theranos was facing two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and nine counts of wire fraud for deceiving investors, patients and advertisers ... all in search of money and fame.

After a week of deliberation, the jury returned its verdict Monday ... convicting her of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 3 counts of wire fraud.

The jury found Holmes not guilty on 4 counts ... including 3 counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. One charge was also dropped.

The jury remained deadlocked -- unable to reach a verdict -- on 3 counts. Prosecutors could re-charge Holmes on those counts, or just let it go.

During the trial, Holmes testified that she meant well, and trusted the scientists behind the start-up. The jury heard from 32 witnesses in total.

Leading up to the trial and verdict, there's been a documentary, a best-selling book, and a podcast about the company's alleged fraud and deception.

The billion-dollar company made promises it could conduct cheaper and easier blood testing, but, it was later revealed its devices could only perform a mere 12 tests -- instead of Elizabeth's claim of 1,000 -- and the company shut down 3 years later.

Cops in Nashville say they want to question Tennessee Titans linebacker Bud Dupree ... after he was allegedly involved in a fight at a local Walgreens.

According to a statement from the Metro Nashville Police Dept., cops were called to the store at around 8 PM on Sunday night -- just hours after the Titans had beaten the Miami Dolphins in Tennessee.

Cops say Dupree and "several" people with him got into an altercation with two employees at the store ... after "a male employee began videoing Dupree with his phone."

Police, though, say by the time officers arrived on scene, Dupree and the other individuals with him had already left.

Cops say they're seeking to interview all parties now -- including Dupree -- after they say a 21-year-old female employee and a 20-year-old male employee both needed treatment for cuts they sustained in the alleged altercation.

As of now, no arrests have been made ... and no formal charges have been brought against Dupree or others.

The Titans -- who clinched the AFC South title with their win Sunday -- released a statement saying, "We are aware of the situation and are gathering additional information."

Dupree -- a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft -- did play in the team's game against Miami ... registering one solo tackle.

The gym formerly known as Mamba Sports Academy is suing the company that owned the doomed helicopter in the Kobe Bryant crash ... claiming the copter co. should be forced to pay over $100K in costs related to the death of one of the passengers on board.

It's all spelled out in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which an insurance company and the gym now known as Sports Academy are suing Island Express.

In the docs, the Academy and the insurance co. claim that because Christina Mauser -- a girls basketball coach -- was employed by the gym at the time of her death in the crash ... they paid "death benefits and burial expenses" to her family that exceeded $127,000.

In the docs, the plaintiffs argue that Island Express should be on the hook for that bill ... claiming the crash and Mauser's subsequent death were the result of the helicopter company's negligence.

The plaintiffs are asking for a reimbursement of the amounts already paid plus any additional workers' comp payments that may come due in the future.

As we previously reported, Mauser and eight others -- including Kobe and Gigi Bryant -- died in the helicopter crash in January 2020.

After a lengthy investigation, NTSB officials concluded that the crash likely happened due to a multitude of reasons, including, "Island Express Helicopter Inc.'s inadequate review and oversight of its safety management processes."

We now know how much money Jeffrey Epstein paid to the woman who is accusing Prince Andrew of having sex with her when she was a minor.

According to just-released legal docs, Epstein paid Virginia Giuffre $500,000 back in 2009. The money was paid as a settlement of her lawsuit against the now-deceased sexual predator.

The settlement is relevant now because Giuffre is suing Prince Andrew, but he maintains the 2009 settlement in effect blocked her from suing him. Andrew's lawyer points to a clause in the 2009 settlement that extends the release to other, unnamed potential defendants, and Andrew claims that covers him.

Giuffre claims Andrew had sex with her in London, New York and in the Virgin Islands when she was still a minor. He has categorically denied the allegations.

As for the photo of the 2 of them ... he has said he doesn't recall taking it and suggested it might be photoshopped. He says he has no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre.

Prince Andrew's lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss Giuffre's lawsuit, claiming, “... Epstein negotiated for [a] broad release, insisting that it cover any and all persons who Giuffre identified as potential targets of future lawsuits, regardless of the merit—or lack thereof— to any such claims.”

And, Prince Andrew's lawyers say Giuffre got more than the $500k settlement from Epstein ... they claim she got \even more money in exchange for a full release from all potential defendants.

David Koechner might not be too different from the guys he plays in movies -- because the dude spent New Year's Eve in a cell for drinking and driving ... this according to cops.

The 'Anchorman' and 'Office' star was busted for suspected DUI and hit and run Friday in Simi Valley, CA -- where he got picked up by the local cops around 3 PM PT ... well before midnight. Koechner was booked into Ventura County Jail around 5 PM PT ... and his vehicle was towed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police got a call for an erratic driver, which a patrolling officer located -- only to find David behind the wheel. We're told he was given field sobriety tests, which he didn't do well on ... and got hauled in for drunk driving and allegedly hitting a street sign with his car.

Per online records, he was released early the next morning ... around 5 AM PT. He's got a court date in March to answer for this arrest.

There's no question it's Dave here. All his info lines up with what we know about him publicly ... same DOB, same height (6'2"), from Missouri, occupation as an actor, etc.

Of course, David is known for playing party animals ... especially when portraying Champ Kind, or even Todd Packer from "The Office," both of whom are known for boozy adventures.

DK hasn't had any other run-ins with the law that we're aware of -- this seems to be his first DUI, at least in Cali. We've reached out to David's camp ... so far, no word back.

We know critics of Bill Cosby's overturned conviction would love to see him back in prison, but surprisingly ... a bunch of his former cellmates feel the same way, though not for the reasons you'd think.

It's not a matter of jealousy, according to Cosby's rep, Andrew Wyatt ... who tells us Cosby's old buddies at SCI Phoenix reach out to him about 3 times a week. Instead, he says the prisoners are missing their guru, of sorts.

As you know ... Cosby was sprung from prison back in June ... something he obviously celebrated, but his fellow inmates might not have been thrilled.

Wyatt says Cosby had become the voice of reason within the prison walls -- solving disputes between inmates, dishing out advice and pushing education as a means to improve their lives.

He also claims Cosby encouraged them to show corrections officers and the warden they could be good citizens on the inside, and they were ready to do the same when released or paroled.

Ironically, the disgraced comedian who'd once been called, "America's Dad" ... now seems to hold that title with the inmates at the Pennsylvania State Prison.

Wyatt fields most of the calls from inmates, but says Cosby tries to get on the line as much as he can to say hello from time to time.

While Cosby's enjoying his newfound freedom, we're told his former fellow inmates want him to return to SCI Phoenix as a motivational speaker.

MTV's Darrell Taylor has been busted for public intoxication, after someone called cops complaining of a very drunk man lying in an apartment hallway ... TMZ has learned.

It all went down earlier this month in Burbank ... when someone in the apartment complex called cops about a man who was allegedly stumbling around and ringing doorbells.

When officers arrived, they found 42-year-old Taylor – a multi-time winner of MTV’s "The Challenge" – flat on the ground in front of one of the units -- so drunk they had to take action to protect him.

Cops arrested Taylor, and he was later booked on a charge of public intoxication and later released.

Darrell tells us he was trying to get back to his hotel and got lost. He says he went down the wrong street and apparently ended up at the apartment complex by accident.