Legal

Linda Evangelista's through with laying low after she was allegedly left disfigured by a cosmetic procedure -- she's back in the public eye while her lawsuit proceeds.

The OG supermodel was out and about Wednesday in NYC, and although she was wearing a face mask and a puffy winter coat ... it was a big step for her, following her horrifying claims a fat-freezing procedure has "permanently deformed" her.

As we reported, Linda filed a lawsuit last September, alleging CoolSculpting "brutally disfigured" her in several places. She says she noticed bulges growing in the very areas she'd wanted to shrink when she decided to have the procedure.

She's intentionally avoided the spotlight since then, but now she tells People, "I'm not going to hide anymore. I hope I can shed myself of some of the shame and help other people who are in the same situation as me ... That's my goal."

Linda says a doctor diagnosed her with Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia -- a rare side effect of the procedure, which many have called an alternative to liposuction.

Longtime Dallas Cowboys exec Rich Dalrymple is adamant he did not film cheerleaders who were changing in a stadium locker room back in 2015 ... this despite multiple women alleging he did.

Dalrymple released a statement this week saying reports that he pulled out his phone and photographed women while they were changing at AT&T Stadium nearly seven years ago were flat-out not true.

"People who know me, co-workers, the media and colleagues, know who I am and what I'm about," Dalrymple said. "I understand the very serious nature of these claims and do not take them lightly. The accusations are, however, false."

ESPN broke the story Wednesday ... reporting that multiple women had accused Dalrymple of the disturbing act.

The women said it happened during a Kickoff Luncheon on Sept. 2, 2015 ... claiming the Cowboys exec used a keycard to gain access to their changing area and then began recording on his phone.

One woman who claimed she was in the locker room at the time allegedly said, according to ESPN, that she ran toward Dalrymple and chased him off.

ESPN also reported that Dalrymple had been accused of inappropriately filming Jerry Jones' daughter, Charlotte Jones Anderson, inside of the Cowboys' NFL Draft war room in 2015.

Regarding that accusation, ESPN reported that a viewer said he had seen Dalrymple on a live stream pointing his phone at Charlotte, a Cowboys' senior vice president.

The Cowboys, though, released a statement to ESPN saying it investigated all of the claims against Dalrymple "thoroughly" ... but "found no evidence of wrongdoing."

In his statement this week, Dalrymple said the incident with Charlotte "simply did not happen."

He added, "Everything that was alleged was thoroughly investigated years ago, and I cooperated fully."

Still, ESPN reported Wednesday that Dalrymple was issued "a formal written warning in October 2015." The outlet also reported that the team "paid a confidential settlement of $2.4 million" following the cheerleaders' claims.

Dalrymple retired earlier this month after working for the team for many years, but told ESPN his departure had nothing to do with the allegations.

Prosecutors are officially going after Columbus Short following his arrest for domestic violence ... TMZ has learned.

You'll recall, the ex "Scandal" star was arrested earlier this month after cops were called to his home over an argument he had with his wife -- one that allegedly got physical.

His case was initially presented for potential felony charges to the L.A. County D.A., but it was subsequently kicked down to the City Attorney, who charged him with 2 misdemeanor counts -- one for domestic violence and one for child endangerment.

We're told Columbus got hit with child endangerment because the incident allegedly took place in front of a child.

Cops say Short didn't have any marks or bruises, although he claimed his wife had punched him in the face. Police did notice his wife had a minor injury, which we're told was a scratch on her finger -- and she told cops she got it when Columbus tried to snatch her phone.

Short was previously arrested for domestic violence in 2018, and ended up spending 34 days behind bars.

He also got into trouble over a bar fight back in 2014 that left someone with a broken nose.

A source close to Short tells us ... he's battled addiction issues in the past, and is taking each day at a time. We're told his family is his priority as he focuses on getting back on track with his sobriety.

Moniece Slaughter is being ordered to stay the hell away from some folks who claim the "Love & Hip Hop" star attacked them at Cardi B's birthday party.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... two partygoers just got permanent restraining orders against Moniece.

As we reported ... Moniece was accused of going on the offensive at the birthday bash for Cardi back in October, allegedly throwing punches and drinks.

Moniece's accusers beelined it to court, claiming she was using her celebrity to harass them and smear their names with false allegations, and a judge signed off on a temporary restraining order.

Now, the restraining order has been granted for 2 years ... and it requires Moniece to keep at least 100 yards away from her alleged victims and bars her from contacting or harassing them.

Trey Songz allegedly anally raped a woman at a house party ... this according to a new $20 million lawsuit.

The singer is being sued by a Jane Doe who says she had a consensual sexual relationship with Trey before the alleged rape on March 24, 2016 ... when she claims he suddenly turned into a "savage rapist."

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the woman claims Trey invited her to a house party in L.A., where he invited her upstairs for what she believed would be consensual sex.

Instead, she claims Trey repeatedly asked her if he could "get that a**" on the way upstairs ... to which she says she repeatedly told him "no" and to stop asking.

In the docs, the woman claims Trey's demeanor changed upon entering the bedroom ... she says he threw her to the ground, ripped her pants off, pinned her down face first and forced his penis into her anus without her consent.

The woman claims she screamed in pain and begged Trey to stop, and even tried fighting him off her ... but says she was overpowered.

In the suit, the woman says someone entered the room during the alleged rape, giving her hope that what she describes as a "brutal rape" might end ... but she says the person quickly left the room and Trey kept raping her.

The woman claims she was only able to escape after Trey finished and stopped raping her ... grabbing her clothes, except for her underwear, and running outside to call an Uber.

In the docs, the woman says her Uber driver noticed she was in distress and rerouted her to a hospital, where she claims a sexual assault exam was performed and the police were called.

The woman says the exam showed she had "severe anal tearing that could require surgery" ... but she says she didn't name Trey to police because she was "in shock and fearing for her life."

She's now suing Trey for $20 million in damages.

The woman's attorney, Ariel Mitchell, is also representing 2 women who are suing Trey for alleged sexual assaults in Miami and Las Vegas.

As we first told you ... Trey's legal team is accusing Mitchell of witness tampering in the Miami sexual assault suit, an allegation Mitchell vehemently denied.

Mitchell and the woman's other attorney, George Vrabeck, tell TMZ ... "Victims are coming forward every day. Just know you are not alone, and this behavior is unacceptable. George Vrabeck and I will not be deterred by bullying or intimidation tactics and will continue our pursuit of Justice for sexual assault victims of Trey Songz.”

We reached out to Trey's camp about this latest suit ... so far, no word back.

Alec Baldwin is now a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Halyna Hutchins.

In the lawsuit, lawyers for the family list what they say are the lapses in safety on the "Rust" set ... lapses they claim led to the cinematographer's death.

Among the alleged lapses ... live ammo on the movie set. The suit also claims other shortcomings ... the crew failed to treat the gun as if it were loaded.

As for Baldwin, the suit claims he was only 4 feet from members of the crew and reached across his body and used his right hand to grab the revolver holstered on his left side, drew the revolver with a cross draw movement and aimed it directly at Hutchins while drawing back the hammer.

The suit claims, "He released the revolver's hammer, and -- BAM -- defendant Baldwin fired the revolver." Baldwin said in an interview he did not pull the trigger, but at a news conference Tuesday the Hutchins' lawyer said "I think it's clear what happened. Alec had the gun in his hand, he shot it -- Halyna was killed. The gun cannot fire unless the trigger is engaged and the hammer is back."

The suit says Baldwin never checked the gun himself for ammo before using it.

The suit also talks about cost-cutting measures and, a few days before Hutchins' death, a local camera operator made safety complaints to the producers that there had been 3 unsafe weapons discharges and the set was "super unsafe."

The unit production manager responded "with callous sarcasm," according to the lawsuit, saying the accidental discharges were "awesome" and "sound[ed] good."

Among the cost-cutting measures ... the hiring of inexperienced armorers, requiring the armorer to split time as an assistant props master, establishing and aggressively adhering to unreasonably rushed production schedules.

In addition to Baldwin, the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and the assistant director, David Halls, are being sued, among many others ... including various production companies. The company that provided the ammunition is also a defendant.

The suit, filed by Hutchins' husband and son, asks for unspecified damages, including punitive damages. They're repped by L.A.-based Panish, Shea, Boyle, Ravipudi LLP.

While Baldwin himself has denied culpability -- pointing the finger elsewhere -- Hutchins' family had been slow to indicate who they think is actually responsible, until now.

Others have been much more willing to assign blame early in the process ... including a "Rust" gaffer, Serge Svetnoy, who sued AB, the armorer and others for what he called a reckless and negligent display of movie-making.

As you know, there have been different accounts of what exactly went down. Everyone agrees they were in the middle of setting up a shot, with Halyna and director Joel Souza framing up Alec for what was going to be a scene featuring the gun.

Svetnoy claims Alec had no business aiming the gun at Halyna and Joel -- but Alec himself argues differently, saying he was simply following their instructions ... and didn't even pull the trigger. He says when he let go of the cocked hammer ... the pistol fired unexpectedly.

He also says he never knew there was live ammo in the chamber, which has become a huge issue for investigators -- namely, how the hell did real bullets make it onto the film set???

Baldwin's hinted he feels head armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Dave Halls should bear responsibility for the fatal accident. Meanwhile, Hannah's pointed the finger in Alec's direction, claiming he didn't respond to her request for him to take safety lessons ... and she allegedly wasn't informed the star would be handling a gun on that fateful day.

Not to be forgotten ... there's a looming criminal investigation off in the distance that's still underway in New Mexico, where authorities have yet to exclude anyone, including Baldwin, of potential charges as they continue to look into what exactly happened.

As all of that has been playing out ... Halyna's loved ones have been grieving.

She leaves behind a husband, Matt, and a young son. She was just 42.

MLB star Matt Harvey admitted on Tuesday that he used cocaine during his baseball career ... calling himself a "partier" and saying his former New York Mets team never "really asked" him about it.

The right-handed pitcher -- a current free agent who was one of the best in the game from 2012 through 2015 -- made the revelation during an explosive testimony during a trial related to the 2019 death of former MLB pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

On the stand, Harvey -- who was teammates with Skaggs on the Angels at the time of the pitcher's death -- told the courtroom that he used to party with cocaine.

When asked about his use of the drug and if he lied about taking it when he was with the Mets ... he said, according to ESPN reporter T.J. Quinn, "No one really asked."

Per Quinn, Harvey told the courtroom he was still using the drug after he signed with the Angels following the 2018 season.

Harvey -- who played for the Mets, Reds, Angels, Royals and, most recently, the Orioles, later said, "no one from teams ever asked if he was still using drugs," Quinn reported.

The news is a bombshell, but it was hardly the only one Harvey dropped during the testimony.

The 32-year-old, who testified under immunity, said he and Skaggs had talked about drug use when they were teammates, and added that the two had taken the substances in clubhouses.

Harvey said he'd take painkillers, and said that, according to Quinn, Skaggs told him "he crushed and snorted oxy on the toilet paper dispenser in the clubhouse bathroom."

Harvey also said, per Quinn, that he did give Skaggs Percocets. He also said he obtained pills from ex-Angels staffer Eric Kay, who's been accused of supplying Skaggs with the drugs that investigators say might have led to his death.

Prince Andrew settled a lawsuit with a woman who claimed the royal had sex with her when she was a minor.

According to new legal docs, the Duke of York and Virginia Giuffre reached an out-of-court settlement after she brought suit against Andrew.

As we reported ... Giuffre claims Andrew had sex with her 3 times when she was still a minor -- in London, New York and the Virgin Islands -- but he categorically denied the allegations.

In the docs, Prince Andrew's legal team says he intends to make a "substantial donation" to Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights. There are no specific financial details included in the docs.

There's a photo of Prince Andrew, Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell ... though Andrew says he doesn't recall taking the pic.

In the docs, Andrew says he regrets his association with Epstein and commends Giuffre and other survivors for their bravery in standing up for themselves and others.

Trey Songz is being sued by a woman for sexual assault in Miami, and now he wants a judge to toss the case ... because he says her attorney tried paying off a key witness.

The singer filed new legal docs in response to a recent lawsuit filed by Jauhara Jeffries -- who alleges he violated her while partying with him during New Year's Eve, 2017.

She claims as she was dancing on a couch at E11VEN nightclub -- this following a shindig thrown by Diddy that she and Trey had attended earlier in the night -- Trey allegedly slipped his finger into her vagina without her consent.

Here’s the thing ... in new paperwork filed by Trey’s attorneys, obtained by TMZ, the singer insists there’s an unnamed witness who’s at the center of this whole thing ... and who can actually clear TS’s name.

The reason ... they say this witness was with them all at the club, and not only emphatically denies being assaulted herself, but also says she did not witness Trey assault anyone. What's more, per the docs, the witness claims she was approached by Jeffries' lead attorney in a bid to try and get her to change her story.

Trey's lawyer, Jeffrey Neiman, says this witness claims Jeffries' lawyer, Ariel Mitchell, wanted her to get on board as a co-plaintiff to strengthen the claims against Trey and possibly score a larger settlement.

Trey's team says the witness told them Mitchell offered a payout between $100k-$200k, depending on how high she could get Trey and co. to settle.

The witness apparently told Mitchell to kick rocks, adding she wouldn't lie for any amount of money ... and was only interested in telling the truth. According to the docs, the truth is that she never saw anyone get sexually assaulted during the night in question.

Interestingly enough, Ariel Mitchell is the same attorney who is representing another one of Trey's accusers, Dylan Gonzalez, who says the singer raped her in Vegas.

Trey's team feels Mitchell engaged in serious misconduct warranting a dismissal.

David Oliver Willis, who repeatedly appeared on "American Idol," has been arrested, after police found LSD in his car ... TMZ has learned.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... David was pulled over last Friday in Lake County Florida for a malfunctioning headlight.

The officer says they could smell marijuana billowing from the car and proceeded to search the vehicle. Cops say they found a grinder and baggies containing several small squares of paper that tested positive for LSD.

Officers say David admitted to smoking weed with a friend prior to driving ... but claimed the LSD did not belong to him.

Because he was the only person in the vehicle during the stop, officers arrested Willis and booked him for possession of a controlled substance (LSD) ... a third-degree felony. He's due back in court next month.

As you might recall, David has had a long run with "American Idol." He appeared on season 12, season 13, and he came back for season 14.

Kris Jenner has traversed the worlds of the Jenners and the Kardashians, and now she wants to blend the 2 for business ... LOTS of business.

Kris filed legal docs to trademark "Kardashian Jenner Productions." Yeah, we were surprised too ... we thought she locked down that name a long ago, but not the case.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kris Jenner will become the president of the production co. -- no surprise there.

As for what such productions will entail ... all things entertainment and pop culture.

As you know, the Kardashian's are about to launch their new series on Hulu. The first episodes will drop on April 14.

The production company will oversee the KJ empire, including YouTube and social media.

Diddy got a visit from a musician named Smalls who wants to make hits with him ... problem is, the guy decided to shoot his shot by hopping Diddy's fence to play him a demo.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a 23-year-old man named Isaiah Smalls showed up at Diddy's L.A. estate and began pounding on the security gate and eventually hopped over it.

We're told Diddy's security had refused to let him in before he took matters into his own hands. The guards quickly detained him once he jumped the fence and called the cops.

Smalls was arrested for trespassing ... but he was released from custody less than an hour later.

We got video outside Diddy's house the same day Smalls was arrested, and it appears this is indeed Smalls trying to figure out how to get himself inside the property. You hear him cursing before he jumped the fence.

Our sources say Diddy was not home during the incident.

Rapper Blueface was arrested early Saturday on gun charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Blueface was driving with a few people at around 3:15 AM but was stopped by cops in the heart of Hollywood at the intersection of Sunset and Vine.

Police say Blueface was pulled over because he was driving with a car that had an expired registration. Cops ran a computer check and found he was also driving on a suspended license.

That wasn't the worst of it. Blueface was ordered out of the vehicle and cops searched inside and found a loaded firearm in the center console.

Boxing star Jermall Charlo is in trouble with the law again ... TMZ Sports has learned he was arrested on Friday in Texas.

A Fort Bend County Jail official tells us ... the 31-year-old was booked at around 1:30 PM CT after a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.

According to jail records, Charlo was booked on a felony charge of assaulting a family/household member with a previous conviction. His bond was set at $10,000, though records show he's still in custody.

Details of the allegations against Charlo are currently unclear ... we're working on it.

This is the second time Charlo has been arrested in the past year -- as we previously reported, he was taken into custody in San Antonio in August 2021 after he was accused of stealing from a waitress during a dispute at a bar.

That case was dismissed earlier this month due to "insufficient evidence," records show.

Story developing ...

Floyd Mayweather's bodyguard is under investigation for battery after a man claimed he was assaulted by the TMT member, law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... but there are inconsistencies with the accuser's story.

Mayweather was at Yard House near Crypto.com arena (formerly Staples Center) in L.A. around 6 PM Thursday. While there, we're told a man claims he was assaulted by a guy on Mayweather's security team ... after the boxer allegedly got upset the alleged victim was filming him.

But, almost the entire interaction is up for debate.

The alleged victim claims he was hit by bodyguard. However, witnesses told police the bodyguard didn't hit the guy ... but rather knocked a cell phone out of his hand.

Witnesses told cops the man "flopped" after the incident with the bodyguard, falling over in dramatic fashion.

The alleged victim told cops the bodyguard then allegedly picked up the phone, and attempted to get the man to unlock him phone and erase the video. But, the man allegedly declined to comply, so the bodyguard gave the phone back, and everyone went separate ways.

As for the superstar boxer, a rep tells us Mayweather stopped by the restaurant, but left because the place was too crowded. Floyd says there was no incident at Yard House.

The man who was allegedly assaulted waited about a half-hour to call police. Cops responded and took a battery report. The man's story was not entirely consistent with witness claims.

Police will now investigate the alleged incident. No one has been arrested.

Julia Haart, the star of Netflix's "My Unorthodox Life," is getting dragged into court by her estranged hubby ... who claims she made off with $850k from a company account.

Silvio Scaglia and Freedom Holding Inc. are suing Julia ... claiming she misappropriated the funds after finding out she was going to be dismissed as the CEO at Elite World Group.

Silvio runs EWG, a subsidiary of Freedom Holding, and in a lawsuit, he says she made the huge withdrawal on Tuesday, the day after finding out she was getting the ax.

It's interesting ... the alleged withdrawal went down the day before Julia filed to divorce Silvio after 3 years of marriage.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Silvio claims he gave Julia a 50% stake in Freedom Holding back in 2019, and she became the CEO of EWG that same year ... a job that gave her access to the company bank account.

Julia's ex claims they met in January to discuss company finances and agreed to place limits on what she could withdraw ... no more than $250k to cover a mortgage, rent and living expenses, and he claims she took out $250k shortly after that agreement was made.

Silvio says EWG sent a letter to Julia outlining reasons for her dismissal, and it cites an alleged increase in costs and expenses beyond the budget. It also blames Haart for the company's failure to raise new money.

Silvio claims Julia swiped the money as retaliation for getting fired, and he's suing to get back the $850k, plus damages.

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