Legal

Cardi B has something to celebrate tonight ... she just kicked ass in a defamation case ... legally, that is.

TMZ broke the story ... Cardi and her sister, Hennessy Carolina, were sued by 3 people in NYC over a squabble in the Hamptons back in September, 2020.

Hennessy and her friends showed up a Smith Point Beach and ran into 3 other beachgoers, one of whom was wearing a MAGA hat. The 3 people claim Hennessy spit on one of them and engaged in insulting and threatening behavior. The lawsuit claims Hennessy called the group "racist, MAGA supporters."  They say the term "racist' hurled at them was defamatory.

Cardi, who was not there, tweeted a video of the altercation, claiming her sister and her friends were being targeted because they are Afro-Hispanic and gay. The video included Hennessy calling the 3 people racist.

The 3 beachgoers sued for defamation as well as assault and battery.

A New York trial judge just dismissed the case, and it's a solid win for Cardi and Hennessy. As for defamation, the judge said these were all just general insults that do not rise to the level of defamation.

As for spitting -- the basis for the assault and battery claim -- the judge said even if spit shot out from Hennessy's mouth -- there was no proof whatsoever she intended to target any of the plaintiffs. In fact, the judge noted the plaintiffs never even alleged that was Hennessy's intent.

New Orleans Pelicans star Jaxson Hayes is being dragged to court by his ex-girlfriend ... with the Instagram model accusing him of getting physical with her.

Hayes, the 8th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, is being sued for assault and battery by Sofia Jamora, who claims he roughed her up on multiple occasions during their relationship ... including the night he got into a scuffle with cops.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Jamora claims they started dating in October 2020 and the NBA stud first got violent with her on Valentine's Day 2021, violently abusing her in a Dallas hotel room.

In the docs, Jamora claims she traveled with Jaxson for his NBA game and shared a hotel room, and when he returned to the room he flipped out when she joked about a lack of Valentine's Day flowers. She claims he cussed her out, hit her with a suitcase he tossed across the room, physically prevented her from leaving the room and broke down a bathroom door to rip her phone out of her hand.

In her suit, Jamora claims Jaxson apologized for the Valentine's Day 2021 incident and swore he would never get physical with her again ... but she says more abuse followed as their relationship continued.

According to the docs, Jamora claims Jaxson, his two dogs and his cousin were staying at her Los Angeles home on July 27, 2021 when he got violent again.

In the suit, Jamora claims she left Jaxson at the home during the day while she was at a photoshoot and came home to find her dog severely injured, blaming the bite wounds on Jaxson's much bigger dogs. She says Jaxson was "passed out from a drug-induced stupor" when she got home, and while he was asleep she put his dogs in crates.

In the docs, Jamora claims Jaxson eventually woke her up at midnight and asked what happened to the dogs before flying off the handle. She says they got into a verbal argument, which escalated into Jaxson allegedly threatening for his cousin to rape her.

In her suit, Jamora claims Jaxson got physical with her and her puppy, throwing the pup to the ground and grabbing and shaking her, to the point where she told him he was hurting her. She says she locked herself in a bathroom, but he broke the door down and roughed her up.

Jamora claims Jaxson chased her all around the house and the property, grabbing her multiple times, tossing her around and dragging her down some stairs. She says he became enraged and started breaking anything he could get his hands on.

According to the docs, Jamora claims she locked Jaxson out of the house but he broke in through a window and she texted her cousins, begging them to call the cops.

In her suit, Jamora claims cops eventually arrived and Jaxson started interfering with the police investigation, getting into an altercation with officers where he was tased.

TMZ broke the story ... Jaxson was arrested that night, and he recently entered a no-contest plea for a resisting arrest and false imprisonment charge.

Jamora is suing Jaxson for assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress ... and she's going after him for damages.

Deshaun Watson is off the hook again, a second grand jury in Texas has declined to charge the new Cleveland Browns QB.

Just days after a grand jury in Harris County, Texas opted not to charge the 26-year-old over allegations that he was sexually inappropriate with female massage therapists, another grand jury in Brazoria County did the same.

According to the district attorney, the grand jury met on Thursday and "declined to charge Deshaun Watson with any crimes."

"Accordingly," the DA added, "this matter is closed."

Watson could still face further charges in other parts of the country, as his alleged victims have accused him of wrongdoing in multiple states.

The new Cleveland signal-caller is also still facing a mountain of civil lawsuits from his accusers.

As we reported, Watson was traded from the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns after the Harris County grand jury's decision last week.

Cleveland -- which said it was aware of Thursday's new grand jury hearing -- gave Watson a massive new contract and handed over a bevy of draft picks, including three first-rounders, to the Texans to acquire the QB.

Brandy Norwood's former housekeeper says the singer gave her the boot because she was too old, and still owes her for work she completed ... so she's filed a lawsuit.

The housekeeper, who says she's over 60, claims she was fired by Brandy's team in February. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Brandy got rid of the employee because she no longer wanted an "older" housekeeper.

The housekeeper claims she wasn't paid for her last 2 days of work, and now she's suing for back pay and a whole lot more.

Additionally, the housekeeper -- who says she earned $125 a day at Brandy's Calabasas home for the past 20 years -- claims she didn't get her legally required breaks, either.

She's suing for more than $250K in damages, and it's yet another legal headache on Brandy's plate.

She and her stylist were sued back in January by a fashion designer and store owner over a ring Brandy was supposed to wear to the American Music Awards, but allegedly failed to return.

We've reached out to Brandy's rep regarding the housekeeper's lawsuit ... so far, no word back.

Senator Lindsey Graham went on the attack Wednesday, challenging Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's sentencing decisions regarding child pornography.

Graham was indignant that Judge Jackson said a major deterrent against people who consume child pornography online is major supervision over what they do.

Graham scoffed, and says the way to deter people from looking at child porn online is to "put their ass in jail."

It got super contentious as the judge tried addressing Graham, who shot back, "Answer my question!"

Some of the senators at the hearing said they objected to some of Judge Jackson's sentencing decisions regarding child porn, saying she was too lenient. Fact is, many judges have imposed sentences lower than those recommended in the federal guidelines, because they're outdated.

As for the confrontation, here's what Judge Jackson said that incited Graham ... “Senator, with respect to the computer, one of the most effective deterrents is one that I imposed in every case – and that judges across the country impose in every case – which is substantial, substantial supervision."

Graham shot back ... “I think the best way to deter people from getting on a computer and viewing thousands and hundreds … of children being exploited and abused … is to put their ass in jail, not supervise their computer usage!” Graham said.

Amanda Bynes is a hot commodity on the interview circuit ... CBS' Gayle King and all the major players are reaching out ... but she's just not ready to answer questions.

Amanda was freed from her 9-year conservatorship Tuesday, and everyone is dying to book her first interview since the judge's ruling ... we're told her team heard from Logan Paul's team and a bunch of news outlets from all over the globe.

The former child star's attorney, David A. Esquibias, tells TMZ ... while Amanda's being flooded with offers, most of which came pouring in over the last 5 days, she's not ready to talk and is laying low for a while.

Amanda's interview suitors are a who's who of media. There's big interview names like Gayle and Logan, newspapers like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal, magazines like Vanity Fair and Elle, not to mention every entertainment and morning show.

We're told producers from every above outlet are begging to sit down with Amanda in the wake of her conservatorship ending ... heck, even a big Australian news program, The Project, wants a piece of her.

And it's not just on-camera interviews, cover stories and features ... Amanda's attorney says several production companies reached out to her team about filming documentaries or a potential reality show on her life moving forward.

Amanda's not welcoming the media circus just yet ... but we're told she's not completely ruling out any of these opportunities in the future. For now, we're told she's super excited about buying furniture for her new place in L.A., where she will live with her fiancé.

Interviews aren't the only thing Amanda is shying away from ... we're told there are no major celebrations taking place following the end of her conservatorship, and she's just spending time with her man, Paul.

Amanda Bynes can now make personal and financial decisions on her own ... after a judge just officially put an end to her 9 year conservatorship.

As we reported, the judge issued a tentative ruling on Monday, saying that the conservatorship was "no longer required" ... and now it has been made official, at today's hearing.

Amanda's attorney, David A. Esquibias, tells us, “Amanda appreciates the love and support of her fans during this time. She thanks her family for never giving up. Now that the conservatorship has ended, she looks forward to completing her bachelor’s degree and living her life.”

The former child star filed the docs in L.A. in February ... asking for her mother to no longer serve as Amanda's conservator.

Amanda was placed under conservatorship back in 2013, when it became clear that she was struggling with her mental health. She had a string of bizarre episodes, including one when she set her neighbor's driveway on fire. AB attributed the episodes to bipolar disorder and also opened up about her addiction to Adderall ... but has since gotten help.

Amanda says, she's been sober for several years now, and she surely seems to be doing a whole lot better. She's gotten a degree from Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and has also gotten engaged to her fiancé, Paul Michael.

On top of all her progress ... Amanda's petition for personal freedom was supported by her mom and dad ... so, this result comes as no huge surprise but is still a big win for AB.

Now, she's free to live her life and we know she has some big plans are in the near future ... like getting a place with her soon-to-be hubby.

Amanda's didn't appear in court, but her "All That" costars Leon Frierson and Christy Knowings showed up to support.

Justin Bieber is ready to leave some legal drama in the past ... officially asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit JB brought against two women who accused him of sexual assault

The singer filed to dismiss his defamation suit against a couple of Jane Does ... who, in 2020, alleged he'd violated them in 2014 and 2015.

While Justin was clearly outraged by the claims at first -- vehemently denying them -- a source with direct knowledge tells us he chose to dismiss the case because he felt he'd made his point and wanted to move on.

As you'll recall ... Bieber pointed out what he called major holes in the accuser's stories, insisting he had proof that he was NOT at any of the locations they said he was when the alleged assaults occurred.

In Jane Doe #1's case, the woman claimed he sexually assaulted her at a Four Seasons following a SXSW event in Austin. JB claimed he never stepped foot in there on the night in question ... but rather, stayed at a nearby rental property with then-GF Selena Gomez.

One of Young Dolph's suspected killers apparently has some enemies behind bars ... because he was recently attacked by another inmate.

Justin Johnson, who is in custody on a slew of charges including first-degree murder, was punched by a fellow inmate at Tennessee's Shelby County Jail while in the middle of a phone call Friday ... his attorney tells TMZ.

Johnson's lawyer, Juni Ganguli, says JJ was on the phone in the jail's visitation area when an inmate walked up and socked him. We're told there is no word on a motive and Johnson was not severely injured.

A rep for the Shelby County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... there was an incident Friday involving Johnson and another inmate, and it's under investigation. We're told there were no reported injuries.

Remember ... Johnson was named as a suspect in Young Dolph's murder earlier this year, and in January he was captured and arrested by U.S. Marshalls. He claims he is innocent.

Sen. Lindsey Graham seemed to be feeling the Holy Spirit while questioning SCOTUS nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson -- asking her how religious she is -- but it was really just a major case of grandstanding.

The bizarre badgering went down Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill while Graham was grilling the judge, who's being considered for the Supreme Court -- and it was clear his aggressive line of questioning really had nothing to do with Judge KBJ.

Sen. Graham asked Jackson what religion she practices and she answered, protestant ... but was clearly uncomfortable. Nonetheless, the senator persisted and asked, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how faithful would you say you are?"

Jackson explained why she was reluctant to respond, and Graham even acknowledged he believed she could be impartial regardless of her religion. That's when he tipped his hand as to what he was really doing.

Watch the clip, you'll see the SC senator was doing all this to invoke Justice Amy Coney Barrett, whose Catholic faith was under the microscope during her SCOTUS confirmation hearing in 2020, and was labeled "a f***ing nut" by some in the media ... which Graham angrily pointed out.

There was another alleged discrepancy Graham wanted to explicitly state ... namely, the idea that nominees of color are treated differently based purely on their political affiliation.

He was referring to another Black female judge who got appointed to the Circuit Court, but was filibustered during her confirmation simply because President Bush had picked her.

In the same breath, he said the same wouldn't happen to Judge Jackson.

Starbucks usually gives its customers a caffeine jolt, but one guy says he perked up for entirely different reasons ... claiming the coffee giant poisoned him with a cleaning solution.

A man named Matthew Mitchell is suing the green mermaid company for what he claims was a reckless display from management when he allegedly downed a black coffee ... which turned out to be blue, and NOT any type of java in the slightest.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Mitchell claims he ordered a simple coffee beverage from a Connecticut location last August ... which was promptly served, and which he threw down the hatch without even thinking twice.

Almost immediately, however, Mitchell says when he drank what turned out to be a witch's brew, he immediately felt a burning in his throat and chest. He looked down in his cup and saw a blue liquid ... turns out it was a chemical substance -- causing his stomach to turn upside down within seconds. Mitchell alleges the staff told him a new employee had screwed the pooch ... not realizing they were brewing coffee in a machine that had just gotten a Urnex treatment.

If you're unfamiliar ... Urnex has a product called Urn and Brewer Cleaner, which Starbucks uses to purify its brewing machines. Problem is, according to Mitchell, Starbs has a crappy system to alert employees when the cleaning is going on -- an upside-down cup and nothing more, he says -- leading novice workers to serve customers like him tainted cups of Joe.

Mitchell says this system is BS -- insisting a more thorough process should've been in play to prevent the nightmare -- and hits the point home, claiming Starbucks was cutting corners here ... which caused great pain and suffering on his part. As a matter of fact, Mitchell claims at least 2 other alleged poison victims sued Starbucks for the exact same thing in the past.

While he was treated for the alleged poisoning, Mitchell says he continues to deal with the fallout -- including what he says is heightened anxiety and fear about the long-term effects of the Urnex ... not to mention medical bills, etc.

For all this trouble, Mitchell says Starbucks is completely responsible ... and he's asking a judge to award him a boatload of cash in damages, laid out in explicit terms by his dynamo attorney, Joe Tacopina.

We reached out to Starbucks, who said, "Our baristas take great care in crafting beverages and providing a safe experience for our customers. We take this obligation seriously and are reviewing Mr. Mitchell's claims."

Deshaun Watson may be a Cleveland Brown, but he's still in the city of Houston (for now) ... the QB was spotted out with his girlfriend Jilly Anais at a music festival on Saturday.

The blockbuster trade shocked the entire NFL last week for several reasons -- some questioned the controversial move, considering the mountain of sexual misconduct lawsuits filed by massage therapists.

The mixed feelings didn't stop Watson from going out to support Anais' rap performance ... as she opened up for 2 Chainz at the Texas Smoke Break Fest in Houston.

FYI, Anais was originally supposed to perform at the Toyota Center for Chris Brown's tour ... but the show was canceled during soundcheck.

"I am so thankful my team and I were still able to perform what we spent months preparing for," Anais said via IG on Sunday.

"I thank God that through the unimaginable we held it together and came out on top!"

In the video, you can see Watson -- wearing a button-down shirt and a dark cap -- right there to see her shine ... and the couple left the event looking happy as ever.

Amanda Bynes is less than 24 hours from personal freedom -- a judge just set the stage for the end of her conservatorship.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, the judge for the case issued a tentative ruling Monday saying Amanda's conservatorship is "no longer required."

While it's a tentative ruling, there is a court hearing scheduled for Tuesday morning and it's almost a certainty the judge will make it official ... because no one is objecting to Amanda's petition to end her conservatorship.

Remember ... the former child star was placed under a conservatorship back in 2013, following a string of bizarre episodes brought on by what she has said is bipolar disorder. Amanda says she's been sober for several years now, thanks in part to getting support through AA.

She filed the docs last month to end the 9-year conservatorship, a move her father and mother -- who is Amanda's conservator -- fully support.

Megan Thee Stallion isn't walking away from her record label without a fight -- 1501 Certified Entertainment is suing, claiming her last "album" actually wasn't an album ... and she owes more recordings and a lot of money.

The label's countersuit, filed Monday, calls out Megan for her "Something for Thee Hotties" album release last year. Megan had sued 1501 back in February to declare the record fulfilled her contract.

Not so fast, according to 1501 ... which calls the record nothing more than a compilation of old, previously-released material. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the label says 'Something' is "made up of 21 recordings and includes spoken interlude recordings on which MTS does not appear as well as several previously-released recordings."

As far as any new MTS material on the "album" -- 1501 says there's a mere 29 minutes worth of it, and to them, that's not enough to qualify as an album under her deal.

In the suit, the label says Megan is well aware any album she makes must include at least 12 "new master recordings of studio performances," and they have to be previously unreleased. Most importantly, 1501 says it has to approve all the tracks ... and it claims that didn't happen when Megan put together "Something for Thee Hotties."

Now, 1501 Certified Entertainment wants the judge to declare, once and for all, that 'Something' doesn't count as an album under her contract. If that's the case, she would owe the label 2 more albums.

The label also wants a full accounting of what Megan's made from "collaborations, sponsorships, endorsements, and side engagements" ... because she would owe the label a cut of that revenue. 1501 claims she's never revealed those numbers, and believes its share of those deals could exceed $1 million.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is about to undergo a grilling this week as her SCOTUS confirmation hearings begin, but before that ... she's putting the spotlight on her loved ones.

The U.S. federal judge -- who President Biden nominated as the best person to next serve on the high court -- finally got a chance to speak Monday on Capitol Hill after hearing from senators on both sides of the aisle about what to expect over the next several days.

During her long-awaited opening remarks ... Jackson took a tender moment to acknowledge her family and how much they've meant to her in getting to this potentially historic milestone.

If confirmed, she would become the first Black female justice to serve on the bench -- and with that in mind, the judge gave it up for her hubby of 25 years, Patrick, as well as her daughters, Talia and Leila, whom she thanked in what made for a pretty emotional scene.

It was reflective of when Biden first announced her as his pick ... there, too, she took time to honor her brood.

As for other highlights from Day 1 ... it was a mixed bag of both praise and prefacing of expectations.

Dems gave props to Jackson for making it this far and possibly becoming a trailblazer. Meanwhile, Republicans preemptively brought up what they're anticipating -- namely, being accused of racism for asking tough questions.

They also made sure to repeatedly promise ... they would NOT do to her what they claim Democrats did to Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing -- which they label a character assassination. This, of course, before they've even asked her one question.

Amanda Bynes' former "All That" castmates, Leon Frierson and Christy Knowings are making sure she knows they still have love for her -- voicing their support -- and Leon will even be in court for her conservatorship hearing.

Leon tells TMZ ... he will be at the L.A. courthouse this Tuesday, March 22 -- and we're told Leon convinced Christy to get involved in showing support for Amanda too.

While Christy can't be there in person -- she has auditions -- she says, "If it were me, I would want people to support me. Amanda's a very different person today from the person she was back then, as we all are."

Christy admits she and Leon haven't spoken to Amanda in years, but also says they've never forgotten her. In fact, you could say Leon and Christy have been inspired by her.

They're both doing a reality show called "Child Star Reboot" ... a sort of "where are they now" look at young actors. Also, Leon hosts the "Prime Nostalgia Podcast" which shines a light on a lot of the issues Amanda has faced.

Christy says they have no ulterior motives in publicly voicing support -- they simply want Amanda to know they genuinely care about her. As she put it, "I know Amanda's a sweet person and loved working with her."

As you know, Amanda was placed under a conservatorship in 2013 after a string of bizarre episodes. She's since gotten support through attending AA, and has been sober for several years.

She filed docs in late February to end her 9-year conservatorship, and the judge is expected to issue a decision during Tuesday's hearing.