Legal

Will Smith sticking around at the Oscars, after slapping Chris Rock, is NOT what the Academy wanted -- but he dug in his heels when they tried to give him the boot.

That's the new startling claim from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which fired off a letter Wednesday, announcing their Board of Governors has begun disciplinary proceedings on Will for violating their Standards of Conduct.

In the letter they write ... "Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently."

That's pretty shocking, especially since the speculation up to this point was that the Academy and the show producers allowed Will to stay until his Best Actor category was announced -- something for which they've been heavily criticized.

They go on to say this about the whole thing in terms of logistics ... "consistent with the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, as well as California law, Mr. Smith is being provided at least 15 days' notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response."

The Board further explains that at their next meeting on April 18, they'll have a decision on his punishment -- which could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions permitted their bylaws.

One final note from them on what Will did -- "Mr. Smith's actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television. Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event."

Of course, the question now is ... when exactly did they approach him about beating it, and to what extent did they insist?

The verdict is in and Damon Dash isn't gonna like it -- he has to cough up more than $800,000 to the director and producers of a movie he tried to claim as his own.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, Dash took the L Wednesday morning ... when the jury sided with director Josh Webber and Muddy Water Pictures who made the feature film, "Dear Frank" -- starring Brian White, Claudia Jordan, Nick Turturro, Lil Durk and Columbus Short.

The filmmakers sued the Roc-A-Fella co-founder 3 years ago for copyright infringement and defamation, alleging he tried to shop and advertise the movie as his own ... despite Dash getting dropped from the project.

To make matters worse, they say Dame sent promo material of the movie to outlets like BET, but changed the title to "The List."

Let's rewind a bit ... Josh and Muddy Waters say Damon was supposed to direct the film starting in 2016, but they claimed he wasn't fit for the job because he was often high on set while filming his Sherman Oaks property.

They cut him in 2018 and completed the movie without him. Damon fired back, claiming they shot the movie at his house and used his equipment, before stealing the footage to work on it without him.

The jury didn't see it that way, and now Dame's got a hefty tab to settle. Attorney Chris Brown repped the plaintiffs and tells TMZ, "I will get every penny due to my clients."

Ezra Miller certainly doesn't seem to be making friends in Hawaii -- not only were they just arrested for a karaoke bar dispute -- cops were also called for another disturbance at a bar just weeks before.

In the video, shot earlier this month, you see "The Flash" star get denied entry to a bar -- with a female employee physically preventing them from going inside the Chinatown-area watering hole. A witness tells us the confrontation went down after Miller was kicked out of another establishment across the street.

Things got so contentious between Miller and the female staffer that cops were called, and more than half a dozen officers showed up.

You can see Miller chatting with officers before they asked the actor to leave ... law enforcement sources say EM was given a trespass warning, but they were not arrested.

As we reported, Ezra was arrested Monday for disorderly conduct and harassment after an incident at a bar in Hilo on the Big Island. Cops say they responded to a report of a disorderly patron at a pub ... officers were told Ezra became agitated when folks at the bar started singing karaoke.

Ezra allegedly hurled obscenities and grabbed the mic from a woman who was singing ... and cops say they were told EM also lunged at a guy playing darts and refused multiple requests from the bar owner to calm down.

One of the first people on the scene of the Henry Ruggs crash is providing new, horrifying details of the wreck ... saying he thought the NFL star was dead after he saw the football player "dangling" from his car in the moments after the accident.

Tony Rodriguez -- who was driving on Rainbow Road with a friend in Las Vegas just moments after Ruggs slammed his Corvette into Tina Tintor's Rav4 there back in November 2021 -- recounted the terrifying specifics of the night recently to Sports Illustrated.

Rodriguez told SI reporter Jeff Pearlman that as he approached the two wrecked vehicles just seconds after the collision -- he stopped at Ruggs' car first ... and noticed the former Las Vegas Raider was halfway ejected from his sports car.

Rodriguez said Ruggs' lower body was still in the ride, but his torso was "dangling" outside of it. He said he was going to tell Ruggs' girlfriend, who was a passenger in the Corvette, to leave him be, but said she had already begun pulling the wide receiver out.

"She grabbed him and pulled him fully out," Rodriguez said. "I have no idea who he is. I don't care about football. Never heard of Henry Ruggs. But, I didn't see no life in his body."

"I thought he was dead."

Rodriguez said he and his friend then quickly turned to Tintor's vehicle -- and tried their hardest to get her and her dog, Max, out of the burning car.

Rodriguez said he got a hammer from his truck and tried to break her free -- and even though others arrived to help, none could get her out.

Officials later determined Tintor died inside the car from thermal injuries. She was just 23 years old.

Ruggs, meanwhile, suffered injuries in the crash, but is expected to make a full recovery. He's since been hit with five charges -- including four felonies -- for his alleged role in the crash.

Chael Sonnen allegedly threw a woman into a light fixture and struck her -- causing her to bleed from her face -- during a wild fight in a Las Vegas hotel in December 2021 ... according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the docs, officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept. say they responded to the Four Seasons Hotel on Dec. 18 regarding an alleged fight between Sonnen and several other people, including security guards.

Cops in the documents say a Four Seasons Engineer told them the altercation all started as he was coming out of a room.

Cops say the man said as soon as he opened the door, Sonnen punched him in the jaw. Officers say the man told them he then closed the door and called for security.

Police in the documents say, though, that a short time later ... a couple told them they encountered Sonnen outside of the room and the former UFC star got aggressive immediately.

Cops say Christopher Stellpflug and his wife, Julie Stellpflug, told them Sonnen -- who was apparently wearing a white robe and a partially bloodied T-shirt -- knocked a glass out of Christopher's hand.

Then, cops say the couple told them, Sonnen flew off the handle, attacking Christopher and throwing him to the ground and hitting him repeatedly. Cops say Julie told them he then turned his attention toward her after she tried to intervene.

In the docs, the officers say Julie told them Sonnen threw her against a light fixture and socked her in the face. Christopher, according to police, told them the strike caused Julie's lip to split and bleed.

Cops say a witness on the scene told them security eventually arrived, but Sonnen punched the guard in the throat. Police say the witness was then attacked, with the man saying Sonnen elbowed him in the chest several times and shoved him.

In the documents, police say the fight was eventually broken up ... and when they questioned Sonnen about it all, they say the former pro fighter told them he "did not have memory of anything."

According to the docs, Sonnen told them he and his wife took a sleeping pill hours before the alleged altercation and he "could not recall anything else."

As we previously reported, Sonnen has since been hit with 11 charges -- including felony battery by strangulation -- over the incident. He's also been sued by the Stellpflugs, who claim they both suffered concussions in the alleged attack.

Jerry Jones says the woman who accused him of being her father in a lawsuit earlier this month attempted to extort him before she made the allegations in court documents.

Jones made the claim in court docs of his own -- filed in Dallas County, Texas, on Monday -- alleging Alexandra Davis approached him to "make a deal" before she filed her lawsuit.

Jones claims Davis asked him to pay up in exchange for assurance "that he would not be publicly or privately identified and/or declared as [Davis'] father."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Jones says the request was one of "multiple monetary extortion attempts" made against him and the Dallas Cowboys at the time.

Jones, though, says he declined Davis' offer ... so she filed the suit.

In Jones' docs, he argued that Davis' case should be tossed -- saying her hypothetical claims about him being her father belong in family court, if at all.

"She is not entitled to the relief she requests," Jones' attorneys argued in the docs, "and the Court does not have jurisdiction to grant it."

A hearing in the case has been set for March 31.

As we reported, Davis -- a 25-year-old who works for a U.S. congressman in Washington, D.C. -- sued Jones back on March 3 alleging the Dallas Cowboys owner is her dad. She claimed in the suit that he paid her mother $375k "in exchange for confidentiality" 24 years ago.

Deshaun Watson was grilled by an attorney during a deposition in Texas ... responding to questions about claims he was sexually inappropriate with over 20 female massage therapists.

The 26-year-old Browns quarterback recently sat for the depo in the Lonestar state earlier this month ... and now, several excerpts from the session have been posted by FOX 8 in Cleveland.

To say Deshaun answered the questions may be a bit of a stretch ... the Pro Bowl QB seemingly did a lot of dancing and dodging.

Questions included why he reached out via Instagram for appointments, whether the massage therapists were actually licensed or why he would allegedly drive 30 minutes out of town to meet at a woman's mother's house for a rub down.

Watson says the Houston Texans were not made aware of his numerous appointments ... and when he was asked if he reached out to massage therapists he viewed as attractive, the QB says he cannot answer because he has a girlfriend, but said it wasn't his intentions."

It's worth noting ... depositions regularly go on for hours, but video that was released is just a couple of minutes long. It's entirely possible Deshaun was forthcoming at other times, but those clips weren't released.

This month, two grand juries in Texas both reached the same conclusion ... that Watson should NOT be charged criminally for allegedly being inappropriate with female masseuses.

Deshaun's likely in the clear criminally ... but he is still being sued in civil court by 20+ women.

"The Flash" star Ezra Miller has been arrested in Hawaii ... local law enforcement tells TMZ.

A rep for the Hawaii Police Department tells TMZ ... Miller was busted for disorderly conduct and harassment shortly after midnight Monday after an incident at a bar in Hilo.

South Hilo patrol officers say they responded to a report of a disorderly patron at the bar late Sunday night. Cops were told Miller became agitated while patrons at the bar began singing karaoke.

Miller allegedly yelled obscenities and grabbed the microphone from a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke. Cops say they were told Miller also lunged at a 32-year-old man playing darts. According to officers, the bar owner asked Miller to calm down several times with no success.

We're told Miller was arrested and charged on both offenses and later released on $500 bail.

As we reported, footage circulated in 2020 that appeared to show Miller choking a woman at an Iceland bar, which led to him being kicked out by employees. No arrests were made.

Miller -- who plays The Flash in the DC universe -- was featured during Sunday night's Oscars ceremony, with a scene from “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” winning the newly-created Oscars Cheer Moment, a fan-picked award.

The NFL is now requiring all 32 of its teams to hire either a minority or a female coach to their offensive staffs -- mandating that the new assistant work "closely" with teams' current head coaches.

The league announced the rule change on Monday ... explaining it wants the new assistants on the offensive side of the ball because it believes owners and GMs have trended toward hiring new head coaches from offensive backgrounds as opposed to defensive ones.

The belief, according to a statement from the league, is that getting more minorities and women into significant positions on offensive staffs could then lead to more minority and female head coaching hires.

"In recent years, head coaches have predominantly had offensive backgrounds," the league said Monday. "We believe this resolution will assist greatly in continuing to source and identify diverse candidates earlier in their career."

Teams will have to make the hires at the beginning of this season ... though clubs who already have a minority or a female on their offensive staff are already considered to have fulfilled the requirement.

The NFL announced the new coaches' salaries will be paid for by a "league-wide fund."

Anthony Anderson's wife, Alvina, has filed for divorce, ending their 22-year marriage.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ ... Alvina filed on Friday in Los Angeles and is requesting spousal support from Anthony. She also checked the box to block the court's ability to award any support to Anthony ... and also wants him to pay for her attorney fees.

Anthony and Alvina met while attending Howard University in Washington D.C. in 1989 ... he dropped out his junior year due to financial issues, but is reportedly working towards graduating this year with his son.

After marrying in 1999, the two became separated from 2014 to 2016. As we reported, Alvina filed for divorce back in 2015 but dropped the case the following year. This occurred at the same time Anthony booked his popular role on "Black-ish."

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott were quick to decide baby Wolf's name wasn't right for their newborn son ... but to legally change a name ain't as easy as you'd think.

As we reported, Kylie announced earlier this week she and Travis were changing Wolf's name because, "We just really didn't feel like it was him." However, the process to actually get it done can take weeks, if not months from start to finish.

Here's the process ...

- First, Kylie and Travis will need to file a petition for a name change, and something like this is routinely approved by a judge -- in this case, an L.A. County Superior Court judge. The only real basis to deny a name change is if the new name was designed to be used to defraud or deceive, and that's clearly not the case here.

- Once the judge puts his/her John Hancock on the petition, it's sent up to Sacramento and processed by the state. It usually takes 6-8 weeks. Looks like lots of people are unhappy with their name.

- The state will then amend the birth certificate to reflect the new name.

Of course, there was recently another significant name change in the family -- when (former) baby Wolf's uncle Kanye West changed his name to Ye. That process took almost 2 months to complete ... so with patience comes great change.

Kodak Black is headed overseas to make bank, but in asking permission to do so ... he told the judge he plans to donate a big chunk of his earnings to charity.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kodak says he needs to travel to Dubai to perform a concert next month and make some paid appearances as well.

In the docs, which the court approved, Kodak says he'd be in Dubai from March 28 to April 3 ... adding he'd be traveling with his security team and music producer.

In his motion to travel for work purposes, Kodak points out he's been allowed to travel domestically for work and claims he's been keeping his nose clean lately.

Kodak stated if he were given permission, he plans to donate 10% of his earnings in Dubai to charity.

The rapper's attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... a prominent businessman invited Kodak to Dubai for paid appearances at jewelers, nightclubs and exotic car dealerships, plus a concert.

Kodak's attorney says his client already picked out where he wants to donate at least some of his Dubai earnings ... the college funds of the children of 2 Pennsylvania State Troopers who were recently killed by a suspected drunk driver. Cohen says he's reached out to the PA State Police Association to try and set up a donation.

Travis Scott did what he hasn't done in months ... taking the stage for a short set.

Travis hit up Richie Akiva and Darren Dzienciol's pre-Oscars party Saturday night at a private home in Bel-Air. His performance didn't last long ... a combo of rapping and DJ'ing. But, it was a moment, because it's the first time he's taken the stage since the Astroworld tragedy back in November.

It was a pretty ritzy event ... Leo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Venus and Serena Williams, Tyga, YG, Kaia Gerber and a bunch of other celebs took it all in.

As for Travis, who by the way went solo -- Kylie Jenner didn't show -- he was clearly having a great time, laughing, socializing, drinkin' some ...

Pete Davidson may be jumping the gun a bit ... ascribing lawyer-dom to GF Kim Kardashian in a new tattoo.

Kim posted a pic of Pete's latest body of work ... "MY GIRL IS A LAWYER" above his left clavicle.

This ain't the first tattoo Pete has honoring Kim, but she's starting to really populate his bod.

There's a small point and a big point ... the small point is that Kim isn't a lawyer yet ... she passed the baby bar, but that just clears the path for her to take the real bar exam, which is in California is a bitch to pass.

The bigger point is that it's increasingly obvious Kim and Pete are a serious couple.

Lady Gaga's dog walker gave graphic testimony in the case of the dognappers who attacked and shot him, saying he's still having significant medical struggles months after the incident.

Ryan Fischer testified before an L.A. County Grand Jury about the 3 men who attacked him as he was walking Gaga's 3 dogs. According to the transcript, obtained by Rolling Stone, Ryan was thrown to the concrete as one of the attackers began choking him, and he hit the guy with a bottle of champagne he had just purchased at a nearby liquor store.

He described what he did after being shot in the chest ... "I immediately tried to call for help but realized I was bleeding out of my lung and that I was losing more and more air quickly."

Five people have been charged with attempted murder and robbery. They have pled not guilty. Three of the men are alleged gang members who were driving around Hollywood specifically looking for French bulldogs ... which go for a lot of money. They were not targeting the dogs because they were owned by Gaga.

Ryan says his lung collapsed, he was rushed to the hospital but 2 days after his release the lung collapsed again, requiring major surgery.

Soulja Boy says a possible collab with Tekashi 6ix9ine won't happen ... or, in his words -- "get the f*** out of here!"

Soulja was the latest guest on "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper," and he thinks the time has passed for the two of them to work together ... saying Tekashi knows that ship has sailed following his legal battle -- notoriously being labeled a "snitch" in the rap community.

Tekashi was kidnapped by his own security team in the summer of 2018 ... taken for a ride around the block, where he was threatened at gunpoint, and ordered to fork over cash and jewels he had at his NYC pad. The exchange was orchestrated by his then-GF.

Tekashi went on to be the star witness in his RICO case by testifying against his fellow gang members ...  resulting in Anthony "Harv" Ellison getting 24 years behind bars.

While Tekashi thought he was doing the right thing, artists in his circle aren't as receptive, possibly trying to avoid the rapper as long as they can.