Legal

"Bridgerton" is once again a smash hit, but this time Netflix is pissed ... because it says two musicians ripped off their TV series, turned it into a stage production and turned a huge profit.

The streaming giant is going after the duo Barlow & Bear for  "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album Live in Concert" -- a musical production they performed to a sold-out Kennedy Center earlier this week.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Netflix says the production's opening number, "Tis the Season" is nearly identical to the one they used to introduce the show's main characters and setting. Netflix says Barlow & Bear even ripped off "substantial dialogue verbatim" from the TV show.

According to Netflix, the musicians didn't just steal its intellectual property ... but they also lied about getting permission. In the suit, Netflix includes an advertisement that was posted for the stage production and it includes the text, "BRIDGERTON is a trademark of Netflix used with permission."

Nope. Not according to Netflix, which says it actually "vigorously objected" to Barlow & Bear's use of the show's name, characters and dialogue.

Netflix says the duo has plans to take the musical on the road with a performance in London's iconic Royal Albert Hall -- and they're also selling "Bridgerton" themed merch.

Besides ripping off its TV show, Netflix says Barlow & Bear's pirate operation is competing with its "Bridgerton Experience" ... a 6-city event where fans pay to enjoy an "immersive" night in a ballroom with actors and music inspired by their show.

Rev. Jesse Jackson is getting involved in the Sesame Place racial discrimination controversy ... coming to the table with solutions for making the theme park better for Black folks.

Jesse says SeaWorld, which owns Sesame Place Philadelphia, should bring in African-Americans to their board of directors, spend money on Black-owned businesses and hire an African-American firm to handle cultural sensitivity training for staff.

Jackson outlines his plan in a letter, obtained by TMZ, fired off to SeaWorld CEO Marc Swanson ... saying SeaWorld has a chance to turn a negative into a positive and rise to the occasion in a situation where most companies come up short.

Jesse's action plan is in response to the viral video showing the alleged discrimination against 2 Black children who were shunned.

As we reported ... there's now a class action lawsuit claiming the theme park and its employees insulted and damaged Black patrons, especially Black kids, and it comes on the heels of that viral video showing Sesame Place character Rosita shaking her head "no" at 2 young Black girls who wanted to interact with her at a parade and refusing to hug them.

80-year-old Jesse says he's seen this incident with Sesame Place play out too many times to remember over the years in his fight for freedom and equality ... and he says discriminatory acts will always return without sincere actions from corporations.

But, what irks Jesse the most, he says, is seeing discrimination against innocent children ... a line he says cannot be crossed.

It was nothing but fun and games for Shanna Moakler and her bf Matthew Rondeau hours after cops were called to their home for a domestic disturbance call.

The two were spotted at Dave & Buster's in L.A. Thursday night, and it was all smiles -- playing arcade games, shooting hoops and even sharing some PDA.

TMZ broke the story ... cops were called to the couple's home Thursday after Shanna's daughter called to report a domestic disturbance, telling officers Matthew was yelling at Shanna.

Our law enforcement sources say when cops arrived, Shanna and Matthew both answered the door wearing "skimpy clothes" ... but told officers they hadn't been in a fight -- despite what Shanna's daughter claimed.

Cops checked the house, didn't see any damage ... and Shanna's daughter wasn't present, either. We're told officers believe there could've been a miscommunication in Shanna's daughter making the domestic disturbance call.

Shanna and Matthew have had a rocky last few months, in February Rondeau was arrested for allegedly getting physical with Shanna -- after he accused her of cheating.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito put Prince Harry and other foreign leaders on blast for blasting him and 4 of his colleagues who overturned Roe v. Wade ... this after the Duke of Sussex likened the SCOTUS decision to the war in Ukraine.

Justice Alito spoke about religious liberty in Rome ... at a conference run by the University of Notre Dame Law School.

As he ticked off the public figures from foreign lands who criticized the opinion, he quipped with dripping sarcasm, "What really wounded me was when the Duke of Sussex addressed the United Nations and seemed to compare the decision, whose name may not be spoken, with the Russian attack on Ukraine"

He was referring to Prince Harry's speech at the UN last week ... where Harry listed numerous events that made 2022 "a painful year in a painful decade" -- with the Roe v. Wade decision and the attack on Ukraine front and center.

Bob Dylan's sex abuse accuser is now singing a different tune -- she's dropped the lawsuit in which she claimed he had molested her back in 1965 when she was only 12.

As we reported back in August, the woman, identified only as J.C., filed a federal suit in Manhattan alleging Dylan plied her with drugs and alcohol, then escorted her to his Chelsea Hotel apartment and had sex with her while she was underage. She also accused Dylan of a pattern of abuse ... saying he used threats of violence to get what he wanted.

But, her allegations went out the window Thursday when she abruptly withdrew the suit after recently firing her lawyers.

Dylan's attorney, Orin Snyder, took a victory lap, telling TMZ ... "This case is over. It is outrageous that it was ever brought in the first place. We are pleased that the plaintiff has dropped this lawyer-driven sham and that the case has been dismissed with prejudice."

In a letter filed with the court Wednesday, Snyder attacked the accuser's credibility ... highlighting that she erased key text messages.

You could see this one coming ... Sesame Place Philadelphia has been hit with a $25 million class action lawsuit ... claiming the park and its employees have insulted and damaged black patrons, especially the youngsters.

The lawsuit lists a man named Quinton Burns, who says he and his family visited Sesame Place on June 18, 2022. Burns says he purchased tickets to the park for himself and his young daughter with the expectation they'd experience "Meet and Greets" with Sesame Street characters.

However, according to the docs, Burns says when he and his kid attended a "Meet and Greet" with costumed performers of Elmo, Ernie, Telly Monster and Abby Cadabby -- the characters refused to engage with them and other black guests as well.

Burns says the performers were more than happy to engage with white customers at the same event.

Of course, the lawsuit comes directly on the heels of the video that surfaced from the park showing character Rosita, not only refusing to hug, but shaking her head "no" at two young black girls who wanted to interact with her at a parade.

We've spoken with the mother of the girls and the family attorney, who says they've been in talks with Sesame Place to make their situation right, and have even floated the possibility of legal action.

Johnny Depp's back in the City of Love, and still feeling lots of it from fans waiting for him wherever he goes in the French capital.

JD was leaving a restaurant in Paris early Thursday morning when he ran into a wall of supporters -- fans hoping to get some pics and autographs from the actor/rock star.

It was an offer he couldn't resist, as the guy said Bonsoir, and signed what he could before making his way out of there.

Johnny's in Paris to shoot his first film since the trial against Amber Heard -- he's playing King Louis XV in Maïwenn's "Jeanne du Barry."

Johnny recently made headlines after being seen out with a mystery woman ... while many believed the redhead in question was a new flame, we learned she's his French teacher for the upcoming film.

As we reported, Amber recently filed to appeal the $10.3M verdict in her defamation case ... a spokesperson for the actress told us, "We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment."

Former Duke guard Michael Savarino -- the grandson of Mike Krzyzewski -- has pled guilty to DWI ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to an Orange County, N.C. court official, Savarino made the plea on Tuesday. The charge he pled guilty to was the least severe form of driving while impaired (level 5), the court official said.

As part of his sentencing, Savarino was ordered to complete a victim impact panel, complete 24 hours of community service, and complete a treatment program. Per the court official, Savarino has already finished the victim impact panel and the community service. He has until Jan. 2023 to finish the treatment program.

Savarino was initially arrested back in November 2021 -- after cops say he blew through a stop sign with his star teammate, Paolo Banchero, in the car.

Authorities said that during the ensuing traffic stop, Savarino -- whose mom is Coach K's oldest daughter -- showed signs of impairment ... and was arrested. Cops say tests later revealed he had a .08 BAC.

Savarino, who was 20 years old at the time of the arrest, was ultimately hit with a DWI charge for the incident.

Meanwhile, Banchero -- who now plays for the Orlando Magic -- was charged with aiding and abetting DWI for his alleged role in the incident. A court official confirmed the former Blue Devils superstar is due in court for a hearing in the case later Wednesday morning.

Tichina Arnold is back on the market, legally speaking ... TMZ has learned her long and bitter divorce process is over.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... a judge signed off on Tichina's divorce from longtime basketball coach DaRico Hines on July 15.

It's certainly been a long time coming. As we've reported, the "Martin" star made the announcement she'd be divorcing Rico way back in 2016 ... after she claimed there was a sex tape of him with another woman.

A rep for Hines, who currently works for the Toronto Raptors, declined to comment specifically on the allegations but acknowledged the couple was dealing with a "private and deeply personal matter" during that time.

But, it wasn't until August of last year that she finally went forward with filing the paperwork -- yeah, more than 5 years later. On the docs, she noted the usual irreconcilable differences, but did list the date of separation as January 12, 2016 ... about 3-and-a-half years after they tied the knot.

Britney Spears will not be grilled by Jamie Spears' lawyer in a deposition ... this was the ruling Wednesday in the conservatorship case.

The judge said whatever information Jamie Spears needs to defend himself against allegations of conservatorship abuse can be obtained from other sources, such as documents and, presumably, other witnesses.

Jamie's lawyer argued that his client's hands would be tied without allowing him to depose his daughter ... in order to defend himself against the various claims Britney and her lawyer made. Jamie's lawyer says his client will be vindicated, and did nothing wrong.

Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, told the judge ... Britney has been traumatized by Jamie by his actions for more than a decade. Rosengart said putting Britney under oath in a deposition would re-traumatize her.

As we reported, Jamie filed legal docs in June, asking a judge to force her to sit for a depo ... claiming she's been going on a campaign to trash him online, and in her upcoming memoir ... and he deserves a chance to question her under oath about the allegations.

A judge has already ruled Jamie will be sitting for the deposition.

Among the issues Jamie wanted to question his daughter about under oath ... allegations that she was forced to give 8 tubes of blood for medical treatment, was forced to participate in therapy and was not allowed to own pain-reliever meds.

While Jamie was gunning for the depo, Britney's attorney Mathew Rosengart filed docs, saying the battle will be won with documents, physical evidence, and the testimony of Jamie.

Rosengart says Britney's testimony would not be relevant to any legal proceeding and would only potentially traumatize Britney.

Brittney Griner says she was aware the U.S. government warned Americans traveling to Russia was dangerous ... but the WNBA star told a court in Moscow she decided to get on the airplane because she wanted to help her basketball team.

Griner's drug trial continued in Russia on Wednesday, and the 31-year-old hooper testified to the reason she returned to Moscow in February despite the travel advisory.

"It's the most important part of the season, after the break. It's playoffs. The whole season I worked, my team worked hard to get to a good position," Griner said, continuing, "There was nothing that was going to change that for me. I didn't want to let my team down.  I did know about the 'do not fly' advisory, but like I said, there was nothing that was going to change my mind on coming back and finishing my duty for my team."

Brittney's alluding to a "Do Not Travel" advisory issued by the U.S. State Department on January 23 ... where they warned of "the potential for harassment against U.S. citizens."

Of course, despite the fact Griner played several seasons in Russia (she's a 3x Russian League champ), she's an American citizen.

BG also addressed the reason for using cannabis ... years of sports injuries.

"Because of my injuries that I've had over the long career of basketball. From my spine, no cartilage in my knee. I was in a wheelchair for four months. I broke my ankle and I also sprained my knee really bad. So I was wheelchair-bound," Brittney told the court.

"The benefits from medical cannabis definitely outweigh the painkillers that they prescribe. The painkillers have really bad side effects. Medical cannabis, there are honestly no side effects that harm you."

Griner admits the cannabis was never supposed to wind up in her luggage ... and she still isn't entirely certain how it happened.

"I still don't understand to this day how they ended up in my bag. If I had to speculate, if I had to guess on how they ended up in my bags, I was in a rush packing. I was recovering from COVID, the stress of packing, making sure I had my COVID tests. Jet lag. And I was in a rush, throwing my stuff into my bag."

J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, two of the former Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd's death, were sentenced to prison on federal civil rights charges. Kueng was sentenced to 3 years in prison. Thao was given 3.5 years behind bars.

Kueng and Thao were convicted back in February ... remember, Kueng helped hold Floyd down as Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd for nearly 9 1/2 minutes, while Thao was on crowd control behind the police vehicle.

As we reported, Kueng and Thao were found guilty of all the charges against them ... including deprivation of rights under color of the law for failing to render medical aid to Floyd, plus failing to intervene in Chauvin's use of unreasonable force.

Kueng and Thao argued they didn't intend for Floyd to die under the circumstances and were deferring to Chauvin's seniority and experience in the situation.

NHL star Bobby Ryan -- who's battled substance abuse issues in his career -- was arrested on Monday at an airport after cops say he appeared to be wasted inside a terminal.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, the incident happened at the Nashville International Airport in Tennessee ... after Ryan allegedly stole items from a store.

Cops in the documents say Ryan was captured on CCTV taking the goods without paying for them, before he eventually put them on a counter and entered a bar nearby in the concourse.

According to the docs, officers made contact with Ryan -- who they say was trying to order a drink at the bar -- and claim he exhibited signs of intoxication.

The 35-year-old -- who most recently played for the Detroit Red Wings -- "was not compliant with officers, had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and smelled strongly of an alcoholic beverage," according to authorities.

In the docs, police say Ryan was eventually taken into custody, where they claim he was unable to stand on his own without support.

"Ryan was unaware of his location, the day or time and posed a danger to himself," cops said in the docs.

Eventually, the hockey player was booked on a public intoxication charge. Court records show the case has since been dismissed. No word yet on why, we've reached out to prosecutors, but haven't heard back.

Ryan has been open about his issues with substance abuse in the past -- he stepped away from the NHL in 2019 in order to get sober. He famously returned to the ice just a few months later for the Ottawa Senators and scored a hat trick in his first home game back. He was emotional both during the contest and afterward.

Ryan went on later that season to win the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player who best demonstrates perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.

The former Anaheim Ducks star did not play in the league last season.

Elon Musk's alleged mistress's attorney is calling bull on the affair story ... and kinda seems like he might be threatening legal action as well.

Bryan Freedman, who reps Nicole Shanahan, tells TMZ ... "Make no mistake, any suggestion that Nicole had an affair with Elon Musk is not only an outright lie but also defamatory." Freedman first spoke to DailyMail.

There's no further elaboration, but his statement says enough -- and that final line certainly suggests she might be considering her options right now ... attorneys don't use legal terms like "defamatory" unless they're mulling over a lawsuit.

As you know, Elon also denied the story outright after it was published this weekend by the Wall Street Journal -- taking to his favorite platform to bat it down in a variety of ways ... including suggesting it couldn't have been true, because he hadn't had sex "in ages."

He also said he'd just seen Nicole's husband, Sergey Brin, at a party recently ... and posted a photo of the two of them looking cool together. Until now, both Sergey and Nicole have been silent ... which wasn't helping Elon with his case.

Now, though, Nicole's officially weighing in -- and she, too, is claiming the whole thing is made up. It'll be interesting to see if anything more comes of this from either the subjects of the report or WSJ itself.

Chris Brown says the organizer of a benefit concert for victims of Hurricanes Ida and Nicholas has it all wrong -- he didn't bail only hours before the event, and he's even offering a donation to support the community.

Ms. LaJuan Bailey recently blasted CB, claiming he bailed on a March 19 show at the Toyota Center in Houston -- called "One Night Only" -- to raise money for people whose homes were damaged in the 2021 storms.

Bailey says she advanced more than $1 million for Brown's performance fees, accommodations and private plane ... only to get word he was canceling during sound check.

We've spoken to sources close to Chris and have seen a letter his legal team allegedly emailed to event organizers on March 17, informing them CB would no longer perform.

The letter states Bryson Tiller, who was also to perform at the event, had been removed from the lineup without a viable replacement, a violation of the contract Chris had in place ... so Chris wasn't going to perform.

The letter appears to have been sent 2 days before the show, not during the sound check ... when Bailey claims she found out. It's unclear if her team knew earlier and just hadn't told her.

Now, our Chris sources say both sides have been in negotiations to settle the situation -- with Chris offering to make a 6-figure donation to a Houston-based charity, but no agreement's been made yet.

Britney Spears may be singing again, but she won't be talking under oath ... at least that's what her lawyer is insisting.

Attorney Mathew Rosengart filed legal docs in the ongoing legal battle against Jamie Spears, saying the battle will be won with documents, physical evidence and the testimony of Jamie. Rosengart says Britney's testimony would not be relevant to any legal proceeding.

Rosengart goes even further, saying he has no reason to call Britney as a witness if the case ends up in trial. He says the fact she would not be called as a witness "eviscerates" any reason why she would need to be deposed.

It appears Rosengart is zeroing in on alleged malfeasance on the part of Jamie that involves money. Although he hasn't played his hand, it seems he may be steering clear of some of the personal allegations Britney has made against her dad.

As we reported, Jamie has asked the judge to order Britney to sit for a deposition, arguing she has made numerous claims against him in court and on social media and some of these allegations go to his performance as a conservator. Jamie has disputed many of the claims Britney made in court a year ago in June.