Legal

Police had the opportunity to save Gabby Petito's life after responding to her domestic dispute with Brian Laundrie before she was killed ... this according to her family, which is now looking to sue the police department for a ton of cash over it.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Petito's family blames the Moab City PD for Gabby's death ... claiming Brian killed Gabby shortly after the department "failed to adequately respond to reports and evidence of domestic violence between Brian and Gabby."

The docs go on to recount the events leading up to her death ... including when police interviewed them on the side of the road last year -- with one officer saying she was crying uncontrollably and had cuts on her face and arm.

As you know, Brian told officers Gabby had been under emotional distress, allegedly pushing her away as she tried to slap him.

But, the family says there were inconsistencies in Brian's story -- including claiming he wanted to walk away from Gabby despite a witness alleging he tried to drive off without her.

Gabby's family claims the police didn't do enough probing of the situation to save Gabby -- adding that an independent investigator later concluded the officers "made several mistakes and could not rule out that Gabby's murder might have been prevented if the officers had handled the situation properly."

Laundrie family attorney, Steven Bertolino, tells TMZ, "The Moab police, in my view, did not contribute to the death of Gabby Petito in any way. My understanding of the Moab incident is that Gabby was the aggressor and admitted on camera to hitting Brian first. The Moab police report indicated that they could have arrested Gabby but chose not to and instead separated Brian and Gabby."

He continues, "The intervening days and events from the Moab incident to the date of Gabby's death appear to be far enough removed from the reasonable actions of the officers on the scene. I see no legal liability but maybe the City of Moab will settle the matter. So best of luck to the Petito family in their quest to recover for their loss from another source."

Lori Loughlin wants to get on with her life after serving time for her role in the college admissions scandal, and that involves flying to Canada to shoot a movie.

Lori is currently on 2-years probation after serving 2 months ... as a result, she's required to get approval from the judge before leaving the country.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Lori's been offered a role in the flick but it's contingent on her getting approval to travel. She says the project would last a week and it would be shot in the middle of September or the beginning of October.

The judge signed off, allowing her to travel, but that's just half of the approval process. Canada is super strict on allowing people in with criminal records, and Lori pled guilty to a felony.

We've already seen other celebs be turned away ... including Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and The Game, so Lori's fate is not certain.

Cops believe Anne Heche may have been under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol when she slammed into a garage and a house, igniting a massive blaze.

LAPD sources tell TMZ, authorities got a warrant to draw Anne's blood. We do not know the results, but police believe she was intoxicated at the time of Friday's crash. We're told the results of the blood tests could take weeks.

We're told at the very least, the LAPD will refer the case to the L.A. City Attorney for possible hit-and-run charges. As we reported, after slamming into a garage she took off and eventually drove her car into a nearby house. She may have also struck other objects before coming to a stop.

In a photo we obtained of Anne just before the wreck, it appeared she had a bottle of alcohol in her cup holder.

Anne suffered severe burns as a result of the fire and remains hospitalized. Her clothes were charred as she was taken away on a stretcher.

TMZ obtained video of Anne tearing down a residential street before slamming into the house.

Bert Fields, one of the most powerful lawyers in the United States who, among many other things, who waged legal war on behalf of Michael Jackson and Tom Cruise, has died.

Sources close to Fields, including one of his famous clients, tell TMZ ... the attorney has indeed passed.

Fields' client list included James Cameron, Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Mike Nichols, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, Jerry Bruckheimer, The Beatles and Madonna ... among many others.

Among his notable cases ... in 1993, Bert was involved in defending Michael Jackson against molestation allegations, and famously held a news conference acknowledging MJ was so profoundly addicted to pain meds, he could barely function on an intellectual level.

He also filed a $50 million lawsuit against a magazine publisher on behalf of Tom Cruise after the mag claimed Cruise was gay. He sued another outlet for claiming Cruise had abandoned Suri after his divorce from Katie Holmes.

Fields taught entertainment law at both Stanford and Harvard law schools. He was an accomplished author and wrote several novels and even lectured on Shakespeare.

Eddie Deezen, known for playing Eugene Felsnic in "Grease," has been found not competent to stand trial for allegedly burglarizing a nursing home.

The commitment order, obtained by TMZ, shows Deezen's unable to stand trial because of a mental disorder, and he's been transferred to the Maryland Department of Health for treatment.

The document says he's considered a danger to himself and others around him. Deezen will have no choice but to stay in the health department's care until the court believes he no longer poses a threat.

As we reported, police say Deezen pushed his way into a privately-owned nursing facility in April, refusing to leave after a woman told him to scram -- but cops showed up and hauled him off in cuffs.

The alleged victim told cops Eddie's been by her place several times before, claiming he usually leaves behind items with accompanying notes.

The security camera of a neighbor a few doors down showed Deezen approaching their property as well that night, allegedly trying to open the front door.

The NFL's appeal of Deshaun Watson's six-game ban is really bad news for the QB ... so says former Browns GM Michael Lombardi, who tells TMZ Sports he now expects the suspension to increase significantly.

The league announced on Wednesday it was appealing the ruling Sue L. Robinson handed down on Monday -- but it has yet to publicly specify the punishment it truly thinks Watson deserves for his alleged sexual misconduct with female massage therapists.

But, Lombardi tells us he believes Roger Goodell and the league will be looking for at least 12 games ... and is almost certainly targeting a full-year suspension for the 26-year-old Cleveland star.

"I know the league wants a year," said Lombardi, who was the GM for the Browns in 2013. "They've made that pretty clear to all people that they leak information to. They're negotiating off a year -- we know the Players Association wants six games. Do they settle on 12? I don't know. I think a lot of this comes down to the simple fact, who's going to win in federal court?"

Lombardi tells us based on Robinson's ruling, the NFL will likely win in court -- which means The Shield has most of the leverage here ... and should ultimately get what it wants.

As for how the Browns' org. should feel about it all -- Lombardi says it can't have buyer's remorse ... because it had to have known what it was getting into.

"I mean, it was out in the open," he said ... "The key in scouting and being in the front office is to learn more about the player before you acquire him than after you acquire him and if they didn't do that, then shame on them."

Travis Scott is just hours away from performing his first major solo show since Astroworld ... and he's got some important people there to support him as he takes the stage.

Kylie Jenner and the couple's daughter, Stormi, have been in London with TS all week -- doing some shopping, dining and spending some time together. The show is a big deal for Travis, so you gotta imagine he's enjoyed some family time leading up to it.

Unclear if Kylie and Travis' 6-month-old son made the trip, but he's old enough to fly ... so it's possible he's just been staying with nannies while mom, dad and big sister hit the town.

Travis is scheduled to perform two sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena Saturday and Sunday night ... a venue that holds about 20,000 people. A source close to Travis tells us he's, "excited to deliver for his fans in London by being back, thriving on stage."

We've seen Travis pop up at nightclubs and perform a song or two during other artists' sets, but the O2 shows will mark his first solo shows since November at Astroworld.

Travis has taken a lot of heat for the 10 deaths that occurred at the festival, and is fighting a mountain of litigation ... but has seemingly been greeted with open arms by music fans and those hoping to score some of his merch and collabs he's released since the tragedy.

The hits keep coming for lyin' Alex Jones ... a jury just ordered him to shell out $45.2 million to the parents who lost kids in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

The money is for punitive damages ... and it's on top of the $4.1 million a jury in Austin, TX already ordered the "InfoWars" founder to pay to plaintiffs Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin.

The same 12-person jury came back with the $45.2 million figure Friday, and it includes $20.5 million each to Lewis and Heslin for mental anguish caused by Jones claiming the shooting was a hoax.

The remaining $4.2 million in punitive damages is for defaming Heslin in 2 reports where Jones questioned the father's account of holding his dead son.

The trial's been full of drama ... like when an attorney for the parents revealed Jones' own lawyers accidentally sent them all of his text messages, catching AJ in an apparent lie.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's divorce continues to drag on ... Ye has officially lost his 5th divorce lawyer.

Kim and Kanye had a trial-setting conference Friday in L.A. as part of their divorce. Ye's current divorce attorney, Samantha Spector, had previously asked the judge to relieve her as counsel, saying her relationship with Kanye was irretrievably broken, though she wouldn't say why.

She had a date set next week to officially withdraw, but the judge granted her request Friday, so she's out and Ye is without a lawyer yet again.

What's more, the judge made it clear ... either Kanye gets off the dime and submits his financial declarations to settle the remaining issues, or the case is going to trial in December ... no if, ands or buts.

If Kanye ghosts everyone -- then in all probability when the case comes before the judge in December -- Kim will get whatever she wants.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim got a divorce decree back in March, making her legally single, but there are still a couple of issues to fully resolve -- custody and property, and that's what the judge is dealing with now.

Sources connected to Kim and Kanye say they're getting along -- as we've seen evidenced at their kid's sporting events and family gatherings -- but it's been a roller coaster.

Just to be clear ... Anchorage PD frowns upon cops joking and taking selfies with potentially impaired drivers who flash a "white privilege" card -- instead of a driver's license -- as identification.

Yeah, this is actually a thing that happened. The dept just announced its findings after investigating the July incident where officers pulled over Mimi Israelah at 3:30 AM for weaving. She recorded video, which she posted but since deleted, showing officers Nicholas Bowe and Charles Worland laughing as she presented the novelty I.D. card.

One of the cops said it was "hilarious." Many people online had a much different reaction when Israelah's video went viral -- they were outraged and called on law enforcement in the Alaskan city to do something.

For the record, the cops said Israelah showed no signs of impairment, and they didn't give her a ticket -- but lots of folks thought they just let her off because they loved her gag.

If nothing else she could've been cited for not having a license on her while driving.

On Thursday, Deputy Chief Sean Case said, "We recognize that the [Facebook] post, what was contained in that post, caused a bit of a public uproar, and there were a lot of people that saw that and did not like that post."

While the 2 officers were found to have violated department policy, Anchorage PD wouldn't go further into specifics ... nor would they say what punishment, if any, they're facing.

Texans running back Darius Anderson's Friday just got a whole lot better ... his felony burglary case has been dismissed -- according to his attorney, Kelly Benavides.

Benavides, in an interview with TMZ Sports, said prosecutors made the decision official on Friday morning ... "because of a lack of evidence."

As we reported, Anderson had been charged with felony burglary of a habitation last month after cops say Anderson's ex-girlfriend told them the football player broke into her Harris County, Texas home at around 7 AM on July 15.

The woman, according to police documents, told cops she had tried to keep Anderson out of her home following a dispute, but he forced his way in through the garage. Cops say the woman told them that while inside of her home, Anderson yelled at her "that he was 'going to beat her up.'" He allegedly left the residence after learning she was calling 911.

According to Benavides, Anderson was at Texans practice Friday morning when prosecutors formally dropped the case. She said she's happy the 24-year-old can now put the case behind him and concentrate on his football career.

Benavides also applauded prosecutors for "doing the right thing -- doing what justice required."

Houston head coach Lovie Smith, meanwhile, said after practice he was "glad" to see the case's disposition as well.

We've reached out to the Harris County District Attorney's Office for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Anderson -- who initially broke into the league in 2020 after signing as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys -- is currently fighting for a roster spot at Texans training camp.

Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley was arrested on Thursday -- the first day of Tigers football training camp -- after he was accused of eluding cops during two separate traffic stops back in July, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to Auburn PD, the 20-year-old was riding his motorcycle without a helmet near the Jordan-Hare Stadium on July 26 ... when cops tried to pull him over on two separate occasions.

Cops say Finley fled the scene twice and officers "terminated the pursuit on both occasions as a matter of safety" ... but not before they say they were able to identify him as the Tigers quarterback.

A warrant was issued for Finley's arrest ... and on Thursday, he turned himself in for attempting to elude police, a misdemeanor. He was also issued traffic citations.

Lee County Detention Facility tells us he signed for his own bond and was released at 11:16 AM.

Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin confirmed the university is aware of the situation ... and Finley arrived at the Tigers facility after the arrest. He will also be practicing with the team on Friday.

Finley -- who transferred from LSU in 2021 -- started 3 games for the Tigers last season ... and had 827 passing yards and 6 touchdowns in 9 appearances.

Hours after Brittney Griner was sentenced by a Russian judge to 9 years in prison ... Trevor Noah went IN on the foreign country -- dragging Vladimir Putin, while calling Thursday's ruling complete "bulls***."

Noah held nothing back on "The Daily Show," accusing Russia of using Griner and her drug trial as political pawns to gain leverage on the U.S.

"We all know Russia doesn’t care about what Brittney Griner did," Noah said. "This is the same country that’s breaking every human rights law on the planet, but they’re like, ‘That woman has vape cartridge. She’s real criminal.'"

"Get the f*** out of here, man!"

Noah went on to repeatedly call Thursday's ruling "bulls***."

The comedian, though, did say there is a sliver of positive news to come out of Griner's sentence -- the U.S. and Russia can now seemingly begin prisoner swap talks earnestly.

And, Noah's clearly all in favor of giving the country whatever it wants to get the WNBA star back.

"Yeah, it seems like they win, but don’t forget, that person now has to live in Russia," Noah said. "Yeah, yeah. They’ll get there and be like, 'This whole country is prison. I miss food in Alcatraz, no!'"

Griner's Phoenix Mercury teammates, meanwhile, honored their star center with a 42-second moment of silence before their game against the Connecticut Sun on Thursday night.

Players from both teams linked arms during the pregame ceremony -- and at the tail-end of it all, an arena-wide "Bring Her Home!" chant broke out.

The family behind the viral video of Woody and Jessie from 'Toy Story' making sure to hug their kids at Disney World say their experience needs to be the norm for all children ... regardless of race.

The parents, Candice and Harold, say they didn't know about the controversy swirling right now about costumed characters at other venues allegedly snubbing Black kids. They merely posted video because they were glad their daughter, Hayyn, got a hug from her favorite Disney character.

The parents say Hayyn would have been happy to get a wave from Jessie -- and it was a huge bonus when Woody flagged down Jessie to give the little girl a hug.

Hayyn was waiting on Jessie for the whole parade ... even wearing a Jessie dress, while holding Jessie and Woody dolls.

Of course, after posting their video they became aware of the allegations at Sesame Place and Chuck E. Cheese, and Harold and Candice say everyone's child deserves at least some kind of acknowledgment -- even if it's just a wave or blown kiss from their favorite character.

As we've reported, there's now a class action lawsuit filed against Sesame Place in Philadelphia.

The 3 men found guilty of Ahmaud Arbery's murder are getting rejected by a federal judge ... who's affirmed their convictions for federal hate crimes.

Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddy" Bryan had filed motions to set aside the jury's guilty verdict, but on Thursday a federal judge told them there was "more than sufficient evidence" to nail them for the 2020 murder of Ahmaud.

Their federal convictions -- which came down in February -- were for killing Ahmaud based on his race and kidnapping. In denying their motion the judge relied on social media posts from the defendants that negatively compared Black people to white people, generally.

Specifically, the judge pointed out Gregory McMichael had posted, "all these blacks are nothing but trouble; I wish they would all die."  ... and made disparaging comments about a Black tenant.

Alex Jones' lies are going to cost him $4.1M ... an amount to be paid out to parents who lost their kids during the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

The decision, made Thursday by a jury in Austin, TX was for plaintiffs Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, who first requested $150M in compensatory damages when the trial started. Punitive damages will be determined during another trial.

As we reported, Jones -- who essentially said the mass shooting was a hoax -- was grilled during the trial ... during one moment that's now gone viral, an attorney for the parents revealed Jones' own legal team accidentally distributed his text messages, catching Jones in an apparent lie.

Other standout moments included the judge chastising Jones for a number of things, like lying ... and even chewing gum.