Legal

R. Kelly wants anyone who has seen the 'Surviving R. Kelly' docuseries to be banned as a potential juror in his trial ... saying there's no way they can give him a fair shot.

R. Kelly and his team filed a motion Monday to disqualify jurors who have seen any portion of the docuseries, as his 2nd federal trial begins in Chicago.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... "any potential juror who has watched any portion of this docuseries must be disqualified for cause on whether they can be fair, too great a risk exists that such a juror would base their verdict on matters not introduced into evidence in the courtroom".

Kelly's facing charges of child porn and obstruction of justice ... and his alleged victim from his infamous 2008 case is expected to testify.

The docs state, "Any potential juror who has seen any portion of Surviving R. Kelly is prejudiced where there's no scenario which an individual exposed to the contents of Surviving R. Kelly can be impartial."

In other words ... his camp says there's absolutely no way anyone who has seen any parts of the doc can be fair, and they shouldn't be allowed to be jurors in the case.

His team claims there are episodes that talk specifically about his 2008 prosecution, in which he was acquitted ... and they say the docuseries also includes allegations that the government has said won’t be featured in this trial.

Tennessee Titans linebacker Bud Dupree just pled guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from his role in a fight at a Walgreens earlier this year, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 29-year-old football player -- according to a court official -- appeared in a Nashville, Tenn. courtroom on Monday and made the plea after striking a deal with prosecutors.

Dupree pled guilty to misdemeanor assault offensive or provocative, the court official tells us.

Dupree was sentenced to unsupervised probation for 6 months, according to the official. He also had to pay $418 in court costs.

The Titans had practice Monday morning ... though it's unclear if the pass rusher -- who signed a 5-year, $82.5 million contract with the Titans in 2021 -- made it to the workout.

As we previously reported, Dupree was initially cited back on Jan. 4 after cops say he attacked an employee at a Nashville-area Walgreens on Jan. 2.

Cops say Dupree grabbed the employee during the incident -- and then attempted to take the man's phone, before eventually fleeing the scene prior to police officers' arrival.

Sources close to Dupree allege the employee had heckled the Titans player ... and threatened to spit on the women he was with, inciting the fracas.

We've reached out to the Titans, Dupree's attorney, and prosecutors for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Wayne Gretzky allegedly lied about dropping pounds by chewing gum -- and a man is now suing the hockey legend over it ... claiming The Great One's great fib cost him $10 MILLION.

The allegations are all spelled out in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, filed in Los Angeles on Monday.

The plaintiff, Steven Sparks, says he created a "natural gum used to manage weight," and called it "OMG gum." He says in the suit he eventually hired on Wayne's wife, Janet Marie Gretzky, to be a spokesperson for the product.

The problem, according to Sparks, is Wayne eventually made up a lie about the gum -- saying after he chewed it for roughly a two-month span ... it helped him lose 35 pounds.

Sparks alleged Wayne used the lie to boost the company's stock -- "which he surreptitiously purchased under his family's name."

Sparks, claiming he had no idea Wayne was lying about the weight loss, says he reinvested both money and services into the company. But, when Wayne eventually admitted he had fabricated the weight loss -- it caused the company to tank, and hit Sparks HARD in his wallet.

Amber Heard is out with the old, in with the new when it comes to her legal representation -- scrapping a key attorney on her team ... and bringing in the big guns.

The actress, who is currently appealing the Johnny Depp verdict, announced Monday that she's hired the law firm Ballard Spahr as she ventures into an appellate court ... which she apparently thought warranted a fresh set of eyes to review the case as well as evidence.

The lead attorneys from the firm that are coming on ... David L. Axelrod (not the Obama/CNN guy) and Jay Ward Brown -- both of whom successfully defended the NYT against a defamation suit recently brought by Sarah Palin ... a First Amendment case, their specialty.

Amber is keeping Ben Rottenborn onboard with the addition of Axelrod and Brown -- but she is losing one lawyer ... Ms. Elaine Bredehoft, who was lead counsel in the trial. Her departure from the team isn't really explained beyond simply saying she's stepping down.

EB says it's the perfect time to "pass the baton" and that she's done her due diligence in making sure the new team is up to speed. Frankly, Elaine took a bit of a thrashing, metaphorically, during her representation -- that seems to be the consensus anyway.

As for the new boys ... DLA and JWB say, "We welcome the opportunity to represent Ms. Heard in this appeal as it is a case with important First Amendment implications for every America." They add they're confident the appellate court will interpret the law in their favor and clear AH's name.

A rep for Amber says, "When it comes to protecting the fundamental right of Freedom of Speech, we look at the jury’s decision -- to paraphrase a famous quote -- not 'as the beginning of the end, but merely the end of the beginning.' A different court warrants different representation, particularly as so much new evidence is now coming to light."

Brittney Griner is fighting back in her drug case in Russia -- formally filing an appeal of her conviction in the foreign country, days after she was sentenced to 9 years behind bars there.

Griner's attorney confirmed the filing to CNN on Monday. It's not immediately known what the grounds of the appeal are, or when it will be heard in court.

The move, though, was expected -- after Griner was convicted and sentenced on Aug. 4. The WNBA superstar admitted to having hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport, but she told a courtroom she packed it inadvertently and had no intentions at all of breaking the law.

Regardless of the appeal process, the U.S. -- which has called Griner wrongfully detained -- is continuing attempts to strike a prisoner swap deal with Russia in order to bring the 31-year-old home.

"I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends and teammates," Biden said following her conviction earlier this month.

"My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible."

Trey Songz has an ally in his corner when it comes to claims of sexual assault against him -- a woman testified an attorney for Songz's alleged victim offered her up to $200,000 to change her story and make Trey the bad guy ... a claim the attorney denies.

If you haven't followed along, Trey's in the middle of a sexual assault lawsuit filed by a woman named Jauhara Jeffries -- who says he violated her at a 2017 New Year's Eve party in Miami.

We've obtained a transcript from a recent court hearing in the case, where a woman named Mariah Thielen testified she met with Jeffries' attorney, Ariel Mitchell, in April 2021 at a bar in Miami. Thielen says Mitchell smelled like weed during the meeting, and was carrying a gun.

According to the transcript, Thielen -- who was with Jeffries the night of Trey's alleged assault -- says Mitchell offered to pay between $100k-$200k if she'd lie and say she witnessed Trey sexually assault Jeffries ... and claim that Trey assaulted her too. Mitchell allegedly said she was trying to paint Trey as "the next R. Kelly."

Thielen says Mitchell's plan was to take her allegations to Trey's team in hopes of coming to a monetary settlement, and her lies would help to make that amount larger ... again, this according to the transcript.

Thielen claims she turned the offer down -- saying she wouldn't have lied for even $10 million -- and reported the meeting to Trey's legal team a short time later.

Mitchell denies the claims, telling us, "We’re highly confident and certain the court will find the witness committed perjury. Parties are still awaiting the judges' further instructions on how to proceed given the witness’s inconsistent testimony during the hearing."

Mitchell's partner, George Vrabeck, withdrew from the case, stating there was "multiple grounds for withdrawal" that existed under the Florida Rules for Professional Conduct ... but Mitchell says that's only because, "He will be representing me against the parties involved in this disgraceful motion brought by Trey Songz and his representatives."

OnlyFans model Courtney Tailor should spend the rest of her days behind bars for killing her boyfriend Christian Obumseli ... at least that's how his family feels.

The Obumseli family attorney, Larry Handfield, tells TMZ ... Christian's family is happy Courtney was recently charged with second-degree murder, because a conviction could result in a life sentence.

We're told the Obumseli family's faith in the justice system was restored when Courtney was arrested this week and charged in Christian's death.

Remember ... Courtney told cops she fatally stabbed Christian with a knife back in April, but she insisted it was self-defense. It ended up taking about 4 months for her to be criminally charged. All along, Christian's family believed she killed him in cold blood.

When the family found out Courtney was finally taken into custody, we're told they were relieved and super emotional ... dissolving into tears.

The day after her arrest, footage surfaced that appeared to show Courtney attacking Christian in an elevator just a few months before the fatal incident.

The family's attorney says he always assured the Obumselis they would get justice, and now they want it served in the form of a life sentence for Courtney.

Courtney's attorney, Frank Prieto, tells TMZ ... "Although the State Attorney, by law, must consider the wishes of the next of kin a criminal case, those wishes often have to give way to more reasonable minds."

Kodak Black says the Florida cops who arrested him for allegedly trafficking oxycodone are still holding onto his car and thousands of dollars in cash nearly a month later ... and now he's out of patience and wants it all back.

Kodak is asking the court to make the Florida Highway Patrol officers who busted him return a Dodge Durango and $74,960 in cash they seized during the arrest ... this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Kodak's lawyer, Bradford Cohen, says his client can prove the car and cash belong to Kodak and were not involved in any illegal activity.

For starters, Cohen claims the Durango is registered to Florida-based record label Sniper Gang, and Kodak is a manager of that entity.

Since Kodak has already turned over the prescriptions for the pills found in the vehicle, Cohen claims there is no legal basis for the police to continue to hold the Durango and should return it pronto.

As for the roughly $75K in cash, Kodak's attorney says he carries so much dough around because he's a rapper and it goes with the territory ... claiming Kodak needs large sums of money on him to pay various expenses on tour. Also, he's often paid in cash for his gigs.

Remember ... cops pulled Kodak's car over last month and say the ride reeked of weed, prompting a search that turned up the cash and 31 oxycodone pills ... this according to cops.

Kodak's attorney claims he ended up providing cops with a prescription for the pills ... and insists there's no basis for cops to continue holding the car and cash as evidence.

The court has yet to rule.

R. Kelly was once prosecuted for allegedly abusing a minor -- an infamous case from 2008 in which she never testified ... but that's all about to change now as he heads to trial anew.

The disgraced singer, who's already been convicted of sex crimes in New York and faces 30 years behind bars, has another day in court ahead of him. Come Monday, his federal trial in Chicago -- for which he's facing similar charges and sentencing -- is going to begin.

On top of the 4 accusers in this Chicago case -- all of whom will testify -- the woman who Kelly was accused of urinating on on tape at just age 14, among other heinous crimes, is set to take the stand as well ... to speak on the '08 case and her experience with him in general.

Per new court filings, cited by AP, prosecutors say the unidentified alleged victim from back then -- now in her 30s -- will address claims that R. Kelly rigged the 2008 case in an attempt to obstruct justice ... including allegedly paying off/threatening this woman at the time.

Many will recall ... Kelly was acquitted and went free, largely because the alleged victim refused to cooperate and testify. Now, it appears she'll explain why that happened, from her perspective, for the first time ever. Her identity has remained hidden all these years.

There's more ... these new filings say prosecutors plan to play that same VHS tape from '08 in court again as this current trial fires up. In addition to that, there are reportedly going to be at least 3 other videos presented as evidence in court. Unclear if they all pertain to 2008.

Prosecutors claim that R. Kelly had sex with/recorded the 2008 alleged victim hundreds of times between 1998 and 2000, a period when she was as young as 13 years old. They also acknowledge that some of these sex tapes had been stolen and peddled on the street.

The FBI has concluded that Alec Baldwin must have fired the gun normally on the set of "Rust" -- which took Halyna Hutchins' life ... this according to a new report.

ABC News published a bombshell story Friday, claiming to have obtained a copy of the forensic analysis report recently completed by the Bureau ... which was examining all facets of the fatal accident in a broader investigation to see if criminal charges are warranted.

Per ABC, citing part of the FBI report, the feds found that the revolver in question -- a single-action .45 Colt caliber F.lli Pietta -- could not have been fired without someone pulling the trigger ... a determination they made after conducting accidental discharge testing.

Unclear if they did this testing with the same exact gun Alec used, or a separate but identical one -- but what the FBI notes in their reports is ... that gun, when working properly, will not release a bullet and primer simultaneously by just fiddling with the hammer alone.

That's what Alec said he was doing when the shooting occurred. You'll recall ... in a sit-down interview with ABC, he claimed all he'd done was pull the hammer back and pose it for the camera while Halyna coached him on positioning. When they were done, he released the hammer ... and says it fired without him pulling the trigger. The rest, of course, is history.

Well, that just doesn't make sense to FBI officials. Their report, per ABC, notes they set the hammer at varying angles and positions to see if they could make it fire without pulling the trigger ... but they say they couldn't. The only thing the hammer COULD do when de-cocked and then directly struck on its own (without pulling the trigger) was detonate the primer.

That essentially means it could set off the actual gunshot sound itself, without discharging a bullet, according to the FBI -- but that's obviously not what happened in AB's case.

Now, this conclusion doesn't necessarily mean Alec is in hot water quite yet -- again, we don't know if the testing they did here was with his gun or another ... it's totally possible the revolver he used that day did, in fact, malfunction and that he's telling the truth.

These findings have been sent off to law enforcement officials in New Mexico, who are still conducting their investigation dating back to October. One of the things they're still waiting on, per an official statement from the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office, is phone records from Alec.

L.A. cops have a dark culture when it comes to grizzly death scenes, keeping "ghoul books" with photos of famous people who met violent deaths.

As we reported, Vanessa Bryant is suing the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. among others after learning 8 deputies took personal cellphone photos of the remains of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, and then passed them around to co-workers, family, friends and even strangers.

Deputy Doug Johnson testified he did not regret taking photos of the remains, claiming he was ordered to do so by a higher-up, even though that higher-up had said he gave no such order.

Johnson said he took 25 photos, although another officer claimed it was more like 100.

The deputy admitted he took shots of Kobe's remains, although he says he didn't know at the time it was the famed basketball star. He also took pics of a body in a ravine near the crash site ... a body of a black child with long hair ... presumably Gianna.

Johnson stuck to his story, saying he would not have done anything differently.

Vanessa, who is suing for, among other things, emotional distress, broke down at times during the testimony.

Metallica frontman James Hetfield and his wife of more than two decades are no more, TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the former couple tell us James filed divorce docs against Francesca Hetfield in Colorado earlier this year. Surprisingly, the filing was never reported, and the couple kept it out of the spotlight.

We're told the two are still in touch, as they have kids together.

James and Francesca met in 1992, and got hitched in 1997. They have two daughters and a son together. James credited Francesca over the years for helping him through tough times, including his anger management issues.

In one interview, James said Francesca once threatened to take the kids out of the house if he couldn't get his temper in check.

Francesca was Hetfield's first marriage ... she'd also join him on tour at times, visiting spots around the world.

Deshaun Watson is showing regret for his actions as his NFL future remains in limbo ... saying he's "truly sorry to all the women" he impacted.

Watson is facing a massive suspension after being accused of sexual misconduct with more than 20 women ... and before the Cleveland Browns' preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he spoke about the claims made against him.

"Look, I wanna say that I'm truly sorry to all the women that I impacted in this situation," Watson said.

"The decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position I would definitely like to have back but I want to continue to move forward and grow and learn and show that I am a true person of character and I am going to keep pushing forward."

Watson was initially handed a 6-game ban for his alleged misconduct ... but the NFL is trying like hell to extend the punishment.

He is currently playing for the Browns as he awaits the NFL's decision.

"I know I have a lot of work to put in, especially on the field to be able to make sure I'm ready to play whenever that time comes, whenever I can step back on the field." he added.

Anne Heche has died from injuries she suffered last Friday after driving her car through a Los Angeles home ... her rep tells TMZ Anne is "brain dead" and under California law that is the definition of death.

The rep adds life support machines are keeping Anne's heart beating for the purpose of preserving her organs for donations, however, the rep made it clear ... Anne has no brain function.

The actress died Friday at an L.A.-area hospital ... she was rushed there in a coma, in critical condition and never regained consciousness. We're told she suffered a severe anoxic brain injury -- complete oxygen deprivation to the brain.

Anne had a long and successful career in Hollywood, getting her start playing Vicky Hudson and Marley Love in the soap, "Another World," winning a Daytime Emmy.

When Anne moved over to the big screen, she landed roles in some huge movies ... including "Donnie Brasco," "Volcano," "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "Six Days Seven Nights," "Return to Paradise," the "Psycho" remake and "Wag the Dog."

Anne also starred in a number of TV shows, like "Men in Trees," "Hung," "Aftermath" and "The Brave" ... and she also did voice work for the animated TV series "The Legend of Korra."

During the first year of the pandemic, Anne was a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars."

Anne famously dated Ellen DeGeneres back in the day ... starting in 1997 until their highly-publicized split in August 2000 ... she ended up marrying cameraman Coleman Laffoon, whom she met on Ellen's stand-up comedy tour.

Heche had a child with Laffoon, but their marriage ended in divorce. Her next relationship was with her "Men in Trees" costar, James Tupper, with whom she had her second child. They split in 2018 after 10 years together.

TMZ broke the story ... LAPD sources say Anne was under the influence of cocaine and possibly fentanyl on Aug. 5 when she committed at least 2 hit-and-runs before crashing through a home and causing a fire.

Anne sustained significant injuries in the crash, including severe burns and lung damage.

Anne was 53.

RIP

R. Kelly's fiancée, and the woman the world believed was his victim, Joycelyn Savage, just dropped a bomb ... claiming to be pregnant with the singer's baby.

Joycelyn reveals in her upcoming book she's several months pregnant, learning she was expecting after the disgraced artist sent her an engagement ring. She says Kelly is "extremely excited about the news," but wishes he could be there for the birth of their kid.

The big hole, obviously, is she never explains how the child was conceived -- R. Kelly has been locked up for over a year.

A lawyer for Joycelyn's parents tells TMZ they're still processing the news, but aren't willing to make a comment at this time.

As we reported, Joycelyn revealed the two were engaged through a letter sent to the judge ahead of his sentencing, asking for him to get a lenient sentence while claiming, "I'm not the victim that the government has portrayed me to be."

In her book, she refers to Azriel Clary, one of Kelly's other live-in GF's as "the other girl" ... saying she became bipolar and eventually "smeared my name all over social media" after returning to her family.

As you know, Azriel wanted out of the situation and tried getting Joycelyn to leave, too ... resulting in them landing blows on each other back in 2020.

Cops circulating crime scene photos isn't unique to the Kobe Bryant crash -- it's been happening since the O.J. Simpson murder case -- with an ex-LAPD officer testifying he saw a polaroid of Nicole Brown Simpson's dead body.

Former Los Angeles Police Department officer Adam Bercovici, an expert witness hired by Vanessa Bryant's legal team, testified he and other cops at his station saw a close-up of Nicole's body following her June 1994 murder.

The former police officer testified illicit photos of human remains -- so-called "death books" -- are common among law enforcement ... and not something unique to the Kobe crash.

Bercovici testified there were no legitimate reasons for the deputies to take photographs of the remains.

Despite this being an issue that's painful for the family and friends of the deceased, Bercovici says not nearly enough has been done to end the practice.

Luella Weireter, wife of an LAFD fire captain also took the stand, testifying she witnessed a group, including another fire captain, view the photos at a local awards show about three weeks after the fatal crash.

Weireter, who says she did not look at the photos, overheard another man say "I can't believe I just looked at Kobe's burnt-up body and now I'm about to eat."

It's just one of the ghastly and gruesome moments from the trial ... which started earlier this week, and has been very emotional for Vanessa and her family.

Bryant sobbed in court Thursday during opening statements, when her attorney told the 10-person jury that 8 L.A. County Sheriff's deputies snapped pics of Kobe and Gigi's bodies at the helicopter crash scene for nothing personal use.

Vanessa's lawyer says she lives "in fear, anxiety and terror" that the pics will someday be released ... saying she will be forever haunted by the deputies' actions.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, who was Kobe's agent, took the stand Thursday and was barely able to speak when talking about his close relationship with KB.

On Thursday, the jury heard from a bartender in L.A. ... who testified a deputy showed him crash scene photos at his bar. Bryant's attorney showed screen grabs from surveillance video that appeared to show the bartender laughing after seeing the grisly photos.

In her lawsuit, Vanessa claims the deputies' conduct caused her severe emotional distress, saying the photos were an invasion of privacy. Lawyers for L.A. County say Vanessa's emotional distress is a result of the fatal crash, not the photos.