Legal

Donald Trump Jr. made a dick joke to show his disdain for the redacted FBI affidavit that triggered the search of Mar-a-Lago, but he seems to be saying in the process he doesn't care if national secrets or the lives of people mentioned in the redactions are compromised.

Junior posted a pic of his dad on a golf course with a big black bar over his groin, with the caption, "redact this!!!" He had posted earlier Friday he thought the level of redactions was ridiculous.

Thing is ... the Justice Dept. made it clear, and the judge agreed -- the affidavit referenced documents Trump took from The White House, some of which had the highest security classifications, and releasing information describing them could jeopardize national security and put the lives of various people mentioned at risk.

Jr. may be trying to take people's eye off the ball, or in his dad's case the balls, but the real issue is this -- why did Donald Trump want those documents?

Naomi Judd died from a gunshot wound to the head -- confirmed by the singer's autopsy -- which also revealed she left a suicide note at the scene of her death.

The medical examiner's office in Nashville released Judd's full autopsy report Friday, shining some light on the 76-year-old's mental health struggles. The report states Judd battled anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder ... Judd was always very public about her mental health.

What's more -- the autopsy reveals she left a suicide note -- which was found near her body.

Naomi took her own life back in April, and in May, her daughter, Ashley revealed her mother had shot herself. In an interview, Ashley said, "Her brain hurt, it physically hurt and I'm tasked with an exceedingly difficult task in disclosing the matter in the way my mother chose to continue to live."

Ashley also revealed she was the one who discovered Naomi's body, saying, "It was a mixed day. I visit with my mom and pop every day when I’m home in Tennessee, so I was at the house visiting as I am every day. Mom said to me, 'Will you stay with me?' and I said, 'Of course, I will.' … I went upstairs to let her know that her good friend was there and I discovered her. I have both grief and trauma from discovering her."

Just days after their mother's death, Ashley and Wynnona paid tribute to Naomi in a tearful segment during the Country Music HOF ceremony.

Bills punter Matt Araiza will NOT be participating in Buffalo's final preseason game ... after a woman made serious rape allegations against him in a lawsuit earlier this week.

22-year-old Araiza -- AKA the "Punt God" -- was originally slated to suit up and play in the Bills' matchup against the Carolina Panthers on Friday night ... but before kickoff, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the team reversed course and will sit him down.

The decision comes following a civil lawsuit in which a woman accused the former San Diego State star of raping her with his SDSU football teammates during a Halloween party in October 2021.

In the suit, the woman -- who's 18 now but said she was 17 at the time of the incident -- claimed she was sexually assaulted by the punter (who was 21 at the time) and two other Aztecs football players for over an hour at his SD home.

The Bills released a statement on Thursday ... saying the team was aware of the allegations and was investigating the situation.

Araiza's attorney denied the allegations in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, saying, "It's a shakedown because he's now with the Buffalo Bills."

"There is no doubt in my mind that Matt Araiza ever raped that girl," the attorney added.

Boosie Badazz was popped for speeding in Fulton County on Friday … but instead of flying off the rails like last time, he performed an impromptu concert on the spot!!!

Deputy Chief for Fairburn PD, tells TMZ Hip Hop ... Boosie was pulled over for going 73 in a 55 zone ... but before the stop, an unknown object was tossed from the vehicle.

Once stopped, police say they smelled weed, prompting a search of the car.

In an apparent act of defiance, Boosie decided to rap his classic song “Set It Off” … y’know the one that starts off with him being annoyed? 😬

During the search, cops say they found a small amount of weed, but didn't cite him for it. The same couldn’t be said for Boosie’s driving habits  ... cops say they issued the Louisiana-born rapper speeding and littering citations before letting him go on his way.

Check out the video -- at one point, Boosie strikes up a convo with an officer -- offers him a new job ... and dangles $30k in “pocket change” in the cop’s face!!!

Boosie tells the cop the gig comes with, um, unconventional benefits. The cop didn’t seem to bite so maybe the pocket change will just go towards paying the speeding ticket.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Taurean Prince was arrested in Miami on Thursday night ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Jail records show the 28-year-old was booked at 7:51 PM due to an outstanding warrant. A police spokesperson tells us it stems from an alleged drug-related incident in Texas.

Further details have not yet been released.

Prince -- who looked stern in his mug shot -- is still in custody, the records show.

Prince, a star at Baylor, was taken by the Jazz in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft, but was traded to the Atlanta Hawks just days later. He's bounced around the league since, but played well for the T-Wolves after being traded to the team last year.

He's since signed a 2-year, $16 million extension with Minnesota ... and is expected to be a key player on the team this season.

Charlie Sheen has decided to settle his lawsuit with an ex-girlfriend who claimed he exposed her to HIV ... putting to bed the case that's been simmering for years.

Legal docs, obtained by TMZ, show the stipulation was filed Wednesday in L.A. County Superior Court ... the actor agreed to settle with the woman for $120K -- which will be paid to her in $10K monthly installments over the next year.

As we reported back in 2017, the woman, who filed as Jane Doe, claimed she met the "confidential male defendant" and they quickly began having sex -- eventually unprotected sex -- according to the lawsuit.

She never mentioned him by name in the initial docs, but she did note the person she was suing announced his HIV status on national TV on November 17, 2015. That's the day Sheen went on "Today" and told his story, so she wasn't doing much to conceal his identity.

She claimed he dismissively told her to take pills to prevent transmission, but told her to not believe "the convenient rumors of the medical community," saying, "You don't need to be on all that f****** s***."

The Justice Department just released a redacted version of the Donald Trump Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit in which it claimed to have probable cause to search the estate and seize classified information that the former President allegedly unlawfully maintained.

According to the affidavit, the FBI believed it had probable cause based on documents Trump had previously provided to the National Archives. A review of those materials showed Trump had taken with him from the White House "highly classified records," including 25 documents marked "TOP SECRET." The FBI claims Trump produced many of the documents "unfoldered, intermixed with other records."

The FBI believed, however, based on information obtained from witnesses that there were significant additional documents he had not turned over. The names and information provided by those witnesses are redacted from the affidavit that's been released publicly, so it's impossible to know exactly what information the FBI acted upon.

Since the Mar-a-Lago raid, The DOJ and Trump had been duking it out publicly over the release of the search warrant affidavit, which laid out the government's case for probable cause that a crime was committed.

Trump initially told the media he supported the DOJ release of the warrant -- unredacted. Trump's lawyers, however, never made the argument in court, instead remaining mum on whether or not the affidavit should be released.

In his court order Thursday, Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the affidavit released, but sided with the DOJ allowing it to redact significant portions of the affidavit because "disclosure would reveal the identities of witnesses, law enforcement agents, and uncharged parties."

Dozens of FBI agents executed the warrant on August 8, descending on Mar-a-Lago and carting away dozens of boxes of potentially classified documents Trump took from the White House after losing the election.

Court documents revealed the boxes contained 11 sets of classified records -- some marked top secret and "sensitive compartmented information". Trump blasted the FBI on his Truth Social platform, grousing that during the search, agents had broken into his safe and searched Melania's closet, leaving it a "mess."

The day he left office, 45 took the boxes of sensitive materials with him back to Mar-a-Lago. Since then, he and his lawyers have been in a tug of war of sorts with the National Archives and Records Administration over the return of the documents to the government.

Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza -- who earned the nickname "Punt God" for his kicking abilities at San Diego State -- is being sued ... after he allegedly participated in the gang rape of a minor at a party in 2021.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed in San Diego County Superior Court this week.

In the docs, a woman identified only as Jane Doe says when she was 17 years old, she and several of her friends attended a Halloween party on Oct. 17, 2021 at Araiza's home.

She claims in the documents she was inebriated upon arriving at the residence, and encountered Araiza in the yard of his home a short time later. She said the former SDSU football player, who was 21 at the time, handed her a drink that she later believed contained alcohol and "other intoxicating substances."

Doe says in the docs the two engaged in sexual acts outside of the home. Araiza then allegedly led her inside, and threw her onto a bed. The woman claims he then gang raped her with two of his Aztecs teammates at the time -- Nowlin "Pa'a" Ewaliko and Zavier Leonard, who are also named as defendants in the suit.

The woman claims the sexual abuse went on for about an hour and a half, before the party was eventually shut down. She said in the suit she "stumbled out of the room bloody and crying."

She's suing Araiza, Ewaliko and Leonard for unspecified damages.

Araiza's attorney denied the allegations in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, saying, "It's a shakedown because he's now with the Buffalo Bills."

"There is no doubt in my mind that Matt Araiza ever raped that girl," the attorney added.

Attorneys for Leonard and Ewaliko declined to comment, the Times reported.

The Bills -- who took Araiza in the sixth round of this year's NFL Draft and named him their starting punter earlier this month -- released a statement on the allegations Thursday afternoon, saying, "We were recently made aware of a civil complaint involving Matt from October 2021."

"Due to the serious nature of the complaint, we conducted a thorough examination of this matter. As this is an ongoing civil case, we will have no other comment at this point."

Vanessa Bryant is sinking the $16 million she won from L.A. County into the cause near and dear to her late husband Kobe Bryant -- she says it will all be donated to the Mamba & Mambacita Foundation.

Bryant and co-plaintiff Chris Chester won their lawsuit against L.A. County over the distribution of photos taken at the helicopter crash scene in Jan. 2020 ... with the jury awarding Vanessa the $16 mil, and $15 million to Chris.

Vanessa's attorney Luis Li tells TMZ, "From the beginning, Vanessa Bryant has sought only accountability, but our legal system does not permit her to force better policies, more training or officer discipline."

Li's statement, first posted by the L.A. Times, continues ... "Those measures are the responsibility of the sheriff’s and fire departments -- responsibilities that Mrs. Bryant’s efforts have exposed as woefully deficient, even giving amnesty to the wrongdoers. Mrs. Bryant was courageous and never faltered, even when the County attempted to force her to submit to an involuntary psychiatric examination. She is deeply grateful to Ralph Mendez and Luella Weireter, the good Samaritans who brought to light the decades old practice of taking and sharing photos of accident and crime victims for no legitimate purpose."

Li says Vanessa hopes this case will help to change the "callous behavior" of the sheriff and fire departments' first responders.

She also wants the $16 mil to "shine a light on Kobe and Gigi's legacy."

As we reported, during closing arguments in the trial Chester's attorney proposed the jury should award Chris $32.5 million, but Vanessa's team did not suggest a dollar amount during their closing.

Vince McMahon celebrated his 77th birthday with his good friend, John Cena, yesterday ... in his first public sighting since retiring as the CEO and Chairman of WWE last month.

The 77-year-old billionaire hit up the Waverly Inn restaurant in NYC ... and was naturally joined by Cena, the 16-time WWE champion, and his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh.

Interestingly enough ... an unidentified woman was seen walking behind Vince as he prepared to get into his sprinter van. McMahon's wife Linda was absent.

You'll recall ... Vince resigned, then officially retired, after the Wall Street Journal published a story several months ago, claiming the WWE honcho paid multiple women "hush money" over the years.

McMahon's retirement sent shockwaves through the sports entertainment world ... and he's maintained a relatively low profile since announcing the news in mid-July.

Vince appeared to have no interest in talking ... as he tried hiding his face as he was getting into his vehicle.

With the signature of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the state of California is set to pass an unprecedented rap lyrics bill that will block prosecutors from using artists' work as circumstantial evidence.

Strange Music rapper X-Raided knows firsthand how bill AB-2799 could've changed his life -- he spent 26 years in prison on 1st-degree murder charges, but tells TMZ Hip Hop about "95 percent" of what prosecutors used to convict him wouldn't be allowed with the new bill.

The Sacramento-born rapper was convicted in 1992 with several others for the murder of a community activist inside her own home, but X-Raided says prosecutors never found a murder weapon in his case.

They instead argued he used something similar for his debut album, 1992's "Psycho Active" where he was pictured with a gun placed next to his head.

He recorded several albums while locked up and was eventually paroled in 2018 ... and wound up joining forces with Tech N9ne to tour once again.

A similar bill recently hit a wall in NYC despite the backing of Fat Joe, Jay-Z, Meek Mill and others … and X-Raided says it's the progressive politics of Newsom that's made the difference in the Golden State.

X-Raided wants his experiences to steer past, current and future inmates in a better direction.

The owners of Yoga to the People -- a profitable nationwide yoga business -- could be teaching their exercise classes behind bars for decades ... 'cause the feds arrested them on tax evasion charges.

Gregory Gumucio, Michael Anderson and Haven Soliman were rounded up Wednesday by federal agents and charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS and five counts of tax evasion. The trio faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

According to a criminal complaint, obtained by TMZ, the execs raked in $20 million from 2013 to 2020 and lived high off the hog.

Prosecutors claim Gumucio doled out nearly $270,00 to United Airlines and $76,000 on hotels. Gumucio also held Denver Broncos season tickets worth over $40,000, the complaint says. All three execs allegedly paid for personal expenses using business accounts.

Problem was, according to prosecutors, all three failed to file individual or business tax returns ... and they didn't pay any income taxes between 2013 and 2020.

Yoga to the People allegedly avoided paying taxes by taking customer cash payments that were stuffed inside tissue boxes and passed around during classes. Teachers were allegedly paid in cash and off the books.

Between 2015 and 2020, Gumucio didn't report $1.6 million in income, and Anderson and Soliman had $2.1 million and $961,000 in unreported income, respectively. They owed $431,000, $603,000, and $196,000 in taxes, respectively, prosecutors said.

Paul Pelosi's vehicle, which he was driving during his May DUI crash, is set to go to the highest bidder at an upcoming auction.

According to the listing on Copart.com, there's no date set for the auction yet ... but the 2021 Porsche 911 Carrera S has a retail value of $168,576 -- of course, that's before factoring in the wreck.

There was some damage done to the undercarriage and side of the car, especially that back bumper. The odometer shows the vehicle wasn't used much since first purchased -- it only has 2,738 miles.

Pelosi's ride is currently sitting at a lot in Martinez, CA -- about 30 miles away from Napa, where the accident went down.

As we reported, Nancy Pelosi's husband pled guilty to DUI this week, getting a sentence of 3 years probation and 5 days jail time, 4 of which were already served. He won't serve the one remaining day ... he'll enter a 8-hour court-ordered work program.

Recently-obtained photos from the May crash show the damage done to his car at the scene ... seemingly in worse condition than the Jeep that hit him.

Vanessa Bryant has won her lawsuit against Los Angeles County ... after a jury of ten decided she has suffered and will continue to suffer severe emotional distress as a result of the death scene photos captured on the cell phones of 8 L.A. County Sheriff's deputies -- photos she fears will someday surface publicly. That fear was the basis of her lawsuit.

The jury awarded Vanessa $16 million. Chris Chester -- who lost his daughter and wife in the helicopter crash -- was awarded $15 million.

Chester's attorney, Jerry Jackson, tells TMZ ... "Grateful to a jury and judge that gave us a fair trial."

Vanessa broke down sobbing when the verdict was read. The jury was polled and Vanessa looked at them one by one in approval.

The verdicts were against both the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. and the L.A. County Fire Dept.

The deputies not only took the photos but shared them with friends, family and even strangers at a bar. The photos were even shared at a party with fire officials.

Lawyers for the County had argued the photos have never surfaced and they have been deleted from the cell phones in question ... so there was no cause for alarm that they might leak.

During closing arguments, the lawyer for Chester asked for up to $32.5 million. Bryant's attorney did not ask for a specific amount ... rather asking the jury to award what's right.

The trial lasted two weeks and was at times so laden with graphic descriptions, Vanessa cried and periodically left the courtroom.

Kobe and Gigi Bryant, along with Sarah and Payton Chester, were killed along with 5 others in the January 26, 2020 crash.

Two women claim George Foreman sexually abused them when he was in his 20s and they were minors, this according to two new lawsuits, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the documents, which were filed in L.A. on Wednesday, the plaintiffs -- described as Denise S. and Gwen H. in the suits -- say they initially met Foreman through their fathers in the late 1960s, early 1970s.

Denise says in her suit she first encountered Foreman when she was around 8 years old, after her father had worked with the boxer ... and claims the pugilist began "grooming her at an early age by taking her out for ice cream and allowing her to sit on his lap as [he] drove his car."

She said in the suit when she was 13 years old, Foreman -- who she alleges was around 24 at the time -- became sexually inappropriate with her, and eventually engaged in sexual intercourse with her when she was 15.

Gwen, in her suit, said she met Foreman when she was around 9 years old through her father, who she said was Foreman's "long-time advisor." She claims roughly six years after the meeting, when Foreman was 23, he courted her and then "would molest and sexually abuse" her until she was 16.

Both women say in their suits a friend of Foreman's confronted the former heavyweight champ about the allegations "on at least one occasion," and they claim he "did not deny the allegations."

The two women are suing for unspecified damages. It should be noted they describe Foreman in the docs as "DOE 1."

73-year-old Foreman denied accusations of sexual abuse last month -- saying in a statement to TMZ Sports that two women were making up false claims in an effort to extract millions of dollars from him.

"Over the past six months," Foreman said at the time, "two women have been trying to extort millions of dollars each from me and my family. They are falsely claiming that I sexually abused them over 45 years ago in the 1970s."

"I adamantly and categorically deny these allegations. The pride I take in my reputation means as much to me as my sports accomplishments, and I will not be intimidated by baseless threats and lies."

He added, "I am, and always will be, guided by my faith and trust in God. I will work with my lawyers to fully and truthfully expose my accusers' scheme and defend myself in court. I don't pick fights, but I don't run away from them either."

Michelle Branch's criminal case has been called off by prosecutors ... this coming less than 2 weeks after she got arrested for alleged domestic assault against her estranged husband, Patrick Carney.

The disposition, obtained by TMZ, shows the case was dismissed at the request of the state, although the specifics as to why are still unclear.

As we reported, police were called to her and Patrick's home August 11 around 2 AM for a possible domestic disturbance -- cops say Michelle admitted she slapped Patrick "one or two times."

She was taken into custody, where her bail was set at $1,000 ... she was released early because she's breastfeeding the couple's 6-month-old.