Legal

Aries Spears is speaking out for the first time publicly after he and Tiffany Haddish were sued for grooming and molesting two children during an old skit they performed ... calling the whole thing a shakedown.

In a preview for his podcast "Spears & Steinberg" Aries admits there's not a whole lot he can't say, given the pending lawsuit ... but does take the time to thank his listeners and fans for all of their support over the last week.

He then gets more serious, calling the lawsuit an "extortion case" and a shakedown, saying, "We won't be shaken down."

Spears's comments come just a couple days after Tiffany Haddish posted about the situation on Instagram, saying, "But, clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn't funny at all – and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can."

Both comedians were sued by a male and female plaintiff who claimed they were groomed and convinced to take part in explicit skits. The girl claims she was 14 at the time and the boy just 7.

The skit, "Through a Pedophiles Eyes" with the young boy, included Spears applying massage oil to him as well as the boy making sexually suggestive motions with toys.

Tyrese is fuming over his divorce case -- where he was ordered to keep paying $10k/month in child support -- and wants a new judge to weigh in, claiming the old robe had it out for him.

The actor filed new legal docs this week, obtained by TMZ, that spell out the reasons that he wants a fresh set of his eyes on this case -- with the main one being that Judge Farmer, who was presiding over the divorce, was clearly biased against Tyrese.

There are a few examples laid out in his filing ... Tyrese says during a pretrial meeting in Judge Farmer's chambers, hizzoner apparently told Tyrese and his ex, Samantha Lee Gibson, that he thought $10,690 per month in child support was appropriate based on the financial evidence and that he didn't care if Gibson was a "greedy, gold-digging bitch."

Essentially, Tyrese is claiming this judge already made up his mind on how things should go even before hearing arguments and testimony in court.

Not just that -- but Tyrese alleges the judge's favor was shown early and often during the actual trial ... including belittling admonishments and cutting off Tyrese in the middle of his answers that were caught on video, which Tyrese says were totally outrageous. Tyrese claims his lawyer "definitely felt bullied by Judge Farmer" during the case.

Former WWE superstar Velveteen Dream exploded on a gym employee before his arrest last month ... punching the man in the face and then biting him -- this according to new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports.

The incident allegedly happened on Aug. 20 at around 8:4 PM at Club Orlando -- a fitness facility in Orlando, Fl.

Cops in the docs say a senior employee at the gym told them that an altercation between him and Velveteen Dream began after he said the wrestler had to leave an area that was closed for cleaning.

The man claimed Dream -- real name Patrick Clark -- went off on him, becoming "irate and argumentative." Things allegedly got so intense, the gym employee told Clark he had to leave the building entirely.

According to the docs, Clark then made threats to kill the gym employee -- before he hit the guy in his face.

Cops say the gym employee told them the two then got into a fight -- where Clark bit him. The two were then separated by another employee at the facility, cops say.

According to the documents, officers arrested Clark after they observed teeth marks on the employee's "left chest near the left armpit."

Court records show Clark has since been charged with two misdemeanors -- battery and trespassing on a property after warning -- over the incident. The records show his attorney did file a written plea of not guilty in the case.

As we reported, 27-year-old Clark was arrested again just six days later ... on a warrant for a violation of probation by the Orlando Police Department.

Discovery+ is scrapping an image from their latest Armie Hammer documentary that allegedly showed a gnarly bite mark ... and they're doing away with it because viewers are convinced it looks all too similar to a tattoo found online.

"House of Hammer" dives deep into the actor's sexual abuse allegations ... and features interviews with some of his former partners, including Courtney Vucekovich, who claimed he was a really hard biter.

As she goes into details, a picture of the alleged bite mark is shown ... she claims Hammer took the picture himself, although people online were quick to call out the familiar photo.

Viewers believe the mark looks identical to a tattoo that's on Pinterest -- not only do people see matching teeth marks, but they also think the fading lines going away from the center are the same, too.

Johnny Depp's attorney, Camille Vasquez, has another star she's representing in court -- though the case has nothing to do with Amber Heard -- or a sour relationship, for that matter.

Camille and attorney Steve Cook from Brown Rudnick LLP are set to rep actress Q'orianka Kilcher, who's made a name for herself on the hit show "Yellowstone."

Kilcher was recently charged with worker's compensation insurance fraud by the State of California and has hired Camille and Steve to help her fight. We're told both attorneys will appear before a judge on her behalf Wednesday in Los Angeles.

As we reported -- Kilcher was hit with two counts of workers' comp insurance fraud earlier this year after an investigation by the California Dept. of Insurance. Officials say they found evidence that she'd improperly collected over $90,000 in disability benefits.

CDOI claims she was raking in thousands over the course of 2 years, stemming from a neck injury she reported suffering back in 2018 while filming "Dora and the Lost City of Gold" ... but officials claim she continued collecting disability benefits even while filming "Yellowstone" episodes in 2019.

A source close to Kilcher tells us she didn't do anything wrong, and the accident left her really messed up, leaving her 10% disabled for the rest of her life.

This collection, CDOI claims, continued until 2021 ... and now, she's up against felony charges. Camille and co. say their client is innocent and plan to vigorously defend Kilcher.

Camille and Steve tell us ... "We are determined to defend Ms. Kilcher in this important case which examines the inherent flaws in the disability compensation system. Ms. Kilcher is a well-respected and pioneering actress in Hollywood and we intend to clear her name."

Considering the success Brown Rudnick recently had with JD, you gotta figure Kilcher is gonna get the very best defense possible.

A top secret document detailing a foreign government's nuclear capabilities and military defense systems was among hundreds of classified materials seized by the Feds during the Trump Mar-a-Lago raid last month, this according to a new report.

The Washington Post, citing "sources familiar with the search," published the stunning revelation Tuesday, but the name of the foreign government was kept under wraps. Some of the documents recovered by the FBI at Trump's Palm Beach estate are guarded so closely that they require special clearances to view, the WaPo reported.

And, in some cases, the President himself must sign off before a government official can gain access to the classified documents, which are made available on a need-to-know basis. Fewer than a couple dozen government officials are reportedly allowed access to the documents, which are placed in a compartmented information facility under lock and key.

The feds raided Mar-a-Lago August 8 and seized 184 classified documents after months of haggling with Trump and his lawyers over their return to the government. The feds have so far recovered over 320 classified documents from Trump.

The big question ... what did Trump intend to do with the documents?

45 took the top-secret documents from the White House after he lost the election and stored them at Mar-a-Lago. The FBI found some of the sensitive materials inside Trump's desk and in a basement where visitors had wandered around. Federal agents are looking into how the documents could have compromised national security.

Diana Jenkins is contributing a boatload of cash to a good cause -- one that actually hits home for her costar, Erika Jayne.

The 'Real Housewives' star, who's on her first season of 'Beverly Hills,' announced Wednesday she'd donated $100,000 to immediate family members of those who perished on the 2018 Lion Air 610 flight that went down in the Java Sea ... killing all 189 people onboard.

DJ is doing this through her new charity, The Sunela Foundation, which is partnering with nonprofit GVNG.org to raise funds for those in need around the world.

As for why she's doing this good deed ... she says, "I was not aware of this tragedy until it became a topic of conversation on 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.'"

She adds, "I feel so much sympathy for the widows and orphans left behind. I know firsthand the pain and suffering that accompanies the loss of a family member, having lost my brother in the closing days of the Bosnian War. I want to do what I can to support those people who suffered so much."

Here's why this is a big deal -- Erika and her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, were sued last year by 4 of the victims' families, claiming they'd misappropriated funds from a settlement that Tom's law firm had scored for them. A judge reportedly entered a $2 million judgment against the defendants.

Since filing for divorce, Erika has repeatedly said she was ignorant of how Tom was handling his business/their wealth.

Usher is happily accepting the "King of R&B" title, and while Tevin Campbell doesn't disagree with that high honor, he does think there's someone who could challenge ... if he weren't in prison.

We caught Tevin at LAX ... fresh off his jaw-dropping cameo during Usher's Las Vegas residency, where Usher had him perform his classic jam "Can We Talk" in front of thousands of screaming R&B fans.

R&B conversation in 2022 continues to heat up thanks to Diddy and his "R&B is dead" theory, and Tevin initially took a diplomatic approach ... similar to Brian McKnight's, by citing older legends such as Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke as true R&B royalty.

The pressure to pick a true king eventually got to Tevin and he went full Voldemort ... daring to speak R. Kelly's name in an era where the disgraced singer's been blackballed from public praise.

Tevin gives Usher a lot of credit, but says when it comes to R. Kelly's catalog, his hit-making is still unmatched.

He's not alone in this thinking ... Ne-Yo didn't hold his tongue this summer when he admitted to still streaming Kelly's music.

Of course, Kelly is just a few months into a 30-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking, and he's currently standing trial in a 2nd federal case out of Chicago.

A hit is a hit, but it's probably understandable why many fans won't push play anymore.

Britt Reid -- a former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach and the son of Andy Reid -- plans to plead guilty to a felony DWI charge in his car crash case ... his attorney announced Tuesday.

"Mr. Reid is sorry for his actions," said J.R. Hobbs, Britt's lawyer, "and hopes that his plea brings some sense of justice to all those he affected."

According to court records, Britt is slated to make the plea on Sept. 12. He's facing up to seven years in prison.

The plea will come nearly two years after Britt was accused of driving while intoxicated and slamming his pickup truck into the back of a car, causing serious injuries to then-5-year-old Ariel Young.

Officials say Britt had a .113 BAC when measured around 2 hours after the Feb. 4, 2021 crash ... and claim Reid was also going 83.9 MPH in a 65 MPH zone just seconds before the collision.

37-year-old Britt -- who formally departed from the Chiefs days after the accident -- was charged with the felony in April. He initially pleaded not guilty.

"He sincerely regrets his conduct and hopes and prays for the continued recovery for A.Y.," Hobbs said in a statement Tuesday. "Mr. Reid sincerely apologizes to A.Y. and her family, and to his own family. He also extends his deep apologies to the Hunt family, the Chiefs organization and Chiefs kingdom."

The Chiefs said back in Nov. 2021 that they are making sure Young is taken of "for the rest of her life."

Former Raiders defensive back Damon Arnette -- one of Las Vegas' first-round picks in 2020 -- has just entered a diversion program in an attempt to close out his drug case in Florida, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office tells us the 26-year-old will be a part of the program for three to six months.

We're told Arnette must, among other conditions, submit to random drug testing, complete a substance abuse evaluation, report monthly, and pay fees as part of the program.

If he complies with all of the conditions, the spokesperson said prosecutors will revisit his charges.

As we previously reported, Arnette was initially hit with felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor knowingly driving with a suspended license following two incidents with police back in July.

According to police documents, cops pulled over Arnette on July 25 and say he was driving on a suspended license. They issued him a citation and informed him he was not to drive until he gets his license reinstated.

But, just hours later on July 26, cops in the police report say they saw Arnette driving again ... and pulled him over once again and this time arrested him for knowingly driving with a suspended license. Cops say they then searched him and found a baggie containing "white powdery substance consistent with that of cocaine" on his person.

It was the second time in the last year that Arnette had been arrested -- he was previously busted in January in Las Vegas after he was accused of pointing a semi-automatic pistol at a valet demanding the person "give me my motherf***ing keys."

That case was ultimately dropped.

Operation FN Meka, Capitol Records' experimental A.I. rapper, might be resting in a virtual coffin now ... but one of its co-creators is lashing out one last time. We hope.

Anthony Martini, co-founder of Factory New -- the company responsible for unleashing FN Meka, tells The New York Times ... the digital rapper's critics are guilty of creating a double standard.

Martini says, “If you’re mad about the lyrical content because it supposedly was A.I., why not be mad about the lyrical content in general?"

The Georgia RICO cases against Young Thug and Gunna were already putting a spotlight on hip hop's lyrical content  ... and then FN Meka signed its contract in August, releasing a song titled "Florida Water" featuring Gunna and Clix.

The song featured FN Meka rapping about avatar Gucci and Rolexes while needing to find weed to smoke, and was pulled from streaming services when Capitol terminated the record contract after a wave of fan backlash ... especially from the Black community.

Following FN Meka flatlining, Martini released an extensive statement distancing himself from his company's business dealings ... an explanation that still doesn't do Kyle The Hooligan any favors!

Kyle actually voiced Meka's raps up to a point ... until he says team Factory New ghosted him and made their money moves without him. As we first reported, Kyle's now plotting a lawsuit against Factory New for money owed.

He's also denying having anything to do with FN Meka's last days when fans started railing against the project.

Here's the first look at OnlyFans model Courtney Tailor following her arrest for allegedly murdering her boyfriend -- and, in an orange jumpsuit, she's looking much less glamorous.

Courtney appeared Tuesday before a judge in Florida for an evidentiary hearing in her murder case ... wearing a blue face covering, while restrained in handcuffs.

It's the first time Courtney's been seen since she was arrested last month in Hawaii, and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the April killing of her boyfriend Christian Obumseli.

Courtney, we're told, had been in Hawaii seeking treatment for PTSD and other issues related to the case ... but she was extradited to Florida after her arrest, which included a teary-eyed mug shot.

Remember ... Courtney told police she fatally stabbed Christian with a knife in their Miami condo, but claimed it was in self-defense. Her lawyer, Frank Prieto, also claims Courtney is a victim of domestic violence and human trafficking.

As we first told you ... Christian's family believes Courtney killed Christian in cold blood, and they want her to spend the rest of her life behind bars.

"BMF" star Lil Meech is off the hook in his grand theft case over a $250K Richard Mille watch ... we're told it was tossed after the accusers decided they were done pursuing it.

A rep for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office tells TMZ Hip Hop ... cops conducted an investigation after a few jewelers complained about missing pieces ... but investigators were eventually told the jewelers got their merch back.

That wouldn't automatically end the case if the stuff was initially stolen, but prosecutors decided to drop the case.

Meech's attorney, Howard Srebnick, called the case "a misunderstanding that was amicably resolved."

Meech then took to Instagram to celebrate ... along with a bold message to his haters.

TMZ popped the lid off the story back in May ... Meech was accused by Miami's Haimov Jewelers of running off with a $250K RM after flipping an $80K Rolex.

With the case behind him, the time is nearing for Meech and the crew to begin filming season 2 of "BMF."

Production sources told TMZ Hip Hop Meech and "Power Book II: Ghost" Michael Rainey Jr. almost came to blows during 50 Cent's Tycoon Weekend.

Tiffany Haddish is responding to the lawsuit filed by two people who say when they were sexually abused when they were children in a comedy sketch, saying she regrets doing the sketch but can't say much more.

Tiffany went on IG Monday and said, "I know people have a bunch of questions. I get it. I’m right there with you. Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there’s very little that I can say right now."

She went on to express remorse, saying, "But, clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn't funny at all – and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can."

The 2 plaintiffs, a male and female, say Tiffany and Aries Spears "groomed" the then 14-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother, allegedly coercing them to film explicit skits. The boy says he was molested by both defendants.

According to the lawsuit, the girl says Haddish gained her trust and convinced her to film a sexually suggestive video, with Tiffany teaching her how to mimic fellatio for the skit.

Tiffany's attorney, Andrew Brettler, told TMZ the lawsuit was purely an extortion attempt ... "Plaintiff's mother, Trizah Morris, has been trying to assert these bogus claims against Ms. Haddish for several years."

Brettler went on, "Every attorney who has initially taken on her case -- and there were several -- ultimately dropped the matter once it became clear that the claims were meritless and Ms. Haddish would not be shaken down. Now, Ms. Morris has her adult daughter representing herself in this lawsuit. The two of them will together face the consequences of pursuing this frivolous action."

Both siblings say they have developed social disorders ... and the brother claims he is so afraid of being watched or recorded he places band-aids over all the cameras on his electronics.

LeBron James and Drake stole the rights to a movie about a segregated hockey league ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The NBA star and rapper are being sued for $10 million by Billy Hunter, the former head of the NBA players union, who claims he holds the exclusive legal rights to produce any movie about Canada's old Colored Hockey League.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Hunter claims LeBron and Drake used their production companies to go behind his back and sign a deal with the authors of a book their "Black Ice" hockey documentary is based on ... icing out Hunter in the process.

Problem is ... Hunter claims he had a deal with the guys who wrote, "Black Ice: The Lost History of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, 1895-1925," where Hunter would hold the exclusive rights to produce a movie.

Hunter says he paid the authors, George and Darril Fosty, a combined $265,000 to lock up the movie rights to the story of a Canadian hockey league for Black players ... but says they worked out a side deal with LeBron and Drake.

In the suit, Hunter claims he confronted the Fosty brothers after hearing about their deal with LeBron and Drake and says the authors claimed the documentary did not violate their agreement with Hunter because a documentary is different than a movie ... a claim Hunter says is "absurd and made in bad faith."

Hunter, who was the head of the NBA players union when LeBron came into the league, is going after LBJ and Drake for a cut of the documentary's profits ... plus $10 million in damages.

A rep for Drake had no comment on the allegations.

Nate Diaz has a huge fight next weekend, but the scrap with Khamzat Chimaev isn't stopping the superstar from Stockton from launching his very own fight promotion, Real Fight, Inc.

TMZ Sports is told 37-year-old Nate, one of the most popular fighters in the world, will apply to become a promoter of combat sporting events sometime over the next few weeks ... with a specific focus on "boxing, MMA, and BJJ," according to team Diaz.

It's a path we recently saw Khabib Nurmagomedov take, when after retiring, he launched Eagle FC ... his own MMA promotion. Khabib's been able to sign fighters like Kevin Lee and Diego Sanchez to his promotion.

The difference with Khabib and Nate ... Diaz isn't done competing.

"The new venture has no bearing on his status as a fighter, where he will continue to be very active.  Real Fight, Inc. is his expansion into the business side of the sport where he has been a fixture for close to 20 years," Diaz's team tells us.

As for the fighters Nate's looking for, they told us this ... "The promotion will look attract fighters from around the world, whether it be up and coming prospects or household names who fit the brand of 'Real Ninjas. Real Fighters. Real Shit...'”