Legal

Kanye West is letting the world know exactly he feels after a recent report his partnership with Adidas is "under review" on the heels of his controversial "White Lives Matter" fashion statement.

A statement apparently released from the clothing giant popped up Thursday that makes it clear its honchos are pissed about the T-shirts Ye unveiled in Paris. Adidas says, "All successful partnerships are rooted in mutual respect and shared values."

The alleged statement says Adidas made repeated efforts to resolve issues with Kanye, privately, but eventually came to the conclusion -- "We have taken the decision to place the partnership under review."

They will, however, continue to work together on their current product during the review process. The statement notes, "The Adidas Yeezy partnership is one of the most successful collaborations in our industry's history."

Kanye, obviously, was pissed at the news ... and blasted them on Insta -- claiming the company "RAPED AND STOLE MY DESIGNS."

Adidas is pushing this partnership to the brink in response to Ye, and his pal Candace Owen, wearing the controversial T-shirts in Paris.

Probably didn't help that he doubled down on his fashion choice online soon after -- saying, "EVERYONE KNOWS THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER WAS A SCAM NOW ITS OVER YOU'RE WELCOME."

Prince Harry and Elton John believe their phones were tapped and personal info was stolen ... and now they're teaming up to go after a major news outlet who they believe is behind it, though the company is flatly denying the claims.

The Duke and the British rock star are part of a group of plaintiffs taking Associated Newspapers to court, claiming the company behind the Daily Mail and other publications hired investigators to put listening devices in people's homes and cars and paid police to dig up sensitive info.

The group is also reportedly accusing the Daily Mail publisher of tapping into phone convos, impersonating hospital staff to access medical info, and even gaining access to bank accounts and finances through illicit means and manipulation.

The company has denied these allegations, a spokesperson tells us, "We utterly and unambiguously refute these preposterous smears which appear to be nothing more than a pre-planned and orchestrated attempt to drag the Mail titles into the phone hacking scandal concerning articles up to 30 years old."

"These unsubstantiated and highly defamatory claims - based on no credible evidence - appear to be simply a fishing expedition by claimants and their lawyers, some of whom have already pursued cases elsewhere."

Other folks involved in the suit reportedly include ... Elton John's husband and producer David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, and Baroness Doreen Lawrence -- mother of a Black British teen who was infamously murdered.

Chess grandmaster Hans Niemann got a very personal security check, mate ... getting his ass scanned outside the U.S. Chess Championships days after he was accused of using said rear-end to cheat dozens of times.

Security took a good long look at Hans' butt with a metal detector outside the Saint Louis Chess Club, where the championship began on Tuesday. The guard was pretty thorough in his search -- considering the female competitor in front of him didn't even have to turn around for her scan.

Sure looks like the Chess Club folks have heard some widespread Internet buzz about exactly how Niemann might be cheating.

An investigation opened Tuesday by Chess.com against Hans ... claiming he "likely cheated" in more than 100 online matches. World champ Magnus Carlsen first accused Hans of cheating in over-the-board matches, and then interested chess fans suggested online he could be using a vibrating butt plug to tip him off on moves.

For his part, Hans denies cheating, in general, and specifically using a sex toy. After a big win in the first round, he said, "I'm not going to back down and I'm going to play my best chess here regardless of the pressure that I'm under.” He's also said he'd play naked if necessary.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's recent dustup with his girlfriend, Jade, is officially behind them ... at least legally speaking, because we've learned she's off the hook in her criminal case.

According to court records, the case against 69's boo -- which included a domestic violence battery charge -- has now been dismissed.

Sources with knowledge tell us Tekashi didn't have any plans to cooperate with law enforcement -- ironic, we know -- and that's likely why the whole thing was dropped.

Jade's attorney, Steven Bell, confirmed to TMZ that Tekashi's lack of cooperation was certainly one of the factors in the case being dropped. Bell also said prosecutors did a thorough review and felt they couldn't move forward.

You'll recall ... there was some sort of a scuffle at a club where they were partying, and 6ix9ine ended up facing off against Jade and a group of her friends in the street. Some of that was caught on video -- and you can see one of the women attempt to swing on him.

Cops eventually arrived on the scene, and Jade ended up getting cuffed and taken to jail.

He later told us he believed the girls Jade was hanging out with were having a bad influence on her ... and that he didn't hold the altercation against her whatsoever.

Tekashi bailed her out, STAT ... and even when a court order was issued saying she had to stay away from him, he stuck by her side -- telling us it would all blow over soon enough.

A man is suing the New England Patriots Hall of Fame ... claiming it ruined his one-of-a-kind, Tom Brady signed American flag -- costing him potentially over $1 MILLION.

The guy's name is Daniel Vitale ... and he says in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, that back in early 2020, he acquired a flag that had been autographed by the G.O.A.T.

In his lawsuit, Vitale says the flag was ultra-rare. It had flown at Foxboro Stadium during a Patriots vs. Dolphins game in 2001 -- the same season that Brady first took over as the starter in New England -- and was signed by the quarterback a few years later. Vitale said he believed it to be the only American flag known to be signed by TB12 in existence.

Vitale says in the suit that in 2021, about a year after he got the piece, he reached out to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to see if it wanted to put it on display. He claims it did, but only after Brady and his former head coach, Bill Belichick, had retired.

The HOF, according to Vitale, suggested he reach out to the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium to gauge its interest in the flag in the meantime. Vitale claims in his suit that the Pats HOF wanted it -- and officials there promised him it would be "curated to the highest standard."

Vitale says he handed it over under that premise ... and it was almost immediately displayed underneath the Brady Super Bowl XLIX jersey that had been infamously stolen and later recovered.

Vitale, though, said months later ... he was considering asking for it back. He said due to Brady's potential retirement and the subsequent skyrocketing value of Brady memorabilia, he was thinking about putting it up for auction.

But, that's when he says he found out that the QB's autograph had faded due to what he claims is the way the HOF improperly displayed the piece.

In the suit, Vitale said "neither the lighting at [the facility] nor the glass [it] used for case displaying the flag were designed to protect autographed sports memorabilia."

He added, "there was a significant gap in the glass directly in front of the flag through which unfiltered light and heat could pass."

All of it, he said, caused the T and other parts of Brady's signature to significantly fade.

In a video of Vitale recovering the flag, you can hear he was crushed to see the state it was in.

In the suit, he said due to the Patriots HOF's mishandling of the flag, the value of it decreased by potentially as much as over $1 million.

He's asking for damages.

Alec Baldwin's gotta be breathing sighs of relief over settling the "Rust" wrongful death lawsuit, and his first stop after the announcement is the Bronx Zoo ... with most of his kids.

Alec's pulling major dad duty Wednesday ... getting in some QT at the world-famous zoo with 4 of his 7 children he shares with his wife, Hilaria. The family outing came within hours of the news breaking about his settlement of the lawsuit over Halyna Hutchins' shooting death on the movie set.

As we reported, Matthew Hutchins announced he's dropping the wrongful death suit against Alec, the producers and the production company ... saying they've reached terms.

What's more, Alec is going to complete filming his lead role, along with the OG cast, for the movie. Meanwhile, Matthew is now getting an Executive Producer deal on the project.

Matt said filming will resume in January 2023 ... "I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the  entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."

As you know, Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot and killed on set by Alec Baldwin last year.

The Santa Fe County D.A. is still investigating Halyna's death and says it's still possible Alec, along with a few others, could be prosecuted in the case.

The fan who was leveled by Bobby Wagner after running onto the field during "Monday Night Football" this week has now filed a police report over the incident ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The man went to the Santa Clara Police Dept. on Tuesday following the Rams vs. 49ers game, cops tell us, and filed the report. A spokesperson did not reveal any further details.

A rep for Direct Action Everywhere -- the org. that took credit for the wild scene at Levi's Stadium -- told us the report stems from a "blatant assault" by two Rams players.

As we reported, two protesters jumped railing at the stadium during the second quarter of the contest ... and armed with pink smoke bombs, they attempted to disrupt the action on the field.

One of the protesters, a woman, was taken down before she could get onto the playing surface. The other protester, though, evaded security long enough to take a jaunt on the gridiron.

The guy juked stadium staffers for several moments ... but as he headed toward the Rams' sideline, Wagner -- with some help from teammate Takkarist McKinley -- flattened him.

Security took over, and the fans were eventually detained, cited and released.

According to Direct Action Everywhere, the individuals performed the stunt in order to raise awareness for a trial involving the alleged theft of pigs from a factory farm. The org. said the man suffered a burn injury during the incident.

"Otherwise," they said in a statement, "they're a bit beaten up but in good spirits."

For his part, Wagner said after the game he jumped in to help security for safety reasons.

"You don't know what that fan got or what they're doing," the star linebacker said.

Wagner has not been arrested or charged with any crime.

Johnny Depp is still super close with the lawyers who helped him defeat Amber Heard in court ... he made sure they were treated like royalty at his first U.S. concert since the trial.

Johnny kicked off his nationwide tour with Jeff Beck Tuesday at The Anthem in Washington D.C. with his attorneys Camille Vasquez and Ben Chew getting some of the best seats in the house.

Camille and Ben, who successfully represented Johnny in his big legal victory over his ex-wife in nearby Virginia this summer, were beaming as they snapped photos backstage ... with VIP passes hanging from their necks.

Ben's not just a suit ... he looks like he could fit in at any music festival ... and Camille's looking chic as always, dressed in all black.

Johnny's been big on music following the trial, recording an album with Jeff and playing shows all over Europe. Now, they're embarking on a U.S. tour, with upcoming concerts in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, just to name a few.

Rick Ross says his "Boss" brand is being copied, threatening to sue the woman behind an upcoming kid's event unless she changes the name to something that doesn't give off that Maybach Music glow.

Rozay's team sent out a warning shot to Tiffany McIntosh of "I’m the Biggest Boss Conference" ... after accusing her of using a couple of his biggest hits -- singles "The Boss" and "Push It" -- to promote her conference designed to shape children into entrepreneurs.

The legendary rapper also notes he has his own "Boss Up Conference" that went down this past September, and Ross insists her conference is likely to cause confusion that he's sponsoring her event.

According to the letter, Rozay says he wants to solve the matter amicably -- and spare Tiffany the litigation hassle, but only if she takes "Boss" out of her conference title and stops using his music to promote it.

Tiffany's event also has a celebrity connotation -- with scheduled appearances from Master P, Romeo Miller and Vivica Fox ... but Rozay wants his name, brand, and music kept out of it.

Ross said he wants his demands met by October 5th ... but we're told Tiffany does not intend to make the changes and plans to go forward with the event as is. Ross' legal counsel tells us they'll evaluate the situation accordingly if there's a failure to comply.

Matthew Hutchins' settlement in his wrongful death suit against Alec Baldwin and others from the set of "Rust" means production is back on ... but it doesn't mean the ongoing criminal investigation into the D.P.'s death is coming to a halt.

Sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ ... the settlement will in no way affect the criminal probe ... a probe in which authorities say Baldwin and others could be charged.

The Sheriff's Dept. tells TMZ, once the investigation is completed the file will be forwarded to the District Attorney, who will then decide who, if anyone, will be prosecuted.

As we reported, Baldwin and co. are picking up where they left off in the movie that claimed Halyna Hutchins' life last year -- because the actor's continuing in his lead role ... and other cast members will continue as well.

Halyna's husband Matthew announced he's no longer pursuing a lawsuit against AB or the "Rust" producers, saying they've reached terms and he's agreed to drop his wrongful death suit. Matthew has also signed on to be an executive producer for the project.

Attorney Jason Bowles, who is repping on set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, tells TMZ ... Hannah is grateful this settlement will benefit the Hutchins family -- adding they're hopeful the D.A.'s office will opt out of pursuing criminal charges.

Alec Baldwin is picking up where he left off in the movie that claimed a D.P.'s life -- 'cause her widower has settled his lawsuit against Baldwin and others ... and he'll now executive produce the movie side by side with AB.

Shocking news broke Wednesday morning in relation to the "Rust'" drama ... namely, Baldwin is going to reprise his lead role -- as is every other actor who was involved at first -- with the only difference now being who's running the show ... and that would be Matthew Hutchins.

Indeed ... the husband of Halyna Hutchins -- who was shot and killed by Baldwin last year -- has announced he's no longer pursuing a lawsuit against AB or the "Rust" producers, saying they've reached terms and agreed to drop his wrongful death lawsuit.

Not just that, but he's also reviving the flick ... plus, he's stepping in as the new executive producer and seeing this thing through -- a stunning development and a complete 180.

Matt says, "We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed."

He goes on to say, "The filming of Rust, which I will now executive produce, will resume with all the original principal players on board in January 2023. I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."

Attorneys and a rep for Rust Movie Productions LLC said they were happy to have landed on the same page as Matt, and are also ecstatic they can complete their passion project.

Alec, for his part, says ... "Throughout this difficult process, everyone has maintained the specific desire to do what is best for Halyna's son. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the resolution of this tragic and painful situation." Director Joel Souza also expressed his happiness with this turn of events -- so everyone's all good now apparently.

While things might be fine civilly, there's still a criminal investigation that's working its way through the system -- and based on recent revelations from the Santa Fe County D.A. ... Alec is not out of the woods, and very well might be prosecuted sooner than later.

Three Florida teens stole a Maserati and drove at warp speed to elude cops, until the car flipped over and crashed, killing one of the occupants, this according to a new police video.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office released helicopter footage, tracking the teens' every move from start to finish during Sunday's INSANE wreck in St. Petersburg.

In the video, the teens are seen walking up to the parked Maserati and slipping inside the unlocked vehicle, not knowing they're being watched from above. The police were in the area on an unrelated robbery call and saw them acting suspiciously.

The kids take off in the car and drive down the street first at a moderate speed as two police SUVs begin to follow them, trying to pull them over.

Suddenly, the Maserati zooms off, hitting speeds of 123 MPH ... leaving cops in the dust. Over the radio, a sergeant orders the SUV officers not to pursue the fast-moving car.

About 20 seconds later, the Maserati loses control and hydroplanes across the road, hitting a curb and flipping over onto the hood as debris flies everywhere.

15-year-old passenger Mario Bonilla died at the scene. Driver Keondrick Lang, also 15, and passenger Malachi Daniels, 16, were hospitalized. Both are expected to survive.

Skyler Gisondo says a lady was supposed to do his hair and makeup for a movie -- but ended up playing masseuse and screwing up his body ... so now, he's suing.

The actor is taking hairstylist Lori Guidroz to court for what he claims was general negligence on her part during the making of P.T. Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" -- in which Skyler plays a somewhat significant role, Alana Haim's temporary on-screen boyfriend early on in the flick.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Skyler alleges while Lori was working on his makeup -- even though she has a hair credit for the movie -- she gave him a massage at one point, which he says ended up causing him severe neck injuries.

SG doesn't get more specific about how she might have rubbed him up -- or what precisely happened to his neck -- but at any rate, he claims Lori was unlicensed and shouldn't have done it ... 'cause he needed significant medical care in the aftermath.

Skyler also notes in his suit that he's suffered beyond just the pain here -- claiming he's lost wages and part of his ability to work because of what Lori allegedly did. SG also claims he's suffered the loss of use of property, plus property damage ... but doesn't offer any detail on what that means. He's seeking compensatory damages based on proof he says he can offer.

FWIW ... Lori is a pretty big deal in the hair world -- she's done 'dos for a number of A-list stars over the years, including Ben Stiller, Orlando Bloom, David Bowie and others.

Presumably, that could mean he's roping the studio and/or the director into this too.

Fat Joe says he's never been robbed at gunpoint, but people in business suits have been robbing him blind for years!!!

Joe Crack hopped on "The Breakfast Club" Tuesday ahead of the BET Hip Hop Awards ... and started venting about the alleged Ponzi scheme he claims his longtime accounting firm, BDO, cooked up.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Joey's suing BDO, alleging the firm ripped off millions from him, as well as several professional baseball players

Joe says he was embarrassed finding out about the caper -- the mortgage company called him to inform him he had missed several payments, alerting his suspicions to the scheme.

The lawsuit accuses Joe's CPA Andre N. Chammas and his assistant Vanessa Rodriguez of going to town on his dime ... allegedly pulling cash out of ATMs for personal use such as children's school tuition and swiping his AMEX without a care in the world.

Joe's advice to his fellow money-makers ... don't trust anyone with your wealth!!! The Terror Squad rapper thinks simply having someone overseeing your money isn't good enough ... that person needs an overseer as well.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen's hunt for divorce lawyers have actually run much deeper than reported -- it's been in the works for weeks, and as things stand now, the marriage is beyond saving ... TMZ Sports has learned.

We've spoken to sources on both sides who tell us the estranged couple has independently contacted some big divorce lawyers, with talks starting several weeks ago.

Our sources say if divorce docs are filed -- which seems like a certainty at this point -- it'll happen in Florida. According to Page Six, the attorneys have already been hired.

Neither Tom nor Gisele has publicly addressed their reported issues ... but the former supermodel has been noticeably absent from all 4 Bucs games this season, and they're reportedly living in separate homes.

Gisele was spotted Monday in Miami leaving a workout.

45-year-old Brady and 42-year-old Bündchen tied the knot in February 2009 -- and share two children together, 12-year-old Benjamin and 9-year-old Vivian. Tom has a third child, 15-year-old Jack, with ex-Bridget Moynahan. Tom and Gisele are said to have a solid prenup in place.

Angelina Jolie is rehashing her infamous plane fight with Brad Pitt in their winery dispute ... we will explain.

As we have reported, Angelina claimed Brad got physical with one of their kids and her on a private jet back in 2016 ... something she says triggered their divorce. She repeated the allegations recently when she filed a lawsuit against the FBI to release the file on the plane incident.

Angelina now claims she was forced to sell her interest in the Chateau Miraval winery they own because of the divorce. They are currently in a legal dispute over whether she had a right to sell her interest to a third party without Brad's approval.

As for why she's bringing up the plane incident again in the winery dispute ... it's simply unclear, except for the fact that it relates to the divorce that made her want to sell her interest in the winery.

Fact is ... whatever happened on the plane will almost certainly have no impact on the legal claims she's making in the winery lawsuit.

As for those claims, however, Angelina details again what she says happened on the jet, but this time she says Brad got physical with two of their children, not just one. She says Brad choked one of the kids and struck another in the face. Brad has denied the claim.

She also says Brad poured beer on her, and beer and red wine on the kids.

And there's more ... she says by 2019, she did not want to be in an alcohol-related business with Brad given his past alcohol problem.