Legal

Thomas Markle insists he's too old and frail to pose any threat to famed paparazzo Jeff Rayner that would necessitate a restraining order ... but Jeff says he still needs the protection because he thinks Thomas has nothing to lose.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Thomas is asking a judge to terminate the 2-year restraining order put in place last month ... claiming Jeff is harassing him by, among other things, claiming Jeff lied about him having a gun.

In his request, Thomas writes ... "I am no threat to anyone because I'm 78 years old" ... adding he's had "2 heart attacks, one stroke, and have a cane for walking."

Jeff fired back in his own legal docs ... saying Markle's age and poor health are the exact reasons why he's still worried -- simply put, he thinks Markle has nothing to lose because his time is running out anyway.

He points to Markle's OG threat which read, "If they tell me I've got terminal cancer, then I'll kill [Jeff] because I have nothing to lose."

Jaime King's estranged husband, Kyle Newman, claims the actress hasn't ponied up the money the court ordered her to pay him ... and says now he can't afford to live.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kyle says Jaime hasn't paid even the base amounts of $429/month in child support and $1,000/month in spousal support ordered by the court back in April.

He says she's also refusing to comply with a court order to disclose info regarding her income.

On top of that, Kyle says Jaime has decimated community property retirement accounts -- snagging over $500k.

Kyle even says she recently listed the family residence for sale without his consent ... and says proceeds of that sale totaling around $1.5 million are now frozen.

Kyle says he's now deep in debt -- pulling a bunch of cash from his retirement accounts to stay afloat.

He says she was the breadwinner of the family and claims he had to put his career as a writer and director on hold to be a stay-at-home dad for their 2 kids.

Kyle wants Jamie to fork over $700k in attorney fees and costs from the proceeds of the sale of the home ... and wants the judge to slap on an extra $50k in sanctions for defying previous court orders.

A$AP Bari may have moved past his Miami car crash by scooping up a brand new Maybach, but the other guy involved sure hasn’t -- he's now suing the rapper.

A$AP Bari, whose real name is Jabari Shelton, has been hit with a lawsuit over the crash that happened back in July.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop ... the A$AP Mob co-founder was driving his Mercedes-Benz "carelessly, recklessly, and negligently" when his car collided with another vehicle driven by a guy named Jorge Baez.

As you can see, the car was banged up pretty badly.

Jorge's lawyer, Jared Newman tells TMZ ... the accident left Baez with serious injuries and a bunch of medical bills. He's suing for more than $30K in damages.

As we've reported ... Kanye West gifted Bari a new Mercedes Maybach SUV just days after the wreck.

Jared says, "It was nice of Kanye West to buy A$AP Bari a new Maybach and enable him to move on like nothing happened, but something did happen and A$AP Bari must pay for his negligence."

The dog that opened a can of worms with Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin is now a full-fledged member of the brood!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Dwight is not only living with the fam in Hidden Hills, but Jennifer now really digs the pooch ... a lot!!!

As we reported, Jennifer didn't want another dog, especially a large one like a Rottie, but Sly prevailed and brought Dwight home. It became a source of conflict between the 2.

Sly then covered up a tattoo of Jennifer on his arm and replaced it with Dwight, and our sources say that was super upsetting for her.

Whatever the case, all is forgiven. The divorce petition has been dropped and the family is fully back together and they're happy as clams.

Sly, Jennifer and 2 of their daughters hit up a Ralph Lauren fashion show Thursday night, and they were clearly back on track.

New Orleans Saints superstar Alvin Kamara is being sued for allegedly attacking a man outside a Vegas nightclub during Pro Bowl weekend in February ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The plaintiff, Darnell Greene, claims he was among a group of people waiting for an elevator near Drai's around 6:30 AM ... when Kamara put his hand on his chest to keep him from entering the lift.

Greene says the running back then shoved him into a wall and repeatedly punched him in the face.

The lawsuit claims Greene tried to escape ... but AK chased him down and attacked him, causing injuries including a broken orbital.

Now, Greene has lawyered up ... and is seeking $10 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

"The brutal violent assault broke Greene's orbital lobe, severely injured his shoulder, back, and neck, and left him temporarily unconscious and helpless on the floor," the lawsuit states.

Greene claims Kamara boasted about his role in the alleged beatdown ... saying, "I connected with the [expletive]’s jaw so hard,'" according to the suit.

The alleged injuries were so bad, Greene states he will need to undergo multiple surgeries to repair the damage done to his body.

"Medical testing confirmed a disfiguring facial fracture to Greene's right orbital bone, blunt force trauma to his head, multiple disc protrusions, and structural tears in his shoulder," the suit says.

The lawsuit provides pictures of Greene's bloody face following the alleged beatdown ... as well as still shots from security footage -- and Greene claims NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hasn't taken any action to discipline Kamara.

Michael Fanone, the former DC police officer injured during the Jan. 6 insurrection, has been through the wringer since then ... and says if no one's held accountable for the attack, America's headed in a dangerous direction.

Michael joined us on "TMZ Live" to discuss the Jan. 6 Committee's decision Thursday to subpoena Donald Trump -- a move he absolutely applauds, although it doesn't sound like he's holding out a ton of hope Trump will actually be brought to justice.

We asked Michael -- who was repeatedly beaten with a flagpole, tasered, and dragged down several steps in the chaos that day -- how he'd feel if Trump runs in 2024 and wins.

He didn't hesitate with his response, saying ... "If you're asking me if I'm gonna go to Canada ... f**k no!!!" Instead, Michael said he would try to find some way to coexist in the country with Trump supporters.

Fanone's written a book about his horrific experience that day -- he suffered a heart attack, a concussion that left him with a traumatic brain injury and, of course, suffers with PTSD -- and told us he's spent a great deal of time speaking about his experience to help folks understand the truth about what went down that day.

Fanone's memoir, "Hold the Line: The Insurrection and One Cop's Battle for America's Soul" is out now, and that title relates very closely to a new clip of Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Jesse Williams, the star of an upcoming Broadway play, "Take Me Out," is pleading with a judge to cut him a break, so COVID doesn't take him out.

You see, Jesse is being sued over a car crash and the lawyer for the other driver has subpoenaed the actor to sit for a deposition. Jesse is afraid the close quarters during the depo will expose him to the virus. If he gets sick, well he'll violate the Broadway mantra, "The show must go on!" In other words, if there's no Jesse, there's no play.

It's not that Jesse doesn't want his depo taken -- he's more than willing to do it over Zoom -- but he says an in-person depo is just too risky.

As for the lawsuit, as we reported ... the woman in the other car claims the "Grey's Anatomy" star rear-ended her and then fled the scene.

Deshaun Watson is facing another sexual misconduct lawsuit in Texas after a massage therapist claims the now-Browns QB pressured her into giving him oral sex during a 2020 therapy session at a Houston-area hotel.

In the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Harris County under the name "Jane Doe," a licensed therapist claims the now 27-year-old Watson contacted her in December 2020 over Instagram DM and requested a massage.

The therapist, who was working at home during Covid, says she agreed to meet Deshaun at a local hotel, The Houstonian.

During the massage, the therapist claims ... “Watson removed his towel and offered to let her ‘get on top.’ Plaintiff refused to have sex with Watson, however, he was able to pressure her into oral sex with the Defendant.”

The therapist, who normally charges $115 per hour, claims she was paid $300 by the quarterback.

The woman claims she's "suffered from severe depression and anxiety" as a result of the interaction with Deshaun, according to the suit.

Doe's attorney, Anissah Nguyen, told ESPN ... "My client's experience with Deshaun Watson follows a series of disturbingly similar encounters reported by more than 20 women who have filed suit against the NFL superstar."

"Like so many others, my client spent nearly two years struggling to cope with the shame and trauma from all that he has stolen from her and the daily pain that has become her reality."

The lawsuit is not part of the group of suits settled out of court by Watson, and the filing comes just days after he was permitted to return to Browns practice. Deshaun is serving an 11-game suspension over the previous allegations against the QB.

Watson, nor his team, have yet to comment on the lawsuit.

Story developing ...

A Van Gogh masterpiece was vandalized with tomato soup ... in the name of environmental activism.

Two protesters from the group, Just Stop Oil, made their way to Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" Friday at the National Gallery in London, and hurled a can of Heinz tomato soup at the famed work.

The protesters, who then glued themselves to the wall beneath the 1889 iconic painting, said they chose a can of tomato soup because it symbolizes the dilemma of Brits who are so strapped because of gas prices they won't be able to heat up food in the coming winter.

They said, "The cost of living crisis has been driven up by fossil fuels."

The $85 million piece was not damaged, although the frame did suffer minor damage.

This isn't the first protest using art as a target ... a protester smeared cake over the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris. Another incident of vandalism ... protesters glued their hands on pieces by Botticelli and Boccioni. And, 2 protesters were arrested in Australia a few days back after gluing themselves to a Picasso.

Those closest to Tyler Skaggs had no idea the late pitcher was using pain pills at the time of his tragic death ... saying the details behind his fatal overdose were unbelievable.

Tyler's wife, Carli, and his mother, Debbie Hetman, spoke publicly about Skaggs' passing for the first time this week ... just days after ex-Angels communications staffer Eric Kay was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for providing the drugs that took the pitcher's life.

"I loved him so much," Carli said while tearing up. "We had a love that was so special."

"That day still haunts me," Debbie added.

27-year-old Skaggs died after choking on his own vomit in 2019 ... and his autopsy showed a combination of oxycodone, fentanyl and alcohol in his system.

When asked about the troubling details surrounding his death ... both Carli and Debbie said they had no idea he had been taking pain medication.

"Yeah, that was the last thought that crossed my mind," Carli said. "It didn't even cross my mind actually."

"Not a clue."

Carli revealed the couple had plans to start a family after Skaggs returned from the team's road trip in Texas ... saying, "He would have made an amazing father. He was so great with kids."

"I wonder sometimes if I'll ever be as happy as I was. I have a lot of healing to do. I have faith that I'll get there. I know I'll never be the same. It's going to be different. But, I believe that I can find happiness again."

Nikolas Cruz's life might have been spared by a jury, but at least one mother of one of his victims is hoping it's a different story once Cruz is locked up in prison.

A livid Lori Alhadeff, mother of Alyssa Alhadeff, spoke to us shortly after Judge Elizabeth Scherer read the jury's recommendation of life without parole. Lori suggests the jurors may have decided against the death penalty because Cruz allegedly suffered from mental illness, or his rough upbringing ... but as far as she's concerned he knew exactly what he was doing.

That's why she says once Cruz is officially sentenced, she'd like to see one of the prisoners he's locked up with "take care" of him ... and she's not saying that in a nice way.

Lori says the jury's decision was both awful and disgusting, and you could see those emotions Thursday morning on the faces of several family members in court.

As we've reported, the jury recommended life in prison for Cruz ... after they were unable to unanimously decide on the death penalty.

Cruz murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School back in 2018. Lori's daughter, Alyssa, was just 14 when she was gunned down.

Lori says it's just not fair Cruz gets to live behind bars and enjoy all the amenities in prison like watching TV, while she has to visit her daughter at a cemetery. She says he's a sick animal who doesn't deserve redemption ... and shouldn't live another day.

Since her daughter's death, Lori and her family have set up an organization, called Make Our Schools Safe in an effort to keep teachers and students safe in school.

The parents of a 14-year-old boy who died over 2 years ago after taking a fentanyl-laced pill they say he got from a dealer he found on Snapchat are now taking the social media company to court over his death.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Amy and Aaron Neville, plus a handful of other parents who lost their children to a similar fate, are suing Snapchat -- saying it "facilitates the overwhelming majority of lethal fentanyl sales."

The docs say Snap's process for disabling known dangerous accounts on the platform is broken ... saying "Snap provides no reporting mechanism, staffed email address, or even a phone number for users to report underage, dangerous, or violating use of its social media product."

The lawsuit also alleges Snap is specifically designed to attract children and illicit activity, pointing to the features like disappearing messages that make it hard to trace illegal drug transactions that may go down on the app.

Amy's now the VP of Void -- a nonprofit that fights against the spread of illegal drugs like fentanyl -- and her org recently claimed social media companies across the board aren't doing enough to cut off the connection between kids and dealers.

She's said the access to drugs through the app was way too easy ... believing Alexander wouldn't have put himself in a situation that was in person -- but dealing behind a screen made it much simpler.

Snapchat's recently said it's been working to address the issue ... doubling down on efforts to ban drug dealer accounts and blocking search results that involve drug keywords.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages, as well as for stricter action to be taken on the platform to help prevent any more fatalities in the future.

A rep for Snap tells us, "The trafficking of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl is an urgent national crisis. We are devastated that these counterfeit drugs have taken the lives of so many people, and our hearts go out to families who have suffered unimaginable losses. We are committed to bringing every resource to bear to help fight this national crisis, both on Snapchat and across the tech industry overall."

The rep says the company uses, "cutting-edge technology to proactively find and shut down drug dealers’ accounts, and we block search results for drug-related terms, instead redirecting Snapchatters to resources from experts about the dangers of fentanyl."

The jury has recommended life in prison for Nikolas Cruz, the gunman who murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 ... and the judge is delaying sentencing until November 1.

In an emotional sentencing hearing Thursday the judge read the jury's verdict of life without parole after they were unable to unanimously decide on the death penalty.

The jury of 7 men and 5 women discussed the 24-year-old's fate Wednesday and came back with their sentence Thursday morning in a Fort Lauderdale courthouse.

Family members of Cruz's 17 victims were very obviously angry sitting inside the courtroom -- many shaking their heads and crying in disbelief. Cruz sat expressionless.

As for the delay, the judge agreed to give surviving victims a chance to be heard before the judge issues the sentence.

Cruz pled guilty last year to 34 counts -- 17 charges of murder and 17 charges of attempted murder.

In the sentencing phase, multiple witnesses took the stand to describe the pain and horror they endured as a result of the massacre. There were cell phone videos jurors saw ... showing students hiding in fear as gunshots rang out.

Attorneys for Cruz highlighted his mental health struggles, and they called witnesses who testified his illness was triggered by his biological mother's drug use while she was pregnant.

During his courtroom appearance, he went on a bizarre rant and begged the families of the victims to give him a second chance ... claiming he wanted to be spared so he could help others.

As you know, Cruz opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland in February 2018.

It remains one of the deadliest high school shootings in U.S. history.

In a separate case, Cruz also pled guilty to assault and battery charges for attacking a jail guard in 2018 after the whole thing was caught on camera.

These are NOT Charlie Brown's "Great Pumpkins" -- Customs agents uncovered a huge amount of meth tucked inside a bundle of everyone's fave Halloween gourds.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed their big find in a statement Wednesday ... noting its officers have seen "just about everything and this Tuesday was no exception" -- saying they discovered more than $402K in liquid methamphetamine inside the pumpkins.

The 4 winter squashes, found at Eagle Pass Port of Entry in Texas, held a total of 44 pounds of the drug which was packed into 136 different condoms.

The officers seized the meth and the car that was carrying the pumpkins ... and the driver was turned over to Maverick County Sherriff's Office for further investigation.

The 2 men who seemingly won a fishing contest by stuffing their catch with weights encased in fish filets have been hooked by a grand jury, that just nailed them with multiple felonies.

Jacob Runyan and Chase Cominski were just indicted for attempted grand theft and possessing criminal tools ... both felonies. They've also been charged with the misdemeanor of unlawfully owning wild animals.

It's a crazy story ... the 2 guys were in a competition on Lake Erie at the Walleye Trail tourney when they allegedly hooked what seemed to be 2, 7-pound walleyes. Apparently, some of the honchos were suspicious, cut the fish open and found the weights and filets. The fish actually weighed around 4-5 lbs.

Had they been declared the winners, they would have pocketed $28,760.

These guys have been under suspicion for cheating in other tournaments. They were investigated by cops for similar types of cheating, but there wasn't enough evidence to charge them.

Alex Jones has been NAILED for perpetuating a lie about the Sandy Hook massacre, and some of the families of the children who were murdered have just gotten word from the jury ... that Jones must ante up nearly $1 billion.

The Connecticut jury just hit Jones between the eyes ... finding the emotional distress and trauma he caused by his campaign was so enormous ... justice required an enormous damage award.

The total verdict -- divided among the 8 families and 1 first responder -- adds up to $965M.

The families' lawyer, Chris Mattei, told jurors in last week's closing arguments that Jones lies to generate revenue for his site, while the parents in mourning received death threats and harassment from his fans.

Jones was on the air on his radio show when the verdict was read ... telling his listeners, "This must be what hell is like -- they just read out the damages, even though you don't got the money." Jones also said the case was a joke and asked his listeners for donations.

The legal battle started way back in 2018, when the families went after Jones and his company, Free Speech Systems.