Legal

The cop who shot 17-year-old Erik Cantu at a San Antonio McDonald's should be facing an attempted murder charge instead of assault ... so says the teenager's family.

Erik is still fighting for his life in the hospital, and his family has retained attorney Ben Crump, who tells TMZ ... the Cantus feel the cop's current charge of aggravated assault is NOT enough.

Crump says the Cantu family thinks 25-year-old rookie officer James Brennand should be charged to the fullest extent of the law ... which they see as an attempted murder charge.

We're told Erik's family wants to see the officer behind bars ... they say he used excessive and unnecessary force when opening fire on Erik multiple times while he was simply eating a cheeseburger in his car at McDonald's.

As we reported ... Brennand surrendered to authorities and has been charged with 2 felony counts of aggravated assault by a peace officer after shooting Erik at the fast food joint. Brennand said he recognized the car as one used to evade police the day before the shooting. He turned out to be wrong, it was not the same vehicle.

Erik's family says he remains unconscious and on life support with no improvement in his condition ... and they've set up a GoFundMe to raise money for his recovery.

Crump says Brennand violated Erik's 4th Amendment rights by coming up to the car and opening his door in the parking lot. Remember, video shows the cop ordering Erik out of the car, but instead he put it in reverse ... the cop then fired multiple rounds which struck Erik.

Tennis legend Boris Becker has found a second career while locked away in an English slammer ... he's become a popular prison yoga instructor!

German tabloid Bild, citing a source close to the 54-year-old, reported this week that the convicted criminal has begun to thrive while behind bars ... teaching fitness routines to his fellow prisoners -- and losing a ton of weight.

The outlet reports Becker has made fast friends with inmates at Huntercombe prison in England, hosting yoga classes for around 45 people. Becker, according to the outlet, has also given up alcohol, become a regular in the facility's gym, and lost around 17 pounds.

"As a sportsman," the source close to Becker told Bild, "he knows only too well the highs and lows of victories and defeats. He is sharing his life experience with his fellow prisoners."

As we reported, Becker was initially sentenced to 2.5 years in prison back in April after he was accused of moving a ton of money in an effort to hide funds following his declaration of bankruptcy in 2017.

The former No. 1-ranked tennis player allegedly transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars from his business account to other accounts after declaring bankruptcy -- a big no-no.

In announcing Becker's sentence, the judge ripped into the former tennis star ... saying at the time, "You have not shown remorse, acceptance of your guilt and have sought to distance yourself from your offending and your bankruptcy."

'Rust' being a western flick, it's fitting authorities in New Mexico are now reportedly saying either pay up or get outta town.

The troubled movie production will begin hunting for locations to shoot, including Southern California, this according a statement from a 'Rust' attorney to Deadline.

As for why the Alec Baldwin western may be bailing from New Mexico ... Deadline reports there are legal issues. The production was fined $136,793 by the New Mexico Occupational Health and Safety Bureau for "willful and serious" workplace violations ... something the production is fighting. There's apparently no way the production could get permits until that issue is resolved.

There were also allegations the production owes others money that is long overdue.

Of course, there's also the tragic, accidental fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. One insider connected to the production told Deadline, "It's emotionally difficult for the crew and the cast to return to the same place."

Andy Dick is facing a felony burglary charge in California after getting arrested yet again ... this time cops say he was stealing power tools from someone's garage.

The Santa Barbara Police Department tells TMZ ... officers busted Andy on Oct. 13, after responding to a report of a burglary in progress at a home.

Andy had removed several power tools from a home under construction, according to cops ... and they say they caught him red-handed trying to flee the property. The homeowner told police they don't know Andy, and he definitely didn't have permission to be there.

Since then, the Santa Barbara County D.A. has charged Andy with first-degree residential burglary, and he's pled not guilty -- however, one week later, he's still locked up.

Interestingly enough, Dick posted a video from inside an abandoned house just last week ... so it's possible it's the same one he was busted inside.

We're told he is in the Santa Barbara County Jail waiting for someone to bond him out. His bail was set at $50K.

It's the second arrest for Andy in the last 6 months ... as we first told you, he was busted in May and accused of sexual battery and the arrest was live-streamed.

Candace Owens just responded to what Gianna's legal team told us, saying, "What I love so much about George Floyd family's lawyers is how they keep talking to TMZ about "lies" in my documentary but keep neglecting to specify what the lies were! My documentary told NO LIES. They are simply angry that we exposed theirs and are running PR for BLM."

She continues, "The George Floyd story was the greatest lie ever spun by our media. My documentary successfully exposed their lies and people are understandably shocked at how twisted and sick our media is in their commitment to control the masses."

There may be more people who have to answer for what Kanye West said about George Floyd ... Candace Owens, N.O.R.E. and Diddy's Revolt TV could soon be in the legal hot seat, too.

The legal team repping Floyd's young daughter, Gianna, tells TMZ any and all possible defendants are on the table as they continue to explore their options in what will be a mega lawsuit regarding comments made on "Drink Champs."

One of the attorneys, Kay Williams, says Candace is an obvious would-be codefendant -- as the remarks Ye made were a direct reflection of stuff she put out in her new documentary, 'The Greatest Lie Ever Sold.' Williams says there are blatant lies mentioned in the film.

Nuru Witherspoon, another lawyer on the case says Ye's comments have retraumatized Gianna all over again, as she's being exposed to the new content.

Witherspoon notes that while they mentioned suing for defamation in their press release -- the actual suit would be rooted in intentional infliction of emotional distress and misappropriation ... because you can't legally defame a dead person, and Ye didn't mention George's family.

Still, both Williams and Witherspoon make it clear ... it's open season on anyone who perpetuated lies about George Floyd -- Candace and Kanye are the clear targets.

However, you have to imagine the folks behind "Drink Champs," REVOLT TV included, could be in their crosshairs as well.

One final member of the team -- attorney Pat Dixon III -- gets into even more detail about what exactly Gianna is going through emotionally, not to mention her mother. He tells us they're going down this road to preserve George's legacy for both him and his family.

Like we said, the suit hasn't been filed yet -- but Gianna's lawyers have already signaled an amount of money they want ... at least $250 million. FWIW, REVOLT TV has removed the controversial episode in question entirely -- and N.O.R.E. has attempted to apologize.

The woman who accused Chris D'Elia of threatening to share intimate videos of her just took an 'L' ... a judge denied her request for court-ordered protection from the comedian.

D'Elia maintained from the beginning, he'd never met her Caroline Schmitz -- and Schmitz had threatened him and his family on multiple occasions through messages on social media ... yet she was the one who filed a restraining order against him.

Chris was in court Wednesday with his attorney Andrew Brettler -- Schmitz was a no-show -- and the judge denied the request for a permanent restraining order.

TMZ broke the story ... Schmitz was originally granted a temporary restraining order against Chris last month, claiming they met back in 2017 and hooked up several times. She says from there, Chris allegedly contacted her on OnlyFans in May, threatening to post intimate videos she'd recorded and telling her she needed to leave Los Angeles.

Kanye West hopes to turn his online trolling into a money-making business move ... filing to trademark phrases he's used in social media bashings against former friends.

Ye recently filed to trademark the phrases, "Good to hear from you bitch" and "Tremendez." Both were used in his fiery back and forth with his former friend Tremaine Emory.

Tremaine was one of the first to publicly call out Kanye after his Yeezy fashion show -- where he debuted the "White Lives Matter shirt -- because he was pissed Ye decided to use Virgil Abloh's name when addressing the crowd pre-show.

Tremaine wrote, "I gotta draw the line at you using Virgil's death in your 'ye' is the victim campaign in front of your sycophant peanut algorithm gallery."

He also went on to defend Vogue editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who Ye bashed after she criticized the Yeezy show.

Not long after Tremaine's post, Kanye posted a private text convo between them, where he greeted Tremaine with, "Good to hear from you bitch" -- the inspiration for his new trademark.

From there, Ye continued to bash Tremaine on social media, "AND TO TREMAINE I'M CHANGING YOUR NAME FOREEEEEVVVVVRRRRR. TREMAIN'S NEW NAME AS THE BLM OFFICER AT SUPREME ISSSS TREMENDEZ."

Kanye also created a logo, similar to the Supreme logo -- where Tremaine is the creative director -- and swapped the word with "Tremendez" ... the other trademark he's filed.

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Kyzir White has been sued, TMZ Sports has learned ... after a man claims he caused a serious car crash in Los Angeles back in 2021.

Christopher Merced filed the suit on Tuesday ... just over 13 months after he says White slammed into his 2019 Chevrolet Silverado during a bad accident on the I-105, a popular L.A. freeway.

Merced claims he was driving in the far right lane of the highway on September 3, 2021, when traffic forced him to come to a stop. But, in his lawsuit, he says White didn't see it all, merged into his lane while going over 40 MPH, and plowed into him.

Merced says he believes White was either distracted or impaired, claiming White "did not make any effort to slow down or stop."

In the lawsuit, Merced claims he sustained serious and permanent injuries as a result of the crash.

He's suing for unspecified damages.

This is not the first time White -- a former L.A. Charger -- has run into problems on Southern California roadways ... back in 2020, he was charged with a misdemeanor count of reckless driving after he allegedly went 100 MPH and made an unsafe turning movement.

Fugees rapper Pras is getting ready to defend himself against allegations he was part of an international finance conspiracy ... and he wants to call some familiar names to the witness stand, including a couple of former U.S. presidents.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the decorated witness list Pras submitted, and it includes Barack Obama and Donald Trump, ex-HUD director Ben Carson, hotel czar Steve Wynn and even former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The New Jersey-bred MC, who sold over 20 million records with Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, is accused of receiving millions of dollars from Malaysian fugitive Jho Low ... who allegedly embezzled those funds from his own country's treasury.

Pras' attorney David Kenner tells us the feds' claim his client used illicit funds to finance the Leonardo DiCaprio film, "The Wolf of Wall Street" is also totally bogus ... and he plans to prove that in court.

Kenner says it was Low, not Pras, who funded the "Wolf Of Wall Street" through negotiations with DiCaprio and others -- and the "Ghetto Supastar" rapper simply helped network some of the interested parties behind the scenes.

Obama and Trump's potential inclusion in the case makes things rather interesting. Pras and Low are accused of illegally funding Obama's 2012 presidential campaign, as well as attempting to get the Trump administration to drop the charges.

They want both former commanders-in-chief to speak to those claims.

According to our sources, Pras's team is also denying the Fugees canceled their tour over the pending case.

Pras says he had even offered to help the authorities reel in Low, who he maintains is the real mastermind of the alleged crimes.

George Floyd's young daughter, her mother and their legal team are preparing to wage legal war against Kanye West ... announcing they'll sue him for a quarter of a billion dollars after his recent comments on Floyd's death.

Roxie Washington, the mother of Floyd's only daughter Gianna, announced Tuesday she's hired a team of lawyers to go after Ye, his business partners and his associates for harassment, misappropriation, defamation, and infliction of emotional distress. They're seeking $250 million in damages.

The family's attorneys also say they fired off a cease and desist letter, obtained by TMZ, to Kanye over his comments about Floyd's fatal interaction with Minneapolis police.

The letter reads, in part, "Mr. Floyd’s cause of death is well-settled through evidence presented in courts of law during the criminal and civil trials that were the result of his untimely and horrific death. Nevertheless, you have maliciously made statements that are inaccurate and unfounded, causing damage to Mr. Floyd’s estate and his family."

Kanye's taken a ton of heat for comments he made on an episode of "Drink Champs," claiming George died from a fentanyl overdose and pre-existing conditions, instead of Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck.

The Floyd family says Kanye's statements are "blatantly false" and "malicious" ... and they say Gianna is being "retraumatized" by Kanye's comments, which they say are "creating an unsafe and unhealthy environment for her."

In the cease and desist, the family's lawyers demand Kanye remove the interview and all of his similar statements on George from the Internet and keep Floyd's name out of his mouth.

Kanye West is a billionaire, yet he's living like a transient ... with no place to call home.

Sources close to Ye tell us as of late, he'll rarely stay in the same place for more than a few days -- living out of fancy hotels and various rental homes. We're also told he spends money like it's nothing, recently fronting a ton of cash for his Yeezy show in Paris and of course -- the alleged purchase of Parler.

What's more ... our Ye sources tell us he's recently made some very rash business decisions as well -- most notably firing Shervin Pishevar from Yeezy and losing other advisors and publicists.

We've spoken to former friends of Kanye, one who told us, "He blows through his money like it's water" ... and there's some serious concern he could fall into financial ruin.

Ye revealed during his "Drink Champs" interview he had recently purchased a $50 million penthouse -- another massive expense -- in addition to his various other real estate transactions.

As we reported, Kanye bought a house next to the home Kim Kardashian now owns in Hidden Hills. The house needs a total redo, but Kanye wanted it so he could be near his children. He bought it nearly a year ago, but there's been little to no work done to remodel it. As far as we know, Kanye never stays at that house.

Brittney Griner is spending her 32nd birthday behind bars in Russian prison ... and her wife, Cherelle, is thanking President Joe Biden and his administration for working nonstop in hopes of bringing her home before her 33rd.

Monday marked 8 months since the Phoenix Mercury superstar was detained for having cannabis oil in her belongings at a Russian airport ... and Cherelle says the separation has been beyond challenging.

"I've felt every moment of the grueling seven months without her," Cherelle said in a video.

Despite Griner's ongoing imprisonment, Cherelle is hopeful the U.S. is continuing to fight for her freedom.

"I want to thank President Biden for the Administration's efforts to secure her release."

"As my family and I continue on this journey, I'd like to thank our friends, leaders and supporters who continue to stand with us and advocate for Brittney's swift and safe return."

As we previously reported, Cherelle opened up about Brittney's mental battles while behind bars ... saying her wife feels like her life doesn't matter anymore, and fears she has been forgotten in Russia.

"Let's share a unified commitment to bringing all Americans home to their families and loved ones," Cherelle added.

With Tuesday being Brittney's birthday, Cherelle is calling on her supporters to continue sending support on social media by using the hashtags #WeAreBG and #BringThemHome.

The government has been negotiating with Russia ... and claims it offered a "substantial" proposal to bring her home ASAP.

Johnny Depp's post-trial high is rolling right into Halloween, and that means you should get ready for even more Captain Jack Sparrow costumes than usual while you're out partying.

There's a notable trend going on at the world's largest costume retailer -- honchos at Halloweencostumes.com tell us they're seeing a 90 percent sales spike in purchases related to Johnny's famous Disney character.

The retailer has a couple Jack Sparrow costumes -- a basic one for $85 to $95, and a higher quality one for $245 to $299 -- and we're told folks have already cleared out over 85% of the inventory.

The run on Jack Sparrow costumes is further evidence of Johnny's big comeback since his legal win over Amber Heard in court.

Since the defamation trial, Johnny's been swarmed by fans around the world during his music tour, appeared as MTV's Moonman and signed a lucrative deal to return as the face of Dior's Sauvage men's scent.

Jay-Z wants to know just how much money his famous cognac line is making, and he's filed a lawsuit against his partners at Bacardi to get that information.

In docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Jay-Z's company, SC Liquor, is demanding total financial clarity from Bacardi when it comes to D'Usse ... the top shelf cognac brand in which Jay and Bacardi are 50/50 partners.

Jay and the booze giant have co-owned D'Usse since 2011 ... he regularly shouts out the brand in his songs, and even drank it from one of his Grammys once to promote it. However, the lawsuit makes it clear something about the partnership -- officially named D'Usse LLC -- isn't sitting well.

In the docs, Jay-Z's co. says it needs all books and records, the location of all warehouses storing D'Usse barrels, bottles and accessories ... as well as all info regarding Bacardi's physical inventory and its inventory process.

It's unclear what's prompting Jay to demand this info, but it is clear there's a level of distrust between the partners. One sentence from the docs seems pretty telling: SC Liquor says it needs to "monitor the conduct of [Bacardi's] business to protect SC's rights as" a partner in the company.

The former nanny to Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis' kids claims they were nothing but toxic to each other, and listed off alleged reasons why ... but Jason and Olivia say she's telling nothing but lies.

Reports started flying Monday after the ex-nanny told DailyMail the alleged drama ... including how Olivia apparently left Jason for Harry Styles. She also said the two would get into explosive fights -- claiming Jason laid in front of Olivia's car once to prevent her from leaving to go see Harry.

The nanny also claimed Jason once got very upset when Olivia made her "special salad dressing" for Harry.

Olivia and Jason are calling BS, though -- telling TMZ ... "As parents, it is incredibly upsetting to learn that a former nanny of our two young children would choose to make such false and scurrilous accusations about us publicly."

They go on to call their former nanny's claims an "18 month long campaign of harassing us, as well as loved ones, close friends and colleagues" ... something they say they've reached their limit with.

OW and JS tell us they'll continue to focus on raising and protecting their kids ... "with the sincere hope that she will now choose to leave our family alone."

As for Harry and Olivia, all seems well ... we got shots of them grabbing dinner in NYC just a few weeks ago, and she's been spotted at his shows.

Floyd family attorney Lee Merritt joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" to further explain the potential lawsuit that might be filed against Kanye West -- and it sounds like intentional infliction of emotional distress might be the route they pursue.

He says George's brother, Philonise Floyd, is dead set on bringing some type of legal action against Ye -- with LM explaining he was irate Sunday when he heard the "Drink Champs" comments. Specifically, Lee says the notion died from an overdose and not Chauvin's knee on his neck is misinformation that's been debunked in court ... and agreed upon by a jury.

Finally, Lee tells us that the fact it was Kanye going after GF made this all the more personal and hurtful. Remember, he set up a college fund for George's daughter in 2020.

George Floyd's family is openly considering a potential lawsuit against Kanye West and Candace Owens -- a case that could be similar to the blockbuster one against Alex Jones, but also different in some key ways.

Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt, who's repping the fam, tells TMZ ... he's exploring all possible legal avenues to bring a potential lawsuit over what Kanye said about George on the new "Drink Champs" episode -- and he's also looking into what Candace put out in her new documentary.

Lee's already noted a defamation lawsuit isn't possible because George is deceased, but he is looking into other possible ways the Floyd estate, the George Floyd foundation or the family members themselves could bring claims -- and one path could be emotional distress.

The Sandy Hook families were able to successfully sue Alex Jones for defamation because he called the parents actors.

Kanye didn't say anything about George's family members, but his statements -- and allegedly the Owens documentary -- could still have a negative impact on them, which is why Merritt is pursuing grounds for a lawsuit against them.

The bigger point here, though, is that Lee wants Kanye and Candace to understand statements like the ones they're putting out in the world -- namely that George died from a fentanyl OD and pre-existing conditions, but not Derek Chauvin's knee -- are false and hurtful.

Lee tells us that type of rhetoric undermines the Floyd family's efforts to pass legislation, like the George Floyd Policing Act, and their work at large. He also says it deflects blame from the officers who've been convicted in connection to his murder, especially Chauvin.

There's still a lot of groundwork to do before anything's filed -- we're told Lee and the family have to go through Candace's doc, "The Greatest Lie Ever Sold," to see what exactly she said and if there's any basis to bring legal action.

Lee says he believes he'll have a more specific outline of his potential causes of action later this week. He says the family hasn't discussed a dollar amount for which they'd try to sue, but it's a good bet they'd try to get punitive damages -- and given Kanye's worth, those damages would have to be several million to truly punish him.