Legal

Police in Idaho are reportedly on the hunt for a Rambo-like knife in the ongoing investigation of the killing of 4 college students ... and the department's now saying they've learned 2 other roommates were in the home during the attack ... yet no one called 911 for hours.

Cops in Moscow, ID are looking into a very specific type of knife ... according to the Idaho Statesman. The owner of a building supply store says officers showed up several times this week, asking about the sale of a KA-BAR brand combat knife.

Scott Jutte reportedly told them his shop doesn't sell the specific type of knife they're looking for ... but described it as a blade used by Marines in the 1940s. It looks similar to the one Sylvester Stallone used in "Rambo."

Police Chief James Fry also gave an update on the horrific events Wednesday ... 2 roommates of the slain students were also inside the home at the time of the attack. Cops say the victims were murdered in the early morning hours Sunday, yet no one called 911 until noon.

The roommates were unharmed and cooperating with investigators, according to a spokesperson for the department.

4 University of Idaho students, Ethan Chapin, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Kaylee Goncalves were all found dead in their 6-bedroom home over the weekend ... and Fry calls the killings the "worst they've ever seen." It appears there was no forced entry.

The judge who presided over Casey Anthony’s criminal trial isn't buying her latest explanation for the death of her daughter.

Judge Belvin Perry Jr. tells TMZ … he doesn't think Casey's version of the events — namely, that her father George was responsible for 2-year-old Caylee's death — adds up based on what he remembers from the case.

Perry Jr. thinks Casey's story hasn't been consistent and believes she was caught in a few lies that undermine her credibility. He says she blamed a babysitter for kidnapping Caylee earlier. The judge also said there's some damning evidence ... namely, the smell of death inside Casey Anthony's car trunk at the time Caylee disappeared.

Judge Perry Jr., now retired from the bench, also notes there was no hard evidence Caylee drowned in the pool or that Casey's dad sexually abused her.

Long story short ... the judge also doesn't think her new story lines up with the facts of the case.

Taylor Swift fans are outraged after waiting hours and shelling out big money just for a shot at getting tickets -- and they've griped enough to spark a new antitrust investigation into Ticketmaster.

Ever since Tuesday, Swifties have been sounding off about the disastrous presale for Taylor's upcoming tour, but Tennessee's attorney general thinks this might go beyond whining Gen Zers ... it could be a crime.

TN AG Jonathan Skrmetti says antitrust violations "could be an issue" for Ticketmaster. He's concerned the company lacks competition ... and with that, customers are left with sky-high prices and a poor experience getting tix.

Skrmetti questions Ticketmaster's lack of preparation -- he says given the company's size, it should've been ready for the "unprecedented demand" from Taylor's legion of fans. The woman commanded the Billboard Hot 100's entire top 10, after all!!!

As we reported ... Ticketmaster was in shambles as fans attempted to get their hands on a ticket to "The Eras Tour." Potential buyers were left in limbo after the website crashed ... and frankly, Ticketmaster's explanation of why things went wrong didn't make it any better.

Skrmetti's concern is Ticketmaster doesn't worry about pissing off fans -- of Taylor or any other artist -- because if they want to see a concert, there's typically no avoiding Ticketmaster.

The A.G.'s office has received a number of complaints from customers who experienced a severe lack of customer support, while others said Ticketmaster told them to wait 5 days for a response.

The good news for Swifties is you can still get Taylor tix, but the bad news is it's probably gonna cost ya a lot more on sites like StubHub.

The University of Virginia football team will not play its game against Coastal Carolina on Saturday ... following the tragic deaths of three of its players on Sunday night.

The school just made the decision ... revealing the game will not have a makeup date. Officials said the Cavaliers' season finale against Virginia Tech on Nov. 26 could be canceled as well, though no ruling has been made on that contest yet.

Coastal Carolina officials said they had no issues whatsoever with the decision ... with head coach Jamey Chadwell saying in a statement, "We all stand in solidarity with UVA."

The cancelation is not a surprising one ... after linebacker D'Sean Perry and receivers, Lavel Davis and Devin Chandler were shot and killed on a bus on campus after returning to the school from a class field trip.

Two other UVA students, including Cavaliers running back Mike Hollins, were also injured during the shooting as well -- and at a news conference on Tuesday, head coach Tony Elliott said he and the team were understandably having a hard time processing it all.

A former UVA running back, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., has been accused of being the gunman in the horrifying incident. He's since been arrested and hit with multiple charges -- including three counts of second-degree murder.

Jones Jr. appeared in court for a hearing on the matter on Wednesday morning. No bond was given -- and his next court date was set for December.

Kanye West released his eleventh studio album "Donda 2" back in February ... sort of, but at least one of the contributors claims he's yet to get a dime for his efforts.

The project never hit digital service providers, and was instead released exclusively on Ye's Stem Player device -- which is currently entangled in a lawsuit with KRS-One's Boogie Down Productions.

Producer ATL Jacob could potentially have a case to sue as well, if the songs actually hit the public radar but not his bank account.

While speaking to VladTV, Jacob revealed he worked on previously touted tracks "Pablo" featuring Future and Travis Scott, "Keep It Burning" with Future again and "Louie Bags" ... which costars Jack Harlow.

Jacob says he gained a lot of production experience throughout his "Donda 2" stint but is still confused to this day about how he's getting paid!!!

According to Jacob, the "Donda 2" album on the Stem Player is full of unfinished demos ... so those who paid $200 didn't really get their money's worth. He also noted how Kanye doesn't actually own the Stem Player ... a point that came up in the court docs for the BDP illegal sample lawsuit.

Jacob produced Future, Drake and Tems' Grammy-nominated No. 1 hit "Wait For U" earlier this year, so he's not lacking accolades or money.

He says he learned a lot in terms of the album creation process and the business side, but still ... an actual paycheck would be nice.

Aaron Carter's final resting place has yet to be determined, but the singer's death certificate reveals his family made the decision to have him cremated.

The legal doc, obtained by TMZ, says Aaron's ashes will be held by his sister Angel. We're told from there, the family will decide what to do with them to honor Aaron.

The document doesn't reveal much else as far as new info into the cause of Aaron's death. He's listed as a musician who worked in entertainment, never married. His mother, Jane, is mentioned as the informant.

An official cause of death is still categorized as deferred -- more tests are needed to determine what exactly killed him.

TMZ broke the story ... Aaron was found dead in the bathtub at his Lancaster, CA home two weeks ago. Law enforcement also discovered canisters of compressed air scattered about -- AC publicly struggled with substance abuse issues throughout much of his adult life.

Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen and Steph Curry -- plus a host of other huge-name athletes and celebs -- have all been sued following the collapse of FTX ... a popular crypto exchange app that they all endorsed.

The class action lawsuit was filed in a Florida federal court on Tuesday ... just days after users of the FTX platform lost their shirts when the co. suddenly collapsed and filed for bankruptcy.

According to the lawsuit, FTX honcho Sam Bankman-Fried created a fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme "designed to take advantage of unsophisticated investors from across the country."

Attorneys in the lawsuit allege Bankman-Fried enlisted Brady, Bundchen, Curry, Shaquille O'Neal, Udonis Haslem, David Ortiz, Trevor Lawrence, Shohei Ohtani, Naomi Osaka, Larry David and Kevin O'Leary to help him facilitate the plan.

The attorneys pointed to an ad that Brady and Gisele did together back in 2021 ... where the two asked everyone they knew if they'd join them on the FTX platform.

The suit also claims an ad featuring Larry David, which, ironically enough, showed the comedian being skeptical of crypto, also contributed to millions of Americans signing on to do business with the org.

Everything fell apart last week, though -- after the company essentially didn't have enough money to cash users out.

Amber Heard has been treated atrociously by the public -- vilified and harassed -- and it's gotta stop now ... so says Gloria Steinem and more than a hundred others.

The famed feminist and 130 others have signed onto an open letter, condemning "the vilification of Ms. Heard and ongoing online harassment of her and those who have voiced support for her [sic] have been unprecedented in both vitriol and scale."

Steinem and co. go on ... "We condemn the public shaming of Amber Heard and join in support of her. We support the ability of all to report intimate partner and sexual violence free of harassment and intimidation."

Thing is ... the jury in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard case rejected all of her claims of abuse and, even decided her claims were not only false ... they were malicious.

Nonetheless, Steinem and others challenge the verdict, saying it indicates "a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner and sexual violence and how survivors respond to it."

As you know, A.H. was ordered to cough up $10.35 million dollars for her defamatory claims. J.D. was ordered to pay $2 mil for the defamatory claims his lawyer made.

It's undeniable ... the vast majority of the public ended up siding with Depp and many did indeed viciously attack Amber, especially on social media.

Amber is now living abroad with her daughter ... presumably to break free from all the drama and attacks.

California Governor Gavin Newsom's wife testified at Harvey Weinstein's L.A. sexual assault trial Tuesday ... and was STUNNINGLY asked to recreate how she faked an orgasm with the disgraced film producer.

Former actress, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, looked horrified on the stand after Weinstein's defense attorney questioned how she “indicated her pleasure” during what she claims was a 2005 rape by Weinstein at the Peninsula hotel in Beverly Hills.

Siebel Newsom fired back, "This is not 'When Harry Met Sally.' I'm not doing that," referencing a famous scene in the 1989 film where Meg Ryan's character faked a loud orgasm in a crowded NYC restaurant. She then broke down in tears, saying, "I was making noises to get him to finish. He had already raped me. … This is so gross. I'm sorry."

Moments earlier, Siebel Newsom testified she had scheduled a business meeting with Weinstein at his hotel room. But, once she arrived there, things quickly turned ugly. She said Weinstein changed out of his suit and into a robe before masturbating in front of her and threatening her.

She claimed Weinstein penetrated her with his finger and then raped her with his "deformed penis." She described his genitalia as "kind of fish-like, the penis — something was distorted in the testicles … Lots of skin, lots of skin down there."

Siebel Newsom is the fourth woman to testify at the trial that Weinstein sexually assaulted her. She said she first met the producer at the Toronto International Film Festival when she was a bit part actress and he was at the height of his career.

Marilyn Manson says Evan Rachel Wood and other women accusing him of sexual abuse have sent his career down the drain ... and he claims he's getting death threats too.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the shock rocker lays out all the ways he thinks his Hollywood career's being affected by what he says is a false portrayal as a rapist, abuser and child pornographer.

As we reported ... ERW, who Manson dated way back in 2007, has made very public allegations of abuse against the rocker, which he denies.

Marilyn says his music is suffering as a result of the accusations, claiming he's unable to tour and was dropped by his record label and talent agency.

Manson also says his film and TV career is in the gutter, because he was pulled from two TV shows, including one where he had a recurring role.

MM claims his art work is being negatively affected too ... he says his book release and art shows are indefinitely postponed, and claims his paintings have been devalued.

What's more, Marilyn says he's getting countless death threats online ... and he's feeling anxious, distraught, depressed, worried, frantic, sleepless and fearful for not only his own physical safety, but also his wife's.

Marilyn says the allegations, which he's always denied, have made him persona non grata in Hollywood circles ... claiming he's being excluded from countless social and business gatherings.

TMZ broke the story ... Marilyn's sexual assault case is winding down, and criminal charges appear unlikely.

Darlene Love won't be assuming the title of "Queen of Christmas" after Mariah Carey lost her bid to trademark the phrase, because she's got a problem with anyone doing it!

Len Evans, rep for Darlene tells TMZ ... Darlene won't be going after 'QOF' trademark, although its technically fair game, considering Mariah won't be able to own it either.

Len says, Darlene doesn't think one person should be able to legally own the title by trademarking it. Instead, the music legend feels the phrase should be free for everyone to use  ... considering there are a lot of folks who call themselves the Queen, and have had huge success in the holiday music genre.

What's more, she notes Mariah only has one hit Christmas song ... when there are folks with several holiday hits, who have not tried to get exclusive rights to the phrase.

For the record, Darlene's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" is an absolute holiday banger, as are her versions of "White Christmas," "Winter Wonderland" and her 'Home Alone 2' track, "All Alone on Christmas."

As we've reported, MC's request to trademark the phrase was denied Tuesday by the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Darlene was among others, like singer Elizabeth Chan, who were turned off when MC filed for the title back in March 2021 ... and it's fair to say she still disagrees with it now.

We're told Darlene also doesn't like the fact Mariah didn't acknowledge her comments about it ... and took it as a snub when MC responded to Dolly Parton's thoughts instead of hers.

Despite this, Darlene's rep says she has no beef with Mariah and would be happy to work with her fellow holiday queen.

Mariah Carey won't be getting everything she wants for Christmas this year ... her attempt to trademark the phrase "Queen of Christmas" was just rejected, TMZ has learned.

The U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board denied MC's attempt to trademark "Queen of Christmas" on Tuesday ... along with her attempts to lock down the rights to "Princess Christmas" and "Christmas Princess," according to a release given to TMZ.

As we reported ... Mariah Carey applied for the trademarks back in March of 2021 but quickly faced some backlash.

Despite having some support ... legends like Darlene Love and singer Elizabeth Chan pushed back on MC -- Elizabeth filed an opposition, arguing no one should "monopolize" the word "Christmas."

As for what Mariah wanted to TM for, in her filing she said she planned to use the title for fragrances, lotions, nail polish, jewelry, cups, mugs, chocolate milk, coconut water ... as well as ornaments, toys, dog clothing, masks, lingerie and sweatshirts.

A Denver Broncos special teamer is suing the NFL, the Chargers and a bunch of others ... claiming mats placed on the sidelines at SoFi Stadium earlier this year caused him to suffer a severe knee injury.

Aaron Patrick spelled out his allegations in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, saying that a series of poor decisions by the league and its L.A. team resulted in his ACL tear back on Oct. 17 during the Broncos vs. Chargers' "Monday Night Football" game.

The 25-year-old Denver outside linebacker said in his suit the injury happened in the overtime period of the contest in L.A. ... while he was attempting to make a tackle on a punt return.

Patrick says because of his effort to make the play on the field, his momentum carried him into the sideline area -- where an NFL official who monitors television timeouts was standing. Patrick claims in the suit in an attempt to avoid the man, he had to step on mats that stadium workers had put down to cover up NFL instant replay sideline monitor cords and cables.

Patrick says, as a result, his foot got caught in the mats and the cords -- causing his knee to bend awkwardly. He was later diagnosed with a torn ACL, and is expected to miss the rest of this season.

Patrick is heaping blame on not only the NFL and the Chargers for it all, but also ESPN, the mat company and others -- claiming they all could have done more to prevent the injury from happening.

Patrick claims all parties should have known the mats presented a dangerous hazard for players. He also says the NFL official shouldn't have been standing where he was.

Patrick is suing for unspecified damages, including lost bonuses and future earning potential.

"Player safety should be the foremost of importance to the NFL and its owners," said Patrick's attorney, William M. Berman of Berman & Riedel. "The NFL is a multi-billion-dollar sports enterprise and business, and it needs to do everything possible to protect its players from non-contact game injuries."

NeNe Leakes' boyfriend is looking to close the book on his marriage ... all while his estranged wife remains embroiled in a lawsuit with his current girlfriend.

The 'RHOA' star's current SO, Nyonisela Sioh, just filed to divorce Malomine Tehmeh-Sioh -- who recently sued NeNe over her relationship with her soon-to-be ex-husband.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Nyonisela says he and Malomine have been married since 2016 and have a kid together ... citing their separation date as Sept. 19, 2021. The next part is interesting -- he says they lived separately and haven't resumed marital relations since then, noting the separation from the jump was meant to be permanent.

That could speak to her own legal battle with NeNe ... which boils down to her suing over what she claims was a homewrecker situation -- essentially, accusing NeNe of sleeping with her husband and ruining their marriage ... allegedly causing her emotional distress.

Nyonisela seems to suggest there was no overlap between his separation from Malomine and the new relationship with NeNe. It's unclear, though, when exactly he and NeNe officially hooked up ... they were photographed together as early as December 2021.

Frankie Grande was the subject of a scary situation on the streets of NY ... he got attacked and robbed by 2 teens.

NYPD sources tell TMZ ... Frankie was walking down an NYC street last week ... when he got punched in the back of the head -- the teens then jacked his bag and ran off.

A few hours after the attack, cops say a 17-year-old and 13-year-old attempted to use one of Frankie's credit cards at a nearby smoke shop.

Cops found out and beelined it for the shop, and swiftly arrested the 2. They were booked on assault, robbery, grand larceny and other crimes.

Megan Thee Stallion isn't letting anyone screw up her shot at an American Music Award -- not even her own label, and a Texas judge is backing her up by granting a restraining order.

Megan filed legal docs to get the restraining order against her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and her distributor 300 Entertainment. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Megan claims 1501 made "threatening and retaliatory" moves to block Megan from using her own music in connection with the AMAs ... which will be handed out this coming Sunday.

Of course, Megan's been battling 1501 on a bunch of fronts -- most notably, they're in a legal war over her contract. As we've reported, Meg believes she's satisfied the terms and should be a free agent, but 1501 insists she still owes more recordings.

She doesn't specify what 1501 and/or 300 Entertainment allegedly said or did to mess with the AMA broadcast on ABC -- but a judge heard enough to grant the temporary restraining order. Both companies are now blocked from interfering with her music being used on the award show.

Megan is up for Favorite Female Hip Hop Artist, and voting for the award ends tonight. It's interesting, there is a court hearing scheduled where the label will have a chance to tell their side of the story. Of course, that date is next Tuesday ... 2 days after the AMAs will have aired.