Legal

Jonah Hill is gunning to legally change his name, but you won't need to call him anything different -- it just means lots of paperwork for him ... or his assistant.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the actor -- whose real name is Jonah Hill Feldstein -- filed a petition this week in L.A. to legally drop Feldstein from his name. So, he's just making his stage name official.

The docs say Jonah simply wants the name he's publicly gone by for years to be his legal handle. It is all the rage these days.

As we reported, Aaron Paul, whose last name is actually Sturtevant, also filed for a legal change to Paul earlier this month.

AP's wife Lauren, and their son Ryden Caspian, also want to change their last names. One big happy, legal Paul family.

Kraft Heinz has what some might call a cheesy lawsuit on its hands ... a woman claims the company misled customers about how much time it takes to cook its mac & cheese.

A Florida woman by the name of Amanda Ramirez filed the class action lawsuit against Kraft Heinz ... claiming its Velveeta Shells & Cheese is not actually "ready in 3 1/2" minutes, as advertised.

Ramirez says the 3.5 minutes is only the amount of time the food has to go in the microwave. She claims it takes more time to actually prepare the meal -- don't forget ya gotta pour water into the cup and stir in the cheese sauce.

She doesn't say how long it takes her, but claims the 4 steps listed in the directions --- remove the lid and cheese sauce pouch, add water to the fill line and stir, microwave for 3 1/2 minutes, and then stir in the cheese sauce -- don't equate to the mac actually being READY to eat in that time frame.

She's looking to put together a class of customers who might also be upset about the prep time and says the damages will exceed $5 million.

"We are aware of this frivolous lawsuit and will strongly defend against the allegations in the complaint," the company reportedly told USA Today.

Blueface and Chrisean Rock aren't sweating his arrest for attempted murder ... 'cause they partied their faces off last weekend, just days after he was in handcuffs.

The rapper couple attended two different events in Phoenix on November 18th and 19th. The first was hosted by CR at a club called Monarch, where she brought out her BF ... the 2nd was helmed by Blueface himself at a joint called Tru Ultra Lounge.

TMZ obtained video of the latter -- and as you see, only good times are on their minds ... as Blueface and Chrisean raged, drank, danced and even performed.

Blueface got on the mic at one point, and Chrisean boogied down. They looked pretty tight throughout the night ... sneaking in kisses and cozying up. You'd never know he'd landed in some boiling hot water just days earlier.

As we reported ... Blueface was arrested Tuesday in Vegas for attempted murder, where undercover cops swarmed in, taking him into custody in dramatic fashion.

He bailed out the next day and is due back in court in January. BF doesn't seem concerned, and ditto Chrisean. She's been fully in his corner since the arrest.

As for the attempted murder allegation ... we've learned there was an altercation in October where Blueface is alleged to have fired a gun at a guy who was fleeing a strip club after a joke was taken the wrong way. Blueface is in the video, allegedly firing the shots. Cops say the alleged victim was grazed by a bullet.

Kim Petras is doubling down on her continued partnership with Dr. Luke -- this as his trial against Kesha is set to get started next year.

The singer got into a number of testy exchanges Sunday with a ton of Twitter users who were dogpiling her over a tweet she sent out that read, "get talented or good at anything then talk to me." One person responded, "stop defending dr luke first then."

Petras's since-deleted response ... "5000000 ppl work with him why y'all only coming at me. I have nothing to say or be ashamed of at all. go away." She continued to fend off bird app users who were furious with her ... slamming her for what they perceived as her defending her longtime producer Dr. Luke, who's been accused of sexually assaulting Kesha.

Luke, of course, has vehemently denied Kesha's allegations time and again, and even sued her for defamation over her repeated claims -- a civil case that's finally going to court in July after years of litigation between the two of them. She first accused him back in 2014.

After a lot of back and forth with an army of Kesha supporters, Kim gave up the fight ... deleting most of her tweets from Sunday and suggesting she was sick of arguing.

Her point about other artists working with Luke is worth noting though -- while she does have an extensive professional relationship with him, she's far from the only one. Other big-name stars have collaborated with Dr. Luke ... even after Kesha went public with her claims.

Doja Cat is among some of the celebs who've teamed up with Luke, as has Saweetie, DaBaby, The Kid LAROI, Tyga, Lourdiz and several others who have the guy listed as either a writer or co-writer on tracks of theirs.

A 26-year-old man is the new Anna Delvey Sorokin ... because he assumed the role of an oil baron heir and chartered a slew of private jets, rented homes that went for $30k a night and a lot more ... until he was nailed by authorities.

Nicholas Bryant defrauded 50 people and maybe more, stealing around $1.5 million in his criminal scheme.

It was humming along nicely for Nick, until he stiffed one of the jet charter companies to the tune of $76k. The company called authorities and Nick was nailed. He pled guilty earlier this month to wire fraud, which carries a maximum of 20 years behind bars.

Bryant says he feels remorse for what he did, and admitted he never intended to pay his victims.

Bryant told The Daily Beast the allegations "are pretty much true."  He went on to say, "I took private jets and stayed at the most expensive AirBnbs and hotels. Went deep sea fishing and toured everything that was possible. I bought and drove five different high-end cars. By far my most favorite trip was to [Turks] and Caicos. I spent two weeks on the island from fishing to sailing yachts. I stayed in a $30,000-a-night house. It was amazing."

And he makes a pretty stunning confession ... "The serious consequences had zero impression on me."

Kathryn Hahn and her hubby Ethan Sandler want name changes for their 2 kids ... and it's all about giving Mama her due.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kathryn and Ethan filed a petition last week in Los Angeles ... looking to add "Hahn" as a second middle name before the last name "Sandler" for both 16-year-old Leonard and 13-year-old Mae.

Meaning the teens would now be going by Leonard Henry Hahn Sandler and Mae Marie Hahn Sandler! The couple didn't get specific about why they wanted the change for their teenagers.

Another celeb recently went through the name change process -- TMZ broke the story, Aaron Paul, whose last name is actually Sturtevant, was lookin' to officially get his last name changed to Paul a few weeks back.

FTX might be doomed, but Mark Cuban isn't giving up on crypto just yet ... telling TMZ Sports there's still a ton of value in the digital currency, despite the exchange's massive crisis.

We spoke with the billionaire Mavs owner out in NYC this week ... and he told us that even amidst difficult times, he believes cryptocurrency still has relevance when appropriately used.

"Separate the signal from the noise," Cuban said. "There's been a lot of people making a lot of mistakes, but it doesn't change the underlying value."

Cuban said that as long as consumers have viable options in the crypto world, he doesn't foresee the currency going into the tank.

As we reported, Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Steph Curry, Shaquille O'Neal, Udonis Haslem, David Ortiz, Trevor Lawrence, Shohei Ohtani, and Naomi Osaka are all part of a lawsuit claiming FTX honcho Sam Bankman-Fried enlisted their help to scheme people.

We asked Mark about Bankman-Fried, who's accused of creating the fraudulent cryptocurrency scheme intended to take advantage of investors, and the billionaire thinks jail time is imminent for the 30-year-old.

"I don't know all the details, but if I were him, I'd be afraid of going to jail for a long time," Cuban said. "I talked to the guy and thought he was smart."

"I had no idea he was going to take other people's money and put it to his personal use."

Shakira is firing back at Spanish prosecutors, claiming she's the victim of a smear campaign and has the receipts to prove it.

The singer filed legal docs Friday in Spain, answering allegations she failed to pay more than $14 million in taxes for income earned from 2012 through 2014.

Shakira says during that period, she was NOT a resident of Spain. According to the laws of the country, she's required to pay taxes if she spends 183 days or more there in a single year.

She says during the period in question, she actually paid $10,141,075 in taxes to the U.S. government -- this is the time when she appeared as a coach on "The Voice." She says she was not in Spain for the requisite period of time -- 183 days.

Prosecutors are seeking an 8-year prison sentence and a $24 million fine if she's convicted in the upcoming trial, but she says in new legal docs she's paid more than $90 mil to Spain's version of Uncle Sam.

According to the legal docs, Shakira declared herself a tax resident of Spain in 2015, after settling there with her family and enrolling her son in school.

Shakira claims the government is also gunning for her failure to pay in 2011 ... she says she was on a global tour and only spend a grand total of 60 days in the country.

A judge in Colombia famous for posting provocative pictures of herself just got suspended from her lofty judicial position for showing up to a virtual court hearing HALF-NAKED!!

You heard it right. Justice Vivian Polania decided to preside over a recent Zoom hearing for a criminal case, wearing sexy lingerie and puffing a cigarette. She also posed for the camera on her bed while listening in on the alleged car bombing case. When she did speak, Polania would slur her words. At one point, she shut off the camera for nearly an hour, apparently aware of her crude behavior.

The judge's X-rated escapades reportedly violated multiple administrative regulations, and Columbia's judicial disciplinary commission handed down a 3-month unpaid suspension, citing her lack of respect for her judgeship. The commission launched its investigation after the video of the hearing went viral.

For her part, Polania reportedly denied being half-naked, claiming she was in bed during the hearing because she had low blood pressure and an anxiety attack. She also blamed other judges for bullying her over the way she provocatively dresses.

A one-time Olympic boxer has been arrested for threatening to go on a shooting rampage inside a Florida gym.

Azea Augustama was taken into custody in Miami and booked on three felony charges -- two counts of issuing written threats to commit a mass shooting and one count of threatening to kill or do bodily harm.

He was ordered held on $3 million bond at a court hearing.

According to an affidavit, obtained by TMZ, Azea's membership at Miami's Boxr gym got yanked earlier this month after he had a heated argument with someone.

Then, on Tuesday, Azea had the police escort him back into the gym to retrieve the possessions he had left behind, but they had disappeared.

Azea later took to social media to vent his anger over his missing belongings ... making "threats to kill or do bodily harm with a firearm," the affidavit states.

He went so far as to tag the gym in a few of his threatening Instagram posts, which also included a deposit receipt for an AK-47. He later deleted the receipt.

Police were notified about the threats and tracked Azea to the pawn shop where he had originally put down the $150 deposit for the weapon.

Celebrities like R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein are spending another Thanksgiving behind bars ... while Josh Duggar and Fetty Wap are spending the holiday in prison for the first time, but their menus are mostly traditional and plentiful.

TMZ obtained prison and jail menus from across the country -- specifically from spots where big names are locked up. Not everyone's getting turkey, but they'll all be feeling fowl!

Here's a breakdown of the Thanksgiving meals:

Duggar at FCI Seagoville:

-- Split turkey breast, baked ham, sweet potato casserole, cornbread dressing, vegetable lasagna, veggie meatloaf, green bean casserole, rolls, holiday pies and cranberry sauce

R. Kelly at MCC Chicago:

-- Baked cornish hen, mac & cheese, sweet potato casserole, cornbread dressing, green beans and holiday dessert

"Cheer" star Jerry Harris at FMC Lexington:

-- Glazed cornish hen, stuffed green peppers, candied yams, stuffing, mac & cheese, garlic macaroni, green beans, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce and assorted fruit pies

Fetty Wap at MDC Brooklyn:

-- Herb-roasted turkey, tofu fried rice, baked candied sweet potato, mac & cheese, garlic macaroni, simmered cabbage, rolls and fruit pie

Ghislaine Maxwell at FCI Tallahassee:

-- Turkey, Tofurky, cornbread dressing, collard greens, mac & cheese, rolls, cranberry sauce and sweet potato pie

Harvey Weinstein at L.A. County Jail:

-- Roast turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, green salad, rolls, pumpkin muffins and chocolate milk

In addition to all the grub, facilities are offering a ton of activities on Thanksgiving Day.

The suspected Colorado shooter is appearing in court for the first time since the mass murder.

Anderson Lee Aldrich -- who appeared bloodied and bruised, with significant damage to their face -- appeared on video for the judge Wednesday for a hearing in the case. Aldrich's time with the judge only lasted a couple mins, without much significance -- they'll be back in court December 6.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Aldrich's public defender says their client uses they/them pronouns and will be referred to as Mx. Aldrich in future proceedings. It's the first time Aldrich has claimed to be part of the LGBT community on paper or even publicly.

The problem ... it doesn't appear Aldrich has ever identified as nonbinary in the past. As far as we've seen ... Aldrich has never gone by these pronouns. So, naturally, many are questioning whether this could be a play to avoid federal hate crime charges.

In any case, there are other things Aldrich is requesting here -- including notice of whether law enforcement has accessed their electronics and/or social media, noting some material may be privileged and that Aldrich hasn't given permission for certain records to be perused.

Aldrich is also requesting other private records to remain sealed, including medical and/or psychiatric treatment they might've ever received. Essentially, Aldrich and their counsel are demanding to know what the government has accessed of theirs thus far, and to provide any waivers of release they claim to have obtained from Aldrich at this court hearing.

Aldrich seems to want any personal material that can receive confidentiality and privilege under Colorado law to stay under wraps from public view as the case plays out. TMZ will be streaming the hearing to see if the judge weighs in, and if Aldrich addresses the court.

Thus far, they've been charged with five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury -- which have been handed down by the state.

Kobe Bryant's 19-year-old daughter is getting court-ordered protection from an alleged stalker ... who her team says has an obsession with her and with guns.

Natalia Bryant got a judge to sign off on a temporary restraining order against 32-year-old Dwayne Kemp.

TMZ broke the story ... Natalia claims Kemp has been under the delusion they're in a relationship ... she says the harassment has been going on for 2 years, and escalating. She says he recently showed up at USC, creeping around buildings where she's taking classes. He's even shown up at her sorority house.

What's especially scary ... according to court docs, Kemp has been convicted of at least 4 crimes, including one involving a firearm. Cops say he's in the process of buying a gun, and he's made clear on social media he's interested in an AK-47 and/or a fully automatic Glock.

Natalia says Kemp once sent her a DM with an image of her late father Kobe and wrote, "Thankful For Him Birthing You, Hopefully We Can Birth Him… 'Kobe,'" adding a red heart to the message. The docs say Kemp had the hopes of having "a Kobe-like child together."

Conor McGregor's close friend and training partner claims the UFC superstar screwed him out of millions over his Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey ... and now, he's suing to get what he believes he deserves.

MMA fighter and boxer Artem Lobov filed the suit ... claiming he was the mastermind behind Conor's successful Irish whiskey brand. Lobov says he was promised a 5% cut of the company for his efforts ... but when McGregor and his partners sold their stake for $600 million in 2021, he was left with nothing.

Conor reportedly raked in around $150 million as a result of the deal ... and Lobov previously claimed McGregor offered him $1 million, but he declined.

Lobov's attorney, Dermot McNamara, released a statement on the lawsuit ... saying, "My client is a retired professional fighter with a master’s degree from DCU in Finance and Capital Markets."

"We have issued High Court proceedings on his behalf to enforce an agreement with Mr. McGregor regarding the Proper No. Twelve whiskey brand."

"My client was the initial creator and co-founder of the concept to launch an Irish whiskey brand associated with Mr. McGregor."

Karen J. Kessler, a spokesperson for Conor, refutes Lobov's claim ... telling TMZ Sports, "Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey was created, developed, branded and tirelessly promoted by Conor McGregor."

Savannah Chrisley is ready to take custody of 2 of her young relatives ... as her parents will be heading to prison to do serious time.

The "Growing Up Chrisley" alum talked about the drastic change in her life during Monday's latest episode of the "Unlocked" podcast ... which dropped just a few hours before Todd and Julie found out about their sentences.

She sounds pretty concerned about what the outcome would be in court, and confirms she'd be getting custody of her 16-year-old brother Grayson, and 10-year-old niece Chloe.

Savannah understandably gets emotional ... seeing it as one of the most difficult parts of this legal battle, but says she's prepared to take them on for their first Thanksgiving away from Todd and Julie.

Again, the podcast was done before the sentencing, and as it turns out ... the Chrisleys aren't required to start serving their time until January.

As we reported, a judge gave Todd 12 years in prison after his conviction for bank fraud and tax evasion, while Julie got 7 and both got 6 months of probation.

Amber Heard says her million-dollar insurance policy does, in fact, have to cover her in the Johnny Depp trial and verdict ... and she's asking a judge to confirm it.

The actress countersued New York Marine and General Insurance Co. after they first asked a judge to let 'em off the hook for a $1 million liability policy she'd taken out to protect her from defamation claims.

Their argument was based on the fact the jury found Amber's committed willful misconduct in her defamation of Johnny -- and under California law, they say that gives them an out in having to fulfill the policy. In other words, they believe they're not responsible.

In new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Amber argues the exact opposite ... namely, that New York Marine promised to pay her defense costs and judgments against her up to a million dollars, no matter what. That's the unconditional deal she claims they struck with her, and she says they haven't lived up to their end of the bargain.

AH says that in trying to wipe their hands clean, they're turning their back on that agreement ... including breach of contract, among other claims.