Legal

"Teen Mom" star Nathan Griffith, who has a son with Jenelle Evans, has been arrested for domestic battery after allegedly choking his girlfriend ... TMZ has learned.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Delray Beach, FL police responded to a domestic disturbance call Friday from Nathan's brother-in-law, William ... who claimed Nathan told him on the phone he "lost it" -- choked his girlfriend and dragged her up the stairs.

Cops say William told them Nathan then hung up, which prompted William to text the GF to ask if she was ok -- and she replied, "no."

Police say Nathan was uncooperative when they arrived, claiming they were fine ... and even told the officers William's on drugs and wasn't a reliable source.

Cops say they noticed several scratches on his neck and back, but Nathan told them they came from having sex with his girlfriend.

The docs say the girlfriend, who appeared to be recently crying, initially was uncooperative at first ... but eventually told cops Nathan had been physically aggressive with her. She added she couldn't explain the specifics, as she "blacked out," although she wouldn't clarify if that was from getting choked.

According to the report, she later shouted, "I'm 100 some pounds and he's 250 how in the hell am I supposed to get him off me."  Cops say they noticed bruising on her neck starting to appear ... and Nathan was eventually placed under arrest for domestic battery by strangulation.

Jeff Hardy is putting his most recent legal problem behind him -- the wrestling star's June DUI case in Florida was officially closed on Thursday, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to the Volusia County court records, Hardy submitted a written no contest plea ... meaning he accepted a conviction and punishment for the crime, but didn't admit guilt.

Hardy was sentenced to 38 days in jail ... but was given a 38-day credit for time already served, and had his license suspended for 10 years, according to Wrestling Observer.

The outlet says Hardy was sentenced to two years probation, court-mandated DUI school or drug rehab program, and community service, and he has to pay $4,586 in fines and court fees.

Hardy -- who was suspended by All Elite Wrestling (AEW) a day after he was arrested for his third DUI -- will also have to wear an interlock device for two years.

Jeff -- who starred for WWE and TNA before joining AEW -- was arrested last June after officers from the Florida Highway Patrol found that he was driving under the influence.

FWP officers administered two tests to Hardy and claim he blew a .291 and .294, well above the legal limit (.08) permitted in Florida, and even had to pull out their service weapons during the stop.

An unruly spectator stormed the pitch and punched a player in the face during a Europa League match on Thursday ... and his reward was getting dropped with a vicious right hand before being dragged out by security.

It all went down at Philips Stadium in the Netherlands .... where PSV was playing Sevilla FC.

During the contest, a man ran onto the field and punched Sevilla goalkeeper, Marko Dmitrovic -- but the fan was in for a rude awakening because the Serbian star was ready for the smoke.

Check out the clip ... the guy comes face to face with Dmitrovic before teeing off, but Marko demonstrates quick reflexes and drops the fan to the ground with one punch.

Once Dmitrovic leveled the guy, who was wearing a black jacket, blue jeans, and sneakers when he did the ambush, Marko tried to subdue him until security intervened.

Players on the field began running in Dmitrovic's direction once they realized what was happening ... and eventually, a swarm of people surrounded the man.

The guy attempted to put up a fight while on the ground by trying to break free from Marko's grasp ... but he was unsuccessful, and security ultimately booted him from the match.

Storming the pitch is a common tradition in soccer ... but in this instance, the fan got more than he bargained for and chose the wrong goalkeeper to put his hands on.

The parents of the woman who was killed in Tuscaloosa last month are appalled Brandon Miller was allowed to suit up for Alabama on Wednesday ... claiming the university is focusing more on saving his basketball career than the lives that were ruined as a result of the tragic shooting.

Miller scored 41 points to help the Crimson Tide beat South Carolina ... just one day after cops testified he was connected to Jamea Harris' murder by providing now ex-teammate Darius Miles with his gun on Jan. 15.

Miles isn't accused of actually firing the gun, but has been arrested for capital murder. A third man allegedly fired the fatal shot ... using Miles' gun, which was allegedly delivered by Miller.

DeCarla Cotton was shocked Miller was eligible to play in the game ... telling USA Today, "It’s just unimaginable, and it’s like his life is just going on."

"He took a brief pause and it didn’t stop. It’s like, okay, slap on the wrist and go play ball."

Cotton points out her daughter would still be alive if a gun was not present on Jan. 15 ... adding Miller should have known the potential consequences.

Cotton said the university should care more about her grandson, 5-year-old, Kaine ... who now has to grow up without a mother.

"He’s the true victim in all this," she added. "He won’t have a mother anymore to influence his growing up and who he’s going to be."

Jamea's stepdad, Delvin Heard, also went after Bama head coach, Nate Oats for comments he made surrounding the tragedy ... calling his handling of the matter "godawful."

Heard specifically stated Oats crossed the line for saying Miller was in the wrong place at the wrong time ... claiming the coach "crossed the line."

Oats later apologized for his previous statements, but Heard clearly isn't having it.

"The retraction meant nothing to us because over this five-week period, he has made a habit of making reckless statements," Heard added. "When I say reckless, I mean statements not considering the victim in this whole thing, which is Jamea Harris."

As we previously reported, Miller's attorney claimed in a statement he "never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur."

Adam Levine is taking a car dealer to court who sold him an extremely rare car, or so he thought -- because Adam claims he's been swindled.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the singer's going after classic car dealer Rick Cole, claiming they did a vehicle swap back in 2021 ... giving Cole a 1968 and 1972 Ferrari he says were valued at $950K combined and getting a $100K and a 1971 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 Liter Spyder in return.

The real deal could fetch around $1 mil, since only 25 were made ... the docs call it an "extremely desirable and valuable car in the current classic car market."

According to the lawsuit, when the whip was taken to Autosport Designs to market it, it turned out the Maserati wasn't legit ...  claiming Cole took several steps to pass it off as the real McCoy after a failed auction of the same vehicle back in 2015.

Adam says Cole -- who's made deals in the past with Steve McQueen, Robin Williams, Frank Sinatra, and Johnny Carson -- kept all those earlier issues under wraps on purpose to make a serious profit.

The Maroon 5 frontman's trust is now seeking more than $850K in damages.

Alec Baldwin just pled not guilty in the fateful "Rust" shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins.

The actor submitted his plea Thursday, a day before he was supposed to be arraigned. As for the conditions of his release -- the court ordered Baldwin not be allowed to drink, possess a gun or talk to potential witnesses UNLESS it's regarding the continuation of filming "Rust."

He will no longer need to appear at his hearing Friday.

As we reported, Baldwin's been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Hutchins -- the District Attorney initially tacked on a firearm enhancement to the charge, but that was dropped earlier this week after Baldwin pointed out the version of the enhancement statute prosecutors cited wasn't effective until 7 months after the shooting.

It could have major implications for Baldwin -- the gun enhancement charge could've resulted in a mandatory 5-year prison sentence. Now that it's gone, he's only looking at up to 18 months behind bars if convicted ... and could end up with just probation.

The enhancement was also dropped against armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison in his sexual assault case in Los Angeles ... with the punishment coming down two months after a jury found him guilty of rape.

Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench sentenced the disgraced film producer Thursday in a downtown L.A. courtroom.

Remember ... Weinstein was charged with sexually abusing four accusers, and the jury ultimately found him guilty of rape and sexual assault for one of the women. The jury found Weinstein guilty of all charges related to Jane Doe 1 -- forcible rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object and forcible oral copulation.

The judge sentenced him to 8 years for the oral copulation charge, 6 years for the forcible penetration charge and 2 years for the rape charge, but they'll run consecutively.

The jury was hung on counts related to Jane Doe 2 and 4 -- forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual battery by restraint -- and Weinstein was found not guilty of a sexual battery by restraint charge from Jane Doe 3.

Weinstein's rep, Juda Engelmayer, tells TMZ, "It’s a cruel sentence, given his age, his health and the conditions of his conviction in Los Angeles, when the sole charge was from a person who lied, with the judge and prosecutor well aware of it and permitting it, about critical elements of her own claim."

Juda continues, "There are many out there who will celebrate this action, but it is a sad day for justice and fairness, and I hope no one who is pleased with this is ever caught on the wrong side of cancel culture while hopelessly and voicelessly proclaiming innocence."

R. Kelly has just been sentenced in Chicago to 20 years for his federal sex crimes case.

The disgraced singer was in federal court in Illinois Thursday ... 19 of the years will be served concurrent with the sentence he's carrying out now, while the final year will be consecutive.

Prosecutors recommended a 25-year sentence and asked that it be served on top of the time he's already serving behind bars.

As we reported, Kelly was accused of abusing 4 people, 3 being minors, in this case and faced child pornography charges. He was found guilty on 6 of 13 charges, with the jury convicting him on the child pornography counts, but acquitting him on charges of conspiracy and enticement.

U.S. Attorney Jon Lausch at the time said his sentencing could range anywhere from 10-90 years ... but Kelly seemed to catch a small break earlier this year -- even if it won't make a big effect on his time in prison.

Charges against Kelly from Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx were dropped in January, with Kelly's attorney Jennifer Bonjean telling us Foxx decided to not pursue the case because he's been convicted twice of similar crimes and is already looking at the possibility of a lifetime lockup.

As you know, R. Kelly's currently serving a 30-year sentence for federal racketeering from a conviction in New York.

Alex Murdaugh, who has been charged with the double murder of his wife and son, took the stand and denied shooting his late family members to death.

The disgraced powerhouse attorney testified in his own defense Thursday in a South Carolina courtroom, fielding questions from his defense lawyers, denying he killed his son Paul, adding he didn't shoot his wife, Maggie either.

Murdaugh told the jury ... "I didn't shoot my wife or my son anytime ever."

He became very emotional as he described finding his son and wife dead.

While Murdaugh denied pulling the trigger in the fatal June 2021 shootings, he admitted to lying to authorities about the case.

Murdaugh apologized to the rest of his family, many of whom were in the courtroom... saying he would "never intentionally do anything to hurt" his wife or son Paul, who he referred to as "Paw Paw."

Maggie and 22-year-old Paul were found dead at the Murdaugh's hunting property in June 2021 after they were shot with what investigators believe are two different guns. Murdaugh told police he discovered their bodies after the fact, claiming he had an alibi.

Murdaugh was a person of interest for a while, but it took over a year for him to be charged with murder.

A couple months after his wife and son were found dead, Murdaugh allegedly hired a gunman to kill him so his surviving son, Buster, could collect a $10 million life insurance policy. But Murdaugh survived a gunshot wound to the head and was arrested and charged for the alleged scheme.

It ain't easy becoming an overnight billionaire -- and there's a new headache for the winner of the largest lottery jackpot in history -- as one man claims the winning ticket was stolen from him ... and he's now filed a lawsuit.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jose Rivera says he bought his lottery ticket from Joe's Service Center in Altadena, CA on November 7 -- the day before the big $2.04B drawing.

He says a man by the name of "Reggie" stole the ticket from him the very same day he bought it.

After the numbers were drawn, Jose says he tried to get Reggie to return the ticket, which allegedly held the winning numbers, but to no avail ... with Reggie simply saying it wasn't a winner, and if found he'd agree to give up half.

Jose says he "refused to be blackmailed" and reported the theft to the CA Lottery and law enforcement.

Fast forward to this month, when a man named Edwin Castro was named the winner of the big prize and reportedly elected to collect the prize as a lump sum of $997.6 million ... Jose says he submitted a claim form to the CA Lottery, claiming the ticket had been stolen and asking for an investigation before paying out the winnings.

Jose lists both Castro and Reggie as 2 separate defendants ... seemingly insinuating that they both might be liable for failing to hand over the cash, although the details are not clear in the lawsuit.

He's asking the court for damages and to declare him the winner of the historic $2.04 billion jackpot.

Kay Flock's legal problems continue to pile up while he awaits trial on murder charges ... the Bronx drill rapper was just indicted by a federal grand jury for a slew of racketeering conspiracy charges.

The new indictment accuses Kay Flock and 5 others of running the Sev Side/DOA gang ... and tacks on several counts related to his separate December 2021 murder charge, when authorities claim the rapper murdered Oscar Hernandez in cold blood outside a Bronx barbershop.

According to the indictment, Sev Side/DOA's primary purpose was to commit robberies, acts of violence and financial fraud in their Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx ... they also face several counts of attempted murder and illegal firearm possession.

The 19-year-old rapper managed to maintain a nice buzz while behind bars last April, thanks to his collab with Cardi B "Shake It" which peaked at No. 51 on the Hot 100.

A longtime hairstylist for KISS says the rock band didn't act fast enough to help a COVID-stricken guitar tech while they were on tour, leading to his death.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, David Mathews accused KISS' manager Doc McGhee, of mishandling the grave situation involving Francis Stueber. KISS legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are also named defendants in the suit.

Mathews claims the group was on a tour stop in October 2021 when he learned Stueber had contracted a severe case of COVID while staying in an Illinois hotel room.

He says he urged Stueber to contact Stanley to arrange being sent to the hospital, and  Stueber agreed to do so.

Mathews says he then went to Stanley's dressing room and told him, "Call Fran. He's very sick. I can hear the fear in his voice. He needs to go to the hospital."

Stanley allegedly responded, "I get it. I was afraid too when I was sick with COVID." The rock star, according to the docs, phoned Stueber and advises him to go to the hospital, explaining that the disease was "nothing to mess around with."

But, hours later, Mathews says McGhee told him Stueber didn't want to go to the hospital, which conflicted with Stueber's earlier statements to him.

Still, Stanley called Stueber again and told him to go to the hospital, the docs say.  Stueber apparently agreed, and McGhee promised to have a Live Nation rep take him to the medical center.

That allegedly never happened. Nearly an hour later, according to the docs, Matthews inquired about Stueber with McGhee, who said Stueber was being tested with an oxygen meter to see if he really needed to go to the hospital.

Matthews says, "Unfortunately, it was apparent that Mr. McGhee did not act in a timely manner. The Live Nation representative did not arrive until the following morning. When visitors entered Mr. Stueber's room at about 1 a.m., he was found dead."

Rolling Stone magazine then ran an article about Stueber's death, blaming KISS for having lax COVID protocols while on tour. The band was allegedly furious and blamed Matthews for the anonymous leaks to the R.S. reporter.

Although Mathews denied being the source of the information, the band apparently didn't believe him and allegedly ended up canning him the following May after 30 years of service.

Mathews is suing the group for wrongful termination, retaliation in violation of labor code and failure to pay all wages.

Nipsey Hussle's pal Cowboy is satisfied with the sentence that came down on the rapper's murderer, but still believes the wound left by Nip's death is one that will never heal.

We got Cowboy outside the DTLA courthouse where the judge gave Eric Holder 60 years to life. He told us it's a big win for those closest to the superstar rapper, but he also filled us in on why it's a bittersweet moment.

While the sentencing brings an end to the tragic saga of Nipsey's murder ... Cowboy says he'll still have Nipsey's family's back -- just as he did through the trial -- because they all made an impact on his life.

As we reported, Holder was handed his lengthy sentence Wednesday after a jury found him guilty last year of 1st-degree murder. He gunned down Nipsey back in 2019.

We also got activist Najee Ali after Holder's sentencing, and he echoes Cowboy's feelings ... saying any amount of time behind bars could never bring back Nip, but he too calls 60 years fitting for the crime.

Actor Ray Buffer is officially going up against prosecutors for his comic book theft debacle ... which includes surveillance video of him allegedly swiping merch.

A rep for the San Diego City Attorney tells TMZ ... Ray's been charged with one count of misdemeanor petty theft over the October 2022 incident. We're told the actor pled not guilty at his arraignment in January, and a further court hearing is scheduled next week.

As we reported, Southern California Comics claims Ray took $600 worth of comic books, and handed cops security cam footage of the whole caper.

Another comic shop -- this one in L.A. County -- said it had similar footage from their store of Ray attempting to swipe comics. That owner was seen on camera booting him out of the store over it.

The owner of Southern California Comics tells TMZ … he was told by the City Attorney's office that Ray's lawyer is attempting to cut a deal to handle the matter by paying restitution to the shop and entering a diversion program -- but the shop owner doesn't think such a slap on the wrist is enough.

Ray has more than 100 acting credits to his name, appearing in TV shows like "ER" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and most recently "Into the Wild Frontier".

We reached out to Ray for comment ... so far no word back.

Kim Zolciak's kiddos are denying the family's Georgia mansion is in foreclosure and heading to the auction block ... claiming it's all a misunderstanding.

The "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star's daughters, Brielle and Ariana Biermann, tried to clear the air Wednesday ... telling photogs at LAX the family is still living in their Alpharetta estate with no plans on moving out.

Brielle and Ariana say all the family's belongings are still in the home and they're not concerned about losing the house ... saying they even slept there before traveling across the country.

Kim's daughters don't go into depth on what the so-called misunderstanding is ... but as we reported last week, a public notice stated the home is scheduled to be auctioned off March 7 at the Fulton County Courthouse.

A law firm previously told us they were handling the foreclosure for Kim and Kroy Biermann's home, which rests along the 18th hole of the Manor Golf & Country Club.

Kim's kids say the house is already saved and their mom hasn't said anything to them about an upcoming auction, though they admit they've asked Kim about all the news reports.

Remember ... Kim and Kroy bought the home way back in 2012 for $880,000 and it's been heavily featured on 'RHOA' and the couple's own reality show, "Don't Be Tardy." The estate has an elevator, pool, waterfall, spa and basketball court.

Truist Bank reportedly began foreclosure proceedings on the property back in August after Kim and Kroy defaulted on their mortgage.

Univ. of Alabama star forward Brandon Miller is expected to play on Wednesday night ... one day after cops testified he was the one who brought the gun that was used in the killing of a woman in Tuscaloosa last month.

The school's athletic director, Greg Byrne, said in a podcast just hours before the Tide were set to tip off against the Univ. of South Carolina that Miller did make the trip with the team to Columbia, S.C. and is scheduled to play in the game.

The contest is slated to begin at 8 PM CT.

Of course, the impending move comes as a surprise to many ... as on Tuesday, police said Miller had a connection to the murder case involving his ex-teammate, Darius Miles.

Cops alleged in testimony that Miles had contacted Miller on Jan. 15 about bringing him Miles' gun, which he'd left in Miller's car earlier in the night. Police said Miller eventually arrived on the scene with it -- and the firearm was ultimately used in the killing of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.

Miles' friend, 20-year-old Michael Davis, is the one actually accused of pulling the trigger.

Following the new police testimony, Alabama head coach Nate Oats said Miller was not facing any punishment from him or the school. Oats told reporters, "Brandon hasn't been in any type of trouble nor is he in any type of trouble in this case. Wrong spot at the wrong time."

Miller's attorney, in a lengthy statement released Wednesday afternoon, said Miles' gun was in Miller's car when Miller went to pick up the former Tide basketball player ... but Miller insists he "never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur."

The attorney added, "Brandon does not own a firearm and has never even handled a firearm. Moreover, he had no knowledge of any intent to use any weapon."

Miller has not been charged with any crimes. He is fully cooperating with authorities in the case, his attorney said.

Miles and Davis, meanwhile, are both facing capital murder charges.