Legal

Shawn Kemp's attorney just released a statement on the ex-NBA star's arrest ... saying his actions were "reasonable and legally justified" when he fired a gun in a shopping mall parking lot -- alleging thieves opened fire on him first.

W. Scott Boatman addressed the situation in a lengthy note on Thursday -- shortly after Kemp was released from jail -- saying the incident started after his client's property, including an iPhone, was stolen from his car Tuesday night.

Boatman says Kemp tracked his phone to an occupied car that was parked near a Tacoma, WA shopping center on Wednesday ... and when he approached the vehicle, the individuals inside shot at him.

The attorney says Kemp returned fire, but only out of self-defense ... and he remained at the scene and spoke with cops "in an attempt to assist in the matter."

No one was injured during the incident.

Kemp was arrested and booked for a drive-by shooting Wednesday night ... and spent the night behind bars before being released less than 24 hours later.

Kemp's attorney is also disputing that there was a "drive-by shooting" ... but according to Washington state legislature, a drive-by shooting is described as when someone "recklessly discharges a firearm as defined in RCW 9.41.010 in a manner which creates a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury to another person and the discharge is either from a motor vehicle or from the immediate area of a motor vehicle that was used to transport the shooter or the firearm, or both, to the scene of the discharge."

As we previously reported, part of the incident was captured on video ... showing Kemp fire his gun, drive around the parking lot and drop an item in a bush before speaking with police.

Cops later retrieved a revolver from that same location.

Alex Murdaugh is being held in the most secure area of a South Carolina prison ... and it's all because other inmates might wanna take him down a few notches due to his notoriety.

Murdaugh, who is serving two life sentences after being convicted of murdering his wife and 22-year-old son, is behind bars at Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia, SC, where he's been placed in a single cell.

The SC Department of Corrections tells TMZ ... Murdaugh's infamy could put him at risk -- so, for the most part, he's being kept away from other inmates.

Murdaugh's single cell is made of concrete with a steel bed, toilet and sink. It's a stark contrast to the privileged lifestyle the disgraced powerhouse attorney once led.

We're told Murdaugh is under constant surveillance and he's not even eating with the other inmates. His meals are brought directly to his cell, where he eats alone -- that's how in peril prison officials feel he'd be in general population.

Murdaugh's only going to be at Kirkland for 45 days ... there's an evaluation period before he's assigned to a specific custody level, and new prison. At that point, we're told he will get his meals in the cafeteria with his fellow inmates, unless a specific threat is made against him.

For now, though, we're told Murdaugh is being escorted by at least one corrections officer whenever he leaves his cell ... and that's when he gets closest to other inmates, albeit for an extremely limited window.

As far as creature comforts, he can have a few. We're told he can buy a TV for his cell and pay for phone calls to family and friends.

So far, he hasn't been attacked or even threatened ... but Kirkland officials aren't taking any chances he gets harmed on their watch.

Bam Margera recently expressed outrage over his estranged wife bashing him -- but she has every reason to after the difficult state of affairs he's left her in ... so says her lawyer.

Nikki Boyd's attorney, David Glass, tells TMZ ... "Unfortunately, Mr. Margera doesn’t seem to understand what ‘supporting your wife and child’ means" -- this in response to Bam saying last month that he was "disappointed" in what she and Glass had said about him publicly.

Glass adds, "Nikki has no car, no money, is being evicted from her apartment, and can’t afford to send their child to school, while Bam drops $50,000 on bail, and who knows how much on a Las Vegas spree."

Of course, DG is referring to Bam posting bail last week after being arrested for domestic violence near San Diego -- although the D.A. says the goods aren't there to prosecute him.

The final haymaker from Glass ... "Either Bam, or his parents -- whoever controls his money -- has to provide Nikki with enough money each month so she can care for their son."

You'll recall ... Nikki recently filed for legal separation from Bam, following months of them not being together amid his addiction struggles. Things appeared to be on a good path for a time -- when Bam brought their son, Phoenix, onstage with him while he was on tour with Steve-O -- but things fell apart.

Late last month Bam addressed the financial support situation in a social media post directed at Nikki and Glass. Bam claimed that he didn't need to pay Nikki spousal support because they were never officially married. He went on to say that he had done his part by paying her $5k a month, but if he wasn't able to see or talk to his son then he wouldn't be sending anymore money.

Raquel Leviss claims fellow "Vanderpump Rules" star Scheana Shay punched her in the face, -- and is threatening to do it again -- all over Raquel's affair with Tom Sandoval.

A judge granted Raquel a temporary restraining order after she claimed her 'VR' castmate Scheana -- who's also BFFs with Tom's ex, Ariana Madix -- attacked her last Thursday in NYC. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Scheana allegedly shoved Raquel against a brick wall and punched her in her left eye.

Raquel included photos of her bruised eye and cut face in her court filing. She's also afraid this could happen again -- she claims co-workers are telling her Scheana "doesn't regret the physical attack on me and would do it again if she found that further emotional distress was caused to our mutual friend."

That friend, of course, is Ariana ... and the timing of the alleged attack matches up to when we know the cast all found out about Tom and Raquel's affair.

In fact, Scheana and Raquel had just finished shooting an episode of "What What Happens Live" ... where they were getting along just fine. That shifted dramatically hours later.

Scheana even boasted on social media about supporting her friend ... she posted a pic of Ariana and herself with the caption, "Always got your back" ... followed by the punch emoji. Raquel included that IG post in her court filing.

As we first told you ... Raquel beelined it to a L.A. County court Tuesday and filed for the restraining order against Scheana, which the judge granted. She also filed a report Tuesday with LAPD ... both women live in Los Angeles.

Scheana must stay at least 100 yards away from Raquel, her home and her workplace ... which will make the 'VR' reunion show kinda sticky.

For those who don't watch the reality show ... Scheana is besties with Ariana, who saw her 10-year relationship with Tom crumble last week when she discovered her man was having an affair with another woman from the show.

Raquel and Tom have since apologized ... with Raquel saying she regrets hurting Ariana and explaining how she got herself into such a bad spot.

Now, Scheana is fully inserted into this mess. There's a hearing set for March 29, where Scheana and Raquel can have their say in court -- but the 'Vanderpump' reunion is supposed to be shot before that ... so, one of them won't be in the room.

Tiger Woods' split from his ex-girlfriend is way nastier -- and potentially more expensive for him -- than we thought ... TMZ Sports has learned she's suing him for $30 million, claiming he cooked up a scheme to toss her out of their home.

According to docs we've obtained, Erica Herman and Tiger actually broke up last fall. The then-couple had been living together in his Hobe Sound, FL home for 6 years, during which time Erica says she performed "valuable services" for Tiger in exchange for living there rent-free.

She admits she doesn't have that in writing, but refers to an "oral tenancy agreement," which was supposed to last 5 more years after their split.

About that breakup ... Erica claims Tiger's people convinced her to pack a suitcase last fall for a "short vacation" -- without Tiger -- and drove her to the airport. Once they arrived at the airport, she was told she'd been "locked out" of the house and could not go back.

In the docs, Erica alleges one of Tiger's lawyers even met her at the airport with a proposal to resolve any outstanding issues between Tiger and her. She also claims they confiscated more than $40K in cash she had at the house, and accused her of doing something shady to get the money.

She's suing Tiger's trust -- the titleholder on the house -- for $30 mil because she claims that's the "reasonable rental value" of Tiger's house for the 5 remaining years on their oral agreement.

Tiger's trust filed docs in response to the suit, and said Tiger had broken up with her and asked her to leave the home, which he shares with his 2 children. The trust denies there was ever any oral agreement about her living in the home ... instead, Tiger's team says she was only there as his girlfriend.

Basically, once the relationship ended ... so did her right to live there.

Ja Morant is off the hook in his gun video case -- at least criminally -- cops just announced the NBA star will not face charges ... even though he recorded himself brandishing a firearm at a Denver-area club over the weekend.

The Glendale Police Dept. cleared the 23-year-old on Wednesday afternoon ... saying in a statement that despite the "concerning" images on Morant's Instagram Live stream Saturday morning -- "there was not enough available evidence to charge anyone with a crime."

Cops said the incident took place on March 4 just hours after the Grizzlies game against the Nuggets at Shotgun Willie's -- a Gentleman's club located five or so miles from Ball Arena.

"In this case," police said, "it should be noted that on the night in question the GPD did not receive any calls for service at the nightclub regarding a weapon of any type. Subsequently, no disturbances were reported, and no citizens or patrons of the club came forward to make a complaint."

"The investigation also concluded that no one was threatened or menaced with the firearm," they added, "and in fact no firearm was ever located."

While cleared legally ... Morant is still facing potential punishment from the NBA -- the league announced it launched its own investigation into the matter that has not yet concluded.

While the probe continues onward, Morant -- who apologized for the video and vowed to seek out help afterward -- has remained away from the Grizzlies.

A timetable for his return to the hardwood has not been set yet.

The Justice Department has released its findings related to the death of Breonna Taylor ... saying the Louisville PD has a pattern of civil rights abuses in the years leading up to her death.

The results of the department's federal investigation were released Wednesday -- saying the  Louisville Metro Police Department has a history of alleged civil rights abuses and excessive force misconduct ... starting years before Taylor's 2020 killing.

The report, obtained by TMZ, says police committed a slew of other violations over the years ... including violating the rights of those engaging in free speech, conducting searches without proper warrants, and most notably unlawfully executing search warrants without knocking.

It states the Louisville PD has "practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city." It also says police leaders have often brought up ways to improve, but nothing's ever been done.

As you know, Taylor was shot dead nearly 3 years ago by police officers attempting to perform a search at her apartment. Her death sparked nationwide outrage, with many claiming the cops didn't announce their presence properly before bursting in.

Tiger Woods' latest girlfriend of about 6 years is taking the golf legend to court over an NDA she claims he made her sign ... and she's citing a law that prohibits NDAs when there's evidence of sexual assault or harassment.

Erica Herman filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, which spell her grievances out clear as day ... namely, she alleges TW made her sign an NDA at the start of their relationship -- around August 2017, according to her -- which she now says is being wrongfully enforced on her.

In the paperwork, Herman says a private trust that Tiger runs is attempting to steamroll her into keeping quiet about their relationship by aggressively enforcing the NDA she signed.

She argues in her legal docs the NDA should be declared unenforceable under the federal Speak Out Act, which prohibits the enforceability of an NDA agreed to before a dispute arises involving sexual assault or sexual harassment.

By the sounds of it ... she and Tiger are no longer together, but she doesn't specify when they broke up. Publicly, there's been no sign of a split -- although, we haven't quite seen Herman and Tiger together for a while now, even at his latest golf outing a few weeks ago.

In any case, Herman says she's seeking clarity from the court here ... because, according to her, she's eager to share her experiences with Tiger. She wants a judge to declare the NDA invalid and unenforceable.

More "Vanderpump Rules" cast drama, and this time it's Raquel (Rachel) Leviss seeking court-ordered protection from Scheana Shay.

Raquel, whose affair with fellow 'VR' star Tom Sandoval was recently revealed, beelined it to court Tuesday and filed for a restraining order against Scheana ... according to online records.

It's interesting ... the filing comes in the wake of reports Scheana allegedly got violent with Raquel over her and Tom's cheating scandal. We can't yet confirm, though, that rumor -- and that's all it is at this point -- is behind Raquel's request for the restraining order.

For those who don't watch the reality show ... Scheana is best friends with Ariana Madix, who was in a relationship with Tom for 10 years until they split last week ... after Ariana discovered Tom and Raquel had been seeing each other behind her back.

It's unclear right now if a judge granted Raquel's request, or even what she's specifically alleging Scheana did to her.

Raquel Leviss says the intimate FaceTime session she had with Tom Sandoval that ultimately led to Tom's split with Ariana Madix was recorded without her permission, and she's gotten her lawyers involved to warn everyone about sharing it.

Leviss' lawyers fired off a letter Monday to several "Vanderpump Rules" cast members and friends ... warning that the recording "was done illegally without Raquel's knowledge or consent."

Her attorneys cited a revenge porn law in the California penal code outlawing "nonconsensual pornography" ... making it a crime to invade someone's privacy and disseminate such material.

What's more ... the letter warns any distribution of the recording -- whether posted on social media or forwarded to another person -- would be a violation.

The letter doesn't specifically accuse Tom of illegally recording the conversation, but sources who have seen the video tell us it's only the two of them on the call.

The lawyers order anyone in possession of the recording to promptly delete it from their phones, the cloud or "any other manner or method in which the recording may exist."

The letter ended with stern words of caution ... "This matter should be taken very seriously."

Of course, the legal letter was just the latest drama in the lives of Raquel and Tom. TMZ broke the story ... the two carried on an affair that blew up Tom's relationship with his longtime girlfriend Ariana, who also stars on "Vanderpump Rules."

We're told Ariana found out about the affair after she read sexually explicit text messages and saw the video between Tom and Raquel.

This led to a nasty confrontation between Tom and Ariana, which closed the final chapter on their 10-year relationship. Our sources say Tom and Ariana have no plans to reconcile.

Ari Emanuel will likely be on the hunt for some new security, at least temporarily, as a member of his security team shot himself in the leg while patrolling Ari's home.

Law enforcement sources tell us they got a call to Emanuel's Beverly Hills pad around 11 PM Sunday night for the shooting. We're told the security guard was either getting dressed in his vehicle for a shift, or adjusting his weapon holster when the gun went off ... striking him somewhere in the leg.

We're told the shooting itself did not happen on Ari's property.

Our sources say the security guard was transported to the hospital, though we don't know his condition. Cops believe the whole thing was totally accidental.

Worth hundreds of millions of dollars, Emanuel is the CEO of Endeavor, the entertainment and media agency that owns UFC.

Emanuel is one of the biggest names in entertainment business, earning him several tributes through the industry -- including Jeremy Piven's character, Ari Gold, on "Entourage."

Brandon Miller just received top honors in his conference -- despite his connection to a murder case -- with the Alabama Crimson Tide star being named Player of the Year.

The Southeastern Conference unveiled the winners of the men's basketball postseason awards on Monday ... which are selected by the 14 head coaches.

The Tide forward -- who leads the SEC this season with 19.6 points per game -- received two of the awards: Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year ... weeks after Miller's name was mentioned in a murder case.

As we previously reported, law enforcement testified that Miller was the one who brought his former teammate, Darius Miles, the gun that killed 23-year-old Jamea Harris. The mother of one was gunned down on Jan. 15 in Tuscaloosa.

Miles' friend, Michael Davis, is the alleged shooter.

Both Miles and Davis are facing capital murder charges ... but Miller isn't in any trouble with the law or his school.

This, of course, has upset some college hoops fans ... who recently chanted "lock him up" at the Bama-South Carolina game last month.

The victim's parents are also furious the university continued to let him play despite the allegations.

"He took a brief pause and it didn’t stop. It’s like, OK, slap on the wrist and go play ball," Harris' mother, DeCarla Cotton, told USA Today.

"They're worried about his career, but what about this 5-year-old boy (Harris’ son, Kaine). He’s the true victim in all this. He won’t have a mother anymore to influence his growing up and who he’s going to be."

Pete Davidson went from beachside lounging one day to a collision in the streets of L.A. the next ... and his girlfriend was with him for both occasions ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us Pete and Chase Sui Wonders were involved in a car accident Saturday night around 11 PM. Our sources say he was behind the wheel of a Mercedes and driving at a high rate of speed through the Flats neighborhood of Bev Hills.

For some reason, we're told he lost control of the vehicle ... which hopped a curb, took out a fire hydrant and then proceeded to slam into the side of a nearby house ... dragging across the lawn and leaving skid marks on the grass.

Based on photos of the crash site, obtained by TMZ, it doesn't appear Pete went into the property ... but our sources say he did strike it and caused damage. Thankfully, nobody was hurt -- be it outside or in the home. Cops were called, however, and they responded.

We're told the preliminary view is that drugs and alcohol were not involved here, but an investigation is currently underway. Our sources also say no arrests were made on the spot, and that Pete and Chase were not cited either ... at least not for now, anyway.

Unclear what sorta interaction the two stars might've had with the homeowners, but ya gotta imagine insurance is gonna get involved for this ... at the very least. We've reached out to both of their reps for further comment ... so far, no word back.

It's pretty wild that Pete and Chase were back in L.A. in such a short turnaround ... remember, they were literally just photographed in Hawaii earlier that same day (Saturday) enjoying the beach together -- and they didn't seem to be in a rush getting back.

They must've left almost immediately after getting snapped by paps, 'cause a flight from the islands to L.A. takes a good 5 hours or so. Seems they were eager to be out and about as soon as they touched down. Pete even presented at the Kids' Choice Awards last night!

Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger will not face discipline from the MLB following allegations he terrorized the mother of his child ... the league said Sunday it concluded its probe into the star, and will not be imposing any punishment on him.

The league initially opened up its investigation after Olivia Finestead made claims the 32-year-old had been violent with her during their relationship.

In a series of Instagram posts back in January, she claimed the baseball player "threw an iPad at me pregnant." She also said, "he strangled me." She alleged Clevinger "threw chew spit on our baby" as well.

The MLB said in a statement Sunday it spoke with Clevinger's accuser regarding the allegations -- as well as more than 15 other individuals -- during its investigation. It also said it reviewed "thousands of electronic communication records" in relation to the case -- but came to the conclusion "barring the receipt of any new information or evidence, the Office of the Commissioner will not be imposing discipline on Mr. Clevinger in connection with these allegations."

The league, though, did say Clevinger "has voluntarily agreed to submit to evaluations" by the MLB's joint treatment boards and has agreed to "comply with any of the board's recommendations."

Clevinger said following the MLB's announcement that he was "pleased" with the league's findings.

"I had nothing to hide and cooperated fully with MLB," he said. "I asked everyone not to rush to judgment until MLB's investigation was concluded, and I appreciate everyone who had faith in me, including the White Sox organization and my teammates."

Finestead said on her Instagram page Sunday, "Mike putting himself in drug, domestic & family violence therapy has always been my goal since the beginning and he refused to go when I tried to be there for him so I'm glad he's going now."

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Crystal Kung Minkoff is gettin' sued ... along with her filmmaker husband and her brother over a car accident they allegedly caused.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Candice Shahandeh-Rad claims she was stopped on the off-ramp of an L.A. freeway last November in her Audi when she was "suddenly and violently" rear-ended, causing her to hit the car in front of her.

The docs say Crystal's brother, Jeffrey Kung, was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.  Candice claims Jeffrey got out of the Mercedes-Benz and "admitted he was distracted" ... although the lawsuit doesn't go into further detail about why or how.

We're told neither Crystal or her hubby Rob Minkoff -- a director of several hit films for Disney -- were in the Benz, but the plaintiff believes they own the car and/or employ her brother as a driver.

Candice says she suffered injuries from the crash, not to mention damage to her car, too. We got pictures of what we're told is the aftermath of the accident, and it shows the smashed front end of the Mercedes.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delayed making payments in regards to her Met Gala appearance two years ago -- this according to the findings of an ethics investigation.

The NY congresswoman has been at the center of a Capitol Hill probe for about a year, and this week ... the results were released. According to the fact-finders, it looks like AOC and/or her staff were quite slow in paying people back ... to the tune of thousands of dollars.

The House Ethics Committee came down hard in their report, saying they have "substantial reason" to believe Rep. Ocasio-Cortez might have violated ethics rules for members of Congress, and maybe even broken federal laws pertaining to gifts and perks she received at the time of the Gala, when she walked the red carpet in a loud "Tax the Rich" dress.

According to them, it's unclear if AOC was ever going to pay people back for the dress, the makeup services, the hotel costs, the accessories, or anything else she received as part of her appearance ... and they go on to claim that the launch of this investigation seems to have spurred her and her staff to act. AOC has since paid off the tab ... about $7,700 all told.

Apparently, several vendors involved in getting AOC all dolled up that day were hounding her for the cash for months ... including the designer of the dress, Aurora James. And, for a while, the circumstances under which she was invited were also murky. Apparently, she was a guest of Vogue's -- but the EIC, Anna Wintour, is obviously deeply involved in prepping the Met Gala ... so it seemed fishy, at first. While it might appear like a conflict of interest, at face value, the Ethics Committee found the invite itself OK ... and aren't dinging her for it.

As for how AOC is responding ... she's pleading ignorance. She says she wasn't aware that these payments were owed and regrets that it ever got to this point. Her attorney also notes that just because the Ethics Committee might've found evidence of possible malfeasance, it doesn't actually mean anything wrong was done ... especially since she's cleared her bill.