Legal

Kevin Costner's pending divorce came as news to many, including himself.

Sources familiar tell us the "Yellowstone" actor was completely blindsided by Christine Baumgartner's divorce filing Monday -- we're told it was devastating for him.

Kevin's shock and surprise are evident in his rep's statement ... "It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action."

TMZ broke the story ... Christine filed to end their 18-year marriage Monday, citing "irreconcilable differences." There's a prenup, and one of the provisions is that Christine must vacate Kevin's homes. He has 3 of them and they own nothing jointly. So Christine must pack up and leave all his homes, based on the time schedule set by the prenup.

It's entirely unsurprising the prenup segregates Kevin's properties. His first marriage ended in a record-setting divorce ... costing him around $80 million.

It's unclear exactly why Christine is pulling the plug on their marriage, but we know it was all news to Kevin.

Kevin Costner's wife is pulling the plug on their marriage ... we've learned she just filed for divorce.

The actor's wife, Christine Baumgartner, filed Monday to end their 18-year marriage. It's unclear what led to the split. Christine cited the usual "irreconcilable differences."

Kevin's rep tells TMZ, "It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action." The rep went on ... "We ask that his, Christine's and their children's privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time."

The "Yellowstone" star and his estranged wife share 3 children -- ages 12, 14 and 15.

We've learned Christine is asking for joint custody of the kids. Kevin filed his response Tuesday, in which he also asks for joint custody.

Christine is not asking for spousal support. Kevin's response, filed by disso-queen Laura Wasser, says "Spousal support to be payable to petitioner pursuant to the terms of the parties' Premarital Agreement." In other words, there's a prenup.

Trey Songz is now off the hook for his alleged bowling alley beatdown last year -- because we've learned the most serious charges have been dropped.

Songz pled guilty Tuesday to a single disorderly conduct violation in connection with the incident ... while prosecutors agreed to dismiss the 10 original charges against him, which included assault and aggravated harassment.

As part of the plea deal, Trey now has to complete 12 anger management classes by August, and sources close to the case tell us he's already gotten a head start on them.

As we reported, Trey was accused in October of punching a woman repeatedly in the face in a NY bowling alley bathroom, with the woman claiming he also dragged her by her hair.

Another man also claimed the singer punched him in the eye during the incident. Songz turned himself in to police a few weeks later.

Trey’s attorney, Mitchell Schuster, tells TMZ, “We appreciate the New York law enforcement and the District Attorney's office for their comprehensive investigation and careful consideration of all evidence, which ultimately confirmed what we had known all along and resulted in the District Attorney’s office choosing not to pursue any of the original charges against our client.”

5/3 -- Holcomb's attorney, Jeff Anderson, tells TMZ, “Out of all the crimes laid out in the lawsuit … sexual assault, grooming, coerced guardianship and more … he goes after the infliction of emotional distress. To me, this signifies that Steven Tyler is backed in a corner.”

He continues, “Steven Tyler also signed an affidavit saying that he didn’t intend to harm her, and he auctioned his memoir for millions of dollars. That assertion is absurd. That is like putting a stake in her heart and saying he didn’t intend for her to bleed out.”

Steven Tyler is firing back at the woman suing him for allegedly sexually assaulting her 50 years ago when she was 16 years old ... claiming she can't use his memoir as a weapon in court.

The legendary Aerosmith frontman says his accuser, Julia Holcomb, shouldn't be able to use his memoirs in which he discussed the relationship decades later to sue him for intentionally causing her severe emotional distress.

Julia sued Steven in December, accusing him of sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

She claims he first had sex with her when she was 16 and he was 25, impregnating her when she was 17 and pushing her to have an abortion. They were in a relationship for 3 years.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Steven claims the alleged distress Julia experienced back in 2011 was not a result of his memoir published that year, in which he used a pseudonym to describe their relationship from Tyler's perspective, but rather from a Star Magazine article published months before his memoir was released.

Tyler says he purposefully did not mention Julia by name in his memoirs when he wrote about them having sex back in the day, and he says she's got no problem using their relationship to promote herself in the media.

What's more, Tyler says she waited 11 years to sue him after his memoir was published ... and he says she's barred from suing him for intentional infliction of emotional distress because of a 2-year statute of limitations on such claims.

Tyler also claims his memoirs are a vessel to share his own experiences from his "newsworthy life" ... and he says her IIED claim is therefore barred by the First Amendment.

We reached out to Julia's camp ... so far no word back.

Henry Ruggs has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors in his DUI case ... and now, he could spend the next decade of his life behind bars if a judge signs off on the agreement.

Ruggs and his attorneys revealed the details of the deal at a hearing in a Nevada courtroom on Tuesday morning ... explaining the former Raiders star receiver will plead guilty to one felony count of DUI resulting in death and one misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter stemming from the fatal car crash in Las Vegas that he was involved in back in November 2021.

In exchange for the guilty pleas, prosecutors said they will drop the rest of the charges against the former NFL player.

As part of the agreement, Ruggs' attorneys also told the courtroom the 24-year-old would accept a sentence that included prison time of anywhere from 3 to 10 years.

Ruggs spoke briefly at the hearing, saying he agreed to all of the details of the outlined deal.

A judge is now expected to rule on the agreement at another hearing next week. If the judge does not agree to the stipulations, Ruggs' attorneys said the deal allows for his client to withdraw the guilty pleas and move forward with a trial.

"This is the first step toward a fair resolution to this matter," Ruggs' lawyers, David Z. Chesnoff and Richard A. Schonfeld, said following the hearing, "and we look forward to closure for all the parties involved."

As we reported, Ruggs was initially hit with four felonies and a misdemeanor in the case ... after prosecutors say he drunkenly slammed his Corvette into the back of Tina Tintor's Toyota Rav4, killing her and her dog.

According to prosecutors, Ruggs was traveling at 156 MPH just before the crash ... with a blood alcohol level that was twice the legal limit.

Ruggs, the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, was cut by the Raiders immediately after the accident ... and hasn't played a down in the NFL since.

Nick Kyrgios' Tesla was stolen in Australia after an assailant pulled a gun on his mom, demanding the keys, according to police ... but thanks to the tennis star's quick thinking, cops got his car back and arrested the alleged thief, who's now behind bars.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the incident went down around 8:30 AM on Monday when a 32-year-old man from the Canberra area pointed a "long-barrelled gun" at Nick's mother, Norlaila Kyrgios, and demanded the keys to Nick's bright green Tesla.

The man asked Nick's mom how to drive the Tesla while still pointing the gun at her, according to officials. Norlaila was able to flee and run for help.

Thankfully, Nick -- the 26th-ranked tennis player in the world -- was nearby and had the sense of mind to use an app to track the vehicle's location. Police located the Tesla, and began approaching with guns drawn, but the guy fled, and the pursuit was on!

The chase, which wasn't terribly fast (around 55 mph) was eventually stopped when the cars entered a school zone. But, Nick's app was able to track the car, and even limit the top speed to 50 mph.

Cops eventually caught up with the Tesla, and the alleged thief, in a nearby suburb. As police tried to arrest the man, they say he resisted, and a taser was deployed.

The guy is now facing five charges including aggravated armed robbery and failure to stop for police.

NFL star Taylor Lewan says he's dragging the docs and others involved in his 2020 ACL surgery to court ... claiming they screwed up the procedure -- affecting his career and his life.

The former Tennessee Titans offensive lineman broke the news on his "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast on Tuesday ... revealing he recently filed a lawsuit "against the people and entities that are involved with my surgery from October of 2020."

Lewan didn't want to get into too many specifics of the complaint -- saying his lawyers advised him not to go into detail about it all -- but he made it clear, he believes the people tasked with repairing his knee botched it.

Lewan initially tore up the ligament on Oct. 18, 2020, during a game against the Houston Texans. He went on to have surgery to try to fix the issue days later.

The 31-year-old, though, was never quite the same after the procedure. He played just 13 games in the 2021 season ... and in 2022, he played in just two games -- before he reinjured his knee in a Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Following the season, Lewan was cut by the Titans.

Roman Polanski and his child rape victim, who's now an adult, are telegraphing just how tight they are now by posing for a very cheery photo ... almost 50 years after he drugged and molested her.

The infamous director posed with Samantha Geimer in a pic that was shared over the weekend by his wife, Emmanuelle Seigner ... who actually interviewed Geimer in a piece that ran in the French publication Le Point, where Geimer says she's over the whole saga.

In the article, Geimer said Polanksi has "paid his debt to society." She also says the encounter with Polanski in '77 -- when she was just 13 -- was "never a big problem" for her, and she laments it dragging on as a scandal for this long.

This is something Geimer has repeated publicly for quite a while now -- however, she did sue Polanski over the rape back in the '90s, which was reportedly settled out of court.

In the years that followed, Geimer has said the rape doesn't define her ... nor does she think Polanski should continue to be dogged over it, let alone be wanted by the authorities here in the States. He's attempted to get the fugitive warrant revoked, but it hasn't worked out.

As you might know ... Polanski pled guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor at the time, but fled the country before he could be sentenced, and has never returned. He has won Oscars since then, though.

Daz Dillinger is fully denying Suge Knight's allegation Dr. Dre cheated Tha Dogg Pound producer straight outta his rightful credit for Snoop's "Doggystyle" -- and, it's a very aggressive denial, at that!

Daz posted a video calling Dre the "best producer in the world," and suggested Suge was still salty over Snoop's purchase of his once beloved Death Row Records.

Suge recently spoke to TMZ Hip Hop and claimed Dre approached Daz right before "Doggystyle" was released, and convinced him to sign over his writing/producing rights ... so, the album would be better promoted with Dre's celebrity attached.

Daz says he never signed any contract and also accused veteran music industry exec Alan Grunblatt of shady business. Alan was president of eOne Entertainment when the company acquired Death Row ahead of Snoop's buy-in and Daz claims they were all fumbling the bag.

Tha Dogg Pound legend swore on "the streets" Suge was lying and also called for him to get beat up ... presumably by a fellow inmate in the CA state prison where he's serving out a 28-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter.

Ralph Yarl, the teen who was shot when he accidentally rang the wrong doorbell, now has a personal invite from Alicia Keys ... TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... Alicia has a concert scheduled in Kansas this July, and Lee Merritt, attorney for the Yarl family, tells us the singer asked Ralph to come out to the show and meet her.

As if that wasn't big enough, we're told Roc Nation also reached out to him ... letting Ralph and co. know the company wants to help out too, in any way possible.

Ralph's fam has been feeling the love from folks all over the country, and they've set up a trust fund for all the donations. We're told writer and social justice advocate Shaun King helped the Yarl family find someone to map out the financial assistance.

As we reported, Ralph's GoFundMe picked up serious steam -- it's already passed $3.4 million raised -- and while there's no set plan for the money yet, the trust ensures it will be there for Ralph when he needs it.

BTW, Ralph's mom Cleo also got emotional support from Ahmaud Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones ... who's also repped by Merritt. We're told she encouraged Cleo to lean on prayer, and reminded her victims, like her son, hold the power.

Meanwhile, 84-year-old Andrew Lester -- who shot Ralph 2 times -- was charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action.

TikTok star Brayden Whaley is going through a nasty breakup with his ex-girlfriend, influencer McKenzi Brooke ... and things are so ugly, he's seeking court-ordered protection from her.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Brayden claims McKenzi falsely accused him of getting physical with her when she went on a recent podcast and said he "laid hands on her" ... something Brayden denies.

Instead, Brayden claims he was at a party where McKenzi and her mom were trying to convince him to commit to an exclusive relationship with her to boost her social media brand, ganging up on him and refusing to let him leave the party.

Brayden says he only gently put his hands on her to move her out of his way so he could leave, but he claims she blocked him from leaving and begged him to stay in a relationship with her.

He refused and now claims McKenzi's "turned jealous, controlling and threatening" ... as evidenced by her trashing him on the podcast. He also claims her alleged lies are hurting him financially and emotionally.

Brayden says McKenzi keeps posting about him online, painting him in a negative light, and he and his family feel threatened because she has legions of followers who they fear might retaliate on her behalf.

What's more, Brayden says he's tried to get McKenzi to take down the posts ... but says she has continued to escalate her online attacks.

A Southern California police officer beat an unarmed Black man with a baton during an arrest -- which has echoes of Rodney King ... but cops say this guy instigated it.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, which shows an older gentleman retreating with his hands up while being pursued by a Barstow PD officer Friday afternoon in the desert community. The cop has his baton raised as he inches closer, and eventually swings on him.

You can see the officer appear to give an order -- which looks like he might've been saying get on the ground -- before manhandling the older guy and subduing him. However, as the photog who took this noted, the cop starts to wail on the dude even after he's down.

He gets about 4 good swings on him before other officers arrive to the scene and help contain the situation. The man is then handcuffed and led over to EMTs, who briefly check him ... and he's then led to a police cruiser and taken away. The man can be seen limping.

Barstow PD tells TMZ the man who took the beating is 43-year-old Gary Christian -- whom they say was wanted on an open felony warrant for a probation violation ... and who this officer recognized on Main Street. BPD says the officer attempted to make contact and place Christian under arrest, but claim Christian assaulted the officer not once ... but twice.

BPD says the officer deployed his taser unsuccessfully, at which point ... the baton came out. They say Christian was treated at a hospital for minor contusions to his leg ... and was then booked into the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dept. High Desert Detention Center.

Barstow PD also says this ... "The department has a copy of that video and would like the community to know that a comprehensive administrative investigation will be conducted into this incident to determine if the force used by the officer was within Barstow Police Department policy and current law." In other words, they'll look into this internally.

Of course, the comparison to the beating Rodney King received in the '90s will undoubtedly be made. That incident led to destructive riots in and around Los Angeles -- and ultimately came to affect lots of other LA-based events in the years that followed.

The more concerning part about this, though, is that Barstow PD had another race-related police incident a few years ago ... when their officers shot and killed an unarmed Black in a parking lot as they felt an apparent threat. His name was Diante Yarber, a 26-year-old.

His family said the killing was unjustified ... but after a review by the authorities, they found the officers had a reasonable belief that their lives were in danger, and that deadly force was warranted. They fired around 30 bullets at his parked car, which was in a Walmart lot.

Considering the history in that town already, something tells us the community isn't going to take this latest incident very well. Fact is, it certainly looks to be excessive force on its face.

The hits keep coming for Crazy Town singer Shifty Shellshock ... because a few days after getting into a fistfight with a bandmate, cops say he was driving drunk.

Shifty was arrested for driving under the influence early Tuesday morning in South Carolina.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, cops in Myrtle Beach say they were told to be on the lookout for a black SUV with California plates swerving in and out of lanes.

Police say they then got a call about a driver falling asleep behind the wheel of a black SUV at a red light. When they found the black SUV, cops say Shifty was driving and showing signs of being impaired.

Once they pulled him over, the officers say he was lethargic, slurred his words and bombed a field sobriety test. Shifty, who's publicly battled addiction for years, was arrested and charged with DUI.

As we reported, Crazy Town was in Myrtle Beach last weekend for a show, but the lowlight turned out to be Shifty and fellow bandmate Bobby Reeves brawling on video.

Kanye West says he never screwed his ex-business manager out of a payday in a new countersuit ... firing back with claims their arrangement came about when he was stressed out and in the middle of his divorce.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained docs filed by Kanye and his Yeezy brand ... where he claims the deal he struck with Thomas St. John isn't enforceable because he signed it without help from a lawyer when he was "sleep-deprived, stressed, anxious, and under duress."

According to the lawsuit, Ye says he met St. John around March 2022 -- and they sketched out a deal that would place him on a $300k monthly retainer.

Kanye admits the two met during one of his many social media meltdowns -- and St. John swooped in as a respected biz manager who could steer the ship back on course.

Although Ye admits to signing a document with St. John in May 2022 ... he claims he did so without the presence and counsel of his lawyers, and as his high-profile divorce with Kim Kardashian was taking a serious toll.

Ye also says the increased volume of paparazzi encounters amid the divorce was causing sleep deprivation, stress and anxiousness.

Ye is also complaining about a clause in the "barebones" agreement that prevented St. John from being terminated for at least the first 18 months ... essentially guaranteeing his bank account stayed stacked with Ye's funds.

Coach Monica Aldama, known from the hit Netflix series "Cheer," is pushing back on the claims and lawsuit against her ... saying in no way did she try to silence one of her cheerleader's claims of sexual assault.

Aldama tells TMZ ... she's "heartbroken by the false allegations" made against her by former Navarro College and cheer squad member Madi Lane -- adding the safety of her students is a top priority.

Aldama says she worked "year after year" to keep Navarro Cheer a safe space, adding she'd never remain silent about sexual assault claims "if I were aware that any sexual misconduct occurred in the Cheer program."

Navarro College, which is also getting sued by Lane, echoed Aldama's denial -- with a rep telling us it's prepared to "vigorously defend itself in court."

As we reported, Lane claims she was sexually assaulted by a fellow teammate in 2021 during her freshman year ... saying she brought it to Aldama's attention, but was allegedly told, "If you keep quiet, I’ll make sure you can cheer anywhere you want."

Imagine if jury duty always included a live performance from Ed Sheeran -- that's what jurors got during his trial for allegedly ripping off Marvin Gaye's classic, "Let's Get It On."

Ed took the stand Thursday in a Manhattan federal courtroom, and at one point had his guitar with him to show the jury exactly how he writes songs, in general, and in particular ... his 2014 smash hit, "Thinking Out Loud."

He strummed the song's chords and sang the opening line ... "When your legs don't work like they used to before," and then testified he and co-writer Amy Wadge had nothing like Marvin's sexy times tune in mind when they wrote 'Thinking Out Loud.' Instead, he said their song was about maintaining love into old age.

He also explained, "When I write vocal melodies, it’s like phonetics." For instance, he says he first sang the song's hook as, "I'm singing out now" ... before it later became, "I'm thinking out loud."

The fact Sheeran was allowed to sit on the stand and give a live, although brief, performance could go a long way in swaying the jury. They're only human, so there's always potential for a "star-struck" factor -- and, sadly, Marvin Gaye isn't alive to sing in support of the plaintiffs.

As we reported, the estate of Ed Townsend -- co-writer of "Let's Get It On" -- is suing Sheeran, claiming his song copies the melody, harmony and other elements of Marvin's 1973 #1 hit.

During his testimony, Sheeran admitted he doesn't pour a heck of a lot of time into writing any of his songs ... saying he draws inspiration from whatever's happening in his life, and rarely takes more than one day to complete a song.