Legal

Bam Margera is desperate to develop a relationship with his son, Phoenix ... but the former "Jackass" star says his estranged wife isn't having it.

Bam's attorney, Peter W. Thompson, tells TMZ ... Nikki is not allowing Bam to talk to his son through FaceTime or phone calls, and she's completely cut off all contact.

We're told the last communication between Bam and Phoenix was over 2 months ago, on March 29, when Bam came to California to visit his son.

Of course, that was the day we got video of Bam screaming at Nikki in a Burbank restaurant where she was having lunch with Phoenix.

Since then, we're told Bam hasn't seen Phoenix or been able to speak with him.

And, get this ... we're told Bam has Christmas gifts for Phoenix that he's been unable to give him. Despite Bam's attempts to get the gifts to his son -- 5 months after the holiday -- we're told Nikki won't accept them, even rebuffing Bam's offer to have other people drop off Phoenix's gifts.

As we first reported ... Nikki filed for legal separation back in February, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for legal and physical custody over Phoenix, as well as spousal support.

Bam's attorney says at one point they were trying to set up a schedule where Bam and Phoenix would FaceTime every other day, but it never materialized.

The way Bam's camp sees things ... it's safe for him to interact with Phoenix on FaceTime or on the phone, and it's "completely unreasonable" for Nikki to not answer the calls.

Bam's voiced his complaints with a judge but was shut down ... and Nikki shaded him in her legal response, claiming he can see their son as long as he's in California and not under the influence.

Meanwhile, we're told Bam's still supporting Nikki financially ... paying for the car she's driving and footing the bill for her home.

Bottom line for Bam ... he's willing to work with Nikki and her attorney because he wants to see his kid, even if it's just virtually.

It's the end of the road for Elizabeth Holmes now that she's behind bars, and one of the reporters who covered her rise and fall at Theranos has some strong thoughts on her saga.

Ken Auletta, who first profiled Elizabeth for the New Yorker way back in 2014 when she was just getting her company started, joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and told us why he hopes her story sparks change in Silicon Valley.

What's more, Ken thinks Elizabeth tried to use her young children to get a lighter sentence ... calling her a "very self-centered individual" and questioning her decision to have kids despite knowing she would be in prison for a good chunk of their early lives.

Elizabeth Holmes has traded in her customary black turtlenecks for prison fatigues ... 'cause she just surrendered to authorities at a federal lockup.

The disgraced former Theranos CEO arrived Tuesday at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, where she will serve her 11-year sentence after her 2022 conviction on four counts of wire fraud and conspiracy resulting from her phony blood testing scheme. She made several requests to stay free while appealing her conviction, but the judge denied her each time.

During her incarceration, Holmes will be far apart from her family ... making the prison experience that much harder.

Her husband, William Evans, lives in California with their 1-year-old son and 3-month-old daughter, which could make visiting Holmes a challenge.

On the flip side, Holmes will be in close proximity to another familiar face ... "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah is serving her 6.5-year sentence at the same facility for running a fraudulent telemarketing enterprise. The two will have plenty of time to get to know each other.

As we reported, Holmes was indicted for telling investors her company -- Theranos -- created a one-of-a-kind machine to streamline a full range of clinical tests using blood samples. But, her promise of conducting cheaper and easier blood testing was all just a ruse to get her investors to hand over hundreds of millions of dollars. A judge has ordered Holmes to pay $452 million in restitution to the victims of her scam.

Pee-wee Herman is going on another big adventure -- only this time it's going to be in court ... 'cause the guy just filed a lawsuit claiming his priceless belongings have been jacked.

Paul Reubens -- who played Pee-wee on TV and on the big screen for years -- is suing James Comisar and his memorabilia company, The Comisar Collection, for what he says is straight-up theft of some of the old, iconic props that he walked away from the show with way back when.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Reubens claims that he loaned certain items from "Pee-wee's Playhouse" to Comisar -- with the understanding that this stuff would make its way into a "Museum of Television" for display to the public and based on the promise he could get the stuff back upon his request ... but Reubens said he later discovered there was no museum at all and Comisar was keeping the items for their private collection.

Reubens said when he demanded return of the stuff, the dude held onto the items and claimed they'd been "gifted" to them -- and ultimately started hocking them at auction ... keeping the profits for himself.

Reubens says the collection includes some notable props that fans would certainly recognize ... like the Dog Chair, the Floory puppets, and Mr. Window -- plus, Reubens says, cue cards and signed photos from the set that are all worth a pretty penny to any TV enthusiast.

Reubens now wants the court to sort it all out and is asking the judge for an order stating he's entitled to immediate possession of the items or, if they can't be recovered from folks who already bought the stuff at auction, for at least $1 million

He also wants an injunction to stop the sale of whatever else may be left. We've reached out to Comisar ... so far, no word back.

Kevin Federline is giving Britney Spears' lawyer a Friday deadline to sign off on his planned move to Hawaii with their 2 kids, or he'll go to court to get a judge to give him the green light ... TMZ has learned.

Kevin's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, tells TMZ, he has asked Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, several times to send a letter/email stating Britney is OK with the move, but that hasn't happened.

Kaplan says Kevin plans to make the move August 1st, and he's up against the wall to get things in order, including renting a place. His wife, Victoria Prince, has a job offer in the sports department of a local university and has to commit.

Kevin's lawyer adds there should be no issue with the 2 kids, 17-year-old Sean Preston and 16-year-old Jayden James. He says Kevin has 100% legal custody and 100% de facto physical custody, adding Britney has not seen the boys in more than a year.

If Britney's lawyer doesn't respond by Friday, Kaplan says he will file legal docs asking for a move-away order.

It's interesting ... our sources say Britney has no real objections to Kevin making the move, but it can't be done without either a formal waiver from her or a court order.

We reached out to Rosengart ... so far, no response.

DaniLeigh spent the end of Memorial Day weekend in jail -- this after cops say she hit somebody with her car while driving under the influence.

The singer -- who's also DaBaby's ex/mother to one of his kids -- was arrested early Tuesday morning in Miami Beach ... where police claim she was involved in a DUI hit and run, which ended with a serious back injury to the alleged victim, who was riding a moped.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, Dani was seen by several witnesses driving at a high rate of speed and swerving in and out of lanes near Miami Beach. Eventually, cops say she struck somebody who was on a motorized scooter ... and dragged the moped for about a block. Somebody flagged down a nearby officer, who then initiated a stop.

In the paperwork, the cop describes Dani as smelling of alcohol. He conducted field sobriety tests, which he says she failed -- and says she later took a Breathalyzer.

The officer claims she blew a 0.145 and 0.148, nearly twice the legal limit. Dani was cuffed and taken to jail, where she was booked on 3 felony charges ... driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury, and DUI damage to property.

As for the person whom cops say was hit ... cops claim they were treated at a local hospital, where they say they were told by docs that this man suffered a kidney laceration and a spinal fracture.

Uncle Sam isn't liking Uganda's new harsh anti-gay law -- which criminalizes "aggravated homosexuality" -- and we might just do something about it as a nation to condemn it.

President Biden's Sec. of State, Anthony Blinken, spoke out against the African nation's Anti-Homosexuality Act, which just got signed into law, and he says the U.S. will now consider visa restrictions against Ugandan officials and others for what he calls a human rights abuse.

Blinken says he's instructed the State Dept. to update travel guidance as well for Americans who might want to travel to Uganda for business or pleasure -- so, perhaps restricting travel.

As for POTUS ... he's also slamming the law, and says he might even impose sanctions against Uganda over this -- adding he would review the ramifications of the law "on all aspects of U.S. engagement with Uganda."

As for what is actually illegal now ... well, it's murky. Uganda says one can still identify as gay or as part of the LGBT community -- but that any promotion of homosexuality or any overt public acts of homosexuality, as it's vaguely described, is punishable by prison.

If you're thinking our politicians here would be divided on this, you'd be wrong -- at least as it pertains to Sen. Ted Cruz, anyway ... who publicly called out Uganda for overstepping.

He wrote, "This Uganda law is horrific & wrong. Any law criminalizing homosexuality or imposing the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” is grotesque & an abomination.  ALL civilized nations should join together in condemning this human rights abuse."

Franky Venegas, one of the twins from the viral Island Boys duo, has to make a clean break from his ex-girlfriend ... he can't contact her at all after getting busted for allegedly getting physical with her.

Franky was arrested for domestic battery earlier this month and released from jail, and now he's got a set of special conditions to follow as the case moves forward.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Franky can have zero contact with the alleged victim in his case, ex-GF Amina Sobhi. This is standard practice in DV cases.

Franky was busted for domestic battery earlier this month after Amina told cops they got into an argument by the pool of their Airbnb in Pompano Beach, FL. Amina claims Franky slapped and pushed her into the pool after she threatened to break up with him.

Franky later posted a vid outside the jail, letting his fans know he was released from custody. As we first reported, Amina's now getting treatments to remove 3 tattoos she previously had inked in his honor.

In addition to steering clear of Amina, the docs also state Franky must stay away from alcohol and drugs, submit to random drug and alcohol testing, and possess no weapons.

Benedict Cumberbatch's home was subject to a terrifying break-in ... as a man wielding a knife was destroying his property and shouting at the actor and his family while they all feared for their lives inside.

According to Daily Mail, 35-year-old chef Jack Bissell kicked his way through the front gate of Benedict's $3.5 mil North London property -- shouting "I know you've moved here, I hope it burns down" while the actor, his wife, and their 3 kids could hear him just outside their doors.

Bissell, who formerly worked at the Beaumont Hotel in Mayfair, reportedly yanked out one of their plants and threw it against the garden wall ... and also spit on their intercom before ripping it off the building.

The chef fled the scene before things could escalate further ... and luckily, police found his DNA on the intercom, leading to his eventual arrest. He was slapped with a fine and a 3-year restraining order from the Cumberbatch family.

During this month's trial, prosecutors said Bissell bought 2 packs of pita bread at a nearby store before the incident, telling the shopkeeper he was going to break into Benedict's home and burn it down.

Bissell pled guilty and was sentenced on May 10, although specifics surrounding the date the incident occurred haven't been revealed. According to DailyMail, details of the case could not be reported until they "successfully challenged blanket reporting restrictions this week."

It's unclear what the connection is between Bissell and Cumberbatch.

A North Carolina bus driver got into a shootout with a passenger while traveling along a designated route ... and the violent encounter was caught on video.

David Fullard was behind the wheel of a Charlotte Area Transit System bus when Omarri Tobias approached and asked to be let off between stops. The two began to argue after Fullard said Tobias would have to wait until the next stop, prompting each to whip out guns.

Check out surveillance footage from inside the bus, which shows the men aiming their firearms at one another and squeezing off shots at close range.

Tobias was hit in the stomach, but he managed to crawl to the back of the bus. Fullard, who was struck in the arm, stopped the bus and continued to fire at Tobias. But, Tobias was able to slither out the side door to safety.

Both men were treated for their injuries and expected to make a full recovery. Two other passengers aboard the bus were unharmed.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police arrested Tobias and charged him with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injuries, communicating threats and carrying a concealed firearm.

Fullard has not been criminally charged ... but he was fired by RATP Dev, which employs transit system bus drivers in the region.

The Charlotte Area Transit System said Fullard failed to follow proper procedure, explaining he should have de-escalated the situation by allowing Tobias to exit the bus before arriving at the next stop.

Ryan McKenna, the Super Bowl selfie kid who snapped a viral photo years ago with Justin Timberlake, has pleaded no contest for allegedly going on a drunken rampage at a restaurant earlier this year ... and he's now on probation as he navigates adulthood.

The 19-year-old pled no contest on two charges -- resisting an officer without violence, and battery. The judge ordered the former selfie star to spend the next 12 months on probation.

Ryan's forbidden from consuming or even possessing alcohol -- he's not even allowed to enter places that primarily sell booze.

He's also been ordered to undergo substance abuse evaluation and submit to random breathalyzer and urine checks. He must also cough up $824 in court costs and fines.

We obtained body cam footage from February's incident ... which shows Ryan acting erratically before getting cuffed and taken to jail.

TMZ broke the story, cops got called to a Naples, Florida CPK on the eve of the Super Bowl after they were told Ryan was drunk and had hit his friend.

Another angle shows authorities slamming him to the ground before finally putting him in cuffs. Cops say he put his hands on an officer who was trying to calm him down.

Jimmie Allen is officially pulling up stakes in Nashville ... putting his house up for sale on the heels of his divorce, and the bombshell rape allegation against him.

According to property records the country star is selling his home in Brentwood -- a Nashville suburb -- for $2.5 million. He originally listed it last month for just under $3M, before slashing the price this week.

According to a real estate source Jimmy had planned to put the home on the market 3-4 months ago.

Of course, Jimmie's been in pretty hot water lately. As we reported, his estranged wife Alexis Gale, who's pregnant with their third child, pulled the plug on their marriage -- and then his former business manager sued him for allegedly raping her.

Jimmie told us there's "no truth" to the allegation, and accused her of trying to squeeze him for money after their 2-year consensual relationship ended. He's publicly apologized to his estranged wife for the affair, and for being a poor example for their children.

On the heels of all that, he's lost biz deals, too, such as his collab with The Frozen Farmer ice cream company.

Now, he's hoping for some good news on the real estate front as he unloads the 5-bed, 5-bath home ... which sits on 1.5 acres with lots of great features.

Jimmie and Alexis got married during a secret wedding in 2020, and he bought the home in  December of that same year for $1.5M.

Phil Spector's daughter wants a judge to bang the gavel ... to prevent tons of his music memorabilia from being sold to the highest bidder ... and now she's suing one of the biggest auction houses over it.

The late music producer's only daughter, Nicole Spector, is suing Julien's Auctions ... claiming the items actually belong to her, so they have no right to sell them.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Nicole says she only recently found out about Julien's "Music Icons" auction, which features 82 items the auction house has been promoting as coming straight from Phil's estate.

Among the items ... a letter from President Nixon, a baseball signed by Mickey Mantle, tickets from a 1966 Beatles concert, a book signed by Yoko Ono and tons of gold records and album cover plaques.

Nicole claims Julien's told her they got the stuff from a woman named Sheryl Coughlan, who told them she got the property from Phil's daughter. Problem is, Nicole says she never gave any of Phil's property to Coughlan or anyone else.

In her suit, Nicole thinks her late father's ex-wife Rachelle may be to blame ... claiming she believes Rachelle misrepresented herself to Coughlan as Nicole when transferring the items.

Nicole claims when Phil divorced Rachelle, the judgment called for Phil to get all of his personal property back aside from a few specific items ... but she claims Rachelle didn't play ball and refused to turn over a bunch of Phil's memorabilia to Nicole a few years later when Phil died.

Todd Chrisley's son, Kyle Chrisley, is no longer facing criminal charges after being arrested for allegedly telling his estranged wife he'd kill her ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors in Georgia say the charges against Kyle have been dropped because the alleged victim is no longer cooperating.

The DeKalb County D.A. tells TMZ … "After further investigation, review of the evidence and discussion with the victim, based on all facts and circumstances our office declined to prosecute the case."

TMZ broke the story ... when Kyle was picked up by cops in Oklahoma on drug charges back in May 2019, police also found out he was wanted in Georgia for allegedly threatening to kill his estranged wife.

The woman, Alexus Chrisley, initially told authorities in Georgia, Kyle had made death threats against her in January 2019 via text message.

As we reported ... Alexus claimed Kyle sent her a text, saying ... "[N]ot before I end you. Im going to the streets I will get my s**t and take care of this problem with you because if I'm not with you nobody will be. Bye Alexus."

Alexus told police she texted back, "thats a threat to my life" ... to which Kyle allegedly answered, "yes :Lexi it was. Goodbye."

Cops say Alexus also claimed Kyle sent photos of himself pointing a weapon at his head.

While Kyle is off the hook in this case, he's still got other legal issues ... as we first reported, he was booked for felony aggravated assault in Tennessee back in March after allegedly brandishing a knife during a fight.

Bam Margera wants a judge to dismiss his divorce pronto and let him hang out with his son ... but his estranged wife Nikki is pushing back.

Bam's legal team just filed new docs asking a judge to set an earlier court hearing on Bam and Nikki's divorce, with the former "Jackass" star making it clear he doesn't want to wait 2 more months for his day in court.

The hearing is currently set for July 11, but Bam says Nikki's not allowing him to see their son, Phoenix ... so he wants the judge to step in and get the ball rolling ASAP.

TMZ broke the story ... Nikki filed for legal separation back in February, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for legal and physical custody over Phoenix, as well as spousal support.

In his emergency filing, Bam is also claiming he was never legally married to Nikki in the first place.

Nikki also filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, claiming there's no reason to rush everyone back in front of a judge. Nikki says she's abiding by the custody orders and Bam is still able to see their kid.

In the docs, Nikki shades Bam ... she says he can see their son, as long as he's in California and not under the influence.

Nikki's attorney, David Glass, tells TMZ ... "Mr. Margera continues to claim to be the 'injured' party because he isn't seeing Phoenix – even though he placed himself 3000 miles away after exposing the child to abuse and drug/alcohol abuse."

A mysterious adoption more than a decade ago is getting the spotlight thanks to an upcoming docuseries ... about a Ukrainian girl who allegedly tried blending in as a small child and attempted to murder her new family.

Attorney Beth Karas joined us on "TMZ Live," giving us the scoop ahead of the first episode of ID's "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace" ... which follows an American fam that adopted Natalia back in 2010, only to discover she was MUCH older. A few years in the parents believed she wasn't 8 years old ... they were sure she was around 22.

Beth says Natalia repeatedly threatened her new family with knives and even tried poisoning them.

Natalia's child persona had folks split on whether she was a kiddo or fully grown -- she would interact with young children as if she were a peer but also displayed an adult side.

Her tale has often been compared to the horror flick "Orphan" ... which came out the year before Natalia's adoption and is based on a horrifyingly-similar story.

Antonio Brown's ownership "partners" with the Albany Empire say they've been frozen out by the former NFL star, and they have a message for AB ... buy us out, or we're prepared to go to court!

TMZ Sports talked to Charlotte von Schiller and her husband Steve ... who purchased a 5% stake in the organization last year before Brown came on board. Antonio now owns 95% of the franchise.

Unfortunately for the von Schillers, they say things have been absolutely awful since Antonio took over ... and he has even failed to acknowledge they own even the smallest piece of the Empire.

"If he wants to actually own 100% then he needs to buy us out. Otherwise, he only owns 95%, and that's just the facts," Charlotte told us.

The von Schillers tell us they've repeatedly attempted to have civilized conversations with AB about a buyout of their portion of the franchise, but instead, he's essentially told them to get lost, and at times has allegedly berated them on the phone.

"The disregard and disrespect from AB and his group has been incredulous."

In fact, it's gotten so bad, the von Schillers have consulted with an attorney ... and tell us they're ready to go to court if necessary.

But, they hope it doesn't turn into a legal battle ... and would instead like to reach an agreement amicably.

Brown's tenure in Albany, depending on who you ask, has been an unmitigated disaster, with players and coaches quitting midseason over AB's alleged erratic behavior.

Several former players and a coach previously told us Antonio ordered them locked out of their team hotel rooms after complaining about missing paychecks.