Legal

Sorority sisters who were trying to have a transgender woman booted from their org just got gut-checked in court -- 'cause a judge tossed their lawsuit -- saying the court had no business telling the sorority how to define "woman."

U.S. District Judge Alan Johnson dismissed the complaint filed by 7 members of the University of Wyoming's Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter -- who sued their own sorority earlier this year for allowing 21-year-old Artemis Langford, who's trans, to join their ranks in recent months.

The reason, per court docs obtained by TMZ ... the court says it has no right to intrude on how the chapter defined "woman" for the purposes of admitting prospective members. The judge found Kappa Kappa Gamma clearly felt Langford was qualified to join when it voted her in ... and going back to disqualify that now is out of bounds.

Judge Johnson breaks it down like this ... "The delegate of a private, voluntary organization interpreted ‘woman,’ otherwise undefined in the nonprofit’s bylaws, expansively; this Judge may not invade Kappa Kappa Gamma’s freedom of expressive association and inject the circumscribed definition Plaintiffs urge."

In other words, the judge is saying this is an issue Kappa Kappa Gamma dealt with in-house -- and it was inappropriate for a court to interfere.

As for how Langford feels about this latest development ... her attorney, Rachel Berkness, told AP the claims never should've made it into a legal filing to begin with -- so, it sounds like her client is happy.

The sorority sisters who brought this before hizzoner alleged Langford -- who's described as 6'2" and 260 lbs., and with male genitalia -- would get sexually aroused around the women within the house. The sisters claimed they were living in constant fear with her around.

Eminem is not a fan of Vivek Ramaswamy rapping one of his biggest hits on the campaign trail -- he wants the Republican presidential candidate to lose his music.

The "Lose Yourself" rapper made his feelings known to music licenser BMI after Vivek went viral for rapping some of Em's Oscar-winning track on stage at the Iowa State Fair earlier this month.

In the letter, Marshall Mathers asks BMI to yank his songs from their agreement to stop Vivek from using his tracks.

As a result, BMI fired off a cease and desist letter to Vivek's campaign lawyer last week ... telling them Eminem's objecting to the use of his songs.

Translation: Go ahead and lose yourself, just not in MY music!!!

In the letter, first obtained by Daily Mail, BMI threatens legal consequences should Vivek's campaign keep Eminem's songs in its rotation.

Vivek's fresh off a well-received performance at the first GOP presidential debate and is currently in the middle of a media blitz, including a stop on "TMZ Live," but Eminem's not feeling his vibe.

An Atlanta-area high school football coach was arrested after punching one of his players in the stomach on the sideline during a game, and the entire ordeal was captured on video.

The disgusting act occurred during the 1st quarter of the Mays H.S. vs. Douglas County H.S. football game at Henderson Stadium in Georgia on Saturday afternoon.

The Peachtree TV broadcast captured the assistant coach in his player's face, number 24, before decking the boy with a right to his gut.

The player -- a junior defensive back according to Max Preps -- backed up after the sucker punch and appeared to hunch over in pain as the coach continued to yell.

Atlanta Public Schools didn't waste any time ... they told us the coach, who is not a teacher, was taken into police custody shortly after the act of violence.

"Video from the live broadcast of the game appears to show the lay coach physically assaulting a player," APS said in a statement.

"The adult will be charged with simple battery and faces administrative charges from the district as well."

"The safety and well-being of all APS students remains a high priority for the district and all APS employees are held to the highest standard of conduct and professionalism."

A guy suing Future for copyright infringement just had his lawsuit kicked to the curb by a judge -- who apparently knows her hip hop ... 'cause her opinion is full of classic references.

Judge Martha Pacold dismissed a suit filed by a man named DaQuan Robinson -- who sued Future 2 years ago for what he claimed was a lot of lifted elements from the guy's song "When I Think About It" ... which he says mirrored his own track, "When U Think About It."

Robinson alleged he'd emailed a draft of the song to Future's team before the official version came out -- and claims Future's track ended up being eerily similar to his original tune.

Specifically, Robinson claimed Future's song touched on a lot of the same content his track did -- namely, guns, money and jewelry -- but Judge Pacold cut him off there ... saying those general themes are not protected by copyright -- and are omnipresent throughout rap.

To make her point, she cites countless examples where these topics are addressed ... such as Biggie's 'Machine Gun Funk,' 'Wu-Tang Clan's 'C.R.E.A.M.' and even Kanye's 'Diamonds from Sierra Leone.' In all of those, she says, these references exist ... and therefore, they're part of the larger hip hop well of content that no one person can claim copyright to in a given song.

The judge didn't even get to the point about Robinson claiming he sent his tune to Future beforehand because the court found the two songs weren't substantially similar enough for it to matter anyway.

There's more musical shout-outs beyond this, too -- including a nod to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Neil Young, that is). Specifically, the judge mentions their song "Our House" to dispute Robinson's claim about Future's alleged misuse of a "core lyric" that he thought was the same as his.

Basically, she says core lyrics are yet another basic element of songwriting ... and not subject to copyright protection in and of itself.

Bottom line ... there isn't enough there to claim copyright infringement -- and the judge ruled in Future's favor -- tossing Robinson's claim with prejudice. He can appeal if he wants to.

Sam Asghari has his sights set on his acting career in the midst of his divorce from Britney Spears ... and we're told his family's been a pretty big priority, too, in recent weeks.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Sam, who's a SAG-AFTRA member, is planning on continuing with acting gigs when the actors' strike comes to an end. In addition to playing characters, we're told he's interested in hosting gigs.

We're told he wasn't in the middle of any projects before the strike, and obviously has nothing in the pipeline as Hollywood remains shut down, but that's where his head's at.

BTW, Sam's got no plans to get back into the personal training game -- something he'd been doing at L.A.'s Royal Personal Training when he and Britney started dating.

Apart from work, sources say Sam's been focused on spending time with his family ... mainly taking care of his mom in L.A. She came home from the hospital a few weeks ago and needs the help. She was injured in an accident but is on the mend.

Sam filed for divorce from Brit last week after getting into a massive fight over claims she cheated on him.

There's been a lot going on since the relationship was called off -- they've cut off communications, and agreed on custody of their 5 dogs ... but the big, unsettled issue is whether Sam will challenge their prenup.

For more Britney news be sure to check out our new podcast, "Fake Or Fact: Britney Spears," available on all podcast platforms!

Mitchel Musso -- famous for playing Oliver Oken on "Hannah Montana" -- was arrested this weekend in Texas, and according to cops ... it was all that and a bag of chips.

The ex-Disney star got hauled off to jail Saturday evening in Rockwall, TX -- this after officers say they responded to a call for service at a nearby hotel, where folks were claiming Musso had been acting belligerent ... and where he allegedly stole an item from the food market.

That item, per police ... a snack of the potato variety. Rockwall PD tells TMZ that when staffers demanded he pay for it, Musso allegedly became verbally abusive ... and walked off.

Cops arrived and they found Musso outside the hotel ... where they determined he was allegedly under the influence. In addition to this ... Rockwall PD says they discovered a ton of outstanding traffic warrants in his name -- so, they cuffed him and took him into custody.

Musso is facing a few different charges ... public intoxication, theft (under $100), expired registration, failure to display a driver's license, and violating a promise to appear notice.

We're told he's being released right now on a $1,000 bond. Of course, he posed for a mug shot too while he was in there ... which looks pretty gloomy, to say the least.

This might be a sign -- but what's being communicated is in the eye of the beholder ... Donald Trump was floating sky-high over the great state of Florida this weekend! Eh, sorta.

Here's the deal ... a happy family was leaving Universal Studios in Orlando Saturday evening when they looked up during their drive back and saw what can only be described as the side profile of the ex-Prez -- only, it appeared in Cumulus form ... and the footage is unreal.

Take a look at this video -- obtained by TMZ -- which caught the uncanny celestial moment ... indeed, you can see the massive cloud blocking the setting sun -- and it looks like DT!

The coiffed hair, protruding nose, and puckered lips are unmistakably linked to Trump ... and there it was, just casually cruising across the gorgeous skies -- staying perfectly intact.

To make this story even crazier is what this family says they were doing right before they saw this. The hubby, Sonny Ritacca, tells TMZ that as they were exiting the park ... he and his wife had just seen Trump's mug shot for themselves -- which was released Friday evening.

Right at that moment, Ritacca says his spouse looked up ... and saw this heavenly being. He tells us the wife pointed it out and he agreed, it bared a passing resemblance -- with an added jab, "Yeah, that cloud is 6'3 and 215 pounds." Of course, that's a whole thing. 😅

The couple kept on driving and didn't get out -- neither did anyone else, it seems -- and they thought it was just an odd sight, which it is. Now, for the MAGA crowd ... they probably see this as a divine omen from the G-O-D himself, but others might view it a little differently.

Check out the sign this family captured as they were driving ... it's a "buckle up" warning.

Megan Thee Stallion hasn't gallivanted much in public since Tory Lanez got sent to the slammer for 10 years -- but she's out there now ... and, boy, is this a look or what?

The rapper hit the town Saturday in Beverly Hills with some pals in tow -- and she was wearing quite the eye-popping outfit ... and that's because her greatest assets were on display in a very sheer dress that you could see right through, right down to the skin.

Don't worry, her top half is actually covered by some nipple pasties -- so, technically, no harm, no foul there ... but she was definitely pushing the envelope and getting risqué.

Even from the side and behind ... she was quite the sight for sore eyes, and her friend seemed to recognize that too, offering a little handsy support as they boarded a waiting SUV.

Indeed, MTS was flaunting her stuff and then some ... which we suppose telegraphs how she might be feeling in the wake of this ugly saga that just ended with her one-time friend/lover being sentenced to a decade behind bars. Remember, Meg wasn't there for the hearing.

While she skipped the in-person appearance, Megan did speak out in a victim's statement -- saying she still suffers trauma from the shooting incident and urged the judge to hand down a stiff punishment ... which ultimately happened. Tory, meanwhile, has said he refuses to apologize or show remorse, insisting he was convicted for something he didn't do.

Meg performed at Outside Lands in SF shortly after the sentencing, and she said "F*** all my haters" during her show, which is really the only direct messaging from her post-sentencing.

With this latest showing though -- the first time she's been out like this since Tory's fate was decided -- it's safe to say Meg's unfazed. No love lost here, and certainly no regrets either.

Nicki Minaj fans are on the hunt for "Stephanie Bell," who has a warrant for arrest after allegedly swatting the rapper, but lots of folks with the same name are getting caught in the crossfire.

Here's the deal, Stephanie Bell just isn't the most unique name, and ever since Nicki name-dropped her alleged harasser ... everyone with that name is taking it on the chin, at least on social media.

Some of the Stephanies are coming forward to air their grievances.

One wrote, "I've never been so angry at another Stephanie Bell. You're f***ing it up for all of us.." and another said, "Why y'all still in my inbox."

For what it's worth, some Stephanie Bells online know all about Nicki, but not about her swatting issue ... so, they're pretty confused about why the Barbz are swarming.

BTW, it doesn't sound like anyone getting dragged is the real Stephanie in question ... at least, not yet.

As we reported, law enforcement sources told us Bell, who Nicki put on blast Wednesday, is facing 2 charges of deliberately reporting a false emergency.

We also confirmed there is, indeed, a warrant out for her arrest, as Nicki claimed.

TMZ broke the story, cops told us the attempted swatting occurred in June, with an anonymous caller claiming child abuse was going down at Nicki's L.A.-area home.

Trevian Kutti, a former publicist for Kanye West and R. Kelly, is charged as one of Donald Trump's co-conspirators in the Georgia election interference case, which is a surprise to Consequence ... who's vouching for her character.

Cons tell us Trevian worked with Ye alongside Chance The Rapper during crucial periods of his political ambitions circa 2018, but isn't certain if she actually performed publicist duties ... or if the media is pinning that label on her to leverage her association with Ye.

Trevian surrendered Friday at Fulton County Jail, and was all smiles in her mug shot ... which doesn't shock Cons, because he says she was always pleasant to be around.

He says he never got any inklings of malintent from Trevian, and suspects her political affiliation as a Black Republican might have put a target on her back.

Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis doesn't see it that way ... Trevian stands accused of pressuring Georgia election worker Ruby Freeman into a false admission of rigging the election -- and the alleged coercion was captured on police body cam.

As for Ye's potential political passions ... Cons admits it's too early to tell if he'll go full-scale with a presidential run in 2024, but promises their reputation as disruptors will be upheld!!!

R. Kelly's former victims have been awarded millions for threats leveled against some of his victims who appeared in the "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, 6 of the disgraced singer's victims are getting a total of about $10.5 million from Kelly and his former manager, Donnell Russell. The women had sued Kelly and Russell for their successful effort to shut down a December 2018 NYC screening of 'Surviving.'

They alleged the defendants waged a campaign, starting back in May 2018, to intimidate the women, A&E/Lifetime and the producers to stop screening the docuseries. When those efforts, including legal threats, failed ... they claimed Kelly's camp called producers on the night of the NYC screening and said someone was "going to shoot up the place."

The fake mass shooting threat worked, as the event was shut down -- and according to the victims, it all opened up past trauma and resulted in them suffering PTSD and panic attacks.

The judgment against Kelly and Russell means each of the 6 women should get anywhere between $1.1 million and $2.25 million. The question is will they ever get a dime of that?

The good news for them is R. Kelly's music is still generating revenue. As we reported, just over $500k of his royalties from Universal Music Group are going to pay restitution he owed victims from one of his federal sex crimes cases.

Foodgod, AKA Jonathan Cheban, is taking a Korean BBQ sauce company to court ... claiming one of the glass bottles burst into shards, slicing his hand clean open.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Jonathan says he bought a glass bottle of San-J’s Korean barbeque sauce from a grocery store in Florida in October 2020 -- putting it in his fridge at home -- and taking it out a few hours later while making dinner.

However, Jonathan, repped by attorney Levi McCathern, claims the bottle "inexplicably exploded" in his hand when he took it out of the fridge, with one of the big shards causing quite the gash on his hand ... allegedly causing "significant blood loss."

Jonathan says he has the pictures included in the lawsuit showing he never even opened the bottle before it burst -- insisting the twist cap's seal was still intact after his hand got sliced open.

He also says he had to get numerous stitches and suffered nerve damage and ongoing pain in his hand ... and he claims the cut was just inches from "major arteries in his wrist."

Jonathan claims he's suffered losses like the "ability to use his hand in his social media posts, in his advertisements, and in his ability to sponsor various food items."

He's now suing the manufacturer of both the sauce and the bottle, as well as the distributor and the store he bought it from ... and is asking for a whopping $20 million for the big slice.

For what it's worth, pics from what would've been days after the alleged incident showed him in pretty great spirits ... dressing up as Joe Exotic with Kim Kardashian and her kiddos.

Kevin Costner's getting off easy paying $129k per month in child support ... according to Christine Baumgartner who wants that number increased to ensure their kids keep living large when they're with her.

Christine filed docs, obtained by TMZ, asking the court to reconsider the amount of child support Kevin pays due to 2 factors -- 1. making sure the kids enjoy the same lifestyle with both parents, and 2. what she's learned about how much money Kevin's been making.

She lays it out in the docs, explaining their 4 children live in a beach compound with their dad that's worth between $65 million and $95 mil ... and they also fly private on luxury vacations with Kevin.

You'll recall, Kevin took the kids to Aspen last month -- right after Christine had them in Hawaii. She says Kevin needs to pay sufficient child support "so that the children can go on comparable vacations when they are with her. This is true even if the child support payments also improve Christine's lifestyle."

Christine says that's simply the standard required by California family code. Based on that alone, she says the $129k/month won't cut it, and she's instead estimating $175,057/month.

And by the way, Christine says that's a deal because that higher amount "will not be sufficient to replicate Kevin's lifestyle, but it will be sufficient to allow her to provide a lifestyle for the children which is relatively comparable."

Now, as for Kevin's income ... she says his average cash flow for the last 2 years was $19,248,467 each year, or more than $1.6 million each month. Based on them having 50/50 custody of the kids, she claims California guidelines require Kevin to pay that $175k/mo. she's requesting.

And, she paints a very green picture of Kevin's career ... claiming he made $11 million for Season 4 of "Yellowstone," and $10 mil for Season 5. Plus, she says he's scheduled to make $12 million for his upcoming "Horizon" film, and another $12 mil for the sequel which has already been greenlit.

By the way, Christine's been house hunting -- she says she's currently living in a vacation rental, but in September she's moving into a month-to-month rental in Montecito for $40k/month.

More financial woes for Kim Zolciak, a credit card company is going after her for more than $150,000 ... filing a lawsuit the same day Kroy Biermann filed for divorce.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, SAKS/CAPITAL ONE claims Kim was issued a card with a $115,000 limit. The company says her last payment was back in September 2022 for $4,179.

The documents state Kim owes $156,080.64 in total on the card -- in both charges and credit that have all added up over the last several months.

Of course, Kim's facing a bunch of other money problems, including the more than $1 million the IRS claims she and estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, owe. The couple also had their Georgia home foreclosed on, though that issue seems to be resolved ... at least for now.

Kim was also sued back in June for a Target credit card she allegedly had with a $2,482.24 balance.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann seemed like a couple on the mend from the outside -- but were fighting nonstop behind closed doors -- before one fight sent Kroy over the edge, causing him to file for divorce once again.

Sources close to the estranged couple tell us ... Kim and Kroy had been arguing for several weeks about money before Thursday's filing ... and things had gotten "nasty." As for specifics ... we're told each has been on the other's case about not paying various bills. They blame each other for their serious financial mess. As one source said, "They've gotten ridiculously petty over who hasn't paid bills. They're counting down to pennies."

We're told Kroy was regularly threatening to file for divorce. However, it was during a fight Thursday morning when Kroy threatened once again to file for divorce, Kim dared him ... so he did.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim and Kroy filed separate divorce petitions back in May,but had a change of heart in July -- pulling their divorce filings.

At the time, we were told they still really loved each other and could work things out -- leaning on religion to help get them through -- but clearly, things soured.

Kroy's asking for sole legal and physical of their 4 minor children as well as child support, alimony and attorney's fees.

Sherri Papini, the mother sentenced for lying to authorities when she staged her disappearance, is now out of prison and in community confinement ... ahead of her projected release date.

A rep for the Bureau of Prisons tells TMZ ... Sherri transferred out of the satellite camp adjacent to FCI Victorville Medium I last week, and is now in a facility overseen by the BOP's Sacramento Residential Reentry Management Office.

Community confinement often means the inmate is either finishing their sentence at home or is at some sort of halfway house -- but the BOP official wouldn't provide any further details on Sherri's situation.

We've also learned Sherri's projected release date has been moved up to the end of October, after originally being due to get out in May 2024 -- so she's shaved a good 6 months off her sentence.

Remember, Sherri made national headlines after she was reported as missing in 2016, and then was found weeks later on Thanksgiving ... about 150 miles away from her home in Northern California.

She claimed, at the time, 2 Hispanic women had abducted her at gunpoint.

The plot thickened, as they say, when she was arrested and charged for lying to FBI agents about the whole thing -- the feds said she was actually living with an ex-boyfriend at the time of her "disappearance."