Legal

Suge Knight está haciendo una afirmación audaz sobre Akon en su nuevo podcast "Collect Call", en donde lo acusa de haber violado a chicas menores de edad en el estudio. Se trata de una declaración que solo podría llevar a Suge a los tribunales.

Akon le dice a TMZ Hip Hop que sus afirmaciones son falsas y que no va a aceptar ese tipo de calumnia. Dice: "Tengo que dejar muy claro que niego absolutamente las escandalosas, falsas y repugnantes afirmaciones que Suge Knight hizo de mí en su podcast".

"Nunca he llamado, recibido o tenido contacto alguno con Suge Knight desde que está en la cárcel. La voz que escuchaste en su podcast fue como un soundbite grabado previamente de una entrevista que hice con DJ Vlad hace 3 años con respecto a Suge Knight en 2009".

Y continúa: "Nunca he sido invitado al podcast de Suge Knight. Siempre he creído en construir positividad en el mundo y mis acciones y legado hablan de eso".

"Es desafortunado que tenga que defenderme de estas mentiras y voy a involucrar a mi equipo legal para presentar una demanda por difamación en contra del señor Knight, mis oraciones por él aún continuarán".

En 2020, Akon se refirió a un violento enfrentamiento entre Suge y el road manager de Akon, la que dice, se originó en una disputa de negocios entre él, Suge y Detail.

TMZ publicó la historia en 2009, Suge quedó noqueado en el pavimento y un hombre en el campamento de Akon, Robert Carnes Jr., fue detenido por delito grave de asalto en Scottsdale, Arizona.

Como informamos por primera vez, Suge lanzó un podcast con el fundador de la revista The Source, Dave Mays, para hablar de su colorida historia como fundador de Death Row. Está grabando el podcast mientras cumple una condena de 28 años por homicidio voluntario.

Steven Tyler allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in a New York City phone booth back in the '70s ... that's the claim from his accuser in a new lawsuit she's filed nearly 50 years after the alleged incidents.

The accuser, Jeanne Bellino, says she was a 17-year-old model in NYC when a friend arranged for them to meet Aerosmith and party with them. She says she was walking down 6th Ave with Tyler and his entourage when she made a comment about a song lyric that rubbed him the wrong way.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Bellino claims Tyler grabbed her and shoved her into a phone booth, where he stuck his tongue down her throat, groped her body, pinned her against the wall of the booth and began "humping her pretending to have sex." She says his pants were on, but she could tell he was aroused.

She says she got out of the phone booth, but then stayed with the group and went to a nearby hotel. Bellino's reasoning for remaining with the group was that she needed her friend for transportation. Once they got to the hotel, she alleges Tyler pulled the same routine he did in the phone booth -- groping and humping her while clothed, this time at an entrance to a bar in the building.

At that point, Bellino claims she fled the hotel and took a cab ride home ... where she immediately told her sister what had allegedly happened with Tyler.

In the suit, Bellino says she still requires medication to deal with "long term physical injury" associated with her trauma. She's suing the Aerosmith frontman for damages.

Tyler was also sued for sexual assault last year, when Julia Holcomb claimed they met in 1973 when she was 16.

As for Bellino's lawsuit, she's claiming Tyler committed "at least one misdemeanor or felony." That's important because there's no statute of limitation for certain types of felony sexual assault under NY state law.

Duane "Keffe D" Davis, the man who's allegedly responsible for the murder of Tupac Shakur over 25 years ago finally got his day in court after 2 delays.

Keffe D was present and in handcuffs Thursday morning at a Clark County courtroom in Las Vegas to face his murder charge ... he pled not guilty after being appointed a public defender.

As we reported, the 60-year-old suspect first showed up in court at the beginning of October, but his lawyer never appeared ... delaying the arraignment a couple of weeks. The second hearing was again delayed for the same issue.

After the initial hearing, Clark County D.A. Steve Wolfson said Keefe was expected to plead not guilty to the charge of murder with the use of a deadly weapon.

Remember, Keffe D was arrested near the end of September -- and the body cam footage of the arrest showed him acting pretty calmly while being put in the back of the cop car.

Suge Knight's making an audacious claim about Akon on his new "Collect Call" podcast, accusing Akon of raping underaged girls in studio ... a statement just might land Suge in court.

Akon tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the claims are false, and he's not standing for the slander. He says, "I need to make it very clear that I absolutely deny these outrageous false and disgusting claims Suge Knight made on his podcast about me."

"I've never called, received, or had any contact with Suge Knight since he has been incarcerated. My voice you heard on his podcast was as a soundbite previously recorded from an interview I did with DJ Vlad 3 years ago regarding Suge Knight in 2009."

He continues, "I’ve never been a guest on Suge Knight’s podcast. I always believe in building positivity into the world and my actions and legacy have spoken to that."

"It’s unfortunate that I have to defend myself from these lies and I will be involving my legal team in filing a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Knight, my prayers for him will still continue."

In 2020, Akon addressed a violent confrontation between Suge and Akon's road manager ... which he says came from a business dispute between himself, Suge and Detail.

TMZ broke the story back in 2009 ... Suge was left KO'ed on the pavement and a man in Akon's camp, Robert Carnes Jr., was arrested for felony assault in Scottsdale, AZ.

As we first reported ... Suge launched his podcast with The Source magazine founder Dave Mays to discuss his colorful history as a founder of Death Row. He's recording the pod while doing 28 years for voluntary manslaughter.

Britney Spears memoir "The Woman in Me" has officially been out for just over a week, and while she moved an impressive number of copies, there's still one royal who's got her beat.

In a release Wednesday from Simon and Schuster's Gallery Books, Spears said, "I poured my heart and soul into my memoir, and I am grateful to my fans and readers around the world for their unwavering support."

The release reveals "The Woman in Me" sold 1.1 million copies in the United States -- that's including print, pre-sales, e-books and audibooks.

While Britney's figures may seem staggering, Prince Harry's book, "Spare" sold 1.6 million copies in the United States in the first week. Remember, it was release night when Britney took to social media to claim her book was "The highest selling celebrity memoir in history."

However, Britney barely did any press to promote her book ... so the number is impressive regardless.

As we reported, her email exchange interview with People Magazine was the only one-on-one she did about the book ... and the rest was up to her social media posts. We were also first to tell you that was a decision made by Britney ... she just didn't wanna do press.

El libro de memorias de Britney Spears, "The Woman in Me" lleva una semana desde su lanzamiento, y aunque sigue moviendo un número impresionante de copias, todavía se queda corto si lo comparamos con las confesiones reales de Harry.

En un comunicado publicado el miércoles por Simon and Schuster's Gallery Books, Spears afirma: "He volcado mi corazón y mi alma en mis memorias, y estoy muy agradecida de mis fans y lectores de todo el mundo por su apoyo incondicional".

El comunicado revela que "The Woman in Me" ha vendido 1,1 millones de ejemplares en Estados Unidos, incluyendo copias impresas, preventas, libros electrónicos y audiolibros.

Aunque las cifras de Britney pueden parecer asombrosas, el libro del Príncipe Harry, "Spare", vendió 1,6 millones de copias en Estados Unidos en su primera semana. Recordemos que fue la noche del lanzamiento cuando Britney se lanzó a las redes sociales para afirmar que su libro era "el libro de memorias de famosos más vendido de la historia".

Sin embargo, Britney apenas hizo prensa para promocionar su libro, por lo que el número es impresionante a pesar de todo.

Como informamos, la entrevista a través de correo electrónico con la revista People fue el único intercambio uno a uno que hizo la estrella del pop sobre su libro. Todo el resto fue lo que ella misma publicó en sus redes. También fuimos los primeros en decir que fue su decisión el no hacer ningún tipo de prensa.

A baseball fan is suing MLB star Jorge Soler ... claiming he hurled a ball into the stands during a 2021 World Series game that ended up causing an "excruciating injury to her right eye."

The lawsuit was filed by Mayra Morris in Georgia on Oct. 25 ... nearly two years after she says Soler caused the injury during one of the Braves vs. Astros championship games at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Norris claims she, her husband and her brother-in-law had seats for the Oct. 29, 2021 contest near the right field grass ... when in the fifth inning, Soler changed her life completely.

She alleges the then-Atlanta Braves outfielder hit her "directly" in her eye after he threw a baseball into the stands during a break in the action "with great force, speed, and intensity."

In the suit, Norris says Soler's toss was not "incidental to the game or any warm-up between players." She also says that after she got checked out by medical personnel, she was diagnosed with multiple fractures, an edema, and an infra-orbital abrasion ... which will require long-term medical care.

She's suing Soler and the Braves for unspecified damages.

Meanwhile, Norris' husband, Scott Norris, is also listed as a plaintiff in the suit ... after he alleges the "loss of companionship, love, affection and intimacy" as a result of the incident.

The Braves did not have a comment on the suit when reached this week ... according to Atlanta News First.

"Schitt's Creek" star Emily Hampshire is saying sorry for this year's Halloween costume, for which she's catching a lot of flak -- she dressed as Johnny Depp and her friend was Amber Heard.

ICYMI, Emily and her pal mimicked the infamous exes, pairing their outfits with a bottle of wine and even a fake poop -- referencing a low point in Johnny and Amber's trial, when they testified about feces being left in their bed.

The post has been scrubbed from Emily's Instagram and was replaced with a full-throated apology -- "I want to address what is one of the most thoughtless, insensitive, and ignorant things I've ever done" ...  referring to her costume.

She said she's "ashamed for putting something that awful out in the universe," and also condemned domestic abuse and promised she'll "do better" in the future.

Emily was met with some heat online after posting the costume, and some are now thanking her for her apology ... while others are claiming it just wasn't as offensive as she, and her critics, are making out to be.

Mariah Carey está siendo llevada a los tribunales una vez más por su clásico éxito de Navidad, por dos hombres que afirman que escribieron una canción con el mismo nombre.

Andy Stone y Troy Powers van tras Mariah por al menos 20 millones de dólares en daños y perjuicios por su canción "All I Want For Christmas Is You", que resulta tener el mismo nombre de su canción navideña de 1989.

TMZ publicó la historia, la nueva demanda es casi idéntica a la del año pasado en la que Stone criticó a Mariah por supuestamente copiar su pista después de que su canción tuviera amplia difusión e incluso llegara a las listas de Billboard en la temporada navideña de 1993.

En los nuevos documentos obtenidos por TMZ, Stone y Powers afirman que hay similitudes sustanciales en el gancho lírico, melodía y la sensación general en comparación con su canción original, añadiendo que Mariah "obvió estas obras en la historia sobre el origen de la canción, como si esas obras fueran suyas".

Hay que admitir que es difícil evitar la pegadiza melodía de Mariah cuando llega noviembre. Stone y Powers van por el gran cheque y le están pidiendo al juez que la cancele.

Mariah Carey is bein' taken to court once again over her classic Christmas hit ... by the 2 men who claim they wrote a song of the same name.

Andy Stone and Troy Powers are coming after Mariah for at least $20 million in damages over her song, "All I Want For Christmas Is You" -- which happens to be the name of their 1989 holiday song.

TMZ broke the story, the refiling is nearly identical to last year's suit -- in which Stone called out Mariah for allegedly copying their track after their song got extensive airplay and even made it on the Billboard charts in the 1993 Christmas season.

In the new docs, obtained by TMZ, Stone and Powers claim there are substantial similarities in the lyrical hook, melody, and overall feel compared to their OG song ... adding Mariah's "palmed off these works with her incredulous origin story, as if those works were her own."

Gotta admit, it's hard to avoid Mariah's catchy tune when November rolls around ... Stone and Powers are looking for the big paycheck and are asking the judge to shut her down nonetheless.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard está dispuesta a ponerse delante de un micrófono cuando salga de la cárcel, pero no lo hará para ganar fama y atención, sino para ayudar a otras personas que sufren lo mismo que ella.

La famosa delincuente convicta -que se declaró culpable de asesinato en segundo grado en relación con el brutal asesinato de su madre en 2015- está lista para pasar la página cuando salga de la cárcel en diciembre, incluso dicen que va a hablar en público.

Fuentes cercanas a Gypsy le dicen a TMZ que está planeando convertirse en una figura pública que se hará cargo del trabajo de defensa en nombre de las víctimas de abuso infantil. Obviamente, ella se considera una víctima más, a causa de lo que su madre, Dee Dee, le hizo.

En concreto, se nos dice que Gypsy quiere crear conciencia sobre el síndrome de Munchausen por poder, un término médico que los profesionales han utilizado para describir su historia infame.

Por supuesto, eso se refiere a un padre que finge que sus hijos están enfermos y vive la mentira.

Teniendo en cuenta la amplia experiencia de Gypsy en este ámbito, nuestras fuentes dicen que ella cree que puede ayudar a muchas otras personas que podrían estar pasando por algo similar en sus propias vidas y al mismo tiempo, va a poner un foco positivo en la salud mental desde su punto de vista.

Nos han dicho que Gypsy ha crecido y madurado mucho durante su encarcelamiento y que se siente bien preparada para volver a integrarse a la sociedad y hacer algo bueno. Nuestras fuentes dicen que tiene un gran sistema de apoyo a su alrededor, que le ayudará con esta transición, incluyendo a su marido, Ryan.

Una de las cosas en las que Gypsy ha participado mientras estaba en la cárcel ha sido la terapia de grupo, nos han dicho que le ha sido increíblemente útil. Nuestras fuentes dicen que las sesiones individuales de terapia de trauma también están probablemente en su futuro, ya que todavía tiene problemas que resolver.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is ready to step up to a microphone once she's released from prison -- but it won't be for fame and attention, instead, she wants to help others who suffer like she once did.

The infamous felon, who pled guilty to second-degree murder for the 2015 slaying of her mother, is ready to turn over a new leaf when she gets out in December ... according to sources close to Gypsy.

Those sources tell TMZ ... Gypsy's planning on doing a lot of public speaking and engaging in advocacy work on behalf of child abuse victims. Obviously, that's how she categorizes herself, on account of what she says her mom, Dee Dee, put her through.

Specifically, we're told Gypsy wants to raise awareness about Munchausen's syndrome by proxy -- the medical term professionals have used to describe Dee Dee's actions.

It pertains to a parent who pretends their kids are sick and live out the lie.

Considering Gypsy's extensive experience in this realm, our sources say she believes she can help a lot of other people who might be going through something similar ... and in the same breath, it'll put a positive spotlight on mental health from her POV.

We're told Gypsy's grown and matured a lot while incarcerated, and she feels well-equipped to reacclimate into society and do some good. Our sources say she has a support system around her -- including her husband, Ryan -- to help with the transition.

One thing Gypsy's taken part in while in prison is group therapy -- which we're told was incredibly helpful -- but when she's out, she'll probably enter one-on-one trauma therapy sessions, as she's still working through her issues.

French Montana's flying private, but his travel plans are still coming with headaches ... because he says authorities in Colombia searched his jet for narcotics.

The rapper says he was trying to fly out of the South American country Tuesday, but he was grounded at the airport while officers combed through his plane in search of cocaine.

French posted video of his encounter with law enforcement, and you see a handful of police officers going through the plane along with a drug-sniffing dog.

He's keeping a cool head about it, for the most part, even petting the K-9 in front of officers. He's also proclaiming his innocence ... saying la policia got the wrong idea about him.

Yes, he named his label (and mixtape series) Cokeboys, but French declares there's no contraband on his ride.

Despite the hard time from Colombian police, French says he's still got love for the country ... though he adds, "you don't have to do me like this!!!"

Diddy says his version of Heath Ledger's Joker was so good last year Warner Bros. sent him a cease and desist from doing the look in the future.

If you recall, Diddy masqueraded around L.A. dressed as Batman's arch nemesis during Halloween 2022 and fooled a lot of people in the process who didn't even realize it was Diddy ... just ask Tyler, The Creator and "Power" actor Michael J. Ferguson.

Diddy told Jimmy Kimmel WB's legal team determined his full-blown makeup infringed on The Joker's copyright ... but for Halloween 2023, he's still planning on making them earn their retainer with another take on one of their properties.

Heath posthumously won an Oscar for his take on Mr J. and Diddy did him justice ... staying in character the whole night.

Two former Sacramento Kings dancers are suing the team ... alleging one of the org's choreographers was a total creep who prevented them from making this year's dance squad.

The two dancers -- ID'ed only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 -- filed the lawsuit against the NBA franchise in a California court on Tuesday.

Doe 1 said in the suit she was hired by the Kings in 2022 ... and a short time later, she noticed a pattern of misconduct from team choreographer Matthew Day.

According to the woman, Day would inappropriately touch dancers as he worked with them, "causing emotional discomfort." She said she went to HR over it ... but she claims in the suit "no changes were made."

Doe 1 alleged Day's unprofessional behavior continued as he remained employed by the team ... claiming Day sent her various messages on Instagram, including some that contained "flirtatious comments and emojis." She said in the suit she never engaged "in any flirtatious behavior in response."

Doe 2, who was also hired by the Kings in 2022, listed similar allegations against Day in the suit.

Both Doe 1 and Doe 2 said when they attempted to rejoin the team for the 2023-24 season ... Day was on the judges panel, much to their surprise.

And, when the two were not picked for the team following auditions -- they said in the lawsuit they were sure it was retaliation for their complaints against Day.

Both are suing the Kings and Day for unspecified damages.

"The Challenge" star Nelson Thomas has officially been charged with DWI for his near-fatal car crash from earlier this year.

Thomas was hit with the misdemeanor charge at the end of September in Texas, according to docs obtained by TMZ ... and officers said he had "bloodshot, glassy eyes" as he explained to them that another car had swerved in front of him before the crash.

The docs say Thomas told cops he "only had 2-3 mixed alcoholic drinks," but officers claimed Thomas had a "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath" while being treated for injuries at the hospital.

Cops say a blood test done while at the hospital came back with a BAC of .178 -- which kicked up his charge to Class A misdemeanor.

As we reported, Minnesota Vikings receiver K.J. Osborn and a few others helped pull Thomas out of the fiery vehicle back in March while driving by in an Uber, likely saving his life. Thomas later thanked K.J. for the heroic assist.

He also shared some pics of himself from the hospital, showing gnarly cuts and burns on his body ... and his GoFundMe was met with a ton of love and cash from fans and fellow reality TV stars like Corey Lay, Mark Long, and Tori Deal.