Legal

An American in Thailand had the balls to post scathing reviews of a resort -- so the place turned around and went after him in court ... which could now land him behind bars.

According to multiple reports, Wesley Barnes, who works in Thailand, faces up to 2 years of jail time and a fine after Sea View Resort on Koh Chang island filed a complaint with authorities ... claiming he was posting unfair and inaccurate reviews about 'em, including on Tripadvisor.

Apparently, he'd booked a stay in the summer, but had a bad time and ended up beefing with some of the staff over a corkage fee. The resort says it only resorted to legal action because Barnes has posted several bad reviews, even after it reached out to him.

As for what he allegedly wrote ... apparently stuff like, "The staff was not friendly. Nobody could smile. The restaurant manager was very rude and full of himself. He is from the Czech republic. There are other hotels with better-friendlier staff. Avoid this place like it was the Coronavirus!" Another alleged review also likened the hotel working conditions to "modern day slavery."

If that sounds run of the mill to you ... it ain't under Thai defamation laws!

In Thailand, if a company files a complaint against you (like they did here against Barnes) it can get you in serious trouble. Barnes was taken in by immigration police, escorted back to Koh Chang, briefly detained and then released on bail.

President Trump's infamously elusive tax returns have reportedly seen the light of day -- and they appear to paint a portrait of Houdini-like tactics that have allegedly allowed DT to avoid paying income taxes for years ... and a grand total of $750 in his first year on the job.

The NYT claims to have obtained tax-return data extending over two decades, including 2016 and 2017 ... years they report Trump paid a paltry $750 in income taxes in each year. Prior to that -- for at least 10 of the previous 15 years -- NYT says Trump paid $0 in income tax.

An attorney for the Trump Organization disputed the Times' findings ... and called them inaccurate ... asserting Trump had paid tens of millions in personal taxes to the feds over the past decade, including millions more since announcing his candidacy is 2015.

The Times says the attorney appears to be conflating "personal taxes" with income taxes -- noting DT has paid taxes for Medicare, Social Security and taxes for household employees.

As for how it's possible that Trump could've avoided paying income taxes for all those years -- as the Times reports -- it's because, based on the filings they've reviewed, he reported losing more money than he made ... in what they characterize as "chronic losses."

As for how rich the dude actually is ... the Times says the returns show he does own hundreds of millions in valuable assets, but they also claim he's hundreds of millions in debt as well, debts they say are coming due soon. So, it's really unclear how much he's worth.

The Times also reports that the returns do not show anything not previously known about Trump and Russia as far as business dealings are concerned. Just a quick glance at how much dough the dude was rolling in back in the 2000s because of "The Apprentice" and the licensing deals that followed -- the NYT says it amounted to upwards of $427 million all in. They also say some of that money was reinvested into other businesses -- including golf courses -- which have hemorrhaged cash.

Now, Trump has already caught wind of the report -- and he's calling it the usual ... fake news.

Trump says he's currently under audit by the IRS -- which the Times confirms, and explains it could cost the Prez a whopping $100M if they find that a $72 mil tax credit he once claimed is illegitimate.

One of the ballistics reports used to determine who shot who in the moments leading up to Breonna Taylor's death appears to contradict the Kentucky AG's version of events -- or at the very least, offer a more complete view ... which is mired in uncertainty.

Reports say that the first ballistics report conducted by the Kentucky State Police -- first obtained by VICE News this week -- could not definitively say for a fact if the 9-mm bullet that struck LMPD Officer Mattingly was, in fact, from Breonna's BF, Kenneth Walker.

In relation to the bullet that went through Mattingly's leg -- which he asserted had come from Walker firing from down the hall -- the initial KSP report reportedly says, in part, "due to limited markings of comparative value, [the] item was neither identified nor eliminated as having been fired from #45." #45 pertains to the magazine in Walker's gun.

Even more damning is the fact that one of Walker's attorneys, Steven Romines, recently claimed to CNN that he and his team had obtained an internal LMPD personnel record showing Officer Hankison (who was firing from outside) had actually been issued a 9-mm handgun at some point by the department, casting doubt on AG Cameron's claim that all the officers were using .40 caliber guns that night, and that Walker had the only 9-mm.

So, what does this all mean??? Basically, that AG Cameron might've possibly not been as forthcoming in describing the ballistics report's findings -- or which ballistics report he was actually referring to when saying evidence showed that Walker had hit Mattingly first.

Remember, there was a second ballistics report conducted by the FBI -- one which, in addition to the KSP ballistics report, was given to the grand jury to read -- but Cameron didn't say during his Wednesday presser which report he consulted when explaining the decision. It's also unclear what the feds concluded on this issue, and if there's a discrepancy.

The one thing that could make this moot -- namely, whether Mattingly was hit by Walker's bullet, or a fellow officer's bullet -- is the fact Walker admitted to firing a warning shot ... which, presumably, would authorize officers to use deadly force and return fire regardless.

California Governor Gavin Newsom just signed a new law allowing transgender prisoners in the State to be housed based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex.

Newsom signed SB 132 Saturday -- among other LGBTQ+-friendly legislation -- which will require the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's officers to privately ask inmates during the intake process if they identify as trans, nonbinary or intersex.

If they do, the inmate can then be placed in a facility in which they feel most comfortable and safe.

The new CA law says an inmate's request cannot be denied based solely on a prisoner's anatomy, sexual orientation or another factor that may be present among other inmates at any given facility. What the state could deny a request over ... legit "management or security concerns," although Newsom didn't lay out exactly what that might mean.

If an inmate's request is denied, the state has to offer a written explanation as to why and offer that prisoner a meaningful opportunity to object. BTW, the law also requires prison guards to address inmates by their preferred pronouns and to search them based on their gender identities as well. It's being hailed as a step forward in the LGBTQ+ community.

Of course ... there've been concerns raised about this new system, as some feel cis-gender heterosexual males can abuse the new policy to infiltrate female prisons ... and commit atrocities from the inside. However, the state senator who authored the bill, Scott Wiener, says he doubts that'll happen very often, if at all ... saying it's a false narrative that trans men or women are only out to get into certain gendered wings.

The crime scene left behind after Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her own apartment was a show of chaos ... so it seems from the first body cam footage released that shows the aftermath.

VICE News just posted two brief clips from hours of body camera footage they obtained from responding SWAT team members and other officers from LMPD. They showed up immediately after the deadly shooting March 13 that left Breonna dead in her apartment.

The two videos -- as well as other footage VICE will presumably release -- depict the moments after officers Hankison, Cosgrove and Mattingly fired dozens of rounds into Breonna's unit, and both are disturbing.

The first video shows what VICE says is Kenneth Walker -- Breonna's boyfriend -- being screamed at by a cop who threatened to sic a K-9 unit on him, telling him to get on his knees and not to look back. Eventually, other officers arrive -- including Hankison himself, per VICE -- and they cuff Walker. VICE reports Hankison tells Walker in the video that he's going to jail forever, but the clip they posted cuts out before any such thing can be clearly heard.

The second video shows perhaps an even more unsettling sight -- VICE reports it's Hankison again here (the cop who fired from outside the apartment) walking into Breonna's apartment after SWAT members had gone in to start investigating. He asks if any of the rounds were theirs, and seemingly tries having his run of the place before one SWAT officer tells him to scram, as it's an active crime scene and as such he shouldn't be roaming around unescorted.

In this second video, you also see the inside of Breonna's apartment ... including the hallway she and her boyfriend were apparently fired upon as Mattingly and Cosgrove first entered.

Speaking of not being escorted, VICE reports from the 40 hours-plus of footage they've scoured ... this is a trend they've seen. Namely, the seven officers directly involved in the raid -- including Hankison and Cosgrove -- were NOT separated or paired with another officer ... basically, getting them the hell away from there, which is LMPD policy. Instead several of them reportedly stayed on scene, and even conducted witness interviews ... this per VICE.

President Trump just officially tapped his pick for the next Supreme Court justice to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg ... Judge Amy Coney Barrett.

The Prez nominated the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals judge Saturday, just over a week after RBG passed away from cancer. Barrett, a Trump appointee to the Circuit Court, was a Notre Dame law professor. He dished out her bona fides and respectable resume while naming her as his nominee, while also calling on the Senate to do their duty.

Barrett began her remarks by praising the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg for her laudatory and consequential life. She noted RBG smashed many glass ceilings.  And, she had words about her mentor -- the late Justice Antonin Scalia -- and how he helped shape her vision of the law and how he taught her about collegiality even with people who are polar opposites.

Barrett said she'd learned a lot from Scalia and promised -- if confirmed -- to uphold the letter of the law as written, without any personal bias or otherwise. She also thanked her husband and her 7 kids, all of whom eventually came up on stage to pose for a photo op with the First Family.

Some more background on Barrett ... she is a die-hard conservative justice, who is a deeply religious, practicing Catholic. She's opposed to abortion, but has said she thinks Roe vs. Wade is more likely to be reimagined than overruled. In common parlance, reimagined means whittling away at the precedent.

Trump urged the public and the media to refrain from personal or partisan attacks against Judge Barrett, with a nod to how nasty and contentious Justice Kavanaugh's confirmation was. Trump went on to praise Justice Ginsburg, and explained why Barrett was the best choice to replace her.

If she's confirmed by the Senate -- which is highly likely -- the Supreme Court will have a solid 6-3 majority. The stakes are enormous, with abortion rights, health care, LGBTQ rights and voting rights on the chopping block.

Barrett has long been considered for a Supreme Court seat with Trump in office ... she was on the shortlist to replace Anthony Kennedy when he retired in 2018, a seat that is now occupied by Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

It's interesting ... when Trump filled Kennedy's seat, he reportedly informed advisors he was "saving" Barrett just in case RBG left SCOTUS during his presidency.

Barrett graduated from Notre Dame School of Law. She was in private practice before becoming a law professor at George Washington University and then Notre Dame.

Barrett has been serving on the Chicago-based 7th Circuit Court of Appeals since 2017. She's ruled on a pair of abortion-related cases, both times in favor of restrictions on access to abortion.

One key issue she's made herself perfectly clear on is the Affordable Care Act, arguing the birth control mandate is unconstitutional and the ACA overall is an overreach and abuse of Congressional power.

A Missouri cop claims a guy broke his hand ... with none other than his face -- and now, a judge has allowed the case to move forward with an assault charge against the dude.

Ozark PD officer Trevor Spencer testified last week that back in December of 2019, a traffic stop in which he pulled over 48-year-old Matthew Calhoun turned in an unavoidable beatdown (on the cop's end), which left his hand crumpled after pounding the guy's mug.

Yes, that's right ... Spencer says he had no choice but to defend himself and wail on Calhoun's face, which left his hand busted. He's alleging assault against an officer as a result.

If that sounds insane to you, you're not the only one -- Calhoun's attorney argued against the absurdity of the charge at a hearing on it Tuesday ... reportedly saying, "Are we supposed to feel sorry for Officer Spencer because he broke his hand on my client's face?"

As for how this unfolded ... Spencer says he was stopping the guy for suspected speeding, when he realized there were warrants out for his arrest. Spencer says as he tried detaining Calhoun in a parking lot, a struggled ensued and because of Calhoun's alleged aggressive behavior, he was forced to slug a few times ... which he says ended in him being injured.

Wondering if Calhoun ever struck the cop? No, actually, according to prosecutors arguing on Spencer's behalf. What they claim he did do ... allegedly elbowed Spencer in the chest while trying to escape, and then allegedly balling up his fist before Spencer started swinging.

Actress Kirsten Storms is the complete opposite of #RelationshipGoals -- she's got a big fat lawsuit hanging over her head now because her BF skipped bail.

The actress, best known for the Disney Channel original movies, 'Zenon,' is being sued by American Contractors Indemnity -- an affiliate of Always Bail Bonds -- which claims it posted John Farrow's $30,000 bond in August 2017 ... but only after Kirsten agreed to be on the hook if he skipped town.

Well, wouldn't ya know it ... boyfriend of the year candidate, John, was MIA for a court appearance a month later ... according to the lawsuit. BTW, ole Johnny boy was arrested on a drug charge and the case is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, poor Kirsten's left holding the $30k bag ... as far as the bail bond company is concerned. The suit, obtained by TMZ, includes John's bond application and it shows Kirsten was more than just a loyal GF.

It describes Kirsten -- who has also appeared on "General Hospital" -- as Farrow's landlord and girlfriend. It's unclear if the relationship remains the same now ... but it doesn't really matter to Always Bail Bonds, which is suing for the $30k, plus a few hundred bucks in fees.

DaBaby's alleged beating victim says he's on the verge of possibly needing back surgery to fix nerve damage ... this according to the man's lawyer.

Anthony Werbin of Downtown L.A. Law Group is repping Cristofher Pocasangre, and tells TMZ his client's now suffering through structural damage to his back and spine ... on top of previously diagnosed nerve damage from the incident with the rapper.

The lawyer says Cristofher has unbearable pain on a daily basis since DaBaby allegedly put a beatdown on him in a Bev Hills hotel last December. He's also getting injections to his back to help ease the pain ... according to Werbin.

If Cris's pain continues, Werbin says he might need to get back surgery in the next couple of weeks.

We got a photo of the alleged injuries ... and though it looks minor on the outside, Werbin says the internal injuries are excruciating. On top of that, Pocasangre claims the incident took an emotional toll on him, saying he was embarrassed and humiliated after the video started circulating on social media.

To that point, Chris' lawyer says friends have been taunting Chris for not standing up for himself against DaBaby. Truth is ... he says he was scared when it all unfolded.

As we reported, Pocasangre sued the rapper -- who he says used to be his fave artist -- claiming DB went on a violent rage when he snapped a selfie with him.

Kyle Rittenhouse -- the 17-year-old armed civilian arrested in the killing of 2 people during the Kenosha protests following the shooting of Jacob Blake -- might be heading back to Wisconsin to face homicide charges.

Rittenhouse appeared for an extradition hearing Friday in his home state of Illinois, where a judge was expected to decide whether to send him to Kenosha to let the case play out there. However, the judge says that decision will wait until the next heading on Oct. 9.

The judge did approve lawyers bringing laptops into the jail where Rittenhouse is being held to show him video. The teenager from Antioch, IL is accused of killing 2 people and wounding a third on August 25. He's been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless homicide. If convicted, he's looking at a mandatory life sentence.

As we reported ... Rittenhouse traveled the roughly 21 miles from Antioch to Kenosha -- armed with a semi-automatic rifle -- to walk the streets with other armed vigilantes, claiming to be there to quell rioters.

Video showed Rittenhouse running on the street with his gun while witnesses told cops he shot someone. After falling to the ground and appearing to be accosted by others, cops say he opened fire ... killing one person and injuring another. He then appeared to walk toward police with his hands up, and was permitted to simply keep walking and leave. He wasn't arrested until the next day.

Tory Lanez finally broke his silence about allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion, but only in song -- he dropped a new record that includes a full denial.

The rapper released a 17-track album Thursday night called "DayStar," and nearly every song seems to be about the altercation with Megan back in July when they were out partying with Kylie Jenner in the Hollywood Hills.

Megan has accused him of shooting her, but Tory's basically calling her a liar on his opening track, "Money Over Fallouts." The lyrics include, "How the f*** you get shot in your foot, don’t hit no bones or tendons?"

He continues ... "How the f*** your team is trying to pay me in some whole millions? / 
I just lost like 10 million dollars because this cold business
 / But I got like 10 million followers that’s gon' roll with me / 
Fans that support me because they know my heart."

Along with poking holes in Megan's account of what went down between them on July 12, he suggests she's been influenced to lie about him. On other tracks, he hints that he hopes to speak with Megan again and even reconcile ... but also that he's moved on with a new GF.

Tory's new album also addresses rumors Kylie was the reason he and Meg were fighting that night -- a theory Megan's firmly denied. Still, Tory raps, "Me and Kylie still off in the pool / We was chilling, kicking s**t was cool / Both of us didn’t know you was tripping / Even though I got a crush on Kylie, I woulda left with you if I knew you was dipping, for the simple reason / You invited me, but I can’t act like shawty didn’t excite me."

Earlier Thursday, Tory apologized to his fans for his silence and implied he'd be opening up about things at 9 PM PT -- when his album dropped. Many thought he'd own up to shooting her and apologize. He went in the other direction.

After weeks of speculation and uncertainty about what went down back in July before police swarmed Megan and Tory's SUV and she walked out with bloody feet ... Meg flat-out accused Tory of shooting her in an August 20 video, stating she was tired of the lies from his side.

Megan said the 2 of them -- along with her friend and Tory's driver -- were all arguing in the vehicle after leaving Kylie's house in the Hills after 4 AM, and she tried to get out and walk home. That's when she alleges Tory started shooting at her out the window, hitting her feet.

As we've reported ... Tory was arrested for possession of a concealed weapon -- a handgun was under his seat -- and Megan was taken to a hospital and treated for a "gunshot injury."

Though Tory's finally broken his silence publicly on the incident, TMZ previously learned he'd texted Megan an apology about 15 hours afterward, saying ... "I know u prolly never gone talk to me again, but I genuinely want u to know I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart."

Breonna Taylor's mom is breaking her silence about the grand jury indictment in Breonna's case, and seems to be pointing the finger, like many others, at Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

Tamika Palmer has not spoken publicly about the indictment, but on Thursday she did post a painting of her daughter with the caption, "It's still Breonna Taylor for me." She added 2 blue heart emojis, a red broken heart emoji and the hashtag #ThesystemfailedBreonna.

Although Tamika didn't include Cameron's name in her post, the system she's referring to IS Cameron in the eyes of people angry the grand jury failed to indict any of the officers for shooting and killing Breonna.

Immediately after the grand jury announcement, Breonna's cousin, Tawana Gordon, told the Louisville Courier-Journal, "I'm not surprised but I'm mad as hell because nothing's changing ... today's decision was an additional injustice on our family and this country."

The family's attorney, Ben Crump, told us Thursday he has serious concerns about what Cameron presented during the secret grand jury proceedings ... and whether he fought to get justice for Breonna, or to exonerate the 3 cops.

As we reported ... the grand jury indicted just one officer, Brett Hankison, on charges of wanton endangerment. Hankison was not charged for the shooting of Breonna, but for firing his weapon into Breonna's neighbor's apartment.

Breonna Taylor's family attorney Ben Crump wants the grand jury transcript released to see if prosecutors tried to make a case for charging the cops with involuntary manslaughter ... or simply let them off the hook.

The civil rights attorney joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and tore into Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron, and got heated about something the 3 officers did NOT do the night they raided Breonna's home and shot her.

Police reportedly failed to give Breonna medical aid for at least 20 minutes after riddling her body with bullets -- and Ben explained why, under the law, that amounts to involuntary manslaughter. The question he has is whether Cameron even presented that potential charge to the grand jury.

For now, Crump says there's only one way to know, and he's calling for public pressure on Cameron's office to release the grand jury transcript ... something Cameron said Wednesday he would not do.

Crump also has an issue with the witness who claimed to hear police announce themselves before entering Breonna's home and gunning her down. Watch the clip, and it should be clear why he, and others, feel it's crucial to know what Cameron said to the grand jury.

NFL superstar Dak Prescott says he can't wrap his head around the Breonna Taylor case ... calling it "simply unacceptable" for officers to not be charged following her death.

"Yeah, that's disgusting," the Dallas Cowboys QB told reporters Thursday. "I don't understand that one at all. There's a lot of things in this country that I don't understand that we're looking at right now."

Prescott emphasized how dire it is to keep up-to-date on issues and be prepared to vote -- and that means doing as much research as possible on candidates to make sure the right people take office to prevent incidents like this from happening again.

"That's one of the biggest things that I'd say we've taken a step as a team, is just trying to talk about that -- the importance to vote, the importance for our voices to be heard throughout our community and to be leaders there."

"But, that's simply unacceptable and I don't understand an officer not behind charged in that case.

The Taylor case was a topic discussed throughout the NFL on Thursday ... with other stars like Odell Beckham and Lamar Jackson expressing their concerns with the announcement.

"It’s crazy we never get justice for serious things on our side of the part," Jackson told reporters. "We’re in America where it should be freedom of speech ... the Land of the Free, but I don’t feel like its been that way for us Black people sometimes."

"It’s just getting tougher," OBJ told reporters. "It’s disheartening ... when you just want justice and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen."

It's official ... Robert Kraft is now off the hook in his sex spa case, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Court records show prosecutors dismissed Kraft's 2 misdemeanor charges of soliciting a prostitute ... with officials saying Thursday they didn't have enough evidence to get a conviction.

"Although there was probable cause to make an arrest," state attorney David Aronberg wrote in court docs, "the evidence cannot prove all legally required elements of the crime alleged and is insufficient to support a criminal prosecution."

The news isn't exactly a surprise ... in fact, it was expected after Kraft's team of lawyers successfully argued video of the New England Patriots owner allegedly receiving sex acts inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa should NOT be admitted in the case.

Judges in the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled cops screwed up in the way they went about recording inside the Jupiter, Fla. facility by failing to ensure privacy for people getting legitimate massages. So, the footage was not allowed in the case.

With the vid thrown out ... prosecutors clearly lacked a smoking gun -- and were essentially forced to move on.

State officials are expected to break down the decision at a press conference later Thursday.

Azealia Banks' rantings are taking a dangerous turn ... according to her ex-manager who claims she's threatening his loved ones' lives and his.

Jeff Kwatinetz is suing Banks claiming she's inciting her fans to help her with what he claims is a “coordinated campaign of extortion." The ex-manager claims Banks has been harassing him for a while, but recently crossed the line by threatening his family over what she claims are unpaid royalties.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Jeff says he signed Banks back in October 2014 for her debut album "Broke with Expensive Taste" -- but Jeff dropped her in 2015 for her erratic behavior, and her refusal to promote her album.

Jeff, who runs management agency Prospect Park and co-founded the BIG3 League with Ice Cube -- claims Banks has been ranting on social media since June against him and the agency. He calls her claims the "rantings of a lunatic" ... but adds the rants are getting seriously threatening.

He claims Banks posted YouTube videos and other social media posts in which she threatened his family's lives ... as well as pics of herself outside his L.A. home. He views all the postings as her attempt to incite fans to take up her cause.

In the suit, Jeff says Banks is not owed any dough but believes she will use any means to get what she claims she's owed. He's suing for unspecified damages and wants an order keeping her away from him and his family.