Legal

Dr. Terry Dubrow has a legal problem that's a pain in the butt ... he claims an ex-patient of his is trying to extort him out of 5 MILLION BUCKS.

The "Botched" star filed legal docs Thursday ... claiming Sandy Scoggins threatened him with a federal lawsuit and threatened to report him to the medical board if he didn't settle up ... this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Dubrow -- who is being repped by legal eagle Larry Stein -- says he treated Scoggins in July 2019 for a buttock lift with fat flaps. During the June consultation, Dubrow claims he specifically advised her of the substantial risks of complications resulting from plastic surgery and the need for post-operative medical care. He says she should have gotten aftercare from another doctor upon returning home to Texas. Dubrow says he last communicated with her on October 25, 2019.

Nearly a year after surgery, Dubrow claims Scoggins sent him a pre-lawsuit demand alleging Dubrow was negligent in providing her with medical treatment and care because he allegedly failed to diagnose and treat her injuries.

She sent him a 901-page demand letter demanding $5 million ... or else she'd file a federal lawsuit against him and threatened to drag his "Botched" show into the lawsuit as well as his staff if he didn't pay up.

Dubrow calls Scoggin's efforts an extortion campaign, and he's willing to fight it out in arbitration.

The creator of the F-Factor diet says her company is practically on financial life support ... and she's pointing the finger at an Instagram influencer for allegedly destroying her business by conjuring up fake claims.

Tanya Zuckerbrot -- a registered dietician and Instagram influencer -- is suing Instagram influencer Emily Gellis claiming that beginning in July she's made more than 4,500 false claims over a 75-day period that her F-Factor diet causes physical harm ... and in some cases, death, this according to docs obtained by TMZ.

In docs, Zuckerbrot says she created protein powders and protein bars in 2017 touting her F-Factor diet, which she describes as a "liberating and sustainable approach to weight loss and optimal health based on scientifically proven fiber-rich nutrition."

Zuckerbrot claims Gellis has 750 minutes of video trashing the diet. She says Gellis falsely claimed F-Factor products caused a woman to miscarry a pregnancy. Zuckerbrot also claims Gellis falsely claimed the products contained unsafe levels of arsenic. According to the suit,  Gellis also falsely claimed someone died from using the product.

Zuckerbrot's got a laundry list of things she claims Gellis -- who boasts 208k followers on IG -- said about her and the diet products, including accusing Zuckerbrot of "selling f***ing packaged poison" and “profit[ing] off this cult-like mentality.”

She claims the company was generating over $1 million a month in revenue ... until Emily's "illegal, abusive and harassing social media misconduct," which Zuckerbrot says caused "devastating financial damages and enormous emotional distress."

Britney Spears lacks the mental capacity to sign a sworn declaration in her conservatorship case ... and her own lawyer compared her inability to sign a document to a comatose patient.

There was a hearing Wednesday in Britney's conservatorship case ... it was routine at first, but then the judge started asking questions about Britney wanting a co-conservator of her estate, to work alongside Jamie Spears.

Britney's lawyer, Sam Ingham, had been conveying Britney's feelings about the conservatorship to the court, and they got into a discussion as to whether all of that was inadmissible hearsay.

The judge asked Ingham if Britney would sign a declaration so there'd be a first-hand account of her feelings. Ingham said Britney lacked the capacity to sign a declaration, and likened her to a comatose patient. He was not saying she is comatose by any means, but he used it by way of example to show she was not capable of signing a legal document. Ingham said even comatose patients can have their lawyers speak for them.

The lawyers and the judge started discussing whether hearsay regarding Britney's feelings were admissible, but the judge put the matter over to another day.

As you know, there's a social media movement to free Britney from her conservatorship, but her own lawyer telegraphed that she's not able to do some fairly basic things.

Derek Chauvin -- the former Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd -- is a free man for now ... he just got released from behind bars as he awaits trial.

Chauvin was cut loose Wednesday from the Oak Park Heights prison in Minnesota after court records show he posted a non-cash $1 million bond backed by a place called A-Affordable Bail Bonds. His trial is currently scheduled for March.

Chauvin was the last of the 4 accused cops still in custody. As we reported, the other 3 -- Alexander Keung, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao -- were released some time ago, and are all seeking a change of venue ahead of their trials.

Chauvin faces the most severe charges out of the group -- he's been rung up for 2nd-degree murder, 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter after leaving his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Netflix is being dragged into a criminal courtroom in Texas over the controversial film, "Cuties" ... a film a grand jury believes shows young kids in sexual situations.

The grand jury in Tyler County, TX just handed up the indictment ... and according to the docs, Netflix is being charged with promotion of lewd visual material depicting children. By streaming "Cuties," Netflix allegedly promoted the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child younger than 18, appealing to the prurient interest in sex.

The criminal indictment -- a rare move against a company -- also says the movie offers no serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value, and alleges the head honchos at Netflix recklessly authorized and/or tolerated its dissemination through its platform ... and, therefore, should be held accountable.

Critics have been very vocal about the controversial film -- some feel it encourages the sexual exploitation of pre-teens ... some have even used the word "pedophilia" to describe "Cuties."

The film is about a group of prepubescent girls who form a dance squad and practice moves they see in music videos. At one point, they even dress in revealing outfits and carry themselves like adults.

Ironically, the film's creators have said they intended the film to be a critique of the hypersexualization of kids ... but that message has been lost on many viewers.

There was a whole #CancelNetflix movement in the wake of the film's release. Netflix picked up the distribution rights after "Cuties" debuted at Sundance earlier this year.

If convicted, Netflix isn't going to prison. Most likely, the company would be forced to pay criminal fines, and possibly pull the movie from the platform.

Megan Thee Stallion's attack on Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron -- calling him a "sellout negro" -- won't draw him into a war of words, because he says his philosophy is ... sticks and stones.

AG Cameron went on 'Fox & Friends' Tuesday to respond to Meg's "Saturday Night Live" performance ... and he said the disparaging remarks she made about him are the same ones he's faced since college. He says it's nothing new, especially for a Black Republican.

ICYMI ... Meg name-checked Cameron during her gig ... comparing him to Black people who sold their own back into slavery -- and the wall behind her read at one point, "Daniel Cameron is No Different."

Cameron says he agrees with MTS's message of needing to protect Black women, but says as it pertains to Breonna Taylor's case -- he insists he did his job, and refuses to cave to the public narrative ... which is he fought to clear the involved officers off wrongdoing ... instead of prosecuting someone for killing Breonna.

He also said Meg's remarks don't hurt him, and only expose the intolerance the "tolerant left" claim to embrace.

Cassie Randolph's war with Colton Underwood is now in the hands of law enforcement ... TMZ's learned she filed a report claiming he put a tracking device on her car.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Cassie went to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department Wednesday night to file a complaint about the allegation she first made against the 'Bachelor' star in her request for a restraining order against him.

Cassie's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, tells TMZ ... "It was her intention to first, try and work through this process privately in a manner that gives both her and Colton safety, security and respect. We are confident this is possible."

TMZ broke the story ... Cassie alleged Colton planted a tracking device, and that her brother found it taped to the bottom of her car's back bumper. She claimed he was trying to track her whereabouts long after they had broken up.

She made other claims about him showing up uninvited to her L.A. apartment and her parents' house in Huntington Beach. The judge signed off on Cassie's restraining order, and Colton's been ordered to stay away.

The Whitney Houston hologram that recently surfaced will have to be placed back under wraps ... TMZ has learned it was already banned by a judge before the leak.

As we first told you ... a Whitney hologram originally intended for "The Voice" years ago leaked last week, and was supposedly a new and improved version. Quality aside, Whitney's estate was pissed because it didn't approve the release.

Alki David, the man whose company designed the hologram, believed he was allowed to use it on Scott Storch's variety show, and he did. David thought he was in the clear because he had previously worked on a Whitney hologram way back in 2016. That one was scrapped because her estate didn't like the look.

As it turns out, the estate says David was wrong

According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- a judgment signed in July 2018 terminated the license agreement and contract Whitney's estate had signed with David back in 2015.

So, Whitney's team insists David had no legal standing to re-build or re-brand the Whitney hologram.

Sergey Kovalev pled guilty Friday in a criminal case stemming from an alleged violent incident with a woman and dog in 2018 ... and the boxing star will now have to spend the next 3 years on probation, TMZ Sports has learned.

Kovalev was accused of punching a woman in Big Bear, Calif. back in June '18 ... after the alleged victim claimed she turned down his sexual advances.

The woman, Jamie Frontz, said the two had met at a boxing gym-opening party ... and began kissing at her rental cabin shortly after.

But, she says when she pulled away from the fighter after feeling like he was too aggressive ... he became violent.

Frontz says Kovalev kicked her dog ... and then later socked her in the face.

In an interview with TMZ Sports about the incident, Frontz claimed the punch caused a broken nose, a concussion and facial lacerations.

Kovalev was eventually arrested and hit with a felony assault charge ... and faced YEARS behind bars.

But, according to court docs, Kovalev cut a deal with prosecutors Friday ... and got the felony charge dropped.

In exchange, 37-year-old Sergey pled guilty to misdemeanor fighting/noise/offensive words ... and was sentenced to 3 years probation.

Kovalev was also ordered to serve a 2-day jail sentence ... but he received credit for time served and won't spend any more time behind bars.

Court docs also show Kovalev must attend/complete an anger management program, as well as pay $220 in court fees.

We've reached out to the boxer's attorney for comment ... but, so far, no word back yet.

Incubus co-founder and drummer Jose Pasillas took a nasty spill on his bike thanks to a defective handlebar, and it's wreaked havoc on his wrist and his career ... so he claims in a new lawsuit.

According to the legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Pasillas bought a brand new Specialized S-Works Tarmac bicycle from a high-end California bike company, Specialized Bicycle Components, near the end of 2015.

About 3 years later on Jan. 24, 2019 ... he says he was out for a ride on the bike on Mulholland Highway in Calabasas, when out of nowhere the right handlebar broke.

According to the docs ... the handlebar "disintegrated" and caused the front wheel and the bars to turn sharply, which threw the drummer over the top with his shoes still clipped into the bike pedals.

Pasillas claims he was traveling approximately 25 MPH when he got thrown and landed on the road mostly on his hands -- which he says took the brunt of the fall -- but also on his left shoulder and knees.

The Incubus drummer claims he sought immediate medical care and learned he had a broken wrist, which he says required surgery to repair.

Pasillas claims he suffered severe injuries and has needed continuous medical treatment since the crash. What's worse -- Jose says his ability to drum for Incubus has been impacted and he's lost money because of it.

He's suing for negligence over the allegedly defective handlebar and wants reimbursement for his medical costs and other damages, including lost earnings.

We reached out to the bike company ... no word back yet.

The man in the LA Kings' "Bailey" mascot costume has just been CANNED ... after the team investigated sexual harassment claims made by a female employee.

We broke the story ... a woman using the pseudonym "Jane Doe" filed a lawsuit back in August claiming Tim Smith -- who has regularly played the role of Bailey at public events for years -- was repeatedly inappropriate toward her.

In her lawsuit, the woman accused Smith of making sexually-charged comments, jokes and leering at "her breasts and buttocks." She claims she was fired after complaining to management.

After Doe filed her suit, the organization suspended Smith -- who worked for the Kings since 2007. The team also launched an investigation into the allegations.

Now, the Kings have announced they're parting ways with Smith --  saying on Friday, "Today, the LA Kings terminated the employment of Tim Smith."

"We are not in a position to provide further details or comments on this matter due to pending litigation."

The Grand Jury audio in the Breonna Taylor case reveals important information about the central issue in the case -- whether the Grand Jurors were adequately informed about whether cops identified themselves before breaching the door to Breonna's apartment.

According to the audio, a police lieutenant testified one of the neighbors did NOT hear police identify themselves. It's unclear why the neighbor didn't testify in person before the grand jury. We know there were 12 neighbors in all who said they did NOT hear the cops ID themselves.

Another cop testified one neighbor DID hear the cops announce who they were before entering the apartment. The key -- what about the 12 who didn't hear it?

This is critical because if police did not identify themselves, then Breonna's boyfriend had every right to fire a shot, and cops couldn't use self-defense as a justification for shooting in the apartment.

Cops say they announced themselves as law enforcement before entering Breonna's apartment, according to the testimony we've heard so far. It's about 20 hours of audio, and we're continuing to going through it.

Police Lt. Shawn Hoover said in an interview, recorded the same day Breonna was shot, cops knocked on the door and announced themselves as police before waiting another 10 or 15 seconds to repeat the announcement.

Hoover said cops waited another 45 to 60 seconds before approaching again and breaching the door -- and, as you've heard, cops had a "no-knock" warrant, but Cameron later said police did ID themselves.

Taylor family attorney Ben Crump says his team has spoken to the 12 witnesses who claim cops did not announce before the raid.

As we reported ... Cameron announced earlier this week he would release the recording after an anonymous grand juror filed a motion asking a judge to allow the grand jurors to go public.

The juror who filed the unusual request blasted Cameron for hanging the grand jury out to dry when he announced the indictment of ex-cop Brett Hankison.

Cameron insisted a grand jury is meant to be a secretive body, but relented it's "apparent that the public interest in this case isn't going to allow that to happen."

He added ... "Once the public listens to the recording, they will see that over the course of two-and-a-half days, our team presented a thorough and complete case to the Grand Jury."

Of course, the very next day the Kentucky AG admitted he never recommended the grand jury indict either of the 2 officers for shooting and killing Breonna Taylor. Instead, he said the case he presented to the grand jury is that the officers were justified in firing their weapons because Breonna's boyfriend had fired first at them.

Dr. Dre just won a battle in court ... the judge in their divorce case just rejected Nicole's request for $1.5 million to pay for various expenses, including security ... and the judge rejected her request to accelerate her claim that Dre should pay $5 million for her lawyer's fees and other costs.

Nicole's lawyers were in court this morning, telling the judge Nicole needs the $1.5 million for security because she's been receiving death threats. The money would also go for other expenses. Some of the people commenting on the divorce have said things like, "If she dies, she dies," and "For a small fee she can disappear."

The judge rejected her claim, in part because she got rid of her security team that Dre was paying for. She claimed Dre was too controlling and wanted to hire security on her own. She claimed Dre threatened to fire the security if they didn't follow his orders. The judge rejected her request, and Dre's lawyer, Laura Wasser, told the judge Dre is still willing to pay all of Nicole's expenses pending the divorce, including security. The judge ordered that Nicole could select a private security company for her personal protection, but it can't cost more than Dre was paying.

Nicole's lawyers also asked the judge to move up the hearing on their attorney's fees -- specifically, they're asking Dre to pay $5 million in lawyer's fees and costs for Nicole. The hearing was set for January but the lawyers wanted it held this month. The judge rejected the request.

In rejecting Nicole's arguments, the judge noted there are serious domestic violence and custody cases he has to deal with, and this is not in the same universe.  The judge did say, however, if Dre exercised control over Nicole, she could file for a restraining order.

Yoko Ono's returning to battle with a former aide of her late husband John Lennon, claiming the guy's again trying to profit off them, even though he was ordered nearly 20 years ago to knock it off.

According to a new suit -- obtained by TMZ -- Yoko believes Frederic Seaman blatantly violated a court order when he sat down for a 23-minute interview "flanked by Lennon memorabilia" and discussing topics she says are legally prohibited ... like his old book about John.

Yoko and Frederic have been going at it in court for decades. She says Frederic pled guilty to stealing Lennon's journals back in 1983 but she had to drag him to court again in the late '90s.

Eventually, Yoko scored a legal victory in 2002 when a court ordered Seaman to stop using their family photos and such to profit off Lennon's legacy, and she even got an apology from him in open court ... so it seemed like it was resolved.

Ono now says he's back at it and claims Seaman's recent interview on September 10 proves it. Yoko claims he defied the order by again talking about his employment with John and Yoko, John's murder, and even worse ... his 1991 book, 'The Last Days of John Lennon.'

Ono says Seaman discussed his intention to revise and reissue an expanded version of his book, which she claims would "willfully and intentionally violate" the injunction laid down against him in 2002.

The 4 accused ex-cops involved in George Floyd's death are asking for a change of venue for their trial ... saying the crowds of citizens outside the courthouse are terrorizing them.

Alexander Kueng filed a motion with the court seeking to change the venue out of Hennepin County ... claiming he, Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao and Thomas Lane as well as their attorneys were all subjected to a dangerous situation outside the courthouse following a hearing last month.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Kueng says there was no recognizable plan in place in advance of the hearing to ensure their safety and orderly entry. He adds Chauvin -- who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes -- was subjected to "humiliation by being paraded in public dressed in jail clothes and body armor."

Kueng, who says the other cops have filed similar motions to move the trial, says they were also harassed going in and out of the courthouse. As we reported ... the ex-cops were met by angry protesters when they left court.

Kueng claims Thao, in particular, was followed for several blocks by jeering protesters when he left court. He also claims Lane was physically assaulted.

Van Jones can't stop smiling about the REFORM Alliance's big win -- the new law he says will improve the lives of tens of thousands of Californians ... and it's just the start, he hopes.

The REFORM CEO and esteemed news commentator joined "TMZ Live" Thursday, still riding high after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the AB 1950 bill into law ... which Jones calls a "transformative" piece of legislation.

Van says it's all about giving people a fair shot and setting them up for success, and gives props to Newsom for working with REFORM to make a much-needed change to the state's probation system.

As we reported ... the new law limits adult probation sentences to a maximum of 1 year for a misdemeanor, and 2 years for felony offenses. Van says ideally, this will lower petty probation violations and keep people from going back to prison when they're not even committing crimes.

More importantly, Jones says the law is set up to give people in the criminal justice system a "springboard to success, and not a trap door into failure" ... in order to lead productive lives after they've done their time.

Jones also believes this progress is a result of all the protesting for change, and even though the alliance was founded by big names like Jay-Z, Meek Mill, Michael Rubin and Robert Kraft ... everyone involved in the movement helped.