Legal

Britney Spears' father doesn't buy her lawyer's assertion that he's the only one who can speak for her ... and he's using the upcoming election to try to prove his point.

Jamie Spears filed new legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- in Britney's ongoing conservatorship case which fire back at her attorney, Sam Ingham, for recently likening her to a comatose patient who lacks the capacity to sign declarations.

Spears says his daughter's conservatorship doesn't mean she's stripped of all of her rights -- for instance, she still has the right to vote -- and he notes she's testified at deposition and multiple times in court during the conservatorship.

According to the docs ... Britney's dad claims Ingham does not have the unlimited authority to be her "exclusive voice" -- she has the right to be heard.

We broke the story ... the reason this all came up in the first place is because Ingham told the judge earlier this month that Brit does not want to perform again. Jamie's side called that hearsay, because it was coming from Ingham and not Britney herself.

The judge asked why Britney had not filed a declaration about her career intent -- and Ingham said that's because she lacks the mental capacity to do so ... like a person in a coma.

Phil Collins is still NOT feeling Donald Trump's rally playlist ... he wants the Prez's campaign to quit pumping "In The Air Tonight" through its PA speakers.

Here's the deal ... Trump's campaign blared Phil's hit song at his Des Moines rally earlier this month -- and at several others since then -- and the singer is royally pissed.

Phil's legal team fired off a cease and desist letter to Trump's camp, obtained by TMZ, claiming the song choice makes it seem like Phil's fully onboard the Trump train, which he's not.

In the legal doc, Phil says he wants no affiliation whatsoever with Trump or his campaign ... and he rips the President for seemingly making light of the coronavirus pandemic with the song choice.

Phil says he doesn't condone trivializing COVID-19 and says he's worried Trump's gonna stain his reputation if he keeps playing the song at rallies.

He also claims Trump pulled the same stunt back in June at the infamous Tulsa rally, and didn't respond to an earlier cease and desist.

NBA YoungBoy and his crew allegedly beat the crap out of a man in the garage of a studio ... this according to law enforcement.

A spokesperson for the Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas tells TMZ ... a sheriff's task force investigated the rapper and several of his cohorts for allegedly assaulting a man at a studio in Katy, Texas.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a man and his girlfriend headed to a studio to work with YoungBoy on October 5. We're told when the couple arrived, security told them no women were allowed in the studio. The GF left, and that's when things allegedly went south.

Our sources say the man went into the garage at the studio and that's when he claims YoungBoy and his crew pounced on him, put a bag over his head and proceeded to beat the crap out of him ... allegedly kicking and punching him before pistol-whipping him.

According to our sources, the guy said he caught a glimpse of YoungBoy when the bag was removed. Then there's this ... the man claims he saw a body bag in the room and when he asked why it was there ... he told officers they responded they were going to put him in it.

At this point, our sources say NBA YoungBoy then FaceTimed his manager and said, "I got him here." We're told the man claimed the manager told NBA to release him because he just beat a case and didn’t need more legal trouble.

Our sources say someone was then ordered to drop off the alleged victim in front of his house. Once there, the alleged victim was driven to the hospital by his mom and GF.

We're told the man suffered cuts and abrasions to his face plus bruises to his legs but no life-threatening injuries. Law enforcement is still looking into a possible motive for the alleged beatdown. So far there have been no arrests.

A Trump supporter was caught on camera pulling a gun on a group of protesters after getting splashed with some gunk -- and now, cops are on the hunt for the gunk-hurler ... seriously.

Check out this video that was posted this weekend from out in Woodinville, WA -- just north of Kirkland. In the clip, you see a man -- who was reportedly wearing a pro-Trump cap -- waving a gun at a group of what appear to be mostly young, female demonstrators.

As soon as the pistol comes out, the person filming immediately notices and calls it out ... while at the same time demanding to get his name, as well as the names of the people he seemed to be rolling with, who also looked like Trump supporters from their getups.

Eventually, he's walked back by one of his friends ... and the gun goes back to wherever he pulled it from. The woman berates him for threatening violence, and his excuse is ... you guys dumped something on me. The lady claims it's just water and calls him a snowflake.

Cops were called, and after interviewing witnesses, we're told it was relayed like this ... 2 groups were protesting -- pro-Trumpers and anti-Trumpers -- and at some point, this fella gets liquid tossed on him with a 5-gallon bucket by an unknown assailant, who fled by foot.

Unclear what the liquid was -- the dude claims it was a mix of spit and piss ... but officers haven't determined exactly what was inside. In any case, when they arrived, the gun-puller remained on the scene and cooperated with authorities. He was NOT arrested or cited.

Felicity Huffman has finally put the college admissions scandal firmly in her rearview mirror ... and she's reached the finish line before Lori Loughlin even got started.

The 'Desperate Housewives' actress is officially off supervised release, and her legal team says she's completed all other aspects of her punishment -- including her 2-week prison stint in the Bay Area and 250 hours of community service.

So, that's a wrap for Felicity on Operation Varsity Blues.

Felicity's got a reason to celebrate now ... and as we first told you, the first thing on her list is getting her passport back so she can leave the U.S.!!!

Of course, her travel options are limited due to the coronavirus pandemic ... but hey -- or should we say, hola -- there's always Mexico! There are also countries like Canada that won't let her in since she was convicted of a felony.

With Felicity finishing her sentence, all eyes are on Lori ... the 'Full House' star has to surrender to the Bureau of Prison's by Nov. 19, but we're told she's expected to turn herself in beforehand to begin her 2-month sentence behind bars.

Wendell Pierce might be singing the blues soon, because he's NOT been tapped to play B.B. King in an upcoming film as he's proclaimed ... according to King's estate anyway.

Pierce -- known for his roles on "The Wire" and "Treme" -- made his announcement Monday, saying ... "We are official. Preparation has begun on a film where I will be honored to play the great, BB King. Humbled."

Something doesn't add up though, because Vassal Benford -- chairman of B.B.'s estate -- tells TMZ ... they're furious Pierce announced he's the lead in the biopic. Benford claims Pierce has not been named by the estate or King's family members to play him, and in fact ... he says other actors are being considered, like Kenan Thompson.

Benford insists there's no official news about who's playing B.B. unless it comes from the estate, and he adds ... "I think Mr. Pierce misspoke."

To further muddy the waters ... Michael Zanetis -- producer and co-writer of the B.B project, which is titled "The Thrill is On" -- tells us King's estate has known about this film for years and has never had a problem with anything until now.

Zanetis claims Wendell has been under contract for the role of B.B. since 2009, and there's nobody better to play him. He adds that King's grandson, Eric Mitchell, has been an executive producer on this film since 2012 and fully supports the story.

Finally, he claims B.B. himself gave him his blessing to make the movie before he died in 2015.

So, it's even stranger Pierce tweeted out a clarification this week, saying ... "The Estate of BB King has requested I clarify the film THE THRILL IS ON is not a biopic in the traditional sense. It is a dramatized version of a real-life friendship story."

Zanetis confirms with us the film is a docudrama -- not a biopic.

Regardless, Zanetis claims the estate is trying to suppress him ... and tells us that goes against everything B.B. King stands for.

Offset was just put into handcuffs in Los Angeles, this after apparently having some sort of run-in with Trump supporters, who were out and about in force.

The Migos rapper was detained by cops Saturday in Beverly Hills, where he actually live streamed a good majority of the encounter on Instagram. The video starts with Offset having a conversation with some officers who pulled him over. He tells them he's not getting out of the car, and he's not removing his hands from his steering wheel either.

According to him, it sounds like officers might've had their guns drawn ... because somebody claimed Offset had actually waved firearms at people from his own vehicle. Offset disputes that on camera, and says somebody was following him on the street.

Eventually, he's pulled out of the car and put in handcuffs. It's unclear if he was arrested -- we're being told by people directly in his camp that he was NOT, but was detained. Another twist to this ... we're told Offset's car was actually attacked by Trump supporters, which seems to be backed up in video Cardi B posted.

In her video, she and Offset were cruising together in L.A., when they came upon some sort of a caravan going on in support of the President. Cardi captured tons of pick-up trucks with Trump flags and American flags flying ... which she said was freaking her the hell out.

Cardi also recorded what appeared to be a few Trump supporters near their car in some sort of alleyway, covering their faces and flaunting water guns. We're working on getting more details now from the police.

Zachery Ty Bryan beat the hell out of his girlfriend over missing phone charging cables ... at least according to her, and prosecutors heard enough to charge him with felonies.

The 'Home Improvement' star was charged with strangulation and coercion -- both felonies -- plus 6 misdemeanors, for the alleged violence that went down last weekend in Eugene, Oregon. We now know her version of events and it is harrowing.

Zachery's girlfriend told cops he woke her up, pulled her out of bed by her hair and started beating her, all while shouting obscenities about missing cell phone chargers ... according to police documents.

She told cops Zachery had become physically abusive toward her in the last month, and it reached a head last Friday when he allegedly punched and slapped her in the head and face multiple times. She also claims he choked her to the point she thought she was going to suffocate, and put his knee into the back of her neck.

According to cops, the woman said she broke free and dialed 911, but he disconnected the line. She claims he was standing next to her when dispatchers called back.

When police arrived, an officer said he noticed blood, swelling and bruising on the alleged victim ... and the cop claims Zachery was evasive about what happened, other than accusing her of trying to take him down because he was breaking up with her.

As we reported ... Zachery's been released on bail, and he's barred from all contact with the alleged victim.

A North Carolina man may have been plotting the assassination of Joe Biden and showed an alarming fascination with domestic terrorism ... this according to the FBI.

The feds filed legal docs detailing why Alexander Hillel Treisman -- who was originally arrested back in May on child pornography charges -- should remain locked up pending trial. Among the reasons the FBI wants to keep him behind bars ... a possible plot to assassinate the Democratic Presidential nominee.

The feds claim Treisman posted a meme on social media -- asking if he should kill Biden. The feds say he had planned on traveling to a Wendy's that's 4 miles from Biden's home. The feds claim they also found a checklist that ended with the word "execute."

And, then there's this ... in docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds say back in May they found Treisman's van filled with guns and explosives ... from an AR-15 style rifle and a Taurus .380 caliber handgun to a canister of the explosive material Tannerite. What's more ... the feds say Treisman had $509k in U.S. currency, books about survival and bomb-making and drawings of swastikas and planes crashing into buildings.

The feds also say they uncovered driver's licenses from 3 different states. According to docs ... Treisman's Internet searches between March and May 2020 also included information about Biden's home address and night-vision goggles, among other things.

And, if that's not terrifying enough ... the feds allege they found an October 2019 note created on Treisman's Samsung cell phone about a plan to carry out a mass shooting at a mall food court on Christmas Day or Black Friday.

NFL teams should be champing at the bit to sign free agent Antonio Brown ... so says former star tight end Vernon Davis, who tells TMZ Sports the reward outweighs the risk.

AB is set to return from his 8-game suspension in 2 weeks ... and folks like Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll have expressed interest in the controversial receiver this week.

We spoke with the 2-time Pro Bowler about whether teams should consider swooping in to sign AB ... and he believes it would be a VERY smart move -- as long as he's made the right changes.

"First of all, he's a human being," Davis tells us. "Everyone makes mistakes. I think he's learned from his experiences in life. The time he's had off, I think he's really had a chance to think about that."

Davis says any team who takes a chance should monitor the situation and make sure he remains a valuable asset in the locker room.

"I would definitely do the gamble, 'cause everyone deserves a second chance ... and maybe even a third chance," Davis added. "But, a second chance for sure, and I think this is a great opportunity for him to showcase who he is as a person."

Ex-NFL star Dana Stubblefield has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for raping a mentally disabled woman in a 2015 incident, court officials tell TMZ Sports.

Back in July, the 49-year-old was found guilty of forcible rape while using a gun -- a crime that carries 15 to life.

And, on Thursday, the judge sentenced Stubblefield to exactly that - meaning he'll have to do a minimum of 15 years behind bars. Stubblefield was present in the courtroom when the sentence was handed out.

As we previously reported, Stubblefield was first arrested back in May 2016 after officials say the former 49ers superstar raped a woman he found on a babysitting website and had invited to his Santa Clara, CA home for a job interview.

Stubblefield had argued the sex was consensual -- and claimed he could prove it with a lie detector test.

Prosecutors argued the woman was "incapable" of giving consent because of a mental disorder and developmental and physical disabilities.

Stubblefield was initially hit with 5 felonies -- but in January 2018, prosecutors uncovered evidence they believe proved Stubblefield used a gun to commit the alleged rape. Bail was revoked and he was remanded back into custody.

Stubblefield and his attorneys have denied the allegations for years -- claiming the woman behind the allegations was just looking for a payday.

Twitter's not buying what a Dutch man's selling -- that he hacked President Trump's account by guessing a very simple password, which is lucky for him ... legally speaking.

A spokesperson for Twitter's vehemently denying Victor Gevers, a Dutch security researcher, got into Trump's Twitter account last week when he guessed POTUS' password as "maga2020!" Twitter says, "We've seen no evidence to corroborate this claim, including from the article published in the Netherlands today."

It should be noted ... if Victor did, in fact, hack Trump's account -- giving him access to tweets and direct messages sent to and from the leader of the free world -- it's a federal crime under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. That explicitly states it's against the law to intentionally access social media accounts without proper authorization. See, huge no-no.

According to a TechCrunch report ... Victor claims he notified Homeland Security's cyber unit division to inform them about the security breach. Victor also claims Trump's password was then changed shortly thereafter. What's more ... Victor shared what he claims to be a screenshot inside Trump's Twitter account.

The security expert told TechCrunch he guessed Trump's password on the 5th attempt. He also claims to have done the same back in 2016 when he discovered Trump's LinkedIn password was "yourefired."

No money, Mo problems ...

Boris Becker appeared in a London courtroom Thursday to plead not guilty to allegations he's been hiding several tennis trophies from debt collectors.

... another bizarre twist in one of the weirdest falls from grace ever.

Remember, Becker -- a former tennis superstar who made more than $25 mil in his career -- was declared bankrupt in 2017 after racking up what court officials called a "historic debt."

52-year-old Becker was later ordered to surrender any possessions of value to a trustee -- who could in turn sell the items to help satisfy the debt. It's common practice in bankruptcy cases.

Among the items, Becker was ordered to hand over ... his Wimbledon trophies from 1985 and 1989 and his Australian Open trophies from 1991 and 1996.

FYI, Becker was only 17 when he won Wimbledon in '85 -- making him the youngest men's singles champ ever.

In other words, the trophy is probably super valuable to collectors.

But, Becker allegedly failed to hand over the trophies -- along with roughly $1.3 million in cash ... so prosecutors have pushed forward with criminal charges in a new 28-count indictment.

If convicted, Becker reportedly faces several years behind bars. This is a big deal.

Becker's attorney, Jonathan Caplan, says the tennis star is "determined to face and contest these charges and restore his reputation in relation to the allegations made against him."

Yeah, good luck with that.

By the way, Becker has allegedly tried to run from his debt in the past -- back in 2018, he claimed to have a diplomatic passport from the Central African Republic that would give him immunity in his bankruptcy case in the UK.

Joe Exotic's still managing to piss off Carole Baskin even from behind bars ... she's got beef over her old nemesis' new underwear line.

Here's the deal ... Joe's selling limited-edition "Casket Baskin Briefs" as part of the men's underwear line of his "REVENGE" fashion collection with Odaingerous streetwear ... but Carole's not feeling it.

Carole's legal team fired off a cease and desist letter to Joe and the folks at Odaingerous, obtained by TMZ, claiming Joe and the brand have no right to make money off her name.

She's threatening legal action if Odaingerous doesn't pull the merch. Carole is also demanding a full accounting of any sales they've made off merch featuring or referring to her name or likeness.

As we first told you ... Joe's underwear line is selling like hotcakes, and the top seller is the 'Casket Baskin' boxer briefs, which are going for $29 a pop. So, there could be a lot of money at stake here.

Terrence Howard claims he's getting hustled because 20th Century Fox is using his likeness from "Hustle & Flow" to promote "Empire" ... so now he's suing the studio.

Terrence -- who played Lucious Lyon on all 6 seasons of "Empire" -- just filed a lawsuit claiming 20th Century Fox gave him the runaround when asked how it came up with the "Empire" logo ... since he never sat down for a photoshoot.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Terrence says he ultimately determined the image was taken from the "Hustle & Flow" scene where "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" is being recorded in a studio.

According to the docs ... Terrence says "the still frame was selected, reversed (face looking left, not right), and subjected to CGI that simply distilled the cinematographer’s skilled capture of the head with vibrant light and shadow” to make the 'Empire' logo.

Terrence is upset because he says he would have gotten paid by Paramount -- the studio behind "Hustle & Flow" -- if 20th Century Fox got a proper license to use his image from the movie. He's suing for damages and wants an accounting of all the Empire merch using the logo.

Felicity Huffman can see the light at the end of the tunnel in the college admissions scandal, and the first right she wants back ... the ability to leave the U.S.

The 'Desperate Housewives' actress' legal team filed new docs, asking a judge to order the return of her passport -- which her lawyers say is currently in the possession of the probation department.

She had to give it up as part of her punishment, but now that she'll be wrapping up her supervised release in the next few days ... she's looking to get that puppy back in her hands.

Felicity's attorneys say she's completed all other aspects of her sentence -- including 250 hours of community service and her 2-week prison stint in the Bay Area.

The docs say federal prosecutors do not object to Felicity getting her passport ---- so, it's just a matter of time before she gets it. Once she does, though, she'll be just like most of us ... wondering where the hell she can realistically travel during the pandemic!