Legal

Charles Oakley's assault case against Madison Square Garden NY just got new life -- thanks to an appeals court ruling.

Remember, Oakley had sued MSG, owned by James Dolan, for assault, battery, defamation and other allegations stemming from the infamous Feb. 2017 incident when Dolan ordered Oakley to be removed from Madison Square Garden.

The case was dismissed in federal court in Feb. 2020 -- but now, an appeals court has ruled Oakley CAN proceed with the assault and battery portions of his suit.

So, why?

The appeals court believes the lower court didn't analyze Oakley's assault and battery claims correctly -- and he deserves a shot to put on evidence that MSG security used unreasonable force when they kicked him out.

Oakley says in his complaint that security roughed up him and repeatedly shoved him to the ground -- all while Oakley claimed he did nothing wrong.

Oakley is obviously happy his lawsuit can move forward -- telling TMZ Sports in a statement, "I am appreciative of the appeals court as I now have a chance to show the world what I said from day one was true."

"The truth is going to come out at trial and Dolan will be held responsible for what he did."

Oakley's attorney Douglas H. Wigdor also commented ... saying, "As we have always stated, Mr. Dolan and MSG acted improperly, and unlawfully, when they violently threw Mr. Oakley out of MSG without provocation."

"We are pleased that the Second Circuit has allowed Mr. Oakley to have his day in court and to finally be able to hold Mr. Dolan accountable for his actions."

"This is a great day for Knicks fans and fans of Mr. Oakley, and we look forward to the truth of what happened finally coming out."

Sources connected to the case tell us MSG is confident with its position -- noting 7 out of the original 9 claims were dismissed for the second time, including all claims against James Dolan.

We're told MSG believes it behaved appropriately in coordination with the NYPD and are confident in the final outcome.

Ex-NY Giants CB DeAndre Baker is officially off the hook in his armed robbery case -- after some alleged funny business with the witnesses who initially said they saw him commit a crime at a cookout back in May.

As we previously reported, Baker -- along with Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar -- was arrested for allegedly robbing several people at gunpoint during a cookout in Miramar, FL.

Baker was initially charged with 4 counts of robbery with a firearm over the May 13 incident and was facing up to life in prison.

But Monday morning, prosecutors announced all charges against Baker have been dropped because of serious issues with the alleged victims and witnesses.

Prosecutors say three alleged victims had initially filed sworn statements "in which they asserted that three men committed a robbery with a firearm upon them and that Mr. Baker was one of the assailants."

Then, something changed ...

Prosecutors say, "the alleged victims and the known witnesses have become uncooperative and their credibility is inalterably tarnished."

In fact, prosecutors say they tried to have one witness held in contempt of court for refusing to answer questions.

And get this, prosecutors also say an attorney representing three of the alleged victims was arrested Monday morning for extortion "related to soliciting a cash payout on behalf of the three men in exchange for altered testimony."

In other words, officials believe the lawyer was helping his clients get money in exchange for changing their stories.

Prosecutors say the alleged victims ultimately recanted their initial claims -- that Baker was involved in the crime -- and most recently said that he was "present" at the cookout but did not rob or assault anyone.

Because of all the alleged shenanigans involving the victims and witnesses ... prosecutors have just decided to drop the case against Baker altogether -- seemingly because they realized they would not be able to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Baker -- who was drafted by NY in the 1st round of the 2019 NFL Draft -- was cut by the Giants back in September over his alleged role in the incident.

At the time, cops said witnesses told them Baker pulled out a semi-automatic firearm after a dispute at the cookout and directed Dunbar to start taking watches, cash and other valuables from partygoers.

Baker had denied the allegations through his attorney.

The 23-year-old has remained an NFL free agent while his case played out in the courts. It's unclear if he'll still face league discipline even with the charges being dropped Monday.

15-year-old Quawan Charles appears to have most likely died from drowning -- the family's independent autopsy results now reaffirm that, but they still don't know the how behind his death.

The findings are in from American Forensics -- the agency that did a separate autopsy on Quawan's body -- and according to the report, obtained by TMZ, the experts discovered evidence of a possible drowning ... which they note the first autopsy also concluded.

They also say that the initial autopsy -- conducted by the coroner's office in Iberia Parish, LA -- was thorough. The independent autopsy also mentions no sign of trauma or natural disease, and that the body was undergoing decompositional changes upon arrival. With all that said, the jury's still out on Quawan's exact cause of death and the manner of death.

The autopsy says a final report is pending toxicology and histology results, as well as other investigative information as it becomes available.

For now, both examinations seem to jibe with what cops told Quawan's family ... that he probably drowned. Both autopsies found water was in his lungs, but the family wasn't buying the drowning theory because of the damage to his face -- which they compared to what to Emmett Till's 1955 lynching.

On that front ... Quawan's family attorney, Ronald Haley, tells us investigators believe the teen's face was gnawed on by wild animals in the sugar cane field where his body was found. However, we're told the family is NOT buying that explanation ... they still suspect foul play, and Haley also says cops are currently investigating this as a homicide.

You'll recall, Haley and other family members were adamantly opposed to the narrative of Quawan's death being accidental ... telling us last week there were too many holes in the police's story to justify that response. That, and just looking at him made them believe he was killed.

In any case, Haley now tells us he's troubled by the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office's slow response in finding Quawan in the first place -- noting it took them a total of 4 days just to ping his phone on Nov. 2 ... which led them to his body the next day. He'd been reported missing on Oct. 30.

Ledisi's giving Jussie Smollett a rave review as a first-time director, but more importantly -- she's going to bat for him as a human being ... regardless of what everyone else thinks.

The R&B artist and actress is starring in Smollett's upcoming movie, "B-Boy Blues," and she has nothing but glowing words for his debut behind the camera ... telling us she had a very fun time filming.

Ledisi also says she didn't think twice about signing on with Jussie -- and doesn't believe other actors did either -- because she loves him and he's always been there for her. She adds ... "He's a good human. He means well with everything he does."

Of course, we had to ask if she hesitated ... remember the January 2019 incident in which he allegedly staged a hate crime.

Though Ledisi clearly supports Jussie, she doesn't say he DIDN'T do what he's accused of. Instead, she tells us ... "He does good work. People make mistakes, and they do things around the wrong people."

She goes on to say Smollett's doing the right thing now by focusing on his work and insists his heart's in the right place.

Ya gotta think Jussie will appreciate his star's kind words, but he might take issue with her implication he made a mistake. As we've reported ... he still insists the "attack" was not a hoax, and says he has new evidence to back it up.

Earl Thomas' wife is clearly done trying to make things work with the NFL star after the two were involved in that wild April incident ... TMZ Sports has learned she just filed for divorce.

According to court records, Nina Thomas put in the paperwork on Nov. 3 ... citing adultery as the grounds for ending the marriage.

Nina added in the docs that the couple has such a strained relationship ... there's zero "reasonable expectation of reconciliation."

It's interesting ... because Earl has seemed to put in a ton of effort to make things work since Nina was arrested for allegedly pointing a loaded gun at him back on April 13.

We broke the story, cops say Nina SNAPPED after she allegedly caught the former Baltimore Ravens safety cheating on her at a rented home in Austin, Texas.

Police say Nina busted in the home angrily ... and eventually held Earl at gunpoint.

Nina was ultimately arrested ... but shortly after the incident, Earl announced the two were trying to work through things.

And, it all seemed to be going smoothly ... he posted on social media several times the past few months praising her -- and even celebrated her birthday last month with a photo and a mushy "I love you" note.

But, Nina -- who married Earl in a well-publicized, extravagant wedding in April 2016 -- makes it clear in the docs ... she wants out.

The couple has three kids together ... and in the court filing, Nina is asking for Earl to only have limited access to the children until "he takes a parenting course and can show evidence that he is able to care for the children for an extended period of time."

"Vanderpump Rules" star Danica Dow's ex-BF -- the one she got a restraining order against -- is admitting he ransacked her wardrobe, but he's still avoiding criminal charges for the clothing attack.

So, here's the deal ... back in August, Danica got a temporary restraining order against Brett Willis claiming he broke into her home in the middle of the night, cut up a bunch of her clothes, and stole her iPhone.

Danica reported the incident to cops, but TMZ's learned the L.A. County D.A.'s Office will not file charges against Willis, and here's why.

We're told Brett copped to damaging Danica's clothes, but he offered to pay for damage and Danica accepted. He also returned her iPhone, which he said he grabbed by mistake because it looked like his. So, basically ... no blood, no foul so the D.A.'s Office decided not to charge him.

Brett tells TMZ ... he cooperated with law enforcement, and is relieved to close this chapter of his life. He wants to move forward with a positive attitude, but there's still the matter of a couple restraining orders.

Brett also filed for one against Danica, claiming she got violent with him in July over dirty dishes. He claimed she "grabbed my neck twice, each time digging her nails deep."

The father and son charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery are staying put in jail pending their trial ... a judge just denied their request for bond.

Travis McMichael and his father Greg McMichael were back in a Georgia courthouse Friday for the second straight day of court hearings, and that's when Judge Timothy Walmsley made his decision, saying they need to stay locked up pending their trial because they are a danger to the community.

During the hearing, the state played police body cam footage from the aftermath of the Arbery shooting ... and the judge said there was "significant danger" in the McMichaels' actions. The video shows Greg McMichael repeatedly mentioning his previous ties to local law enforcement, which prosecutors believe was an attempt to "obstruct justice."

Ahmaud's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, again spoke in the courthouse during Friday's hearing ... and was visibly emotional, saying it was the first time she'd seen the police footage.

As we reported ... Ahmaud's mom addressed the court Thursday, saying the McMichaels didn't give her son a chance to go home when they allegedly murdered him, so they shouldn't get to go home either.

Wanda also said the McMichaels are just as dangerous now as they were when Ahmaud was shot dead ... and it sounds like the judge agreed.

As you know ... the McMichaels and William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who authorities say recorded Ahmaud's slaying, were indicted by a grand jury back in June, and they're facing 9 felony charges ... including 4 counts felony murder, 1 count of malice murder, 2 counts aggravated assault, 1 count false imprisonment and 1 count criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

The party's over for Mattie Breaux ... she's doing time behind bars, because the third time is NOT a charm when you're talking DUIs.

The "Party Down South" star pled guilty to misdemeanor DUI and will serve 7 days at Davidson County Jail. According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge hit Mattie with nearly a year behind bars, but suspended all but 7 days of her sentence.

Karla West, chief of staff at the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, tells TMZ ... Mattie will serve her jail time on weekends until she finishes her sentence. We're told it's normal procedure for similar DUI cases.

Once she's served 7 days behind bars, Mattie -- who's also been on MTV's "Floribama Shore" and "The Challenge" -- will be on supervised probation for close to a year, and will also lose her driver's license for a year. Third time for that too.

Mattie was arrested in August 2019 after a solo crash in Nashville. Cops say she told them she'd taken Hydrocodone and chugged 2 beers before getting behind the wheel.

Cops also say they smelled a strong odor of booze and that her speech was slurred. While getting treated at a hospital, she told cops she had 2 previous DUIs in Louisiana.

Pretty crappy trifecta to score.

As soon as President Trump is no longer the U.S. President, he needs to answer for his alleged criminal activity ... according to Congressman Eric Swalwell, who has a proposal on how to make that happen.

The Democratic Representative from California says 45's day of reckoning must come -- along with his enablers -- for what he says they've done to the country, which is why he wants to create a 'Presidential Crimes Commission.'

Swalwell says ideally, this group would be made up of independent prosecutors outside Congress who would be responsible for determining if the President or senior officials broke the law during their term, and if so ... they'd go after them.

The Congressman says the goal is to make sure nobody, not even POTUS, is above the law and gets away with any offenses. As for what crimes he'd want the PCC to take a look at with Trump ... there's a laundry list, but obstructing justice and sabotaging the mail are top of mind for Swalwell.

Currently, Swalwell believes the Prez is committing another transgression by not cooperating with President-elect Joe Biden during the transition period ... something Trump's press secretary won't even talk about.

Phil Collins says his ex's accusation about him reeking like hell is a blatant lie, and a cheap attempt to smear his name to get millions out of him.

The famed hitmaker filed legal docs calling Orianne Cevey a liar after she claimed Phil became a hermit and completely secluded himself from the world. In docs, obtained by TMZ, Phil calls it "a litany of demonstrably false, immaterial, impertinent, scandalous and scurrilous allegations which have nothing to do with the legal claims in this case."

In short ... Phil says Orianne's allegations have a clear malicious motive ... trying to extort him. He claims she lied about his depression to cast doubt about his mental capacity all to "deliberately make sensationalized and/or false allegations in an effort to extort money" from him.

Phil says it's all either lies or gross exaggerations, pointing out that much of it is contradicted by the fact that he says he's currently preparing to tour with Genesis again after the pandemic passes.

TMZ broke the story ... Orianne's beefing with Phil claiming he's going back on his word to give her 50-50 ownership of the home he's now trying to evict her from. To that end ... Phil argues Orianne's lies have nothing to do with the issue of whether her claim that he ever made such a promise is true. Remember ... she also claimed he stopped brushing his teeth and was not capable of performing sexually.

Tyga's no stranger to lawsuits -- particularly over unpaid bills -- but he added a new wrinkle this time, according to his landlord who says he failed to pay rent AND trashed the pad.

The landlord is suing the rapper, claiming he stiffed them on $32K in rent when he left the place back in April, after renting it for about a year. But, that's not even the worst part.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the landlord claims Tyga left gouges in the kitchen's white oak flooring ($27,650), damaged marble flooring and counters ($15,575) and damaged walls with murals and wallpaper ($103,160.25).

What's more ... the landlord claims Tyga installed a basketball hoop that damaged the driveway, and new locks that destroyed the entry door. The landlord says Tyga never had permission to install any of that stuff.

The landlord says he tried to settle this mess through mediation in May, but claims Tyga refused to play ball. He's now suing for breach of contract and wants more than $200K in damages.

Remember, Tyga was also sued in 2018 for failure to pay rent at a Bev Hills pad. So, ya gotta wonder, who keeps renting to this guy?

We've reached out to Tyga for comment, so far no word back.

Former "Days of Our Lives" star Cody Longo came home drunk and shoved his wife ... at least that's what she told cops in Tennessee, who arrested him on a domestic assault charge, an allegation he denies.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actor's wife told officers Cody was intoxicated when he arrived late to his Clarksville home last Thursday night, accusing her of being unfaithful. According to the arrest warrant, the couple started arguing and it turned physical.

Cops say Cody's wife told them he shoved her face with his forearm, and while there were no visible bruises at the time, she claimed her jaw and neck were both sore.

Cody tells TMZ ... his wife's allegations are not true, and he calls their dispute a private matter.

He was arrested on a warrant the following day and posted $2,500 bond. Cops say there's no violent history between the couple.

Kodak Black's not letting imprisonment stop him from putting food on the table for thousands of folks in Florida this Thanksgiving.

The rapper dropped $15k to provide more than 1,000 frozen turkeys for families in Pompano Beach ... according to his attorney, Bradford Cohen.

We're told Kodak arranged for the birds to be sent to the E. Pat Larkins Community Center on Wednesday, where hundreds of people waited in a long line of cars to get their free food -- including a bag of chips and sodas -- courtesy of the incarcerated rapper.

As you can see ... Kodak's team members were at the community center to safely place the frozen turkeys in recipients' trunks before they drove off. We're told KB's giveaway lasted from 11 AM to 1 PM, and his people were responsible for the huge turnout by putting up flyers in local neighborhoods.

Cohen tells us another community leader who focuses on feeding the needy also helped spread the word for Kodak. We're told the rapper's working with the man on future outreach projects.

Kodak himself will be spending Thanksgiving in his new prison cell at USP Thomson, a high-security prison in Illinois. As we first told you ... he got transferred there last month from the Kentucky prison where he claimed he was being tortured.

The father of the late singer Selena and Netflix are being sued by a Hollywood producer who claims they left him out in the cold when it came to producing the new TV series.

Moctesuma Esparza filed docs suing Selena's dad, Abraham Quintanilla, claiming he broke an agreement they signed in 1995 giving him rights to the life stories of the Queen of Tejano's music and various members of her family.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Esparza says the deal included a motion picture as well as any other remakes. He says he helped produce the 1997 biopic "Selena" starring Jennifer Lopez ... and due to that success, he claims Abraham in 1998 spoke to him about the prospect of producing a TV series, mini-series or second film.

Esparza is also suing Selena's sister, Suzette ... and in the suit, he claims he met with her and Abraham to discuss a storyline he'd developed for a “Young Selena” project, but nothing came of it. He says he was shocked when he saw in 2018 that Abraham licensed the Selena rights to Netflix.

When he tried to get answers as to how Abraham got the green light from Warner Bros. -- the studio behind the film "Selena" -- Esparza says he got the cold shoulder from WB. Netflix is set to stream "Selena: The Series" next month.

The only officer to be charged in the Breonna Taylor case is just now accused of sexual assault -- something the alleged victim claims his bosses knew about, but did nothing to correct.

Margo Borders is suing Brett Hankison, claiming he sexually assaulted her in 2018 after a night out at a bar where he worked security. She says she was drunk around closing time, and Hankison offered her a ride home.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Borders alleges Hankison invited himself into her home and plopped down on the couch, while she went into her bedroom to change.

Borders says she passed out, but claims Hankison came into her room, got naked and sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious. When she finally woke up, she claims she screamed for him to get off her, and Hankison grabbed his uniform and left.

The next day, Borders claims Hankison contacted her, insisting they'd engaged in consensual relations. She also claims more than 10 other anonymous women have come forward to make statements about Hankison's alleged misconduct with them.

She's also suing several of his co-workers and supervisors -- on the police force and at the bar -- claiming they were aware of his alleged abuse but never took action to stop it.

It doesn't sound like Borders herself filed a police report, but she claims several of the other women made police reports that never got pursued.

As you know, Hankison was charged with wanton endangerment in the Breonna Taylor case ... for allegedly shooting into a neighboring apartment, but not for shooting and killing Breonna.

He's pled not guilty, and has been fired from LMPD.

Britney Spears believes her father dished out hundreds of thousands of dollars to her former business manager for no good reason ... and she thinks it was way too much.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group began repping Britney more than a decade ago, and got paid 5 percent commission on her gross entertainment-related income.

That obviously added up to a lot of money when Britney was actively performing, but it took a hit when she announced her "indefinite work hiatus" in early 2019.

According to the docs ... Tri Star emailed Brit's dad, Jamie Spears, in November 2019 and said it wanted to remain on the 5 percent commission plan, but with a $500k annual minimum.

Britney claims her dad approved this new arrangement without attempting to negotiate a more favorable deal, and in doing so ... screwed her out of $308,974.51 it sent to Tri Star for its services in 2019.

Britney's legal team calls these "radical new arrangements" that gave Tri Star a 260% raise from the amount it would have been owed under the previous deal. She's looking to disallow the $309k payment as excessive and credit it back to her on the accounting.

We broke the story ... Tri Star also recently resigned as Brit's biz manager last month, and Jamie already hired a new one. This is creating another major rift in her ongoing conservatorship case, and played a role in Brit's decision to try to get her dad removed as co-conservator.