Legal

The death of soccer legend Diego Maradona has now triggered a criminal investigation, and his personal doctor appears to be in the crosshairs of the probe.

Police searched the office and home of Dr. Leopoldo Luque ... Diego's doctor. The raid followed several witnesses reportedly telling authorities they had seen Diego and the doctor fighting and shoving.

As we reported, Diego suffered a heart attack at his home in Buenos Aires. His death has been ruled a "culpable homicide." The raid involves allegations of negligence.

Police in Argentina have searched the house and private clinic of Luque, just 4 days after Maradona's death.

Diego had a blood clot on his brain earlier this month and underwent surgery. He was also being treated for alcohol abuse.

As for why cops are interested in the doctor ... he reportedly allowed Diego to leave the hospital 8 days after surgery -- it's unclear if that's the foundation of the negligence claim.

Maradona had successful surgery on a brain blood clot on November 11 and was to be treated for alcohol dependency. Dr. Luque wasn't at Diego's home when he died, but he called emergency services to get EMT's out to the house.  It's unclear when and where the shoving match between the doctor and Diego occurred.

Diego's family feels strongly this was a homicide and demanded the investigation.

Now, his family and lawyers are demanding a probe into his death.

Soccer legend Lionel Messi honored Diego Sunday ... after scoring a goal, he ripped his shirt off, exposing Diego's legendary jersey.

Herman Cain's widow has a fight on her hands with her late husband's assistant ... who claims Herman promised her a severance package ... and had gold and cash stashed to cover it.

Lisa Reichert -- who says she was Herman's executive assistant for 9 years until his death -- filed docs in Henry County, Georgia opposing Gloria Cain's attempt to serve as administrator to Herman's estate.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Lisa claims Gloria grossly understated Herman's assets and failed to list gold coins and bars she claims were stored in Herman's safe deposit box, along with other cash.

So, why does she care? Well, Lisa claims the estate failed to acknowledge her severance claim, which she says Herman repeatedly promised to pay her when he was alive. Lisa fears if Gloria's appointed administrator of the estate she'll distribute the $482k in assets she listed without setting aside enough to cover her claim against the estate.

Lisa wants a court-appointed neutral administrator instead of Gloria to handle the estate.

Kim Kardashian's visit with an inmate on death row in Oklahoma is being hailed as a big morale boost for the folks already fighting for Julius Jones' freedom.

Kim brought a lot of extra attention to Julius' case when she met with him face-to-face in Oklahoma City ... and we're told it's got his family excited and supporters energized.

Folks at the "Justice for Julius" campaign tell us their website has seen a tenfold traffic increase, and thousands of emails from all over the world are flowing into the site and into the inbox at the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, urging a commutation of his sentence.

Jones, a Black man, was only 19 when he was arrested for the shooting death of a 45-year-old white man named Paul Howell back in 1999. Jones was convicted of 1st-degree murder in 2002 and sentenced to death, but lots of folks say the case was racially charged with little evidence tying him to the scene. Julius claims he was framed and it was racial.

Julius filed a clemency petition last year and is waiting on the parole board to recommend his sentence be commuted ... a final decision is in the hands of Governor Kevin Stitt.

We're told since Kim's visit Cleveland Browns quarterback, Baker Mayfield, who's been wearing Julius' name on the back of his helmet all season and has been wearing custom cleats with Julius' face on it, is fully on board the Julius team.

But, more than anything, we're told Kim's visit brought renewed hope and energy to the folks on the ground in Oklahoma who have been working tirelessly on the case.

Julius' sister, Antoinette Jones, tells TMZ ... Kim provided the family with a sense of optimism moving forward, making good on her word to fight for Julius. Antoinette says Kim's drive reminds her of Robert Kardashian Sr.

It's pretty heartbreaking ... Julius' sister says he told Kim he's still broken up about not being able to take her to junior and senior prom because he was locked up, and he told Kim he wants to make it up to his sister. She says Kim feels that's another reason why Kim wants to fight for his freedom.

Not everyone is feeling great about Kim's visit though.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter called her out for advocating for Jones, claiming "every criticism surrounding his case has been disproven" and railing against "celebrity endorsements."

Alexa -- Amazon's popular virtual helper -- is spewing out hateful anti-Semitic conspiracies and even lies about the Holocaust ... according to the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism.

The APPG political group claims the Alexa voice service is offering messages from anti-Semitic websites to people asking about Jewish people and the Holocaust ... without clarifying that the information comes from "selective quotes and misleading sources."

Examples include Alexa allegedly responding to the question, "Do Jews control the media?" with ... "Jew Watch claims that Jews control the world's financial systems and media," while only pointing out that this is from an article it found on Wikipedia.

Likewise, when asked if the Holocaust was a hoax ... the UK officials claim Alexa replied that deniers claim "the Holocaust is a hoax -- or an exaggeration -- arising from a deliberate Jewish conspiracy designed to advance the interest of Jews at the  expense of other people."

The APPG notes that Alexa pulled this selective line from an article, without warning that the full article describes Holocaust denial as propagating several lies about the Holocaust.

Finally, Alexa allegedly responded to a question about whether Israel's guilty of war crimes with "something I found on the web" that says ... "ethnic cleansing on a massive scale and serial human rights abuse, including war crimes, yes -- Israel is guilty of these atrocities."

Officials at the APPG sent a letter to an Amazon exec in the UK asking for an explanation and what will be done to rectify this situation. The group also claims it will be contacting the police about possible "racial incitement legislation."

A brother and sister who gained fame on "America's Got Talent" with their magic act probably wish they could have disappeared during a tense confrontation with cops ... because they got arrested for refusing to live with their mom.

The teenage siblings, Kadan and Brooklyn Rockett, were arrested last week in Farmerville, Louisiana after refusing to go with police who were trying to return them to their mother. A Missouri judge ordered the handoff in the ongoing custody battle with their father.

We're told the arrest stems from a 2019 Missouri court order requiring the kids to split their time with their mom and dad... and law enforcement sources tell us they had paperwork authorizing the handoff. Our sources say the kids have been living with their dad in California for years, but have refused to see their mom.

In the video, the teens say they're afraid of their mother and don't want to go back to her, but cops say they have no choice. The kids refuse to comply, so the cop begins reading them their Miranda rights and slaps the cuffs on 15-year-old Kadan. 13-year-old Brooklyn -- who's sobbing during the arrest -- was also cuffed.

Our sources say the siblings were in Louisiana for their grandmother's funeral, so that is how the mother knew where they would be in order to send the police to pick them up.

Law enforcement sources tell us the children were held at the Green Oaks Detention Center in Monroe overnight to await a court hearing the next morning.

It's unclear exactly what went down at the hearing because the judge ordered it to be sealed, but we're told Kadan and Brooklyn were released back to their father ... at least for now.

The Rockett parents have been divorced since 2009, but the nasty custody battle has been ongoing. There was a similar incident with the kids and a Missouri judge in October 2019.

We've reached out to the kids' mother ... so far, no word back.

Soccer legend Diego Maradona did not have to die because he's the victim of "criminal idiocy" ... so claims his lawyer.

Attorney Matias Morla says it took upwards of a half-hour for an ambulance to arrive at Diego's Buenos Aires home Wednesday ... where he had suffered a heart attack.

Prosecutors appear to be looking into the lapse as well, although it's unclear why. There's been no allegation of foul play.

Diego, arguably the best soccer player that ever lived, underwent brain surgery earlier this month to remove a blood clot. It's unclear if the heart attack was in any way connected.

A woman went ham inside a UK supermarket ... obliterating the liquor shelves.

She apparently was acting erratically while waiting in the checkout line, and when one of the shoppers told her to calm down, she went nuts and started breaking more than 500 -- THAT'S FIVE HUNDRED -- bottles of booze.

The tantrum went on for 5 long minutes, according to The Sun. At one point she slips and slashes her right hand, but continues her rampage with her left.

The lady was arrested and taken into custody. A police spokesperson said she was taken to a hospital for treatment of her injured hand.

A homeless woman was forcibly removed from her home on Thanksgiving Eve by the California Highway Patrol, and it has enraged folks who say the move is especially heartless during Thanksgiving 2020.

The woman appears to be hog-tied as she's carried out of an abandoned home, as a number of protesters expressed great displeasure.

The officers were there to remove a number of people who broke into some homes that had been boarded up. 170 homes were supposed to be demolished as part of a plan to expand a local freeway. That plan was abandoned after neighbors rose up and complained.

A group called Reclaim and Rebuild Our Community appealed to California Governor Gavin Newsom, saying the families who were squatting in the homes had mostly been living in their cars and are now "sheltering in place" in the abandoned homes.

The group's message ... "We feel that amid the global pandemic it is irresponsible and inhumane for our state to be hoarding over 170 homes."

It seems the government is unmoved, an official said their plan was to "remove trespassers so that properties can be re-secured and boarded up."

Joe Exotic is making a plea to Americans -- enjoy Thanksgiving, and then tell your rep in Congress to pressure the Prez to spring him from the big house.

Joe wrote a long Thanksgiving message, telling folks to enjoy Thanksgiving Day but on Black Friday ... " ... please think about the last 3 holidays I have spent in here while all the people that lied to put me here and the people that made money off of films, products and so on with the people that put me here under false pretense enjoy their freedom and their families during the Holidays."

That said, Joe then makes his pitch ... "Please pick up a phone on Monday and call your congressman and ask everyone you know to support asking President Trump to sign my Pardon and make this right so I don’t have to miss another Christmas without my loved ones just as you wouldn’t want to. I would love for some of you that has the power to pick up a phone and contact some pretty influential people to do so, so I could go home before something happens to my father or Dillon."

TMZ broke the story ... Joe's legal team traveled to D.C. recently to file their pardon application, and the team leader, Eric Love, says they've been getting encouraging words back from folks in the seat of power.

Trump's in a pardoning mood ... he just spared Michael Flynn from serving his prison sentence.

Eric says he's grateful to Trump and even suggests he and Joe have a lot in common ... he's asking for a pardon, and stat.

Sofia Vergara, Joe Manganiello and her son are seeking court-ordered protection from a man their friend claims is stalking them, and is potentially dangerous

Producer Luis Balaguer filed docs seeking a restraining order against a man named Rengifo Randazzo, who he claims is a mentally unstable stalker who was recently arrested for trespassing in Sofia's gated community.

Luis says the guy has a fixation on him, Sofia, her husband and her son, Manolo, and has repeatedly harassed them. According to the docs, Randazzo admitted he was stalking them when he got busted for trespassing.

Luis says Sofia and co. fear for their lives because the alleged stalker has a history of domestic violence arrests and others have gotten restraining orders against him.

Faizon Love claims he was scrubbed from a movie poster just because he's Black ... and now he's suing Universal over it.

The actor filed the lawsuit Wednesday, accusing the studio of racial discrimination for removing him from an overseas version of the "Couples Retreat" poster ... while leaving the rest of his white costars in it.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Faizon claims his name and image were erased from the poster when the movie was released outside of the U.S. He says Universal had no issues featuring Black actors in the film, but claims the studio decided to segregate white and Black talent when it came time to market to an international audience.

Faizon says he let the snub slide at first ... claiming the film's producer, Scott Stuber, promised him the overseas poster would be taken out of circulation and Universal Pictures chairman at that time, Adam Fogelson, promised he'd throw a few roles Faizon's way.

However, in the lawsuit, Faizon claims the poster without him is still being used and he never got those acting gigs he says he was promised

We reached out to Universal, which declined to comment.

President Trump just absolved his former national security adviser and convicted perjurer Gen. Michael Flynn ... which might be the start of a last-minute blitz of forgiveness.

After rumors swirled this week he'd do this, the Prez announced the pardon Wednesday, tweeting ... "It is my Great Honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has been granted a Full Pardon. Congratulations to @GenFlynn and his wonderful family, I know you will now have a truly fantastic Thanksgiving!"

It could be the first of several lame-duck pardons to come out of the Oval during Trump's remaining time in office. As we first reported ... Joe Exotic's people say they've gotten word he could be next.

As for Flynn ... the writing's been on the wall. -- the Prez has time and again said Flynn got a raw deal and was rung up on charges over technicalities rather than anything actually wrong or harmful to the nation. Trump even had Attorney General William Barr go to bat for Flynn in court -- with the DOJ filing to dismiss the charges.

Gen. Flynn signed a plea bargain during Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged Russian collusion by the Trump campaign -- admitting he lied to FBI investigators about conversations he'd had with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during Trump's transition to power. He allegedly told him to tell Putin to chill over Obama's lame-duck sanctions against Russia.

Flynn also lied to Vice President Mike Pence about those convos -- and Pence parroted those to the media. As a result, Trump canned him, but openly denounced the move.

There are a few other Trump campaign people POTUS could bail out if he wants -- Paul Manafort comes to mind.

Actress Joey King crashed into another car and is taking ZERO responsibility ... so claims a man now suing her.

Parviz Mohammady is suing the 'Kissing Booth' star, claiming he was driving in the L.A. area back on February 13 when Joey merged into his lane and collided with his car. According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Parviz sustained damage to the right side of his car and suffered injuries from the crash.

Parviz's attorney, Kamelia Jalilvand, tells TMZ ... Parviz was driving northbound when Joey -- who also earned critical acclaim for her role in the Hulu crime series "The Act" -- pulled out of a metered parking spot and plowed into Parviz's car. You can see the damages Joey's car suffered on the driver's side.

Kamelia tells us her client suffered a tear in his shoulder ... and says a preexisting condition made the shoulder injury even worse, requiring surgery. We're told after the collision, Parviz and Joey exchanged insurance info. No cops were called but Kamelia claims he still hasn't gotten compensated for the damage ... so now he's going after Joey in court.

Kamelia says, "Due to the collision, Mr. Mohammady sustained significant injuries, which necessitated surgical intervention. We hope that through the lawsuit, Ms. King will accept responsibility and compensate our client for his damages."

Lori Loughlin and her hubby remain behind bars serving out their sentences in the college admissions bribery scandal but at least they've checked one thing off their to-do list ... paying their fines.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Lori satisfied the $150k fine she was obligated to pay as part of the plea deal she struck back in October. Mossimo also ponied up for the $250k fine levied on him when he pled guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and 1 count of honest services wire and mail fraud.

As we reported ... Lori was sentenced to 2 months in prison after agreeing to plead guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. She also was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and 2 years of supervised release. She started serving her sentence last month.

Kim Kardashian West is using her celebrity and legal connections to help a death row inmate who is currently in a battle to stave off execution.

Kim came face-to-face with Julius Jones in Oklahoma City Monday. Jones, a black man, was 19 when he was arrested for the shooting death of a 45-year old white man named Paul Howell in 1999. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 2002 and sentenced to death.

Sources familiar with the meeting tell us Kim spent time with both Jones and his attorney, Dale Baich, and promised to do whatever she could to assist his legal team. After the meeting with Jones, Kim met with some of his family members at a local church.

During the meeting at the church, we're told Jones' mother got emotional in recounting the night of Howell's murder ... and said Julius was home with her the whole time.

Our sources say, Kim became interested in Julius' case after watching "The Last Defense" in 2018 -- a Viola Davis produced docuseries about his arrest and his trial. Kim also helped to push a Change.org petition in support of Julius from a couple hundred thousand signatures to millions.

Many who have been critical of Julius' case say it was racially charged from the beginning with little evidence to tie him to the scene and a poor legal defense. Julius has also stated he believes he was framed for the murder and didn't fit the appearance of suspect given by Howell's sister ... who stated it was a young black man with a red bandana.

Jones filed a petition for clemency in 2019 and is now waiting on The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board to recommend his sentence be commuted and reduced ... a final decision would then fall with Governor Kevin Stitt.

Jones does not yet have a scheduled execution date.

Ricky Schroder's getting so much hate for helping accused murderer Kyle Rittenhouse make bail, he reported it to cops ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... deputies responded to a call from Schroder Sunday and stopped by his home to review various negative social media posts directed at the "NYPD Blue" actor.

While they weren't life-threatening, some of the comments were pretty nasty ... "Tbh thought he was dead. Would've been better," "This was a racist move pure and simple," and "Ricky Schroder can shove that silver spoon right up his own ass."

Celebs including Bette Midler weighed in too, saying, "Who knew he could be so malevolent?"

We're told cops determined none of the online comments rose to the level of a criminal threat ... so the officers just took a suspicious circumstances report and left.

Our sources say Schroder will be in contact with authorities if things escalate, and we're told police are monitoring the situation.

As we reported ... Schroder donated $150k to the 17-year-old's bail fund, which the teen's attorney, Lin Wood, said helped them post $2 million bail to get Rittenouse out of jail while he awaits trial for murder.

Some of the outcry is obviously harsher than others ... but you get the idea.