Legal

Bodycam video showing Chicago cops bursting into a home to arrest a naked, confused and innocent woman is a total shock to the city's Mayor ... who says she was totally in the dark about the botched raid.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she was "blindsided" by the video of the raid which went down 2 years ago, and is the subject of an ongoing lawsuit against CPD. The bodycam video went public this week ... showing police using a battering ram to knock down the door of Anjanette Young.

Once inside the heavily armed officers found Anjanette completely naked, and she was forced to stand in her living room that way while the cops frantically searched her home. Anjanette, who says she was terrified and humiliated, repeatedly asked what was going on ... because it turns out the cops raided the wrong home.

She says the city of Chicago has blocked her from getting the video for years, but her lawyers were finally able to get it this week.

The husband of one of the victims in the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash is suing the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. for invasion of privacy over crash scene cellphone pics, TMZ Sports has learned.

Matthew Mauser -- who lost his wife, Christina Mauser, in the Jan. 26 crash -- claims Sheriff Alex Villanueva did a poor job securing the area in the wake of the crash, which led to emergency responders taking unauthorized photos of the tragic scene.

In fact, Matthew claims he has reason to believe members of the L.A. County Fire Dept. photographed the remains of his wife -- and then shared them with people who had no involvement in the investigation.

"These facts show that Sheriff Villanueva had a special duty to ensure that the scene of the crash was given the highest caliber security his department could employ," Mauser claims in his suit.

Matthew claims he -- along with the couple's 3 daughters -- now suffer severe emotional distress, humiliation and anxiety "from the realization that photographs of their mother and wife were wrongfully taken, shown and discussed."

Mauser is suing for invasion of privacy, negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and more. He's seeking unspecified damages in excess of $25,000.

Christina Mauser was only 38.

Newly released police video shows Travis McMichael covered in blood as he talked to cops, moments after he'd shot Ahmaud Arbery -- something he claimed he had no choice but to do.

In the footage, recorded on body cams from Glynn County cops in Georgia, you see Travis tell an officer, "I mean, I just shot a man. Last thing I've ever wanted to do in my life."

This was moments after McMichael shot and killed Ahmaud, and you can see blood all over his arms as he paced back and forth while talking to a cop -- all of this just feet away from Ahmaud's body.

What's interesting is how freely McMichael was allowed to move about the scene, and how calmly law enforcement was in dealing with him. He wasn't handcuffed or thrown into a patrol car. You hear officers tell him they recognized his father, Greg McMichael -- a retired investigator for the local district attorney -- who was also arrested and charged with murdering Ahmaud.

The younger McMichael told cops Arbery hit him in the face during their confrontation, and the officer took photos of Travis' alleged injuries. He said he would cooperate with cops to ensure the investigation was "done right, because this doesn't look good."

As we've reported ... Travis and Greg were denied bond last month, and the judge said previously released police body cam footage showed "significant danger" in the McMichaels' actions.

Joe Exotic's legal team is throwing a Hail Mary in hopes of getting his pardon request in front of Donald Trump before he leaves office -- and they want a judge to force the issue.

The 'Tiger King's' legal team just filed new docs asking a court to compel the Office of the Pardon Attorney -- the wing of the White House that vets pardon requests -- to get Joe's application on Trump's desk for a final decision, as they say only he can make it.

It's kinda technical, but long story short ... Joe's team says they initially filed for a pardon in early September, and also a waiver to be exempt from a rule that says you have to wait 5 years after being convicted before you can ask for a pardon.

Joe was convicted for the murder-to-hire plot against Carole Baskin in 2019 ... so he's very early in his ask.

Joe's lawyers claim that no more than a few days after Joe filed, the Pardon Attorney's office got back to him with a flat-out denial of his request to get that waiver. No explanation was provided, and the decision was final ... according to Joe's team.

They believe Joe's application never went through the normal screening process ... which would have POTUS weigh-in for a final decision, with the Pardon Attorney's recommendation attached for consideration.

In their docs, Joe's team cries foul ... claiming the Pardon Attorney overstepped their authority and tried sweeping Joe's application under the rug due to the 5-year rule. In the docs, the team doesn't explain under what grounds Joe should be exempt, but they want his app pushed through to the Oval.

Remember, Joe's team seemed confident earlier this year they'd be able to get Trump's say-so springing Joe from prison. They'd made a couple trips to D.C. and circled the White House in a huge tour bus.

Alas, sounds like that was all done in vain, because the paperwork never even got to Trump.

Of course, Trump is well aware of Joe Exotic -- since he mentioned him by name in a press conference once -- but it's kinda now or never.

Jake Paul's after-party following his knockout of Nate Robinson had a beat-down of it's own ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

The YouTube star and undefeated boxer is being sued by a man who claims he got the crap beaten out of him at Jake's post-fight bash. According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Gabriel Dos Santos claims Jake's crew beat the snot out of him while kicking people out of the party.

In the suit, filed by attorney Simon P. Etehad, Dos Santos claims Jake's crew repeatedly kicked and punched him in the face, body, arms and legs ... and he claims the violent attack left him bruised and battered.

According to the docs, Dos Santos claims he suffered a fractured cheek, dislocated shoulder, cuts to his face and bruises to his forehead and eyes.

Jake's not being accused of throwing any punches, but Dos Santos claims Jake's still on the hook for negligently hiring and supervising of the guys who allegedly beat him up.

If you're looking for a Christmas miracle, look no further than this German Shepherd ... which survived an horrific incident of animal cruelty at a Florida motel.

The pooch has, appropriately, been named "Miracle" by the Volusia County Sheriff's deputies who showed up Monday at a Daytona Beach motel ... responding to calls about a suicidal woman.

The deputies went to her 2nd floor room and knocked on the door, but got no reply from the woman for a few minutes. When she finally opened the door she quickly stepped out with the dog, immediately picked it up and threw it over the railing as deputies yelled and tried to stop her.

Cops pounced on Allison Murphy and arrested her on the spot. During the arrest, you hear them asking other deputies outside the room if the dog is okay.

Amazingly, she is! Miracle didn't even break anything, and cops were able to recover her as she tried to run away after the fall.

Miracle is now in the custody of Animal Services.

As for Murphy ... she was booked for felony animal cruelty and resisting an officer without violence. She's still in custody.

Chicago Bears defensive lineman Mario Edwards Jr. has been charged with assault over an alleged domestic violence incident -- but Edwards is adamant he did NOTHING wrong.

TMZ Sports has learned ... prosecutors in North Carolina are moving forward with an assault case against the 26-year-old NFL player, a 2nd round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

We've obtained court documents outlining the allegations against Edwards by a woman who says she had a dating relationship with him.

In the docs, the woman claims Edwards got violent with her in a North Carolina hotel room on October 17, 2020 (the day before the Bears played the Carolina Panthers). She says Edwards got aggressive when she turned down his sexual advances that night.

The woman claims she took out her phone to record Edwards yelling at her -- and he reacted by smacking her in the eye with his hand.

Then, she claims, Edwards grabbed her by the arm and "dragged her to the door of the hotel room."

The woman claims Edwards continued his attack down the hotel hall by an elevator where he struck her in her arm.

In court docs obtained by TMZ Sports, the woman claims she was hospitalized for injuries sustained during the alleged attack. She also says she was pregnant at the time of the incident.

The woman claims this was not a one-off -- insisting Edwards has a history of violent outbursts with her.

But, Edwards is calling B.S. on the allegations -- his agent tells TMZ Sports that Mario denies ever striking the woman.

In fact, Edwards told cops he's the real victim -- claiming the woman was the aggressor.

We've obtained a police report from the night in question where Edwards is also listed as a victim. In the narrative section, cops say they were called in reference to a woman hitting a man and scratching his forehead.

Mario's agent, Peter Schaffer, tells us, "Mario Edwards doesn’t condone domestic violence. At no time did Mario Edwards do anything that raised to the level of domestic violence, or any violence."

Schaffer says Mario acknowledges there was a verbal dispute -- but "When she started to scream and yell, Mario did what he’s been told. Walk away and de-escalate the situation."

That said, a spokesperson for the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office tells us Edwards has a criminal summons for a misdemeanor assault on a female -- which means the case is expected to go in front of a judge at some point.

No word on when that's expected to happen.

Eddie Money received some pretty bad medical treatment at USC's Keck Hospital before he died ... at least according to his estate, which is now suing for wrongful death.

The late singer's estate is suing the university hospital and three doctors -- Mark Cunningham, Leonard Clavijo and John Anderson-Dam -- for medical negligence and wrongful death.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Eddie's estate claims he didn't get proper treatment from his doctors when he went in for cardiac problems. The estate claims the hospital failed to properly train its staff and care for Eddie.

In the suit, the estate claims Eddie ultimately got pneumonia, which contributed to his death.

As we reported ... Eddie, who had Stage 4 esophageal cancer, died in September 2019, and a source close to the singer told us he died from complications associated with a heart valve procedure.

Now, Eddie's estate is placing the blame squarely at the feet of USC's hospital and docs.

'RHOBH' star Erika Jayne's estranged husband has had his assets frozen and a judge now wants prosecutors to have a look at what he allegedly did.

A federal judge said Tom Girardi conducted himself in an "unconscionable" manner ... finding that he misappropriated at least $2 million in client money. Even more ominous ... the judge is referring the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office for possible criminal investigation.

The money was intended to compensate the families of victims of the Boing 737 Max, Lion Air crash. Lawyers for Girardi said their client didn't currently have the $2 mil he owes his clients ... shockingly announcing Girardi's firm has a measly $15k in the bank.

And, get this ... Girardi's lawyers said they had concerns about his mental competency, adding they were unsure if he understood the seriousness of the case. One of his lawyers told the judge she wanted Girardi to undergo a mental evaluation ... this according to the L.A. Times, which first reported the news.

As if the legal fallout couldn't get any worse ... Girardi's facing TWO more lawsuits -- one from Robert Keese, the other named partner in Girardi's firm, who claims Girardi owes him $506k for using his name per a deal they struck. Keese says Girardi made some payments but then stopped.

In the second lawsuit ... Girardi's partners in a venture called 1126 Wilshire filed legal docs to dissolve the partnership ... claiming Girardi fraudulently encumbered property the partnership owns worth around $7.5 million.

Machine Gun Kelly will soon be reunited with his stolen purple Aston Martin ... TMZ's learned cops found it almost a week after it had been reported stolen.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... LAPD officers were out on patrol late Sunday night when they spotted the whip -- someone drove it past their patrol car. The officers weren't in position to immediately go after it, but did later search the area and spotted the British sports car.

Our sources say cops found it abandoned in the driveway of a house with the engine running. We're told the suspect, or suspects, were gone by the time cops got there. Good news for MGK ... cops impounded the Aston Martin and say it's still in good shape.

As of Monday, the car's still at the impound lot, but we're sure MGK's anxious for a reunion. This is the same Aston Martin he was seen riding around in with Megan Fox back in May -- so yeah ... good memories!

"Flipping Out" star Jeff Lewis was the one who let it out of the bag last week that MGK's car had been stolen ... claiming on his "Jeff Lewis Live" show on SiriusXM that he got a call from the new owner of his L.A. crib, who is now MGK's neighbor.

Boxing star Victor Ortiz is officially off the hook in his sexual assault case stemming from an alleged rape in 2018 -- all of the criminal charges have been dropped, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

As we previously reported, 33-year-old Ortiz was hit 3 felony charges after a woman claimed she was raped by the boxer at a residence in Oxnard, CA.

Ortiz was arrested and booked for forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and forcible digital penetration -- and was facing serious prison time if convicted. Ortiz has long denied the allegations and spent the past 2 years fighting the case in court.

But, the case was formally dismissed at a court hearing on Monday -- and according to court records obtained by TMZ Sports, prosecutors say they simply could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Ortiz was pleased with the decision, posing for a picture in front of the courthouse with his attorney, Sam Spira, and others.

Ortiz also issued a statement, saying, "Although I was confident this would be the result, this still has been a terrible and unimaginable ordeal that I am relieved to put behind me."

"With this case no longer my focus, I look forward to picking up and advancing my boxing and entertainment careers."

"I can’t wait to get back in the gym. I also look forward to spending my time with my two young children, my family and loyal friends without the weight of these charges hanging over me and my loved ones."

Ortiz -- who competed on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2013 -- was dropped from his Sept. 2018 bout with John Molina Jr. after his arrest. The 33-year-old has not fought since.

Ortiz was also a budding actor before the allegations - starring in movies like "The Expendables 3" and "South Paw."

A man who claims to be Kawhi Leonard's pal says Jerry West owes him $2.5 MIL for his role in helping the Clippers land the NBA superstar ... and he's demanding JW pay up ASAP.

It's all in a new lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports ... in which Johnny Wilkes spells out how he agreed to work with West for a small fortune in exchange for help getting Kawhi in a Clippers uni.

Wilkes says back on April 10, 2019, he met West at Staples Center and informed the Clippers' executive board member he had close ties to Kawhi and Kawhi's uncle, Dennis Robertson.

Wilkes says he and West exchanged contact information ... and a few weeks later, in June, West asked Wilkes for help in courting Kawhi to Los Angeles.

In the suit, Wilkes claims he told West he'd only help if the Clippers would pay him $2.5 MILLION ... and Wilkes claims West agreed to the terms.

Wilkes says in the lawsuit he "immediately went to work" ... and began convincing Kawhi and Kawhi's uncle the Clippers were the right team for him after he had just left the Toronto Raptors.

Wilkes says he told West and the Clippers they needed to get Paul George first and foremost to hook Kawhi. He then says he helped connect West with Kawhi's uncle.

Wilkes also claims in the suit he gave West a specific gameplan for how the Clippers should pitch Kawhi during an important meeting with West, Leonard, Doc Rivers and others in July 2019.

"This information was vital," Wilkes said in the lawsuit, "because it was the exact information Kawhi Leonard wanted to hear at the time in order to effectuate his signing with the Clippers."

Wilkes also says he helped facilitate a deal between West and Kawhi's uncle ... in which West agreed to give Uncle Dennis a Southern California home and a travel expense account.

Wilkes says after Kawhi ultimately agreed to sign with the Clippers in late July ... he went for a celebratory meal with West and others in Beverly Hills.

Wilkes claims West agreed yet again at the dinner to fork over $2.5 million for all the help ... but Wilkes claims in the suit he still hasn't received a penny -- and he's suing West and the Clippers for breach of contract and more.

Wilkes is asking for the $2.5 mil plus damages.

We've reached out to the Clippers for comment ... but so far, no word back.

Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, is about to get a huge assist from one Tyler Perry as he ramps up to fight a lawsuit from one of the cops who raided his home ... and by that, we mean major financial help.

Sources tell TMZ that the Hollywood producer and filmmaker just donated a whopping $100,000 to Ken's legal defense fund that was recently started on GoFundMe. The goal was $100k, but was somewhat lagging in the early going ... idling at less than $10k.

On Sunday, however, we're told Tyler threw down some big cash in four separate installments within minutes of each other. He donated 2 shipments of $10k, then donated $50k and topped it all off with a final donation of $30k. Now, Ken's over the finish line and then some.

As for why ... you can take a guess. Tyler wants to support Kenneth as he prepares to go to court against Louisville PD officer Jonathan Mattingly -- who was shot in the crossfire during the raid on Ken and Breonna's home.

As we reported ... Mattingly sued Kenneth for emotional distress and trauma -- this after criminal charges against Ken were dropped. The issue in Mattingly's lawsuit is the same as the investigation into Breonna's death. Did the police announce themselves before entering? Many neighbors, along with Ken, say no. The cops say they did announce themselves.

This is insane ... a family was kicked off a United Airlines jet and banned for life ... all because their daughter refused to wear her mask ... AND SHE'S 2!

Eliz Orban and her husband boarded the jet from Denver to Newark with their little girl. The parents were masked up and tried hard to get their daughter to wear the mask, but she wasn't having it. Watch the video ... Eliz's husband pretty much did everything he could ... to no avail.

That's when a flight attendant came up to them and announced they were being booted from the jet. Eliz's husband tried explaining he did his best, and he was more than willing to cover his daughter's face, but the flight attendant wouldn't budge. They had to go.

Now get this ... United wouldn't remove their luggage from the cargo hold, and that included their daughter's car seat. And, on top of that, Eliz says United has permanently banned them from flying.

These are the mixed messages that are driving folks crazy. Governors are keeping pre-schools open because they say small kids don't pose much of a risk, yet this happens. The CDC has recommended children at the age of 2 or older should wear face masks, but this kid is right on the cusp at 2.

San Diego strip clubs are intentionally violating California's stay-at-home order, and one of Joe Biden's cabinet picks is laying down the gauntlet ... shut down, or else.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who will become the Secretary of Health and Human Services next month, fired off a letter to the owners of Pacers Showgirls International and Cheetahs Gentlemen’s Club, making it clear they have crossed the legal line.

The letter reads, “Specifically, the Regional Stay at Home Order requires that restaurants, including your clients’ restaurants, may continue to operate for carry-out and delivery services but may not offer indoor or outdoor dining or other services that cause people from different households to come into contact for extended periods of time and thereby increase the risk of transmission of COVID-19.”

We're told Becerra and his office were acting on behalf of orders from CA Governor Newsom and the California Dept. of Public Health ... aka they weren't carrying out the orders independently.

Now the threat ... “Therefore, MIDWAY AND F-12 are hereby ordered to cease and desist from operating in violation of the Regional Stay at Home Order.”

Becerra promises the State will go to court to shut the strip clubs down if they don't comply.

Fact is ... not all judges are sympathetic to the State. A Superior Court judge issued an injunction last month, siding with strip clubs that were prohibited from providing live entertainment under a public health order.

The Canadian cop who was caught on camera issuing a revenge ticket to a motorist who dared to call him out for not wearing a mask has a history of getting confrontational.

TMZ's obtained a video of an incident back in November 2019 ... showing the same Winnipeg cop stopping a motorist in Winnipeg. The woman who videotaped the incident says her fiance saw the cop peering into the window of their vehicle, so she asked, "Why were you looking into my truck."

That apparently set the cop off ... he gets in the man's grill before threatening to arrest him, saying, "If I count to 5, you're in cuffs."

The woman claims the cop put her fiance in the back of his squad car and threatened to arrest her if she kept filming. She says the cop eventually let her fiance go ... but more than a year later, she says she recognized him issuing that revenge ticket on the news.

We reached out to Winnipeg Police for comment about the November 2019 video and an official tells TMZ ... both videos are now the subject of a Winnipeg Police Services Professional Standards Unit investigation.