Legal

"Ink Master" star Daniel Silva says he's still struggling to deal with the death of his friend, Corey La Barrie, but wants to do what he can to honor him.

As you know ... Corey was killed last May on his 25th birthday after he and Daniel left a party together. Daniel was driving his McLaren sports car, when he got into the fatal wreck.

Daniel joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to talk about the painful experience, and what he's doing to try to make up for the tragedy ... including being an advocate for safe driving.

He also says he hopes to one day be able to speak with Corey's family in person to express his contrition, but until then ... he's focused on making amends however possible.

Earlier Tuesday, Daniel shared a lengthy video talking publicly for the first time about Corey's death, and what the loss has meant to him.

Daniel also thanked the La Barrie family for showing him empathy and acknowledging the incident was a tragic accident in a legal letter, which he read.

He ended up pleading no contest to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and was sentenced to 4 years in state prison, but most of the sentence was suspended and he only got 365 days in county jail with 216 days of credit instead. He was released in October.

The La Barrie family filed a wrongful death suit against Daniel last year, and in January ... Daniel's legal team responded by claiming Corey was partly responsible for his own death.

Amy Cooper -- better known as Central Park "Karen" for making a false report against a Black man -- is off the hook in her criminal case after getting some therapy.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has agreed to dismiss Cooper's charge of falsely reporting an incident because she completed a program intended to address racial bias.

According to Assistant D.A. Joan Illuzzi ... due to Cooper's lack of a criminal background, she was offered an "alternative, restorative justice resolution; designed not just to punish but to educate and promote community healing." It's similar to a plea bargain.

Illuzzi says Cooper entered the program and completed 5 sessions, and her therapist reported it was a "moving experience" for Cooper and she learned a lot.

As you'll recall ... Cooper was filmed on May 25, 2020 by a birdwatcher in the park named Christian Cooper (no relation) calling the police on him and falsely claiming ... "There's an African-American man threatening my life."

After their interaction went viral, Amy was fired from her job and briefly lost custody of her dog. Christian decided he did not want to cooperate with prosecutors, saying ... "She's already paid a steep price. That's not enough of a deterrent to others? Bringing her more misery just seems like piling on."

A popular blogger has been calling Tessica Brown -- aka, 'Gorilla Glue Girl' -- a bold-faced liar who made the whole saga up and scammed the world ... but Tessica is now saying the blogger better shut it, or risk getting dragged into court.

An attorney repping Tessica's management team fired off a cease and desist letter to the person who appears to run the IG and Twitter accounts @gossipofthecity_ -- telling them to stop spreading the claim TB hustled everybody into thinking she sprayed Gorilla Glue into her hair.

The account has been posting about it for several days now, including messages and videos to both accounts -- which have close to 610,000 combined followers -- insisting Tessica is a liar and that she pulled a fast one ... especially on those who donated money to her.

The account even re-posted a 15-minute video from another woman who claimed to have sprayed Gorilla Glue in her own hair, trying to debunk Tessica's account. The post read, "Salute to this sister who actually deserves the money y’all donated to that liar. #girlbye."

To that, Tessica's lawyer says her predicament was neither contrived nor a joke, and to suggest otherwise is wrong. Her attorney, Jeffrey Klein, says Gossip of the City is defaming Tessica and warns the account's operator that they're on thin ice.

You can read the letter for yourself ... it's clear that a lawsuit could be filed if the account keeps it up. We're told this letter was sent last Friday -- yet, most of the posts still seem to be live as of now.

@gossipofthecity_ even acknowledged the cease and desist in a separate post, calling it a fake. We've been assured by Tessica's team, though, that it is very much real ... and they mean business.

Now, Tessica herself detailed the pain, embarrassment and agony she was going through with us directly on 'TMZ Live' -- and insisted this was as real (and unfortunate) as one could imagine. Remember, she went to the ER over this, and even flew out to Cali for a procedure to remove the adhesive.

Ahmaud Arbery's mother wants to do something special for her son to mark the 1-year anniversary of his death ... so she's organizing a public candlelight vigil.

Wanda Cooper-Jones tells TMZ ... Ahmaud's family will be gathering at his final resting place -- New Springfield Baptist Church in Waynesboro, GA -- on February 23 for the event.

Wanda says they're asking everyone to wear a blue ribbon in a show of solidarity and in remembrance of what happened. She says blue was Ahmaud's favorite color.

As we reported ... the 25-year-old was killed on Feb. 23, 2020 while jogging in Brunswick, GA, but it wasn't until graphic video of the incident surfaced in May that Ahmaud's death grabbed national headlines and ignited a demand for justice.

Nearly 3 months after the killing, Travis and Gregory McMichael were arrested and charged with murder in Ahmaud's killing ... along with alleged accomplice William "Roddy" Bryan.

As the anniversary approaches, Wanda says she's overcome with a sense of dread thinking about how her son died -- and it's a reminder her son is never coming back.

This past weekend, she remembered she and Ahmaud went to a barbershop together on Feb. 13, 2020 -- and, of course, it turned out to be the last time.

We're also told the family is working on launching a foundation in Ahmaud's honor -- something separate from the 2.23 Foundation ... which is not affiliated with the family.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's attorney says the director of an upcoming docuseries who called the rapper a "horrible human being" should zip it ... because they've never even met.

Tekashi's attorney, Lance Lazzaro, tells TMZ ... "Supervillain" director Karam Gill is 100 percent wrong in his assessment of 69 and has no clue what he's talking about.

Gill started the war of words by telling the NY Post, "The public and media hates him because he is truly a horrible human being who has done terrible things." Gill also told the outlet Tekashi is "a toxic individual in our culture" who tries to get a reaction out of his every move.

Lazzaro tells us 6ix9ine had nothing to do with the docuseries and he's troubled by Gill's comments seeing as the director disparaged 69 without ever meeting him.

He also thinks the director is just talking to gain viewers and adds ... anyone who gets to know Tekashi realizes "he has a great heart."

Stacey Plaskett -- one of the House impeachment managers for Donald Trump's Senate trial -- clearly isn't pleased with his acquittal, but she thinks he'll face worse punishment ahead.

The Virgin Islands Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives joined "TMZ Live" Monday in the wake of Trump's second Senate acquittal, and she didn't hold back her feelings, calling the former President straight-up evil.

Now that the Senate trial is over, Plaskett told us she's all for the multiple state and federal investigations that could potentially lead to criminal charges or civil lawsuits against Trump. She strongly suggests he deserves "criminal punishment or otherwise for what he has done."

Plaskett also touches on a recent tragedy that befell her colleague -- lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin -- whose son, Tommy, took his own life on December 31.

Rod Ponton, the Texas attorney who appeared as a cat in a Zoom court hearing, wants to turn his viral moment into cold, hard cash ... right meow!!!

Rod tells TMZ ... he was initially embarrassed by his 15 seconds of fame, but now he's embracing the fact he's an overnight internet sensation and he wants to milk it by hawking shirts, mugs, and anything else folks will buy.

The guy's in high demand ... Ron says he's already getting tons of requests for speaking engagements about staying professional in the midst of Zoom snafus. He's certainly an expert in this arena.

As for his cat call seen 'round the world ... Ron says he was using his assistant's 10-year-old's computer and still doesn't know how or why the feline filter was activated when he joined the virtual courtroom.

Britney Spears does NOT have her own documentary in the works ... we're told fan speculation and media reports to the contrary are not accurate.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... a doc from Britney and her team is definitely NOT happening. We're told a project of this magnitude would need to be vetted and authorized by Brit and her conservators, which is a big hurdle.

Another source tells TMZ ... a female filmmaker has been reaching out to people in Britney's inner circle, telling them she's working on a doc about Britney's life, and the filmmaker claims she's going to pitch the project to Netflix.

There are reports and speculation circulating that Britney is quietly working on a doc with a top female filmmaker and Britney fears her father, Jamie Spears, could hijack the project to make himself look better ... but we're told neither Britney nor her team are involved in the production.

There's no shaking Jamie at this point either ... as we first told you, a judge denied Britney's request to have her father removed as her co-conservator during Thursday's court hearing.

Britney and her conservatorship are all the rage again these days ... the new doc 'Framing Britney Spears' is getting a lot of buzz, and it's resulted in Britney's boyfriend ripping Jamie, and Justin Timberlake offering her an apology for the things he said after their breakup.

Adrian Broner is FINALLY getting back in the ring after a wild 2-year layoff -- and he's got a message for everyone who thinks he's washed up.

(Earmuffs, kids)

"Eat a d*** and put gravy on it."

Yep, after all sorts of personal, professional and legal drama ... 31-year-old Broner will return to action on Feb. 20th to fight undefeated Jovanie Santiago on Showtime.

The last time Broner saw action was January 2019 when he lost to Manny Pacquiao via unanimous decision.

In fact, Broner hasn't won a pro fight in 4 years -- but the former 4-division world champ tells TMZ Sports he's got his swag back and will return to greatness.

"Our goal is to be another -- a 5-time world champion soon -- so it's starting off February 20."

Broner has made a TON of headlines since his last fight -- but for all the wrong reasons. He's been accused of sexually assaulting multiple women, assaulting people in public and he's been sued multiple times for not paying jewelry debts.

In the past year alone he was ripped by a judge for failing to pay more than $800,000 to a woman he sexually assaulted in a nightclub back in 2018 and was arrested for DUI after passing out behind the wheel of his Rolls Royce.

But, Broner insists he's turning over a new leaf -- trying to clean up his life and get back to the top of the boxing world.

"I've matured a lot, I've been through a lot and ya know, it's just time to get to business and make my money and do what I do best and that's box."

Three Phoenix police officers didn't realize they were being recorded while secretly disparaging BLM protesters last year -- openly pining to inflict violence onto them ... seemingly exposing their bias.

The officers are unidentified for now, but on the body-cam footage -- obtained by ABC15 -- they're yammering away in a squad car, referring to a group of protesters in October in vulgar terms.

You hear one cop call them "dickheads" and "ass**** kids," while another wonders why they (the cops) didn't just stomp out the protesters when given the chance ... literally, put boot to body.

One male officer suggests they should've just gassed the whole lot of them, adding ... "who gives a s***?" The 3 officers also discuss how they and the public are "sick" of these protests, while going on to lament the fact they have to wear bodycams ... because they force them to be squeaky clean.

For example, the officers' details how once upon a time ... they used to be able to stomp out little baggies of drugs that they might not have made arrests for, but now have to because they're being monitored by the camera. The irony is they're being recorded at that very moment.

Later, as they were driving away, you hear someone on the street yell at them to go home. The officers' joke about it, and one caps off the convo by calling that person a "f**king liberal piece of s**t."

ABC15 has also documented "challenge coins" that were allegedly being bought, sold and distributed among different Phoenix PD officers ... almost as tokens for who could hurt protesters in certain parts of their bodies, including in their groin areas.

Phoenix PD's Chief issued the following statement: "I know that unprofessional, disrespectful and inappropriate behavior from even one of our officers tarnishes the badge but more importantly, it hurts the community we have sworn to protect." He adds, "I will not allow the actions and speech of a few of the 4,000 men and women of the Phoenix Police Department destroy the trust and credibility of those we serve. When that conduct does not show respect, you can expect that I as the chief will take swift and decisive disciplinary action."

Britney Spears' younger sister and her former business manager insist they didn't hop on Zoom for a virtual #FreeBritney rally, despite how it appeared ... we're told it was just a total catfish.

Thousands of Brit's fans were buzzing Thursday when they noticed a profile claiming to be Jamie Lynn Spears appear on the virtual rally ... but the profile's mic and camera weren’t on and just showed a stock image. Ditto for Brit's former biz manager, Lou Taylor.

The law firm representing Lou and Jamie Lynn tells TMZ ... neither woman was on the call, and instead, it was someone else posing as them by inputting their names and images on Zoom and making it appear as though they were attending the virtual rally.

The Zoom call came on the heels of Britney's latest court hearing in her conservatorship case, which as we first told you, saw the judge deny Britney's request to have her father, Jamie Spears, removed as her co-conservator.

Lori Loughlin's out of prison, and now she wants the right to leave U.S. soil, but there's a hitch.

The "Full House" star's legal team filed new docs, asking the court to order the return of her passport -- which her lawyers say is currently in the possession of the United States Pretrial Services Office.

Lori had to surrender her passport during her criminal case stemming from the college admissions scandal, but now that she's served her 2-month prison sentence she's looking to get that puppy back in her hands.

Remember ... Lori flew back home in a private jet after spending 2 months at California's FCI Dublin ... so she's definitely the jet-setting type.

The docs say Uncle Sam does not object to returning her passport -- so it's just a matter of time before she gets it back. Once she does, Lori will be in the same boat as a lot of us ... wondering where she can safely travel in the middle of the pandemic.

Lori won't be crossing any borders with her husband just yet, though ... Mossimo Giannulli's still behind bars. He's set to complete his 5-month sentence in April.

Britney Spears' bid to have her father less involved in her life didn't pan out ... as he's to remain co-conservator after the latest court hearing about the case.

As you may recall ... Britney's legal team had requested the Bessemer Trust Company become the sole conservator of her business affairs ... booting Jamie Spears as a co-conservator.

The judge denied the request Thursday and ordered that everything stay the same. None of the parties, including Britney, have asked the judge to end the conservatorship ... and that's been the case for the last 13 years.

As we reported, Britney's legal team previously filed docs indicating she won't perform until her father steps down. We're told the relationship between Britney and her dad has deteriorated.

In related news ... the #FreeBritney movement is in full swing ... some of her fans gathered with signs outside the courthouse to show their support.

The movement has been re-energized by the new documentary, "Framing Britney Spears," along with her boyfriend's recent beef with Jamie.

Britney fans certainly remember ... Sam Asghari called Jamie a "dick" Tuesday and said he's got no respect for Britney's father, accusing him of meddling in their relationship.

Jockey Chris McIver was BANNED from racing for 1 year ... after officials say he KICKED a horse twice before a recent race.

Disgusting.

The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission found the 33-year-old jockey "twice forcibly stomped on the hindquarter" of a horse before a race last month in Queensland, Australia.

The commission slapped McIver with a 12-month racing ban.

"The penalty must not only deter Mr McIver but must also illustrate to the racing industry that these actions are not to be tolerated," the head of the QRIC said in a statement.

Sadly, it's not the first time the jockey has allegedly abused a horse.

In April 2020, McIver was given a 7-month suspension after he was seen on video in a race smacking his horse -- Absolute Bonanza -- in the head with his whip.

The suspension for the whipping incident just ended in November ... but it didn't take the jockey long before allegedly committing another abusive offense.

McIver's suspension is due to end in early 2022.

Larry King always kept it simple, and his will is no different ... he scribbled down a few sentences during his last divorce, but it was written before some other King family tragedies.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the late talk show host hand-wrote his most recent will on October 17, 2019, about 2 months after filing for divorce from his 7th wife, Shawn Southwick King.

Larry wrote ... "This is my Last Will & Testament. It should replace all previous writings." He said that in the event of his death, he wanted 100 percent of his funds to be "divided equally among my children Andy, Chaia, Larry Jr Chance & Cannon."

That's it ... but as we've reported, Larry sadly lost 2 of his adult kids a month apart in 2020. His son, Andy, died of a heart attack in July, and his daughter, Chaia, died in August a short time after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

So, Larry's last will and testament doesn't reflect the fact that 2 of his intended recipients have passed away. One of his surviving sons, Larry Jr., has filed docs asking to be appointed administrator of the estate, noting that his father was in the middle of divorce proceedings at the time of his death.

As for how much is at stake here ... the documents estimate Larry's estate to be worth around $2 million, but there are likely separate assets held in separate trusts.

Ron Perlman's a single man again, legally speaking, but likely not for long ... because he already has plans to get hitched again.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the judge signed off on the "Hellboy" star's request to be declared single in his divorce from Opal Stone Perlman, leaving the rest of the details of the divorce to be handled down the road. It's called bifurcation in the divorce biz.

We broke the story ... Ron asked the court for single status in October, saying he's engaged to actress Allison Dunbar and ready to walk her down the aisle.

Ron filed for divorce from Opal in November 2019 after 38 years of marriage ... months after getting in a relationship with Dunbar, his costar on the TV show "StartUp."

Though the judge is restoring Ron's status as single, he and Opal still need to resolve the rest of their divorce issues ... like spousal support and division of property.