Legal

Dr. Dre and his estranged wife, Nicole, have several areas of conflict in their contentious divorce, but the biggest stumbling block is the validity of their prenup, and Dre wants a trial ... STAT.

Dre's lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, has filed legal docs asking for a 5-day trial over the prenup. As we reported, Nicole signed the prenup before they married but claims Dre came to her shortly after the nuptials, saying he regretted "pressuring" her to sign it and tore up multiple copies right in front of her. Dre denies he pressured her and denies he ever tore it up ... and points to a clause in the document that says altering it must be in writing.

Dre has asked to remove the case from the court system and have a private judge handle the divorce case -- away from the public spotlight -- but Nicole has rejected that, favoring instead a traditional court trial. If it stays in the courts, it may take a very long to for a judge to hear the case ... because the pandemic has caused enormous trial delays.

Elijah McClain was dealt with in a severely uncalled-for manner by Aurora, CO cops and paramedics -- so says an independent panel investigating the 23-year-old Black man's death ... and now his family wants the officers criminally charged.

Elijah's father, Lawayne Mosley, and the family's attorney, Mari Newman, joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to discuss the findings of a commission gathered by the Aurora City Council.

Newman says the commission determined cops did everything wrong during the 2019 incident ... starting with having no legal reason to stop and frisk Elijah, not to mention later detaining him in a chokehold.

As for the paramedics, the commission found they gave Elijah way too much ketamine to sedate him, and ended up putting him in a coma ... before he later died.

Newman says Aurora PD tried covering up their mess after the fact -- another finding she says the panel discovered and made clear in its 157-page report.

Elijah's dad says the commission's findings are just the start, because his family wants justice. They'd like to see the officers criminally charged for Elijah's death -- plus, they've already filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city and the police department.

There's another update for this case ... the fact that the firing of three Aurora PD officers last year was upheld a just couple weeks ago by the city's Civil Service Commission. When the Chief of Police spoke about their actions at a presser, it was clear she was sickened ... they photographed each other mockingly reenacting a chokehold during a memorial for Elijah.

None of the Rochester police officers suspended over the death of Daniel Prude will face criminal charges ... a grand jury just declined to hand up an indictment.

New York Attorney General Letitia James expressed disappointment in the decision, and slammed the system as a whole saying ... "Current laws on deadly force have created a system that utterly and abjectly failed Mr. Prude."

She claims her office presented the most comprehensive case it possibly could and added ... "I know that the Prude family, the Rochester community and communities across the country will rightfully be disappointed by this outcome."

As we reported, 7 Rochester cops were suspended in September after video was released of the 41-year-old Black man being detained on March 23, having a hood placed over his head, and then pressed down on the ground.

Prude was held there for 2 minutes until cops realized he was unconscious. He was taken to the hospital and placed on life support, but died a week later.

The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint" and noted "excited delirium" and PCP intoxication as contributing factors.

NY AG James says on that fateful March day, Prude "was in the throes of a mental health crisis and what he needed was compassion, care, and help from trained professionals. Tragically, he received none of those things."

She adds ... "The criminal justice system has frustrated efforts to hold law enforcement officers accountable for the unjustified killing of unarmed African Americans."

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren also expressed outrage, saying the grand jury decision is "hard for many of us to understand." She says the City needs to work on policy reform to "correct the inequities in the system."

Zachery Ty Bryan struck a plea deal in his domestic violence case ... and it looks like he won’t do any time behind bars.

The "Home Improvement" star pled guilty to 2 misdemeanor counts -- menacing and assault in the fourth degree -- for his arrest in Oregon last year after an altercation with his girlfriend.

According to legal docs ... Bryan's 2 felony charges -- strangulation and coercion -- along with several misdemeanor charges have been dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Bryan's sentence includes 3 years probation during which he must complete a batterers intervention program.

Ahmaud Arbery's mother just filed a bombshell federal lawsuit, alleging the men charged in her son's death were in cahoots with local law enforcement.

Wanda Cooper is suing Greg and Travis McMichael and William Bryan -- the 3 who've been charged in connection with Ahmaud's killing one year ago Tuesday  ... as well as a number of police officials in Glynn County, and the county itself ... all of whom she says violated Ahmaud's civil rights.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Wanda recounts the events of Feb. 23, 2020 ... claiming Ahmaud went out for a jog that day, only to be targeted by the McMichaels and Bryan, who she alleges were deputized by Glynn County PD, and says Greg McMichael even had a police-issued revolver.

With those firearms -- including the revolver and a 12-gauge shotgun carried by Travis McMichael -- Wanda claims the men chased Ahmaud down on a "gut feeling" that he might be involved with recent break-ins in their neighborhood ... and then murdered him in cold blood.

Once Travis McMichael shot at Ahmaud point-blank range with his shotgun, Wanda alleges he uttered the words, "f***ing N***er." The aftermath, she alleges, is just as disturbing.

Wanda claims there were efforts by Glynn County and Brunswick County prosecutors -- as well as other officials involved in the initial investigation -- to sweep the incident under the rug, as she says Gregory McMichael had once been employed by the local police force as well as by the D.A.'s office. She says if it wasn't for the video of Ahmuad's death being leaked, it's possible nobody would've ever known or believed what happened to her son.

Ahmaud's mom alleges multiple causes of action ... including excessive force, conspiracy to violate Ahmaud's civil rights, conspiracy to obstruct justice, a failure to properly train officers, and several others.

Dr. Dre seems to be letting out his frustrations over his pending divorce with Nicole Young in his music -- and he's not being very subtle about it either.

A new track was previewed Monday night by DJ Silk, which features Dre and Aftermath pal KXNG Crooked. Dre drops some explicit lyrics about his estranged wife and their nasty divorce proceedings.

Dre raps ... "Trying to kill me with them lies and that perjury // I see you trying to f*** me while I'm in surgery // In ICU death bed on some money s*** // Greedy bitch take a pic // Girl you know how money get."

As we've reported ... Dre went right back to the studio after being released from his recent health scare -- suffering what could've been a fatal brain aneurysm.

Silk only played a few bars, so it's unclear if Dre makes any other references to the divorce or Nicole on the track.

Dre and Nicole's legal war hasn't seen a pause whatsoever since she filed for divorce last summer -- most recently she filed a motion asking for access to their home amid suspicions of a mistress, and was granted temporary spousal support ... a one-time payment of $2 mil.

Bobby Shmurda has reason to bust out the Shmurda Dance ... he's no longer behind bars after getting sprung early.

The rapper was released from New York's infamous Clinton Correctional Facility just before 8:30 Tuesday morning, which is about 10 months earlier than expected.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Shmurda will now be under parole supervision for the next 5 years until Feb. 23, 2026.

As we reported ... Bobby got his conditional release date bumped up by the prison's Time Allowance Committee, which made the call after reviewing his behavior and participation in prison programs. It looks like Shmurda got early release for essentially staying out of trouble in the prison.

Bobby had been in custody since December 2014, and was initially sentenced to 6 to 7 years in prison after copping a plea deal back in September 2016 to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon. He got credit for around 2 years of time served before the sentence.

Shmurda had an eventful time in lockup, racking up 11 violations, including allegedly having a shank, drug possession and fighting ... but it looks like he turned things around recently to score his early release.

A man in Oregon might now hold a dubious distinction -- the highest recorded blood alcohol content -- because cops say he was .77 during a DUI arrest.

The incident went down earlier this month a couple hours outside of Portland -- where cops say they were called about a hit-and-run. They tracked down a white Ford Explorer and after pulling it over ... "observed the driver to be HIGHLY intoxicated." The all-caps emphasis was made by the Warm Springs PD.

Cops say Nathan Danzuka fled in the Explorer and a short pursuit began until he crashed into a concrete barrier about half a mile from the initial stop.

When the dust settled ... cops say Danzuka's blood alcohol content was 0.77%, which is more than nine times the legal limit. Goes without saying ... his driver's license was suspended and he was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation and placed into custody. Cops say criminal charges are pending for the 28-year-old motorist.

Martin Gugino, the elderly Buffalo protester who got knocked to the ground and bled out of his ears, is now suing the city over that ordeal.

The 75-year-old man is suing the City of Buffalo, its mayor, several police officers and the Commissioner ... alleging the curfew they imposed last summer amid BLM protests was arbitrarily enforced, and ended up landing him in the hospital with a cracked noggin.

In his docs, Gugino says the 8 PM curfew they enforced at Niagara Square was draconian and frankly unconstitutional, infringing on his right to be there and peacefully protest ... as he claims he was doing that day.

Gugino claims mere minutes after the clock struck 8, officers in riot gear began picking and choosing whom they wanted to accost and arrest arbitrarily. Out of fear for other protesters, Gugino says he tried to talk them down, but alleges they screamed, "Push him" ... which he says 2 officers then did, with excessive force.

Of course, we've all seen what happened next ... he stumbled back, and slammed his head into the sidewalk. Gugino says that upon being transferred to a hospital, he learned he'd suffered a concussion and that his skull had been fractured.

After the fact, Gugino claims Buffalo PD tried brushing off his injury as a trip-and-fall -- but Gugino says that couldn't be further from the truth. He claims he was hospitalized for weeks, and that eventually ... Mayor Byron Brown copped to what had actually happened.

Despite this ... a Grand Jury declined to indict the 2 officers accused of pushing Gugino.

Xzibit's wife is apparently ready to get her walk on ... as in walking away from their marriage.

The "Pimp My Ride" star's wife, Krista Joiner, might've yelled "D to the P" Monday morning, before filing her divorce petition in Los Angeles Superior Court. They've been married for about 6 and a half years.

Xzibit and Krista wed in November 2014, but the marriage made headlines for another reason -- X got busted for DUI in the early morning hours the day after the ceremony.

The couple reportedly began dating in 2001 and had 2 children together. Tragically, their son Xavier was born prematurely in May 2008 and died 11 days later.

Mariners president Kevin Mather is OUT in Seattle ... the org.'s honcho has just resigned after MLB and MLBPA officials say he made "inappropriate" and "disturbing" comments about his team.

Mather joined a call with a Rotary Club earlier this month and spoke at length about his team ... and in parts of the conversation -- which surfaced on video over the weekend -- he made cracks about some of his players' and staffers' abilities to speak English.

When talking about Hisashi Iwakuma -- a former M's pitcher who just signed on to be a part of the Mariners' coaching staff -- Mather said, "Wonderful human being; his English was terrible."

Mather then brought up English-speaking abilities again later when discussing top minor league prospect Julio Rodriguez.

"Julio Rodriguez has got a personality bigger than all of you combined," Mather said. "He is loud. His English is not tremendous."

The MLBPA ripped Mather for the remarks ... saying in a scathing statement Monday the words were "highly disturbing" and "offensive."

For his part, Mather apologized vehemently in a statement of his own, saying, "There is no excuse for my behavior, and I take full responsibility for my terrible lapse in judgment."

Clearly, though, the mea culpa wasn't enough to save his job ... Mather resigned shortly after saying sorry -- with Mariners chairman John Stanton calling Mather's words inexcusable.

"There is no excuse for what was said," Stanton said, "and I won't try to make one. I offer my sincere apology on behalf of the club and my partners to our players and fans. We must be, and do, better."

The NY Rangers say allegations star player Artemi Panarin assaulted a woman in 2011 are "unfounded" -- suggesting the claims are all part of a Russian smear campaign to punish the NHL star for publicly criticizing Vladimir Putin.

Here's the deal ... on Monday, Panarin -- who's in the middle of a 7-year, $81 million contract -- announced he's taking a leave of absence from the Rangers for personal reasons.

The announcement comes in the wake of a report out of Russia that Panarin beat the hell out of an 18-year-old woman at a hotel bar in Latvia in 2011.

In an on-camera interview with a Russian news outlet, Nazarov says Panarin was detained by police during the alleged 2011 incident -- and references a rumor that the NHL star paid 40,000 euros to bribe his way out of trouble.

The man behind the allegations is Andrei Nazarov -- who coached Panarin during his time in the KHL (formerly known as the Russian Superleague).

Nazarov and Panarin reportedly clashed over politics -- since Panarin has been an outspoken critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Enter the NY Rangers ... the club says it has looked into the allegations and also spoke with Panarin and believes the whole thing is pure B.S. conjured up to ruin Panarin's career as punishment for criticizing Putin.

"Artemi vehemently and unequivocally denies any and all allegations in this fabricated story," the Rangers said Monday.

"This is clearly an intimidation tactic being used against him for being outspoken on recent political events. Artemi is obviously shaken and concerned and will take some time away from the team."

"The Rangers fully support Artemi and will work with him to identify the source of these unfounded allegations."

USA Today's NY Rangers reporter Vince Z. Mercogliano says Panarin is concerned about the safety and well-being of his family.

It’s rare for a Russian star athlete to speak out against the Russian government, but Panarin hasn’t been shy -- In a 2019 interview with a foreign publication, he sounded off on his frustration with economic structure.

"I think that the people who hush up the problems are more like foreign agents than those who talk about them," Panarin said at the time. "If I think about problems, I am coming from a positive place, I want to change something, to have people live better. I don't want to see retirees begging.”

FYI, Panarin voiced his support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an IG post from January 21 ... with the caption, "Freedom for Navalny."

Bobby Shmurda's plans following his prison release Tuesday will be low key -- he'll grub with the fam bam, spend some QT with them and hit the ground running with his music.

Bobby's mom, Leslie Pollard, tells TMZ ... once Bobby's released from prison he'll enjoy an intimate dinner with his family. Leslie says she's counting down the hours until her son's release. Bobby's also excited, to say the least.

After dinner, we're told Bobby -- who's been locked up since 2014 -- wants to keep it chill. Nothing crazy. He wants to get back to his passion, which of course is music. Leslie tells us he'll devote most, if not all, of his time to creating music again.

Bobby will definitely carve out some time for a very important person ... his parole officer. We're told he'll be checking in regularly, because he has to.

As we reported ... the rapper’s conditional release date was bumped up to February 23 ...a full 10 months early. Not bad ... considering he had some problems during his prison stint.

The lawyer who killed the son of New Jersey federal judge Esther Salas had his sights set on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor next ... according to Judge Salas.

Roy Den Hollander is believed to have posed as a FedEx delivery worker in July when he ambushed the home of Salas' family, fatally shooting her 20-year-old son and injuring her husband. At the time, Judge Salas was overseeing a case Hollander was arguing.

But Salas just revealed, on "60 Minutes" ... Hollander had more disturbing intentions.

After Hollander was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Salas says FBI agents found a locker belonging to him in which he had another gun, more ammo, and a manila folder with a "workup" of Justice Sotomayor ... including "her favorite restaurants, where she worked out, her friends."

"Animal House" star Tim Matheson says he's getting threatened with way more than a food fight after tweeting something "ignorant" about the former First Lady.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Matheson told cops someone’s been harassing him online since he took a jab at Melania Trump last month, by saying it was wonderful to have a First Lady who can speak English.

Ironically, it's the kinda thing you'd expect to hear from Melania's husband.

Tim later apologized, but we're told the threats keep escalating -- from the person saying they're going to kick Tim's ass to ... "pay me big bucks or I will kill you."

Our sources say the actor contacted the LAPD after the death threat, filed an extortion report because of the money demands ... and now cops are investigating.

As for Tim's Twitter snafu -- he replied to Melania's farewell message on Twitter to say sorry. He wrote, "Thank you for your work as the First Lady.I apologize to you for a stupid, ignorant,& foul remark that I made."

Trick Daddy's taking a plea deal in his Miami bust for cocaine possession and driving under the influence, and now he's finally able to put the case behind him.

The District Attorney's Office tells us Trick cut a deal ... pleading guilty to possession of cocaine and getting credit for time served. In exchange, we're told the DUI charge was dropped.

We broke the story ... police bodycam footage from the rapper's January 2020 arrest showed a white powdery substance tucked away in a dollar bill. Cops also said he also bombed a field sobriety test, and the video shows him slurring his speech while playing the celeb card.

That didn't really help him, however there was only a trace amount of cocaine -- so he got a very low level, third-degree felony. The D.A. tells us he's not on probation, either ... the plea deal closes case.