Legal

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are giving their children some much-needed stability during their divorce ... Kim may be keeping their 4 kids in the only home they've ever known.

Sources close to the former couple tell TMZ ...  Kim has been staying with their kids in the family home in Hidden Hills ... and that may be permanent as well.

It's an interesting decision for several reasons. Kanye designed the home ... it's pretty spectacular though very austere -- almost museum-like. You might think Kanye would want to keep the home since it's a multi-year passion project of his, but the fact is Kanye doesn't have any real ties to that area. On the other hand, most of Kim's family live within a block of her in the same community, and family is important to the kids in the middle of the divorce.

We're also told Kim really likes the house, so it's not like she wants to pick up stakes and move.

It's unclear where Kanye will take up his permanent residence, but it's no secret Wyoming has pretty much become his home over the last few years ... it's where he's got a massive ranch, and where he moved his Yeezy brand.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim filed to divorce Kanye last month after nearly 7 years of marriage, and we're told the split is amicable.

Elon Musk hasn't taken over the world yet but, for now, he'll settle on taking over a piece of Texas ... 'cause he approached officials about founding his own city and calling it Starbase.

The Tesla chief and SpaceX honcho is so serious ... he hit up Cameron County, Texas officials about incorporating the City of Starbase, Texas. It's familiar territory for him ... SpaceX has a private launch site and rocket production facility there.

The idea is ...the rocket man will expand the unincorporated region currently known as Boca Chica Village. His plans aren't all that far-fetched ... county judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. has now weighed in, saying, "If SpaceX and Elon Musk would like to pursue down this path, they must abide by all state incorporation statutes. Cameron County will process any appropriate petitions in conformity with applicable law."

That's politics talk for ... go for it, but you'll play by our rules. Elon's ambitions know no bounds. He previously tweeted about founding Starbase ... adding the town's leader "shall be The Doge" ... a nod to the cryptocurrency DogeCoin he backed last month.

Elon's slowly but surely making his mark in the Lone Star State. For starters, he said last December he was moving from California to Texas ... and SpaceX has other facilities in Brownsville and McGregor.

What's more ... his company reportedly wants to break ground on a new manufacturing facility in Austin ... and his other company, The Boring Company, went on a hiring spree in the Austin area back in November.

Mariah Carey's estranged brother says she's falsely accusing him of being a violent person ... so now he's suing her over the claims she made in her memoir.

Morgan Carey claims in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Mariah damaged his reputation when she wrote about an allegedly violent struggle he had with their father, and an alleged attack against their mother, in her 2020 book, "The Meaning of Mariah Carey."

According to the suit, Mariah's book includes a passage that reads ... "It took twelve cops to pull my brother and father apart. The big bodies of men, all entangled like a swirling hurricane, crashed loudly into the living room. I was a little girl with very few memories of a big brother who protected me. More often, I felt I had to protect myself from him, and sometimes I would find myself protecting my mother from him too."

Morgan says her description of the struggle paints him as a violent man ... he claims actual fights with his father never happened when Mariah was a child. In any event, he says there's no way 12 cops would respond to a domestic violence report.

According to the docs, Mariah's book also alleges ... "Suddenly there was a loud, sharp noise, like an actual gunshot. My brother had pushed my mother with such force that her body slammed into the wall, making a loud cracking sound."

Morgan claims this is another lie ... he claims tons of folks witnessed the "deep affection" between him and his mother -- and he adds, Mariah contradicted herself later in the book when she recounted her mother once saying, "Morgan is the only one I love."

He's suing his baby sis for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and it looks like he wants big damages.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is emphatically denying touching anyone inappropriately amid sexual harassment allegations ... and a new photo of him grabbing a woman's face.

The Gov. of NY held his first news conference Wednesday since former staffers, and others, accused him of making them feel incredibly awkward -- including claims he gave a woman an unwanted kiss, put hands on the face of another and asked super personal questions of a third.

Cuomo insists he never made inappropriate contact with anyone -- doubling down on his denial from a statement he put out over the weekend. With that said, he did once again acknowledge he might've been a little too chummy for comfort at times.

Still, he says he had no ill intent and didn't know he was making folks uneasy. Cuomo apologized for any times that might've happened.

He also said he completely supports a woman's right to come forward with their truths, and restated his commitment to cooperate with an independent investigation. New York's Attorney General has called for a third party to run the probe.

The first piece of physical evidence publicly presented against Cuomo was a 2016 video, resurfaced last week, showing him jokingly telling a reporter to "eat the whole sausage" in front of him at the New York State Fair. That woman isn't an accuser, but many found the video cringe-worthy in light of the allegations.

The Washington Football Team is making another drastic change -- the organization will feature a coed dance team in 2021 ... ditching its cheerleading program for the first time in more than 50 seasons.

WFT's new senior advisor Petra Pope made the announcement Tuesday, saying the "First Ladies of Football" -- the longest-running cheer program in the NFL -- will be replaced by a coed team for a more "modern and diverse" look.

"We want to be more inclusive, so we are going to invite a coed entity (to audition)," Pope said to USA TODAY Sports.

"We’re able to do more things with the strength of a male, and lifts, so that’s changed a great deal. The inclusivity, strength and interest of choreography has changed."

Even though it's a dance team, former cheerleaders will be allowed to try out for the new squad ... which will consist of more than 36 members.

Of course, this change comes after several former cheerleaders made serious allegations in a Washington Post article last August ... claiming staff members secretly recorded them naked while making a bikini calendar in 2008 and 2010.

The Post said a former staffer was told by the WFT's lead broadcaster that the video was made for team owner Dan Snyder -- a claim Snyder has adamantly denied.

WFT reportedly reached a settlement with the former cheerleaders in 2020.

The NFL is still investigating the WFT for multiple sexual harassment allegations.

Cops are on the hunt for a Buccaneers fan who they say robbed and shot a man during a "night of terror" shortly after a Super Bowl party in Tampa last month.

Officials at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office just released video of the suspect ... accusing the man in a Devin White jersey of turning "a night of celebrating into a night of terror."

"We want to find this individual immediately," Sheriff Chad Chronister said Tuesday. "& we are asking anyone who may have seen him the night of the big game to reach out to our detectives."

Cops say at around 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 8 -- just hours after Tampa's win over the Chiefs -- the Bucs fan and one other person offered a man a ride to a nearby Hard Rock Casino after a Super Bowl party.

The problem ... according to cops, the two men stopped the car on the way to the casino, ordered him out of the ride at gunpoint, and demanded he give them his jewelry.

Cops say the suspect in the White jersey then shot the man after he handed over the valuables. Officials claim the two men then fled the scene.

Fortunately, cops say the alleged victim is recovering ... but they're now releasing video hoping it leads to the arrest of one of the suspects.

In the footage, the man wanted by cops -- clearly sporting a jersey of the Bucs' best linebacker -- has a long beard and a black hat with light blue/grey jeans.

Sofia Vergara just won a huge victory in her years-long battle with an ex over their frozen embryos -- a judge permanently blocked Nick Loeb from using them with a surrogate.

The 'Modern Family' star won big in L.A. County Superior Court, where Nick Loeb had been fighting tooth and nail for permission to bring the embryos to term, even going so far as trying to take custody of them through a trust ... and giving the fertilized eggs names in a lawsuit.

Welp, the judge said that ain't gonna happen ... at least not without Sofia's consent. The judge granted a permanent injunction -- saying the contract they both signed with a fertility clinic back in 2013 remains valid.

Because of that, the court said Nick can't try to use the embryos for his own purposes and give them rights -- which he tried to do in a Louisiana court, essentially arguing the embryos should be recognized as people with rights.

He recently got shot down there as well -- and now, he's lost again in L.A., where this whole mess started not too long after he and Sofia split in 2014. With the order in place and the original contract upheld, Nick will have to get Sofia's consent for anything having to do with the embryos.

Joe Exotic is getting the best revenge he can against Carole Baskin -- hiring the attorney who recently repped the family of her missing husband ... who's now working to free him.

John M. Phillips of the Phillips & Hunt firm broke the news Tuesday, saying he'd been retained by the 'Tiger King' himself in a bid to get a new trial arranged so Joe can plead his case in front of a new set of 12 jurors.

Phillips writes, "Work has already begun on @joe_exotic's New Trial Motion. We are proud to be leading his team. I was sworn into the Western District of Oklahoma this morning. This isn't about tigers, television or tomfoolery, it's about justice and evidence. More soon."

He also posted a video ... which took some shots at Joe's former legal team, who Phillips characterized as engaging in "buffoonery" in their bid to get JE pardoned by Prez Trump.

Doesn't sound like Joe disagrees -- at least that's how Phillips makes it sound. He says shortly after the failed attempt, the man himself reached out and asked about his services. One thing led to another, and now Phillips is on the case -- and he ain't looking to Joe Biden for a bail-out either.

Remember, Phillips was also brought on by Don Lewis' surviving family members -- who seem to believe Carole knows more about his mysterious vanishing than she's let on. They even bought air time during her debut appearance on 'DWTS' which aired mid-broadcast.

Chris D'Elia had sex with a 17-year-old high school student and she says when she told him her age, he said it was "hot" ... this according to a new lawsuit and Chris denies the allegations.

The comedian is being sued by a Jane Doe for allegedly violating federal child sexual exploitation and child pornography laws. She is not suing because the two allegedly had sex when they met in Connecticut. The age of consent in CT is 16.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Chris' alleged victim claims she started communicating with him over social media in 2014 when she was just 17 and he quickly started demanding nudes. She says two months later he invited her to his hotel room before one of his shows, where they had sex.

The woman claims Chris D'Elia demanded eye contact when they had sex and says when she told him she was 17 and still in high school, Chris responded by saying it was "hot."

As you know ... Chris recently got emotional addressing allegations he was grooming underage girls online and allegedly exposing himself to several women, saying sex controlled his life.

A spokesperson for Chris, in addressing the new lawsuit, tells us, "Chris denies these allegations and will vigorously defend himself against them in court."

According to the docs, the girl says she was a virgin before having sex with Chris, who also asked her to send him pornographic videos of her having sex with other boys her age. She also claims he asked her to meet and have sex with his friends.

Years after the alleged hotel encounter, the woman claims she was disturbed to see Chris' character in the Netflix series, "You," as he plays a comic who preys on underaged girls.

Tamar Braxton no longer has to keep her distance from her ex-boyfriend ... because we’ve learned his restraining order's been dissolved after neither one of them showed up in court.

Neither Tamar nor the singer's ex, David Adefeso, appeared for their court hearing on the matter Tuesday, so the judge dismissed the case and dissolved the restraining order.

We broke the story ... Adefeso filed for a domestic violence restraining order against Tamar in September and was temporarily granted one. David claimed Tamar attacked him while he was driving his car and threatened to have him killed.

Tamar denied the allegations the following month on "The Tamron Hall Show."

As you'll recall ... David was the one who called 911 last summer when he was dating Tamar and reported her alleged suicide attempt. He claimed at the time, her WeTV beef was the reason she wanted to kill herself.

Kodak Black is on the move -- or he's about to be anyway, because a judge just signed off on him being able to pack up and hit the road ... with limitations, of course.

A federal judge just approved Kodak's motion to travel for work purposes only -- giving him the green light to go out of state ... so long as he lets 'em know exactly where he's going.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge says KB has to provide a full itinerary to his probation officer, including where he'll be staying during the travel. Naturally, he'll also have to keep his nose clean while out and about.

In his original filing seeking the OK for this, Kodak's attorneys said his plans were to continue the charitable work he's been engaged in lately -- specifically citing the scholarship he set up in the name of one of the Parkland victims, Meadow Pollack, which he recently commemorated with a public service.

Tekashi 6ix9ine had a forcefield of protection around him in late 2018 -- shortly before he was locked up -- but forgot to pay the people guarding him ... so claims a security company in a new lawsuit.

69 is being sued by Metropolitan Patrol, which claims it provided protection for the guy ... including 11 days in November 2018. Part of that time Tekashi was in L.A. rolling deep with bodyguards, as seen in pics.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Metropolitan Patrol says Tekashi signed a contract with them in which they agreed to provide round-the-clock armed security. The lawsuit even includes a detailed schedule of shifts they claim to have worked work.

It looks like the rate was $85/hour during the day, while the late-night shifts cost $127.50/hour.

MP also claims it provided him armored vehicles ... namely, a fully-loaded Yukon with ballistic panels and 2 police-style Ford Explorers complete with lights, sirens, everything.

All in all, Metropolitan says Tekashi's tab came to a little over $75k for the job -- but when it came time to pay up, they claim he simply refused to fork over the money. Now, they want a judge to step in.

Metropolitan wants what they say they’re owed on the contract plus late fees and legal fees that have added up ... in total, they're asking for north of $88k.

A rooster with a 3 INCH BLADE strapped to its leg slashed its owner to death during an illegal cockfighting event in India, officials say.

It all went down last week in Southern India where officials say a group of people gathered to watch the bloody sport in the village of Lothunur, in the state of Telangana.

Officials say the bird's owner, identified as 45-year-old Thangulla Satish, was attempting to handle the rooster when something spooked the animal, causing it to stab Satish in the groin area.

FYI, it's typical for birds to be equipped with blades on their legs during a cockfight -- which leads to bloodier and quicker matches between the roosters.

The whole thing is pretty horrific.

In this case, it sounds like the bird struck Satish's femoral artery -- causing him to bleed out at an alarming rate.

Officials say he died on the way to the hospital.

Local law enforcement has opened an investigation into the incident -- and say the event organizers could face up to 2 years in jail if convicted.

The woman alleging T.I. put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her is now claiming she's getting harassed because the rapper and his wife are smearing her name.

Sabrina Peterson's suing T.I. and Tiny for defamation, because according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... she says the couple's public statements and social media posts have smeared her good name ever since she made her allegation against T.I.

Peterson claims she got into an altercation with T.I.'s assistant, and T.I. responded by pointing a gun at her head and saying, "Bitch I'll kill you."

According to the docs ... shortly after making her allegation in January, Tiny retaliated by insulting her and posting a photo of Peterson's 8-year-old son to her millions of followers. Peterson says this exposed her son to "vitriol and danger."

T.I. and Tiny subsequently released statements denying a variety of sexual abuse allegations and other claims against them ... including specifically denying the claims made by Peterson.

Peterson claims being singled out -- along with allegedly being referenced in T.I.'s 8-minute video where he denies allegations and talks about "evil at play" -- has led to her receiving harassing and threatening messages on Instagram.

She's suing the couple for defamation and infliction of emotional distress. We reached out to T.I. ... no word back yet.

Roger Reece Kibbe -- one of America's most notorious serial killers -- was found dead in the prison cell he shared with another inmate ... and authorities say it could be homicide.

Kibbe, infamously known as the 'I-5 Strangler,' was found lying unresponsive in his California state prison cell around 12:40 AM Sunday ... and law enforcement says his cellmate, Jason Budrow, was standing next to the body.

Kibbe's body was transported to the prison's health care facility, but life-saving measures were unsuccessful and by 1:23 AM he was pronounced dead ... according to authorities, who say they are launching a homicide investigation.

81-year-old Kibbe was serving multiple life sentences at Mule Creek State Prison after pleading guilty to raping and murdering 7 people, with some of the killings dating as far back as the 1970s.

Lady Gaga's dog walker -- who was shot in the streets before a couple of her pooches were kidnapped in plain sight -- is on the mend and has kind words for his supporters.

Ryan Fischer posted an update on his health Monday, uploading two photos himself from his hospital bed ... one where he's got a breathing tube in his mouth. The second shot is much more reassuring -- it looks like he took the photo himself, and the tube is gone.

Ryan started his posts with a recounting of his near-death experience ... recalling the fact he felt guilty over not being able to protect Gaga's 2 French bulldogs ... while a third, their sister Miss Asia, trotted over to him as he laid on the ground bleeding -- whom he calls his angel.

He remembers calling out for help as calmly as he could, and a wave of people pouring out to attend to him.

RF goes on to say this about his recovery ... "I will write and say more later, but the gratitude for all the love I feel from around this planet is immense and intense. I felt your healing support! Thank you." He adds that he's grateful the police were able to recover the 2 stolen dogs, Koji and Gustav, and prays his would-be murders are brought to justice.

Fischer also had a message for his boss, Lady Gaga, writing ... "And to Elisha, my family at Haüs and @ladygaga: your babies are back and the family is whole… we did it!" He continued, "You have shown so much support throughout this whole crisis to both me and my family. But your support as a friend, despite your own traumatic loss from your kids, was unwavering. I love you and thank you."

It's a miracle he's doing as well as he is -- remember, Ryan was shot at almost point-blank range ... which was captured on surveillance video from a nearby property.