Legal

NBA YoungBoy is in FBI custody after LAPD cops pulled him over and tracked him down when he allegedly attempted to flee the scene.

We're told the bust went down Monday ... LAPD and the feds attempted to pull over a vehicle NBA YoungBoy was in because he has an outstanding federal warrant. That set off a short pursuit -- but once the car stopped, cops say the rapper bolted on foot.

Our law enforcement sources tell us the cops set up a perimeter and brought in a K-9 to help find YoungBoy. BTW, we're told the police dog didn't bite him -- but did sniff him out.

We're told the cops found a firearm in the vehicle -- unclear if that belongs to YoungBoy, but we know the feds have him now.

We've reached out to his camp, but no word back yet.

Former 49ers RB Jarryd Hayne -- who was also a massive international rugby star -- was convicted of sexual assault Monday ... and he's now facing serious time behind bars.

A jury in Sydney, Australia found the 33-year-old guilty of two counts of sexual intercourse without consent ... after a woman had accused Hayne of getting violent with her in bed in Sept. 2018.

The woman claimed Hayne had performed sexual acts on her without her consent ... and caused her serious injuries.

Hayne -- who was ultimately charged with aggravated sexual intercourse without consent as well as two counts of sexual intercourse without consent -- had denied the allegations, insisting it all was consensual and explaining the injuries were caused by accident.

A jury was hung on the charges at a trial last year ... but a second jury convicted Hayne of the two counts of sexual intercourse without consent Monday after an 18-hour deliberation.

The jury found him not guilty of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent.

Hayne -- who will have his sentencing hearing on May 6 -- is now facing up to 14 years in prison.

Jarryd spoke with media members outside of the courthouse after the verdict Monday ... and said he'd appeal the decision, insisting once again he was innocent.

"I'd rather go to jail knowing I spoke the truth than be a free man living a lie," Hayne said ... "It’s unfortunate, it’s disappointing. But at the end of the day, they’ve come to the decision. I respect that."

Hayne is a huge celeb in Australia -- gaining fame for his accomplishments on the rugby pitch.

Two more female massage therapists have filed lawsuits against Deshaun Watson ... with one accuser claiming the NFL star was so aggressive with her, she was "scared for her life."

TMZ Sports has obtained the two new suits -- bringing the official number to NINE total against the Houston Texans QB -- and in them, Watson is accused of more disturbing actions against women -- though he's denied ALL of the allegations from all of the accusers and said he's the target of a baseless money grab.

In one of the new lawsuits, a female masseuse -- identified as Jane Doe to protect her identity -- says she was first introduced to Watson in June 2020 after the NFL player had booked her through her manager.

Doe says she showed up to Watson's hotel in the Houston, Texas area to administer the massage ... but claims things quickly went sideways.

In the suit, the woman says a short time into the massage ... Watson became aggressive, and "groped her buttocks and vagina and then pushed her buttocks into his face."

The woman says she then slapped Watson, told him she didn't want that ... and claims the QB then apologized.

Doe says Watson then asked her to clean massage oil off of him because he had to leave for practice ... but she claims the quarterback "began using his penis to touch [Jane Doe's] hand."

She says was "mortified" by his actions ... and covered Watson's private area with a towel so she could finish wiping the oil off and leave.

Doe claims Watson only paid her $100 instead of the agreed-upon $300 ... saying the QB had told her manager that she "had not given him what he wanted."

Two months later, on Aug. 17, 2020 ... the woman says Watson reached out to her over Instagram to get another massage.

In her suit, the woman says she did not realize it was the same Watson ... and scheduled an appointment with the Texans player that same night at the spa she worked at.

Doe claims when Watson arrived ... she immediately recognized him and scolded him for "inappropriate" behavior in their previous meeting.

The woman says Watson apologized and "told her something to the effect that he had never been rejected by a woman before."

Doe claims she told Watson she was a lesbian and was not interested in him ... and says Deshaun "agreed to not be inappropriate again."

But, Doe says a short time later, Watson became aggressive ... made comments about her body.

The woman says she continued the massage in order to avoid trouble with her manager ... but she says at one point Watson pulled her close and said he wanted to ejaculate.

In the suit, Doe says she told Watson to "stop acting like a pervert" ... but says Deshaun continued with the sexual misconduct anyway.

The woman claims Watson asked her to perform oral sex on her ... and then "forced [Jane Doe's] mouth onto his penis." She says Watson's actions were so inappropriate, they made her "scared for her life."

Doe says Watson continued to push for oral sex -- and when she declined ... Watson let her go and then began masturbating in front of her.

The woman is now suing for unspecified damages.

The second suit filed on Monday contains similar allegations ... with another "Jane Doe" female masseuse alleging Watson was inappropriate with her during a March 2021 massage in the Atlanta area.

In the suit, the woman says Watson "put his penis on her hand" during their appointment ... but when she quickly moved away and made it clear she wouldn't go further with him -- she says the quarterback got dressed, paid her and left.

The woman is also suing for unspecified damages.

According to the attorney of the two women, several more lawsuits could be filed against Watson soon ... with Tony Buzbee claiming 22 women in total have come forward to him with allegations of sexual misconduct against the QB.

Buzbee added he's been in contact with both the Houston Police Department and the Houston District Attorney, cooperating in the potential criminal investigation into the claims.

For Watson's part, he's denied any wrongdoing ... insisting the entire thing is an effort by Buzbee to score an unwarranted payday from lying clients.

Johnny Depp's pad's apparently been a hot spot for unwelcome visitors this year ... and cops say the latest one really made himself at home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops got called to the actor's Hollywood Hills residence Thursday by a neighbor who spotted an apparently homeless man hanging out in the neighbor's backyard near the pool.

The neighbor told police the man took off when confronted and hopped a gate ... which actually got him closer to Johnny's house.

Our sources say shortly afterward, police were called again ... this time by Depp's security team alerting them someone was inside his home.

When cops arrived, we're told they found the man taking a shower in one of the bathrooms ... and he refused to come out. So, cops had to kick the door down to arrest him.

Along with the shower, the intruder also allegedly got into Depp's booze stash and made himself a drink. We're told he got booked for felony vandalism due to a damaged door in the home.

A Louisiana man has been charged over claims he used Grindr to prey on unsuspecting gay men -- one of whom he's accused of gruesomely torturing ... almost to the point of death.

The suspect's name is Chance Seneca, who was arrested last summer over the alleged incidents -- which authorities say amount to 3 total ... an attempted kidnapping and two actual kidnappings ... one of which prosecutors claim led to an 18-year-old getting choked and having his wrists sawed down to the bone in what sounds like a horror movie.

According to newly released docs that go into the gory details, obtained by The Daily Advertiser, prosecutors allege Seneca -- who's 19 himself -- confessed to using Grindr as a "hunting ground" to lure young gay men to his father's home, where he allegedly said he had planned to kill them and use their body parts as "trophies" and "food."

Prosecutors say on June 19, Seneca attempted to kidnap one man he'd met on Grindr but failed -- only to successfully kidnap another later that night. It's unclear what Seneca might've done to that guy, but the next day ... he allegedly picked up his 3rd and final victim.

That would be Holden White of Kaplan, LA -- whose name has been publicly released and whose family has been attempting to raise money, saying he's lost the use of his hands.

As for what Seneca allegedly did ... it's horrifying. Prosecutors say Seneca picked up Holden and took him to his dad's property ... where they'd be alone. Once there, prosecutors say Seneca got Holden to handcuff himself, and then pulled a gun on him.

He then allegedly brought him to the bathroom, where prosecutors say he strangled Holden from behind until he passed out ... only to place him in the bathtub and proceed to hack away at his wrists with a knife -- until he stopped when he saw bone and freaked.

Seneca came to his senses, calling the cops on himself and allegedly tried getting admitted to a mental institution. Holden came to at one point, and Seneca allegedly said, "let go… I’m setting you free." Officers finally arrived and saw the bloody mess.

Holden was taken to a hospital, and Seneca was arrested. On a state level, he's facing an attempted murder charge and a hate crime charge -- he's pled not guilty to the former. Federally, he's facing more ... another hate crime charge, kidnapping charges and others.

Stanley the Giraffe -- the crown jewel of Malibu Wine Safaris -- now sits in his pen as Exhibit A ... because authorities claim his owners are breaking the law by having him there.

ABC7 reports the CEO of MWS, Dakota Semler, and her pops, Ron, have been charged in connection to an investigation that allegedly revealed Stanley -- and perhaps other wild animals roaming around -- have been flying under the radar without the necessary paperwork to warrant their stay. The place is packed with animals you might see at a zoo.

They were reportedly informed by the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife that the Semlers never got the necessary licenses to house such exotic creatures -- like giraffes, zebras, etc. -- and as such, they've been accused of falsifying records to obtain permits to that effect.

As a result, Dakota -- who owns/runs the place -- has reportedly been charged with maintaining an animal facility or a wild animal without a license. Her dad -- who apparently owns Stanley himself -- has reportedly been charged with providing false info on his application for Stanley's restricted species permit with the CDFW. Both pled not guilty.

As for Stanley, Fish and Wildlife say he was "seized in place" -- meaning they're not taking him to any station for booking or processing ... ya know, 'cause he's like 18 feet tall. And as to the question of how the hell this didn't come to law enforcement's attention earlier -- they're claiming they relied on the word of the Semlers when they filled out their docs.

Here's the kicker ... ABC7 suggests that Malibu Wine Safaris might've been newly put under a microscope because of pissed-off would-be customers -- several of whom apparently complained about not getting refunded during the pandemic ... or not refunded fast enough.

So, because they upset their loyal base -- ABC7 says it started digging in, which might've triggered the investigation and subsequent charges. Oh, the irony ...

As you may or may not know ... Stanley is a fan fave at the sprawling attraction at Saddlerock Ranch -- tons of celebs have stopped by over the years and posed for selfies with Stan, who's always happy to nibble on someone's hair ... preferably some celery or lettuce.

Deshaun Watson insists the only reason he contacted massage therapists over social media is because his usual masseuse couldn't work on him due to the COVID pandemic.

Multiple sources connected to Watson tell us ... the NFL superstar is still adamant he did NOT sexually assault any of the women making claims against him.

He's obviously been following the story ... but strongly disputes the claims made by attorney Tony Buzbee, who claims to be talking with 22 women who say they were violated by Watson.

Most of the women who have filed lawsuits claim Watson first contacted them on Instagram to set up a massage -- which they found surprising considering Watson is a pro athlete who should have tons of resources at his disposal to find established therapists.

But, our sources tell us ... Watson didn't just find these women out of the blue -- insisting when his usual therapist was stopped by the COVID pandemic, he reached out to various friends, teammates and associates to get recommendations.

We're told once Watson made contact ... he put an emphasis on privacy and spelled out the areas he wanted the massage to make sure the masseuse was comfortable and to ensure things stayed professional.

Our sources tell us ... Watson insists he never crossed the line with any of the women and still strongly believes they're being led by a money-hungry attorney who's looking for a payout.

There's more ... Deshaun -- who signed a 4-year, $156 million contract extension in 2020 -- obviously has the means to pay the women off if he wanted to, but he doesn't want to give them a cent because he's adamant he didn't do anything wrong.

Of course, Buzbee said during a news conference on Friday that he has personally vetted all of the accusers he represents ... and insists he's moving forward with their cases to hold Watson accountable, not to squeeze him for money.

Polevich's attorney, Marc Craig Gann, tells TMZ...

"My client empathizes with the family. The question of whether there was negligence and degrees of negligence will be determined by the court. The $150 million amount seems to be over the top."

The wife of Nicki Minaj's dad has filed a $150 million lawsuit over his death.

The lawsuit, filed by civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, alleges Charles Polevich drove recklessly back in February and was inattentive when he fatally struck Robert Maraj, who was walking on a street in Long Island.  Police say after striking the 64-year-old, Polevich walked over to him, asked if he was okay and then fled the scene ... later concealing his Volvo in a garage at his residence.

Crump tweeted this after filing the lawsuit ... "Charles Polevich was not only irresponsible & negligent in hitting Maraj, but was more concerned about running away and hiding than seeking help." He went on ... "Polevich's behavior was criminal, cowardly, and immoral. We will hold him responsible for his reckless actions that led to Rober Maraj's death!"

Polevich was charged with 2 felonies -- leaving the scene of an accident that led to death and tampering with or suppressing physical evidence.

Polevich pled not guilty and is free on a $250,000 bond.

Joe Exotic says his life's been a living hell ever since Netflix unleashed him on the world ... and he's going scorched earth on Donald Trump, Carole Baskin, PETA, the feds and more!!!

Joe, through his attorney John M. Phillips of the Phillips & Hunt firm, tells TMZ ... "It has been a year of hell" since March 20, 2020, when Netflix premiered 'Tiger King' ... and he's not talking about the pandemic.

Exotic gripes the people for whom he opened his zoo and home -- "when their own families wouldn't help them" -- have turned their backs on him as he rots in prison. Joe doesn't name names, but says some of his ex-employees are out to "just collect money and talk s*** to get on TV" ... and he's pissed they're allegedly using his name "to profit off the hell I am living."

Joe's still claiming his innocence too ... he grouses the prosecutors and witnesses who helped put him behind bars lied under oath. Exotic's confident "the truth will come out ... come hell or high water, they will all answer to perjury at some point."

Trump and Don Jr. are also contributing to Joe's hell, and it sounds like he's still bitter over his failed attempt at a presidential pardon. Exotic says the Trumps "used me for advertisement and then left me here."

As we first told you, Joe's not giving up hope on a pardon from POTUS, and now he's lobbying the Biden Administration.

Joe tells us he has "more faith in President Biden and VP Harris to do the right thing, not just for me, but for the thousands serving long sentences for non-violent crimes such as conspiracy."

The way Joe sees it ... "I'm a political prisoner in America for an animal rights agenda" and he's lashing out at PETA for allegedly enforcing the Endangered Species Act on Jeff Lowe and his former zoo.

Pete Davidson just got court-ordered protection from the woman who falsely claimed they were married ... because she’s now been charged for allegedly showing up inside his NYC home.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Pete was granted an order of protection against Michelle Mootreddy, who cops arrested Thursday at Pete's Staten Island crib. She's now been ordered to stay away from Pete and 3 other people who live in the home -- and she's barred from contacting them in any way and from showing up at the home or their jobs.

TMZ broke the story ... Mootreddy was nabbed by cops in Pete's house, with police saying she slipped inside through an open side door and took a seat at his kitchen table.

Mootreddy was arraigned Friday and is charged with burglary in the second and third degree, both felonies, as well as 2 misdemeanor counts of stalking, 2 misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass and harassment.

Remember, law enforcement says Mootreddy is the same person who blasted out a press release Tuesday falsely stating the 'SNL' star was launching a production company with her after they'd gotten married.

Willow Smith says she's being stalked by a man who trekked from Oklahoma to L.A. to try to get into her home ... according to new legal docs she filed to get a restraining order against him.

In the docs, Will and Jada Pinkett's daughter claims 38-year-old Walter James Whaley climbed a fence to get onto her property around Christmas and appeared to be looking for a way to enter her house.

According to Willow ... her security called police and they showed up right away but Whaley wasn't apprehended at the time. However, she says cops found a Greyhound bus ticket indicating he'd traveled there from Oklahoma just a day before.

Willow included photos of the alleged incident that appear to show Whaley on her property, and she says this is frightening because it shows he "will do whatever possible to make physical contact with me."

According to the docs ... even before this all happened, Whaley had been hitting Willow up with social media posts saying he wanted to marry her and have kids with her.

She also says a private investigator she hired did some digging and determined Whaley is a convicted sex offender.

There are now TWELVE women making sexual misconduct allegations against Deshaun Watson -- with 10 more accusers being vetted, according to attorney Tony Buzbee.

Buzbee represents the 7 women who have already filed lawsuits against Watson -- and at a news conference on Friday, he announced 5 more lawsuits are in the works.

"We are now representing 12 women and we will file 5 more cases in due course. We have spoken to more than 10 additional women, 22 women," Buzbee said.

To clarify, Buzbee said the additional 10 women all have similar stories to the first 12 ... but he's still gathering information before filing lawsuits on their behalf.

Of the 12 accusers, Buzbee says the women did NOT know each other before coming forward with their allegations.

The women come from different racial backgrounds -- 7 of them are Black, 2 Hispanic and 3 are Caucasian.

Additionally, Buzbee says he's been contacted by the Houston Police Dept. -- which is now looking into the allegations.

Buzbee says none of the accusers had gone to police before contacting his firm -- but says the "next step" is to submit a "package" of information to police, presumably to help launch a criminal probe.

During his news conference, Buzbee also shot down conspiracy theories that the Houston Texans were driving the lawsuits as a result of a standoff between Watson and Texans ownership. Buzbee says he lives near the family that owns the Texans but does not know them personally.

There's more ... Buzbee also notes that one of the accusers claims Watson assaulted her AFTER Buzbee had already been in contact with Watson's agent to inform him about a claim from another woman.

Buzbee says he's been personally sitting down with each accuser to vet their stories -- explaining he "wanted to make damn sure" the women were truthful.

Buzbee says the first accuser's story "certainly passes the smell test" and praised her as a brave and truthful person.

Earlier in the day, Deshaun's agent, David Mulugheta, broke his silence about the allegations against Watson -- doubling down on the notion the women are making up the accusations for "financial gain."

"Sexual assault is real. Victims should be heard, offenders prosecuted," Mulugheta said in a statement Friday morning.

"Individuals fabricate stories in pursuit of financial gain often. Their victims should be heard, and those offenders also prosecuted."

"I simply hope we keep this same energy with the truth."

In other words, Mulugheta strongly believes the accusers are lying and he's extremely confident Watson will be vindicated in the end.

TMZ Sports has obtained all 7 of the lawsuits filed against Watson -- and they're all very similar.

Each of the women claims Watson reached out seeking a massage -- most of the women claim he first contacted them on Instagram.

But, when they met for the massage therapy sessions, the women claim Watson became aggressive in pursuit of a sex act.

One of the women claims Watson forced her to perform oral sex on him, against her will.

All of the accusers say they never consented and felt violated. They're all suing for civil assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Buzbee claims he has text messages and DMs from the QB which back his client's allegations ... including an apparent apology from Deshaun after a massage session gone bad.

The first woman who filed her lawsuit against the Houston Texans QB claims Watson became aggressive during a treatment in March 2020 ... which ended after he allegedly repeatedly tried to direct the woman to massage his genitals.

In her suit, the woman claims a fully-erect Watson exposed his penis and "purposely touched [Jane Doe's] hand with the tip."

The woman claims she ended the massage immediately and began to cry. Afterward, she claims Watson sent her a text message apologizing for his behavior.

On Friday, Buzbee went public with the alleged apology text from Deshaun.

"Sorry about you feeling uncomfortable. Never were the intentions. LMK if you want to work in the future. My apologies."

For his part, Watson adamantly denies the allegations -- and claims he's the victim of a shakedown by an attorney looking to score a cash grab from his lying clients.

Deshaun Watson is now being investigated by the NFL -- the league has reached out to the lawyer representing the 9 women who are making sexual misconduct claims against the QB.

Attorney Tony Buzbee posted the letter he received from NFL investigator Lisa Friel -- who previously had a lead role in the NFL's investigation of Ezekiel Elliott. A league source confirms to TMZ Sports the letter is authentic.

In her letter, Friel states the league is aware of the 3 lawsuits Buzbee has filed on behalf of the female massage therapists who claim they were sexually assaulted by Watson and she's hoping to conduct interviews with them as soon as possible.

The league has invited Buzbee to be included in the interviews, if the women agree to participate.

Unclear if the women will cooperate -- especially while their lawsuits are still pending.

As we previously reported, Buzbee claims he's representing 9 women who are all making similar allegations against Watson -- that what was supposed to be an innocent and professional massage session turned into an aggressive push for sex acts.

Watson has issued a statement denying the allegations and insisting Buzbee is only looking to score an unwarranted payday for his clients based on lies.

Watson has not been charged with a crime or even named a person of interest in a criminal investigation.

However, the NFL has made it clear they don't need a criminal conviction in order to take disciplinary action against a player ... and that's exactly what happened in the Ezekiel Elliot case.

Zeke was hit with a 6 game suspension in 2017 following a probe into domestic violence allegations ... despite the fact he was never charged with a crime.

The NFL said at the time it found enough evidence to show Zeke violated the league's personal conduct policy, which the league claims justified the punishment.

The Houston Texans have released a statement on the Watson allegations Thursday afternoon ... saying the team will fully cooperate with the league's investigation.

"The NFL informed us today that they will conduct an investigation into the allegations made in the civil lawsuits filed against Deshaun Watson," the team said. "We will stay in close contact with the league as they do."

Armie Hammer is now accused of rape ... by a woman who says she's reported the alleged crime to police, and law enforcement sources tell us he is under investigation for an alleged sexual assault.

The actor's accuser, Effie, claims Armie raped her for over 4 hours, during which he allegedly slapped her head against a wall and physically abused her with other acts of violence. She says the incident happened April 24, 2017 in Los Angeles.

Effie made her allegations Thursday during a news conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred. Effie claims she met Armie on Facebook in 2016, when she was 20, and they began a relationship which became violent and abusive.

Allred says Effie has provided law enforcement with evidence of the alleged rape, and prosecutors will have to decide if there's enough evidence to press charges against Hammer. Allred says she is not planning to file a lawsuit against Hammer.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... someone spoke with police about the alleged incident on Feb. 3 and cops started a sexual assault investigation, which is ongoing.

Hammer's attorney, Andrew Brettler, tells TMZ they believe Effie "undermines and refutes her outrageous allegations" because she sent Armie extremely sexual texts as recently as July 18, 2020. In the alleged text, Effie said, "Helplessly horny and I just need to tell you cuz it's been sooo long since last time." There's much more that's, frankly, too graphic for us to describe here ... but the point is she told Armie, in stark detail, what she wanted him to do to her.

He responded, "I am not going to be able to engage in you in that specific way right now. It never ends well. We can talk and be friends but I can't do that."

Brettler claims Effie sent hundreds of texts to Armie, and adds ... "It was never Mr. Hammer’s intention to embarrass or expose [Effie]'s fetishes or kinky sexual desires, but she has now escalated this matter to another level by hiring a civil lawyer to host a public press conference. With the truth on his side, Mr. Hammer welcomes the opportunity to set the record straight."

As you know ... Hammer's been embroiled in controversy since January after some shocking, but unverified, DMs he allegedly sent to women started surfacing on the Internet.

TMZ broke the story ... Hammer exited a J Lo movie shoot as a result of the scandal, but he told us, "I'm not responding to these b******* claims."

And then there's Hammer's ex-girlfriend, Paige Lorenze, who last month accused him of licking blood from a brand he allegedly forced upon her.

The allegations against NFL superstar Deshaun Watson are piling up ... a third female masseuse has filed a lawsuit against the QB, claiming he forced her to perform oral sex during a Dec. 2020 encounter.

The woman, who filed her suit under the pseudonym Jane Doe to protect her identity, claims Watson reached out on Instagram to set up a session.

The woman says the two agreed to an appointment at a Houston, Texas office building on Dec. 28, 2020 at 10 a.m.

Jane Doe -- who claims she was newly engaged and had just graduated chiropractic school -- says her mother dropped her off at the job, and then she met Watson ... and that's when she claims things immediately got weird.

The woman says Watson insisted she focus on massaging his "inner thighs" and "inner glutes" -- while repeatedly telling her he's a professional football player.

She claims Watson "got more aggressive" -- and eventually "coerced [Jane Doe] to move her mouth toward his penis, forcing [Jane Doe] to perform oral sex on him."

The woman claims she never consented to the sex act ... and actually "blacked out for a few minutes from the fear."

In her suit, the woman claims she was so terrified, she defecated on herself.

The woman says Watson got up, got dressed and left as if nothing happened.

The woman is suing for sexual assault, civil assault and intentional inflection of emotional distress.

It's the third lawsuit filed against Watson by attorney Tony Buzbee ... who claims there are at least 3 other women who will be taking legal action against the Houston Texans player.

Watson has not been arrest nor charged with a crime ... and has adamantly denied all wrongdoing, insisting Buzbee is just trying to score an unwarranted payday for the women.

Amber Heard hasn't donated the full $7 million in her divorce settlement with Johnny Depp, but her vow to do so gave her credibility, and made Depp lose his defamation case ... that's his new legal argument, anyway.

Depp's lawyers are trying to appeal the ruling in his U.K. defamation case, in which he sued The Sun for libel over a 2018 article labeling him a "wife beater" ... but he took the L in November when the judge ruled there was evidence he'd abused Amber.

Amber was The Sun's star witness and took the stand to lay out her allegations of Depp's domestic violence during their marriage.

But, Johnny's lawyer, Andrew Caldecott, claimed in court Thursday that Heard's testimony was unfair because her promise to donate the $7 mil divorce settlement provided a "considerable boost to her credibility as a person" and "tipped the scales against Mr. Depp from the very beginning."

Translation: Depp's lawyer thinks the judge believed Amber because of her donation claims, but she hasn't actually donated all the money. In fact, he says she's only donated $100k of it ... so he thinks that entitles his client to a re-trial.

Here's the thing, though ... Heard's attorney responded to these claims already earlier this year. The lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, admitted Amber has not yet fulfilled the entirety of the $7 mil pledge she made to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the ACLU ... but says that's only because Depp keeps suing her.

Bredehoft said, "Amber has already been responsible for seven figures in donations to charitable causes and intends to continue to contribute and eventually fulfill her pledge."

She adds ... "However, Amber has been delayed in that goal because Mr. Depp filed a lawsuit against her, and consequently, she has been forced to spend millions of dollars defending Mr. Depp's false accusations against her."