Legal

Donald Trump's being sued by 2 U.S. Capitol Police Officers who claim the ex-Prez "inflamed" the insurrectionist mob, which they say nearly led to their deaths on January 6.

James Blassingame, a 17-year veteran, and Sidney Hemby, an 11-year veteran, just filed a lawsuit against Trump claiming they suffered horrific injuries and they're laying the blame squarely at his feet.

In the suit, the cops claim Trump incited the January 6 riot by getting his followers riled up about trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Hemby says the riot resulted in him being "crushed against the doors on the east side" while "trying to hold the insurrectionists back." He claims he suffered cuts and abrasions on his face, hands and body while the mob attacked.

Blassingame claims he was slammed against a stone column, injuring his spine and the back of his head. In addition to the physical attack, he says people were yelling and repeatedly calling him a n****r.

In the suit, Blassingame also says he's "haunted by the memory of being attacked, and of the sensory impacts – the sights, sounds, smells and even tastes of the attack remain close to the surface." He adds that he has survivor's guilt because he was unable to help some of his fellow officers ... some of whom lost their lives due to the insurrection.

As for Trump's responsibility for the attack ... both officers point to his December 19 tweet where he said, "Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there. Will be wild!" They assert that was a battle cry ... "taken by many of [Trump's] supporters as a literal call to arms.”

Jeff Lowe is moving forward with his plans to auction off an "official" Joe Exotic NFT collection ... despite legal pushback from the 'Tiger King' himself.

Here's the deal ... Jeff and his wife, Lauren Lowe, recently announced an auction of non-fungible tokens featuring Exotic and the rest of the 'Tiger King' stars and it seems to have caught the attention of Joe's legal team.

Exotic's attorneys fired off a legal letter to Jeff and Lauren, obtained by TMZ, claiming the couple does not have legal standing to sell the NFTs ... and demanding they call off the auction or risk financial and legal ramifications.

Lauren tells TMZ ... she and Jeff are still pressing on with the auction despite Exotic's legal threats.

She says they will defend their position that they're the only entity in the U.S. that holds the 'Tiger King' trademark, which Lauren claims Joe signed over to them way back in 2016.

The auction goes live Thursday at 5 PM ET with the bidding running through 5 PM ET Sunday ... so the clock is ticking for either side to blink.

'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' star Jen Shah helped support the lavish lifestyle she flaunts on the show through wire fraud and a massive telemarketing scheme ... at least according to the feds, who arrested her Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of NY ... Shah and Stuart Smith -- who's portrayed as her assistant on the reality series -- generated and sold "lead lists" of innocent people who could be targeted for their nationwide scam for about 9 years.

The feds say many of those targeted were "vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people" who were duped by the promise of business opportunities involving Shah, Smith and their alleged co-conspirators.

Both Shah and Stuart were arrested in Salt Lake City and will appear in federal court later Tuesday.

They are each charged with 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing through which they victimized 10 or more persons over the age of 55. The maximum penalty for that charge is 30 years.

In addition ... they've also been hit with 1 count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

According to the feds ... Shah and Stuart allegedly targeted and defrauded hundreds of victims before being busted by the NYPD, Homeland Security and other law enforcement officials in a joint effort.

On the debut season of 'RHOSLC' ... Jen was often seen throwing tantrums, yelling and exhibiting explosive and volatile behavior. She's really got something to be pissed about now.

Kendall Jenner is done with trespassers, beefing up her armed security team after a man attempted to help himself to a nude swim at her place -- the latest shocking security breach at her gated community home.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a 27-year-old man made his way onto Kendall's L.A. property around 2 AM Sunday and began to knock on windows while yelling her name.

We're told Kendall was home at the time, in a safe location -- and her security was alerted and tracking the man's movements -- but the guy stripped off his clothes in an attempt to get in her pool.

Our sources say he was detained by the security guards until cops showed up and arrested him for misdemeanor trespassing. We're told he never made any contact with Kendall, and after spending 6 hours behind bars ... he was released due to COVID protocols at the jail.

Sources close to Kendall tell us there have been additional security measures put in place at her home since the incident, including more armed guards. We're also told she's been toying with the idea of moving.

Mind you, Kendall's attorneys just ran to court on Monday to get a temporary restraining order against a different individual. TMZ broke the story ... a man who was in a mental health facility last week told police he planned to shoot Kendall and then himself.

He remains hospitalized, but could be released at any point, so Kendall has very real concerns about security -- especially considering she lives in a gated community where residents pay for an extra layer of protection.

As we reported, an alleged stalker ended up getting onto her property twice in 2018, and coincidentally was also spotted by her pool. Kendall got a restraining order, and then he was deported to Canada.

Nick Caserio -- the Houston Texans new GM -- is finally weighing in on the Deshaun Watson sexual misconduct allegations ... and he's making it clear, if they're true, his team won't stand for it.

"The allegations, what’s been discussed, are certainly troubling," Caserio said on the team's "Texans All Access" podcast this week.

"Organizationally that’s not something that we can condone, those types of actions."

Caserio was careful with his words and was obviously not trying to insinuate Watson is either guilty or innocent -- but made it clear if there's any truth to the allegations, the team will be compelled to take some sort of action.

Caserio, though, insists his team will let the case play out in the courts before making any decisions on Watson's future ... explaining, "It’s a legal process so we’re certainly respectful of that."

Nineteen female masseuses have filed lawsuits against Watson ... alleging the Houston quarterback was sexually inappropriate with them during massage sessions.

And, Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing the women -- all using the pseudonyms "Jane Doe" to protect their identities -- says there's AT LEAST one more lawsuit coming this week as well.

Watson -- who had demanded a trade before the allegations hit the court system -- has denied any wrongdoing ... claiming he's the victim of an attempted shakedown.

Deshaun's attorney, Rusty Hardin, has backed the NFL star ... saying in a statement earlier this month, "I believe that any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false."

Britney Spears is going dark -- and "RED" -- with her recent Instagram posts ... but a disturbing black-and-white photo of a woman cradling a skull baby tops them all.

The singer's string of IG posts the past week has been baffling fans as she's been sharing photos of red objects -- lips, a refrigerator, gloves, and a kitten in a red drawer -- along with videos of herself dancing ... and captioning them "RED."

But, on Monday night she dropped this creepy Victorian era photo with a skull-faced baby and wrote ... "Devil is in the details."

She added ... "wouldn’t want this baby to hit me one more time!!!!" with some LOL emojis, an obvious reference to her 1998 hit, and one she found amusing.

Shortly afterward, Brit shared a dance vid of herself with the caption, "I'm an extremely wicked looking vampire but really that's the whole point !!!!"

In the vid, she's wearing the same outfit as similar RED-themed vids she's shared over the last 6 days.

The bizarre posts come as Britney fans are ramping up the #FreeBritney movement, and she's requesting changes in the ongoing legal battle over her conservatorship. She is NOT, however, requesting to end the conservatorship.

Some of her fans believe the posts are cryptic messages to the public about her life, while others believe they are simply indicators she's not well.

Kendall Jenner is getting protection from a man cops say wants to kill her.

Kendall beelined it to court Monday and got a judge to grant her a temporary restraining order ... to protect her from a 24-year-old man named Malik Bowker, whom she claims traveled across the country to gun her down.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kendall claims an LAPD detective told her Thursday of Bowker's alleged plan. She says police told her Bowker planned to buy an illegal firearm to shoot her and then himself.

In the docs, Kendall claims police told her Bowker is being held on a temporary psychiatric hold at a local hospital's psychiatric ward, but warned her he could be released soon.

What should be noted ... Jenner has a massive team of armed security guards at her home that monitor the property 24/7. If someone like Bowker were to step foot, they'd be immediately apprehended before getting anywhere near Kendall.

Kendall claims she's never met the guy, but his alleged threats are causing her severe emotional distress and anxiety ... and she says she's terrified Bowker will try to find her and harm or kill her when he's released from the hospital.

A trained MMA fighter who personally witnessed the death of George Floyd testified that officer Derek Chauvin used a "blood choke" during the arrest ... referring to the move as "torture."

33-year-old Donald Williams is a fighter out of the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy in Brooklyn Center ... and has a 6-6 record, according to Tapology.

Williams appeared on the stand in a Minnesota courtroom to testify about what he saw on the day Floyd died ... and his explanation was almost identical to the analysis of UFC superstar Jon Jones, who spoke out in the days following the incident.

"One, the neck was diagonal across the throat, which on a blood choke you attack the side of the neck," Williams said.

"To get the choke tighter, you hit different shimmies, which I felt the officer on top was shimmying to actually get the final choke in while he was on top to get the kill choke."

"Because a side choke or a blood choke can ultimately turn into death, which is what we've seen here."

In fact, Williams is shown in body cam footage of Tou Thao -- one of the other officers involved in the incident -- where he begs them to check Floyd's pulse ... and says point-blank Chauvin is using a "blood choke."

As we previously reported, Jones described the move in detail ... saying, "I wouldn't wish the way George Floyd was murdered on my worst enemy. That officer applied just enough pressure to keep him alive for almost six minutes in that chokehold."

"In all my years of fighting, I can honestly say I’ve never experienced anything close to that level of torture."

Lil Nas X is in the middle of a holy war now -- legally speaking -- because Nike's going after the company making his controversial "Satan Shoes" ... a devilish connection Nike wants no part of.

The shoe giant is suing MSCHF Product Studio ... the company that collaborated with the rapper to produce the Satan Shoe, aka the "blood shoes."

If you haven't heard ... Lil Nas has been hyping the customized Nike Air Max 97 shoes which feature the pentagram symbol, a Bible verse that references Satan, and allegedly a drop of blood from one of MSCHF's employees. There are also only 666 pairs being made, and they're selling for over a grand.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Nike claims the company's tricking consumers into thinking it approved the Satan-themed shoes, but Nike insists it didn't authorize it and "is in no way connected with this project."

Nike claims MSCHF buys the shoes from Nike, then the artists it works with make their own creative modifications before selling them at a higher price.

Nike's suing for trademark infringement because the famous Swoosh logo is still prominently featured on X's shoes. It wants damages, and perhaps more importantly for Nas X ... Nike wants the judge to block all sales of the Satan Shoe.

The Satan Shoe sparked outrage within the sports world ... with stars like Trevor Lawrence and Nick Young voicing their disgust with the product.

"Line has to be drawn somewhere. Smh," the future first-overall pick in the NFL Draft said.

Young added ... "My kids will never play Old Town road again.. I’m still debating about wearing @Nike after this come [on] nike a drop of blood for real."

Young later apologized after finding out the Swoosh did NOT approve of the shoe.

Derek Chauvin's defense in his murder trial -- claiming George Floyd died from a drug overdose -- is similar to the tactic used in Rodney King's trial ... but civil rights attorney Ben Crump says it's a shameful attempt to distract jurors.

Ben joined "TMZ Live" on Monday and sounded not so surprised Derek Chauvin's defense zeroed in on Floyd allegedly being under the influence at the time he was killed ... rather than the ex-cop pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for more than 9 minutes.

Ben's adamant, whenever a white police officer kills a Black man in America the default strategy's to try every trick ... including assassinating Floyd's character.

You'll recall during King's federal civil rights case in 1993 ... the defense for the LAPD cops standing trial described King as a "PCP-crazed giant" who practically invited the beatdown. It's hard not to draw the parallel with what Chauvin's defense attorney laid out in court Monday morning.

Ben's hopeful America's grown up since King's senseless beating that sparked the 1992 L.A. riots. He's also hopeful that since Trayvon Martin and Eric Gardner's deaths America's now more conscious and aware of this issue of injustice based on the color of someone's skin.

Deshaun Watson has been deleting Instagram messages and reaching out to massage therapists for settlements ... this according to yet another lawsuit against the NFL star.

The suit -- now the NINETEENTH against Watson -- was filed Monday ... and amid more allegations of sexual misconduct against a female masseuse, the QB is now being accused of scrubbing his social media.

In the docs, Tony Buzbee -- the attorney repping all the "Jane Does" in the cases against the 25-year-old Houston Texans star -- claims Watson "is deleting Instagram messages and contacting those who formally provided him massages, in an attempt to settle."

If true, the news would be huge, considering Watson has publicly denied all wrongdoing ... and weeks ago stated he refused to strike a settlement. Instead, Watson has said he is determined to clear his name.

Remember, Watson issued a statement on March 16 ... saying he rejected a "baseless six-figure settlement demand" from an accuser repped by attorney Tony Buzbee and added, "This isn't about money for me -- it's about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that."

For his part, Buzbee says in the new lawsuit the accusers are not after money -- instead, they're seeking "a change in behavior with regard to Watson, and a change of culture in the NFL."

In the 3 new lawsuits filed Monday ... three more female massage therapists say Deshaun reached out to them at different points in 2020 and was sexually inappropriate with them after setting up sessions.

All of the women are seeking unspecified damages in the suits.

We've reached out to Watson's camp for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, has previously denied the claims against the quarterback ... saying last week, "I believe that any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false."

Vanessa Bryant has asked a judge to give her mom the boot in her lawsuit to win lifetime support.

Vanessa's mom, Sofia Laine, has filed a lawsuit against Kobe's estate, claiming Kobe promised to take care of her financially for the rest of her life.

In new docs, Vanessa points to a legal fight Sofia was having against her ex-husband in 2004 and 2008 over spousal support. Sofia's ex-husband claimed he should not have to pay her because she was being supported by Kobe and Vanessa. Sofia fired back that her daughter and son-in-law had no obligation to support her, and whatever they gave her was simply out of the goodness of their hearts.

Sofia's ex also pointed to tabloid stories which claimed Vanessa bought a $1 million home for her so she wasn't in need of support. Sofia shot back ... the stories were "absolutely false" and "I would never permit Vanessa to do such a thing. I have not and do not (nor should I be required to) rely on Vanessa for my support."

And, Vanessa has other reasons why she wants the lawsuit dismissed. Among them ... Sofia argues Kobe made an oral promise to "take care of her financially." Vanessa's legal team says even if Kobe said that, it's too vague to be enforced.

And, there's this ... Sofia also says Vanessa and Kobe violated California labor laws by not giving her meal breaks, rest periods and giving her minimum wage for babysitting services. Vanessa fired back in legal docs, "[Sofia] was never an 'employee' ... [she] is a grandmother who, at times, helped her daughter and son-in-law by spending time with her grandchildren."

And, Vanessa's legal team argues, in order for Sofia to go after Kobe's estate, she had to file a creditor's claim within a year of his death, and she did not do that.

Blac Youngsta couldn't look more calm, cool and collected while getting arrested for gun possession -- in fact, new body cam video almost makes it seem like he was happy to kick it with the cops.

TMZ's obtained the video showing the moments after Dallas cops pulled over the MC and his crew back in October. BY clearly had a slight cough, but it didn't stop him from making small talk as the cops escorted him off to jail.

Black Youngsta was chatting them up about why the process was taking so long ... and seemed impressed with the van used to haul him away. Hell, he even asked the cop about the price of the whip!

According to the police report, a Dallas Task Force and the gang unit were conducting an operation in response to recent gun violence in Dallas surrounding multiple rap artists performing throughout the city.

Cops initially pulled over a GMC Yukon carrying Youngsta because the driver allegedly made an illegal turn. They eventually found 4 handguns ... including one between Youngsta's legs. He was ultimately arrested for unlawful carrying of a weapon.

BTW, another Memphis rapper, Lil Migo, was also arrested ... for possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of a weapon. Cops say he was in a separate SUV that was part of Youngsta's entourage.

A couple of Maryland cops went overboard to send a message to a little kid who allegedly left school without permission -- a disturbing encounter that's just now seeing the light of day.

This bodycam video from the Montgomery County Police Dept. was just released, capturing an ugly incident that went down January, 2020 ... when they tracked down a 5-year-old boy who was off school grounds, and proceeded to berate him to no end on camera.

It's tough to watch this ... you see a male and female officer scream in the kid's face over and over, as they throw him in the back of a cruiser and escort him back to campus. Both say the kid deserves to be beaten and spanked by his mom.

Eventually, they end up back in an office of some sort at the school ... where the kid's mother is called in to deal with the situation. There, too, they continue to get in the boy's face and lecture him on how "bad" he's being ... the child screams and cries throughout the ordeal.

At one point, his mom shows up ... and the officers proceed to give her advice on parenting. It's a bizarre interaction -- definitely overstepping, to say the least. The icing on the cake is when they put cuffs on the kid ... presumably to "scare him straight."

That's what a lot of people are also saying after seeing this -- there are calls for the officers to be fired, not to mention for these school officials to be disciplined ... as they just stood by and let this unfold. Even some Montgomery County City Council members are decrying this interaction ... as has Montgomery County Public Schools, the district overseeing this place.