Legal

Michael Richards allegedly pulled off a caper some people might call Kramer-ish -- cutting down a neighbor's 30-year-old trees ... but they're not laughing, in fact, they're suing the "Seinfeld" star and his wife.

Maxine Adams is suing Michael and his wife, Beth Skipp, claiming they sauntered over to her Pacific Palisades property on April 2 and "maliciously cut mature Brazilian Pepper Trees and underbrush" on her property.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Adams says her property is right next door to the Richards' -- they share a border which is only separated by a narrow public walkway.

Adams says Michael and Beth had no business chopping down her two 18-foot trees just to improve their ocean views. Adams says the trees were 30 years old and providing significant privacy and shade.

Adams claims the couple cut down the trees knowing full well they didn't have Adams's consent in order to "significantly enhance the value of their home as it would increase their view to the Pacific Ocean."

And, get this ... Adams claims she can't crane in new large box trees and instead will have to plant much smaller ones that'll take 20 years to reach the height of her old ones -- and will cost her more than $62k. She's suing for that amount, plus at least another $200k for the loss of aesthetic value to property.

George Floyd's family is feeling joy, relief and gratitude in the wake of Derek Chauvin being found guilty of murder, but they also understand the impact of this moment is greater than them ... and say it's a reminder to keep fighting for justice.

George's brother, Philonise Floyd was in the courtroom Tuesday when the ex-cop was found guilty of 2nd-degree murder, 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter ... and says he had faith a guilty verdict would come through.

Philonise says he feels relieved today, but reminded everyone this has been a long journey that didn't start with the video of his brother's murder, but way back with the 1955 slaying of Emmett Till.

He adds that this sort of injustice continues with the killing of Daunte Wright as a recent example -- and it's a reminder to keep fighting -- but says at least for today, "We can breathe again."

George's other brothers, Terrence and Rodney, also spoke ... with Terrence calling the verdict a "monumental" moment in history. Terrence and Rodney both called it a victory for humanity and thanked all of the protesters and advocates who fought and marched for justice.

As you know ... George was killed on May 25, 2020, when Minneapolis police officers attempted to arrest him for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill -- and Chauvin pressed his knee on George's neck for more than 9 minutes, and George pled for his mother.

Chauvin was arrested and charged with killing George less than a week later ... and the video of the fatal incident sparked nationwide protests and riots.

Chauvin's sentencing will happen in 8 weeks, with the maximum penalty for 2nd-degree unintentional murder being 40 years in prison. Chauvin's bail has already been revoked and he's been remanded into custody.

The teenager whose video was seen 'round the world of George Floyd being murdered by Derek Chauvin has spoken on the guilty verdict that just came down ... and she's elated.

17-year-old Darnella Frazier just reacted to the news Chauvin was found guilty on all 3 counts, and now faces a max sentence of 40 years. She says, "I just cried so hard😩This last hour my heart was beating so fast, I was so anxious, anxiety bussing through the roof. But to know GUILTY ON ALL 3 CHARGES !!!"

Darnella shared her emotions on Facebook ... the same platform where she first posted the infamous 9 minute-plus video, which was the critical piece of evidence in Chauvin's trial.

She added, "THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU😭🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽George Floyd we did it!!🥺❤️❤️❤️❤️justice has been served✊🏽"

Darnella elaborated even further on IG, saying ... "My heart goes out to George Floyd’s family!❤️🙏🏽Although no amount of charges will bring back a loved one, justice was served and his murderer will pay the price. We did it❤️❤️✊🏽#justicewasserved."

It's no exaggeration to say Chauvin's conviction is due in large part to the fact Darnella captured every painful minute his knee was on George Floyd's neck ... nearly 10 minutes.

Her video was played almost daily during Chauvin's trial and, in the end, clearly helped the jury reach its unanimous decision in under 11 hours.

It's been a long road for Darnella -- you might recall, she was going through a hard time in the immediate aftermath of the video going viral -- with some people questioning her motives and even asking why she didn't do more. She and her fam told us she might need therapy.

Magic Johnson believes justice has been served in the Derek Chauvin case -- thanking God after the former police officer was found guilty in the murder of George Floyd.

"Thank God ... guilty! Justice has been served," Johnson tweeted.

Chauvin was found guilty of 2nd-degree unintentional murder, 3rd-degree murder and 2nd-degree manslaughter stemming from the May 2020 incident in Minnesota.

Moments after the verdict was read and Chauvin was taken into custody, athletes from all over the world spoke out on social media.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also issued a joint statement with the executive director of the NBPA Michele Roberts.

"George Floyd’s murder was a flash point for how we look at race and justice in our country, and we are pleased that justice appears to have been served."

"But we also recognize that there is much work to be done and the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association, together with our newly-formed Social Justice Coalition, will redouble our efforts to advocate for meaningful change in the areas of criminal justice and policing."

LeBron James had a one-word reaction to the verdict ... tweeting, "ACCOUNTABILITY."

Renee Montgomery -- former WNBA player turned co-owner of the Atlanta Dream said, "Let’s make this the new normal. Accountability is served."

Mike Tyson -- "Guilty. Justice served."

Matt Barnes -- "Condolences to the Floyd Family. This is just the first step of starting to change a broken system."

Reggie Miller -- "Thank you JURY!!! ACCOUNTABILITY"

Matt Forte -- "I don’t celebrate the demise of another persons life no matter what they’ve done but I do celebrate JUSTICE, TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS because for so long that has been void of the criminal justice system in America for black and brown people."

Josh Hart -- "Put his ass under the jail."

Torrey Smith -- "I can’t believe what I just saw. They finally got one case right. GUILTY!!! Prayers up for the Floyd family."

Ex-NBA star Isiah Thomas -- "Crying hard tears right now, maybe things are changing in America?"

Karl-Anthony Towns -- "Justice and Accountability! Things I never thought I would see. There’s much more work to do, but this is an amazing start working toward the reform this country NEEDS!"

The Minnesota Timberwolves also issued a statement saying the team is "hopeful that today's decision will serve as a step forward, but it does not ease the physical and emotional pain that continues in an environment where systemic racism exists."

"To our BIPOC community, the Timberwolves and Lynx remain committed to influencing change, promoting impactful action, and using our platform to help heal and unite in pursuit of liberty and justice FOR ALL."

Eric Nelson is defending Derek Chauvin in trial -- but another attorney with the same name as Chauvin's lawyer is getting mistaken for him... and it's causing a whole lot of grief, and potential danger.

Eric C. Nelson -- a Minneapolis-based family law attorney -- tells TMZ ... people think he's the Eric Nelson defending Chauvin against murder charges right now. It's easy to see how this happens -- same names, same profession and practicing in the same area.

Still, Nelson tells us he wants to set the record straight ... because the deluge of hate and harassment he's getting a result of the mistaken identity is becoming overwhelming, both personally and professionally.

We're told Nelson has been getting BLOWN-UP lately -- both online and over the phone. He says about 95% of calls coming in these days are from randos who think he's the other Nelson, and just wanna talk about the case. Nelson says he's also getting nonstop hate mail.

Be it via email or phone, Nelson tells us he's getting a mix of unsolicited advice from would-be experts ... plus, a ton of hateful voicemails too.

Speaking of those ... TMZ has obtained samples of the messages being left on Nelson's phone, and they're ominous to say the least. People have called him a "piece of s***" and levied veiled threats against his practice ... suggesting he's running a crooked business.

Nelson says he reported that latter message to cops, because he found it a bit too dubious and threatening -- but nothing ever came of it. Adding insult to injury -- Nelson tells us his ratings online have taken a gut punch because of the false assumption he's THAT Eric Nelson.

He says his Google stars went from 5 to 1 in a heartbeat -- but, fortunately, Google saw it was a big misunderstanding and fixed the issue themselves.

As for what Nelson's doing to deal ... he's been sending out automated replies to make it clear he's NOT the Eric Nelson everyone's coming for. His website even blares that warning. Oh, and Nelson's also considering tweaking his biz name to feature his middle name, Carlyle.

Kendall Jenner can hopefully breathe a little easier ... 'cause a man she alleged threatened to kill her has just been ordered to stay the hell away for at least 5 years.

The man, Malik Bowker, was ordered by the judge at a Tuesday hearing to stay at least 100 yards away from Kendall. That includes staying away from her, her home, work, vehicle. He's also prohibited from attempting to obtain her address going forward.

Bowker can also have ZERO contact with her physically ... and no electronic contact as well. That means no snail mail, e-mail, text messages, etc. Zilch. The order's in effect for 5 years. Bowker did not appear at the hearing and Kendall appeared via phone, represented by her attorney.

As we first reported ... Kendall beelined it to court after alleging Bowker traveled across the country to gun her down. She had claimed an LAPD detective told her about the alleged plan. What's more ... Kendall claimed cops told her Bowker's plans included buying an illegal firearm to shoot her ... and then himself.

There's a huge crowd of COVID-19 vaccinated New Yorkers lining up for free weed on the unofficial marijuana holiday ... and if this doesn't convince people to get the shot, these stoners don't know what will!!!

We got cannabis rights activist Todd Hinden at the "Joints For Jabs" event Tuesday in NYC's Union Square Park, where they're expecting over 2,000 folks to show up for the free ganja giveaway.

Todd says organizers twisted up about 4,000 joints -- he says he rolled a half pound of grass himself -- and as you can see, the line for free bud is stretching around the block!

It's all legal too, thanks to New York's recent recreational marijuana legislation, but if ya wanna spark it up ... ya gotta show proof of vaccination for the hook-up.

A little over 42 percent of New Yorkers have gotten at least one jab, and Todd tell us why the event might help push the vaccination rate even higher.

Danny Masterson claims Leah Remini's well-known anti-Scientology campaign is a driving force behind the accusations in his rape case, and now he's asking for more time to prepare a defense.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the "That '70s Show" star claims Remini -- who famously left the Church of Scientology -- has been influencing the prosecution and LAPD detectives to work against him ever since he called her out for "religious bigotry" in 2016.

Masterson claims Remini began urging 3 women -- all Jane Does -- to make reports to the LAPD accusing him of sexual assault. He says Jane Doe 1 had made baseless allegations against him 12 years prior, but Jane Does 2 and 3 -- women he claims to have been romantically involved with years ago -- didn't come out with their allegations until after his spat with Remini.

According to the docs ... Masterson says Remini guided the Jane Does as they spoke with prosecutors and even engaged in "correcting" their statements by piping in during the interviews.

He also accuses the prosecution of being "starstruck" by Remini due to her high-profile crusade against Scientology and her TV career, and claims she's chummy with LAPD detectives ... even using them as her personal security.

All in all ... Masterson's alleging there is an anti-Scientology bias against him in the investigation, so he's asking the court for more time to combat it, gather more info, and prepare his defense.

The judge presiding over Derek Chauvin's murder trial is openly chiding Rep. Maxine Waters for seemingly stoking unrest over the case ... and even said she's opened the door for Chauvin to appeal the verdict.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson brought up the issue after closing arguments wrapped and the jury was ushered away ... griping to Judge Cahill that Rep. Waters' now-viral remarks from this weekend might've possibly tainted the jury ... and might sway their verdict.

ICYMI ... Rep. Waters was on the ground in Minnesota a couple days ago marching with protesters, and said she and the people of Minnesota are banking on a guilty verdict and wouldn't just accept manslaughter. She said if that didn't happen, she encouraged people to stay in the streets and get more confrontational.

Some took that as an "incitement of violence."

Nelson asked for a mistrial, based on Waters' remarks, but the judge didn't go that far ... telling Nelson he had faith jurors had followed his instructions up to this point in avoiding the news and talk of this case. Nelson's point was that there's no realistic way to avoid it ... especially because the jury hadn't been sequestered until today when it started deliberations.

Again, Cahill wouldn't bite ... but did express frustration at Rep. Waters, saying he wished public officials would stop talking about the case ... and even told Nelson it's possible Rep. Waters' words could be grounds for him to appeal a guilty verdict, and get a new trial.

Bryce Hall and his boys are getting sued for throwing down in a Mexican restaurant in L.A., and one of the owners thinks they swung on him because he's a Mexican immigrant.

Hernan Fernando is the co-owner of Cinco, and says Bryce and 3 other guys, including Bryce's pal Rory Fitzpatrick, came into the joint back in October and ordered a few rounds of shots and beers. All good, right?

Nope. Not according to the video TMZ obtained of the fight that broke out -- or according to Hernan, who claims in the lawsuit, Bryce and co. started vaping while seated at their table. He claims they blew off a warning from the bar manager to stop, and also a second warning from Hernan himself.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Hernan told his staff to close out Bryce's tab, and shortly thereafter a server alleges she heard Bryce refer to Hernan as a "wetback" and "the Mexican."

As you can imagine, things quickly went downhill after that -- in the suit, Hernan says Bryce blew vape smoke in his face, his pal Rory got physical when staffers tried to show them to the exit -- and then the fight erupted.

In the suit, Hernan claims he was repeatedly pummeled by Bryce and Rory, with Bryce allegedly trying to choke him ... until a Cinco staffer pulled him off Hernan.

They called cops and held Bryce's credit card so he wouldn't flee the scene. The Cinco co-owner claims Bryce popped off one more time while they were waiting, telling Hernan, "Who the f*ck are you? I"m from Bel-Air, and you're just a fat Mexican who works at a restaurant."

Hernan alleges there were a few more racial epithets hurled his way, and that he suffered a broken hand and lots of bumps and bruises from the punches. He's suing Bryce, Rory and their pals for assault, battery, emotional distress, and for attacking him based on his ethnicity.

Derek Chauvin's defense attorney says his actions as a police officer were reasonable if one takes into account the full scope of George Floyd's arrest ... not just the notorious 9 minutes and 29 seconds he held his knee on Floyd's neck.

That's the crux of attorney Eric Nelson's closing argument for Chauvin, who Nelson says had to take into account the 17 minutes of action that led up to the 9-plus minutes, upon which he claims the prosecution is unfairly focusing.

According to Nelson ... Chauvin used his training and instincts as a police officer to respond to the situation in a way that was reasonable, arguing that his use of force on Floyd was justified.

However, Nelson also delved into the difficulty of interpreting the rules regarding "use of force," telling the jury it's incredibly hard to analyze, and once again ... can't be limited to 9 minutes and 29 seconds.

Nelson argued Chauvin's case needs to be examined from the point of view of an officer who is human and therefore "capable of making mistakes in highly stressful situations."

He adds ... "In this case, the totality of the circumstances that were known to a reasonable police officer in the precise moment the force was used demonstrates that this was an authorized use of force, as unattractive as it may be."

During his attorney's closing argument -- which lasted more than 2 hours before the judge let the jury break for lunch -- Chauvin removed his mask for an extended period of time. It was a bit odd, considering he'd been masked up all trial.

As we reported, the prosecution gave its closing argument earlier Monday, and stated Chauvin "had to know" he killed Floyd ... and that it was not an accident.

Derek Chauvin's trial for the murder of George Floyd is in its final stages, with closing arguments for both sides ... and the prosecution says Chauvin "had to know" he killed Floyd.

Prosecutor Steve Schleicher told the jury Monday what Chauvin did, pressing his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, was not an accident ... because Chauvin ignored George's pleas for help.

Schleicher explained all that was needed was a little compassion, but what George needed was oxygen ... and he got neither.

The prosecution again tried to blunt the centerpiece of Chauvin's defense, that Floyd allegedly died from a drug overdose and not the ex-cop's unforgiving knee, saying the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

Schleicher reiterated it's not a trial about the police department, it's a prosecution of one cop, telling the jury there's nothing worse for good police than bad police.

He also went over all the options available to the jury to convict Chauvin ... laying out exactly how they could arrive at guilty verdicts for any of the 3 charges: second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder or second-degree manslaughter.

Remember, earlier in the trial Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo took the stand and ripped Chauvin for not following police policy with Floyd, saying Chauvin didn't learn to keep a knee on a neck for 9 minutes in the police academy.

"American Idol" contestant Cecil Ray forced his way into the home of his ex-girlfriend and struck her in the face when she refused to let him see the child he believes is his ... according to police in Texas.

A Rockdale PD officer says he got a call to a residence last week where Cecil -- full name Cecil Ray Baker -- allegedly entered the home of his ex, Mariah Lopez, and assaulted her.

According to the affidavit obtained by TMZ ... Lopez claims she wouldn't let Baker in, so he went to a locked back door and ripped it open to gain entry. She told police he then pushed her to the floor and "struck her in the face with a palm heel" before leaving.

Baker's sister told cops she witnessed the incident, and she claims he went to Lopez's place to see her daughter who he believes is his. According to cops, the sister mostly corroborated Lopez's version of events.

Police say they then tried to track down Baker, and learned that he had relocated to a nearby town. He was arrested a few days later on April 17 and booked for burglary of habitation, a second-degree felony in Texas.

Baker was released the same day on $15,000 bond.

Cecil Ray made it to the top 24, but was eliminated from 'Idol' last week.

The NYPD made the point traffic stops can go south fast -- but in doing so, they appear to have confused H2O for a harmful substance ... that's what the Internet's saying, anyway.

The department's news division posted a video Saturday that shows body cam footage of an NYPD officer making a "routine traffic stop" as they dubbed it. The cop asks for license/registration, and then the man gets out of the car ... to the confusion of the officer.

Before you know it, the guy chucks some type of liquid into the cop's mug, who stumbles back ... clearly shocked by what just happened. You hear his partner seem to ask what it was he threw, but then the video cuts out before you can see what happens next.

Now, NYPD claims this suspect doused the cop with a "chemical" before fleeing, tossing a Molotov cocktail ... before finally being arrested. They add the officer wasn't hurt.

Internet sleuths quickly attempted to pick this apart, however, and pulled screen grabs from the moment this guy threw whatever it was into the cop's face ... and at first glance, they're saying it looks an awful lot like a cup full of ice water without a lid or top -- nothing more.

Unclear if that is, in fact, what it was ... but to us, it does look like agua. Technically, that is a "chemical" in that it's made up of elements from the periodic table ... but the police make it seem like bleach or something that was tossed here. The NYPD hasn't elaborated.

Folks are also questioning their "Molotov cocktail" description ... wondering if it was actually what you'd consider a traditional bottle firebomb, or if it was just the container seen in this video. The NYPD posted an additional photo of what they say is a Molotov cocktail recovered from a traffic stop, but they don't directly connect it to this suspect/sitch here.

We've reached out to the NYPD for clarification ... so far, no word back.

Deshaun Watson claims at least 5 of his accusers performed massage therapy on the QB after alleged sexual misconduct incidents ... and the NFL star believes it's proof the women are lying.

Watson just filed new court docs responding to the 22 female massage therapists who have filed lawsuits against him. And, now that he knows the identities of his accusers, he's going after them one by one.

"In the few days since Mr. Watson has learned the identity of his accusers, his legal team has already uncovered evidence that numerous allegations in this onslaught of cases are simply not true or accurate," Watson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, says in the court docs.

Hardin lays out 6 points which he believes will help to prove his client's innocence ...

--"After the massage therapy sessions with Mr. Watson, 8 plaintiffs bragged about, praised, and were excited about massaging Mr. Watson"

--"7 plaintiffs willingly worked or offered to work with Mr. Watson after their alleged incidents"

--"3 plaintiffs lied about the number of sessions they actually had with Mr. Watson"

--"3 plaintiffs lied about their alleged trauma and resulting harm"

--"5 plaintiffs told others they wanted to get money out of Mr. Watson"

--"5 plaintiffs have scrubbed or entirely deleted their social media accounts"

Hardin clearly believes any woman who would work with Watson after suffering such trauma during an alleged sexual misconduct incident is lying.

Hardin claims he has proof that 5 accusers "chose to work with Mr. Watson even after they claim he acted offensively and aggressively in prior sessions."

"This, of course, raises the question of why they would agree to follow-up therapy sessions when they claim their experiences made them feel like they 'wanted to vomit' and caused them to 'no longer accept massage clients, for fear of a repeat of this type of harassment.'”

As for Hardin's claim that some of the accusers are scrubbing their social media accounts, he believes they're doing it to rework their images.

Watson names four accusers and says, "Before their names became public, their accounts contained pictures that are inconsistent with the image they portray through their petitions."

Zamar Kirven -- a former starting LB for the Univ. of Houston football team -- has been accused of murdering his ex-H.S. teammates in a violent shooting Sunday.

The McLennan County Sheriff's Office said Kirven opened fire on 2 men, who may have been asleep at the time, at around 2 A.M. in Mart, Texas.

Officials did NOT release a motive for the alleged attack ... but they did say Kirven grew up with the men and even played high school football with them.

"He gunned those people down in cold blood," Sheriff Parnell McNamara told TMZ Sports of the alleged incident. "There was not a fight."

21-year-old Kirven was arrested and booked on a capital murder charge. Jail records show he's still in custody.

Kirven -- a 6'3", 205-pound athlete -- was a star at Mart H.S. and eventually earned a full-ride scholarship to play for the Cougars after his senior season in 2018.

Kirven played in 9 games in his true freshman season ... and went on to start 5 games in his sophomore season in 2019.