Legal

Josh Duggar wants to be released from jail pending a trial in his child porn case ... claiming in new legal docs he's not a flight risk because, among other things, his face is way too recognizable.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the "19 Kids and Counting" star claims he should be let out of jail and released to his home so he can take care of his pregnant wife. He says he'll abide by any bail conditions the court puts in place to assure his appearance in court for any hearings in his case.

In docs, Duggar says he's not a flight risk ... and he can prove it. He claims he "has no criminal convictions, and has known about this federal criminal investigation since November 2019 when Homeland Security Investigations executed a search of Duggar’s prior workplace."

What's more ... he claims he's maintained an open dialogue with the U.S. Attorney's Office in connection with this probe. And, get this ... Duggar argues he's not a flight risk because he "has a widely-recognizable face and has spent the majority of his life in the public spotlight — making any concern that he is a risk of flight all the more unwarranted." Duggar's lawyers, Travis Story and Justin Gelfand, make note he and his family were in a hit reality show.

And, in trying to drive home the point... Duggar points to the feds allowing him to voluntarily self-surrender ... and says he complied as directed.

Tristan Thompson has hired a legal gun to shoot down new cheating allegations from an Instagram model ... whom he calls a liar and is threatening to sue if she keeps yapping.

The Celtics star -- who's back in with Khloe Kardashian now -- had his attorney, Marty Singer, fire off a cease and desist letter to Sydney Chase ... who recently claimed she had sex with Tristan since he and Khloe reunited. She also claims to have salacious texts from him.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Singer calls her allegations "malicious defamatory fabrications," adding ... "Mr. Thompson had no relationship with you whatsoever and he never sent you any such texts."

Singer goes on to accuse Chase of making up quotes from Tristan and having no proof to back up her claims, and blasts her by saying, "It is obvious that you are a liar."

The letter concludes by saying if Chase doesn't stop "defaming" Thompson in the media or online, "you do so at your peril since you may find yourself in court attempting to defend your indefensible misconduct."

Thompson's attorney also sent a cease and desist letter to Adam22, host of the "No Jumper" podcast ... on which Chase initially blabbed the cheating allegations.

"No Jumper" has already removed the portion of Sydney's interview where she talks about the alleged fling. We'll see if Chase keeps quiet.

Tennessee Titans draft pick Rashad Weaver has been charged with assault ... stemming from an April incident in which he allegedly punched a woman.

Court records show Weaver -- who was selected by the Titans in the 4th round of the draft -- was hit with a misdemeanor simple assault charge on Friday, just hours before he was drafted on Saturday.

The former Univ. of Pittsburgh star pass rusher is accused of socking a woman in Pittsburgh at around 2:28 AM on April 18, according to court docs obtained by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In the docs, investigators say Weaver and the woman were involved in a verbal confrontation at the Foxtail bar that escalated.

Investigators say one witness told them they saw Weaver punch the woman. Investigators added another witness told them they did not see Weaver punch her, though they did observe the woman crashing to the ground.

In the docs, an officer noted he did NOT observe an injury to the woman "consistent with a punch to the head."

According to the docs, investigators say the woman was tended to by medics at the scene and was released ... but they say she told them she needed to go to the hospital days later "because she was vomiting."

Investigators in the docs say the woman said she was diagnosed with a concussion at the hospital.

Weaver has a court date on the matter currently set for Oct. 5, 2021.

The 23-year-old was a star at Pitt ... recording 7.5 sacks in his senior season last year.

Paul Phillips, the former lead guitarist for Puddle of Mudd, claims he could have trouble making music and making a living ... due to some shoddy care he allegedly got at a hospital.

Paul is suing Florida's Baptist Medical Center of the Beaches and a couple doctors for medical malpractice ... claiming their treatments left him with a brain injury and serious seizure condition that might affect his ability to rock out.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Paul claims his brain hasn't been the same since he was admitted to the hospital back in November 2019 after complaining about an altered mental status and possible seizure.

Paul, who played in the band from 2001 to 2005 and 2009 to 2011, claims initial tests showed he was suffering from low sodium levels, but he says doctors did a poor job monitoring the situation and gradually bringing the levels back to normal, claiming the levels rose too quickly during his time at the hospital.

In the docs, Paul claims he was discharged from the hospital before being rushed back 3 days later due to a seizure. He says MRI exams on his brain showed brain damage, which he claims was caused by the treatment he received during his prior hospital stay.

Paul, who is being repped by Morgan & Morgan, claims he's still having seizures and other neurological issues, which he says are requiring treatment at the Mayo Clinic. He claims the brain issues will continue indefinitely and says it's hurting his ability to make a living.

Marilyn Manson getting sued for sexual assault has investigators in L.A. planning to reach out to the alleged victim to determine if Manson should also face criminal charges.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the lawsuit filed by "Game of Thrones" actress Esme Bianco last week against the shock rocker is definitely on the L.A. County Sheriff's Department's radar -- and it could become part of an ongoing criminal probe.

As we reported ... Bianco claims she was drugged, tortured and raped by Manson over a period of time from 2009 to 2011, and her allegations include him cutting her with a "Nazi knife" during sex, without her consent.

Bianco's suing for sexual assault and sexual battery, but her suit didn't say if she reported the alleged abuse to authorities ... but our law enforcement sources say they are going to speak with her now about it.

As we first told you ... cops began digging into abuse allegations against Manson in February following his ex, Evan Rachel Wood, going public with her claims of abuse and manipulation. Up to this point, Manson has not been charged with any crime.

The 6-year-old student from Florida who took a paddling -- with her mom watching -- is still shaken up from the incident ... and is getting professional help.

Brent Probinsky, the family's lawyer, tells TMZ that the girl's mother calls him twice a day with distress about the school beating that happened on April 13 ... telling him the kid can't sleep, cries constantly and feels generally terrorized by what happened.

As you can imagine, we're told her parents are also overcome with emotion ... especially the mom, whom Probinsky tells us is riddled with guilt from watching it all unfold. We're told the family now has a therapist ... and their first appointment should be this week.

BTW, the attorney shed some light on why the mom just stood by instead of stepping in -- he says she and her husband are undocumented immigrants from Mexico, and she was afraid she'd get deported if she reported it. You can see her hesitation first-hand in new video that we've obtained, showing the principal take an authoritative tone right from the jump.

Luckily, the mom reported it anyway ... and now it's being handled by authorities. Probinsky says the case is being reviewed by the state attorney's office, as well as the school district and the Florida Dept. of Education. Probinsky insists this was aggravated battery -- he's pushing for officials to strip the principal and her clerk of their education licenses ... so they can't teach in Florida ever again.

Olivia Wilde can breathe a sigh of relief ... a judge just granted a permanent restraining order against the man she claims keeps showing up at her home, believing he was her lover.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... 30-year-old Eric Nathanial Fuhs must stay away from Olivia for the next 3 years. We're told the restraining order also protects her ex, Jason Sudeikis, and their kids.

TMZ broke the story ... Olivia sought protection against Fuhs last month after claiming she had security footage showing him showing up to her crib on multiple occasions to leave notes for her and Sudeikis, with the guy falsely claiming he was dating Olivia.

The documents had initially stated Olivia and Jason still lived together, but sources later said that wasn't the case.

The actress, who is now with Harry Styles, also said Fuhs left an ominous note saying he's "struggling to stay sane."

Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, are moving on to what's next ... they're getting divorced.

In a joint statement Monday, the couple announced they've made a decision to end their marriage, saying, "Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives."

They continue, "We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives."

Bill and Melinda began dating in 1987 after meeting at a New York trade show, and she'd go on to work in marketing for Microsoft and be appointed as General Manager of Information Products in the early '90s.

The couple wed on January 1, 1994 in Hawaii ... and Melinda left the company in 1996 to focus on starting their family.

Bill and Melinda have 3 adult children -- Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe -- and reside in their huge, earth-sheltered family mansion, dubbed Xanadu 2.0, overlooking Lake Washington in Medina, WA.

Along with being megarich, the 2 are widely known for their philanthropic efforts ever since launching the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. It was estimated in 2014 that they had donated $28 BILLION to the foundation, a number that's only skyrocketed in recent years.

For instance, the Gates Foundation made a contribution of $250 million in late 2020 to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Gates' net worth is estimated at more than $130 billion.

Quando Rondo and his entourage were caught in a hail of gunfire at a convenience store in Georgia, and one man in his entourage was wounded.

According to law enforcement sources, the shots rang out around 3:20 AM Sunday in Blackshear, while Quando and his crew were in a parking lot off the highway. Cops believe the shooter opened fire from across the road or from the highway.

Our sources say police aren't aware of any bullets striking Quando, because he was not at the scene when cops responded, but we're told he was in the parking lot before the shooting.

The rapper was traveling with a large entourage, and we're told one man in the group was shot in the hand and got treatment at a local hospital.

It's interesting ... law enforcement says it appears Quando and his crew weren't at the convenience store long before shots rang out, and cops believe they were making a quick stop when the shooting started.

As we reported ... cops say Quando Rondo's crew was involved in a November shootout with King Von's entourage outside an Atlanta nightclub, which left Von dead. One of Quando's crew members was arrested for felony murder.

An elementary school principal went full 19th-century headmaster on a 6-year-old student -- paddling her a few times ... all while the mom recorded it.

This is coming out of Clewiston, FL ... where Central Elementary School Principal Melissa Carter and her clerk, Cecilia Self, were captured on video bending a little girl over and giving her a few whacks with an old-school paddle ... all in front of the kid's mom, who filmed it.

The student's mother says she was called to the school recently, with a claim that her daughter had damaged a school computer ... with a repair cost of nothing more than $50.

The mom says she was told by the school that her kid would be getting paddled as punishment, with her and a "deputy" present ... but says she didn't understand the process as it was being explained to her, as she doesn't speak much English.

Anyway, when the mom showed up to pay the fee and get her daughter ... she says she was led to a room where Carter and Self were present, along with her child. No law enforcement deputy was in sight. Before she knew it, Carter was meting out a beating.

The mom, who hasn't been ID'd for privacy, insists she didn't step in because she felt she would get in trouble ... and figured the only thing she could do was to document it to expose the abuse. So, that's what she did ... secretly filming the encounter and standing by.

The mom justifies her action -- or a lack thereof -- by saying she felt she needed to "sacrifice" her daughter to blow the lid on what was going on there.

Ben Crump, attorney for George Floyd's family, says Derek Chauvin has no chance to successfully appeal his guilty verdict ... and it's all because of what at least one juror is saying about the murder trial.

Crump tells TMZ ... Juror #52, Brandon Mitchell, shed a lot of light on the Chauvin deliberations and, in the process, "completely obliterates" any argument the defense is planning to make about outside public opinions swaying the jury.

You'll recall, Chauvin's defense attorney, Eric Nelson, asked Judge Cahill for a mistrial because Rep. Maxine Waters had encouraged folks to "get more confrontational" while protesting if Chauvin wasn't found guilty.

Nelson felt that her remarks might pressure the jury to return a guilty verdict, but Judge Cahill wouldn't bite -- and now, Crump says Brandon confirms that didn't happen.

He told Gayle King this week ... he and his fellow jurors felt no outside pressure to reach a guilty verdict, and reached their decision based on the facts presented in court.

Crump says Brandon's comments will play a big factor when and if an appeal is filed.

As you know, the jury found Chauvin guilty on all counts and he could get up to 40 years in prison when he's sentenced in June.

Charles Manson's original booking sheet following his arrest for the grisly Manson Family murders is up for sale ... but anyone looking to add it to their creepy crime collection is going to have to drop almost $100k, and maybe more.

The booking docs are 2 pages long and list Manson's physical details along with his hometown (Cincinnati, spelled incorrectly), his address (Transient), his occupation (Musician), but most notably ... the fact he was arrested for robbery and homicide and was facing 7 counts of murder.

The form is dated December 9, 1969 -- a few months after Manson's followers killed Sharon Tate and 6 others in August in Los Angeles -- and the second page includes 2 of Manson's fingerprints. The officer who fingerprinted him is listed with the last name Tate.

The second page also includes the name Juan Flynn at the top, presumably the same Juan Flynn who stayed at Manson's Spahn Ranch and testified Manson told him shortly after Tate's murder ... "Don't you know I'm the one who's doing all these killings?"

The booking form is on sale by Moments In Time, with an asking price of $95,000. We're told the site acquired the documents from a collector of historical crime items.

As you know ... Manson and 3 of his followers were convicted in 1971 of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 killings after a 9-month trial, the longest murder trial in history when it occurred.

Derek Chauvin deserves to be locked up for much longer than what the state of Minnesota's guidelines suggest ... that's according to the state's Attorney General, who's citing the ex-cop's "particular cruelty" toward George Floyd.

Minnesota AG Keith Ellison filed docs this week asking Judge Cahill to impose a stiffer sentence come June than he otherwise might under state sentencing guidelines, which recommend just 12.5 years. Cahill doesn't have to play it by the book, though, and could give Chauvin the max of 40 years.

If he's going over 12.5 years ... Cahill would have to find evidence of aggravating factors in the case, and Ellison says there's more than enough of that.

While Ellison didn't say exactly what the state is seeking in terms of a sentence ... it sounds like they want Chauvin behind bars for way longer than just a decade and change -- arguing the guy was especially cruel while killing Floyd, as evidenced by the number of times he ignored Floyd's screams.

Ellison notes Chauvin stayed on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes, despite the fact George was telling cops how much pain he was in ... that he couldn't breathe ... and that he was going to die. Floyd complained about not being able to breathe a whopping 27 times.

Chauvin's defense attorney, Eric Nelson, is arguing for the opposite -- saying Chauvin was authorized to use that force for an actively resisting suspect. The problem with that argument is Chauvin's own superiors testified he'd broken department protocol.

Ellison's filing is interesting in light of what he said on "60 Minutes" last week -- that Chauvin shouldn't get the maximum sentence just to set an example. Instead, he said the judge should give him whatever the case merits.

Michael Lohan's out on bond following his arrest for patient brokering ... but he's gotta abide by some special rules while his case is pending trial.

As we reported ... Lindsay's father was booked into jail in South Florida last week for allegedly getting illegal kickbacks from a rehab facility where he referred drug addicts.

Lohan's bond was set at $6k -- $1,000 for each count of illegal patient brokering -- but the judge also imposed additional conditions for Lohan's release.

According to docs ... Michael may not work in the substance abuse treatment industry, and can't have any affiliation with licensed healthcare facilities like treatment centers or clinical lab testing sites.

Lohan's also prohibited from having any contact with co-defendants or any alleged co-conspirators -- and same goes for witnesses in his case, including all involved patients listed in the original probable cause affidavit.

As we told you ... Michael's accused of cutting deals where he referred drug addicts to a rehab center, and got paid -- allegedly more than $25k -- for those referrals.

Kylie Jenner is getting court-ordered protection ... from the guy who allegedly showed up on her property after trying to take a naked dip in her sister Kendall's pool.

A judge just ordered the 27-year-old man, Shaquan King, to keep at least 100 yards away from Kylie for the next 3 years. The restraining order also protects Kendall and Kris Jenner.

As we reported ... the man allegedly went straight to Kylie's gated community last month after he was released from jail. He'd been held behind bars for about 6 hours because cops picked him up at Kendall's home where he allegedly banged on her windows and skinny-dipped in her pool.

Since then Kendall's dramatically increased her personal security, and also gotten her own restraining order against King.

Kylie was present at Friday's court hearing, telling the judge over the phone King's alleged criminal background makes her fear for her life and her daughter's.

Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar -- one of the greatest second basemen of all time -- has been banned from Major League Baseball ... after an investigation into sexual misconduct claims from 2014.

Commissioner Robert Manfred announced the move on Friday ... saying 53-year-old Alomar has been terminated from his gig as a league consultant and placed on the "Ineligible List."

The ban, Manfred says, comes after MLB hired a law firm to investigate claims of sexual misconduct made by a "baseball industry employee," who came forward earlier this year about the alleged incident that happened in 2014.

After the investigation, it was determined Alomar violated MLB's policies ... resulting in severe punishment.

"We are grateful for the courage of the individual who came forward," Manfred said Friday. "MLB will continue to strive to create environments in which people feel comfortable speaking up without fear of recrimination, retaliation, or exclusion."

The Toronto Blue Jays followed suit by severing ties with Alomar, who was serving as a special assistant to the team ... and going one step further by scrubbing him from the team's "Level of Excellence."

Of course, Alomar was a star in the '90s -- he made 12 All-Star teams, won 10 Gold Gloves and won 2 World Series championships ... and was inducted into Cooperstown in 2011.

The Jays are also taking down Alomar's banner at the stadium, which honored his retired number #12 with the organization.

Alomar addressed the punishment minutes ago ... saying, "I am disappointed, surprised, and upset with today's news."

"With the current social climate, I understand why Major League Baseball has taken the position they have."