Legal

Britney Spears conspiracy theorists are back at it -- suggesting she didn't write one of her recent, emotional IG posts ... but we've learned she definitely did, and meant every word.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Internet claims that Britney's social media manager, Cassie Petrey, is the one who crafted her Thursday IG post -- the one about fairy tales and Britney's life not being one -- are complete nonsense.

If ya missed it ... some of Brit's fans speculated the post was intended as damage control following her explosive court hearing Wednesday, and pointed to her mentioning her family in a somewhat positive light as proof.

Our sources say this is totally false -- just like the previous rumors that Cassie writes her posts -- and insist Britney has always been responsible for all of the messaging on her social media and always will be.

We're told Britney's social media accounts don't do scheduled posts either, as some fans believe, and she posts whenever she feels like it. We're also told social media has been the one positive outlet for her where she doesn't feel controlled ... so fans should believe what she says there.

Our sources add that Britney's digital team is very proud of her for speaking up in court about her conservatorship, and they note she had no complaints about social media during her testimony.

Michael Strahan's ex-wife has been arrested for violating an order of protection involving an ex who claimed she was being terrorized by the woman ... TMZ has learned.

Jean Muggli Strahan was taken into custody Friday night in New York City and booked for criminal contempt.

Marianne Ayer says she was in a relationship with Jean which ended, but claims that's when the alleged harassment began.

Marianne had filed legal docs in June accusing Jean of grand larceny, disorderly conduct, harassment, coercion and forcible touching. Marianne claimed in the legal docs Jean took her son's plastic gun which he used in a student film and threatened her, claiming the gun was real.  Marianne went on to claim Jean abused her pets by allegedly shoving and kicking her German Shepherd.

The war between Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend's brother is far from over, because the Amazon chief has just sued Michael Sanchez for allegedly hiding money to avoid forking over some serious cash.

As we reported, Lauren Sanchez's brother had sued Bezos for defamation for allegedly smearing his name by accusing him of leaking intimate text messages to the media before his relationship with Lauren became public. A judge threw out the case and ordered Sanchez to pay the legal bills of Bezos and his P.I., Gavin de Becker. That bill came to $254,404.

Apparently, that bill has not been paid ... so Bezos is now suing Michael, claiming he's intentionally secreting assets to avoid forking over the loot.

Bezos claims after Michael lost the case, he transferred ownership of his $2.5 mil home in WeHo to a shell company ... allegedly to avoid having the proceeds seized by the Amazon honcho.

Michael's rep told the Seattle Times that Bezos’ suit is classic “bullying.” Sanchez's Attorney, Tom Warren, tells TMZ "The world has been accusing Mr. Bezos of not paying his fair share of taxes, exploiting Amazon employees, and spreading fake conspiracy theories about the future king of Saudi Arabia. You can now add bullying his future brother-in-law to the list."

He continues "As Mr. Bezos well knows, Mr. Sanchez’ attorneys are aggressively pursuing an appeal of the anti-SLAPP judgment. If successful, Mr. Sanchez will owe Mr. Bezos nothing. Nevertheless, earlier this week, Mr. Sanchez authorized his team to coordinate with Mr. Bezos’ counsel concerning payment of the judgment. Had Mr. Bezos’ attorneys bothered to reach out to Mr. Sanchez’ counsel before filing a lawsuit against him, they would have known that to be the case."

Tristan Thompson's paternity accuser is on the verge of losing a lawsuit against the NBA star, which could mean coughing up a lot of dough ... much of which she could raise at a strip club.

Kimberly Alexander, who claimed Tristan fathered her 5-year-old, is hosting an upcoming event at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club New York ... and the club tells us her appearance fee might be enough to pay off the nearly $53k she could soon owe TT.

TMZ broke the story ... Tristan sued Alexander last year for libel, claiming her baby daddy allegations hurt his rep and cost him endorsement deals, and now the court is leaning toward awarding him a chunk of cash.

We're told Alexander's July 1 hosting duties will include photo ops and meets and greets ... and she's going to get on stage with porn star Alexis Monroe and several strippers. Oh, and the club says she'll also get the "royal treatment" with bottle service and private dances. Y'know, fringe benes.

Of course, Tristan is a single man these days after his latest split from Khloe Kardashian, but don't expect him to roll through the Hustler Club when Alexander's hosting.

Chauvin will end up serving 15 years behind bars in accordance with Minnesota law ... according to Minnesota Department Of Correction officials.

We're told the law states inmates in Minnesota, like Chauvin, have to serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison and the rest under supervised release.

In Chauvin's case, we're told he will be eligible for supervised release for the final 7 1/2 years of his sentence.

Derek Chauvin just got sentenced for the murder of George Floyd ... with the judge giving him 22 1/2 years in prison.

The former Minneapolis police officer learned his fate Friday in Hennepin County court, where the judge in his murder trial handed down the sentence ... some 2 months after a jury found Chauvin guilty on all 3 counts, including 2nd-degree murder.

Chauvin is getting credit for the 199 days he's already served ... and the 270-month sentence is short of the 360-month sentence prosecutors wanted but, as the judge notes, is 10 years longer than the presumptive 150-month sentence.

Judge Peter Cahill found Chauvin abused his position of trust and treated Floyd with particular cruelty ... but the court said while children were present during Chauvin's fatal interaction with Floyd, it wasn't a substantial and compelling reason for a heavier sentence.

Prosecutors also argued Chauvin and a group of cops ganged up on Floyd, but the judge saw it differently and said that argument wasn't enough to justify more years behind bars.

Chauvin's defense attorney, Eric Nelson, asked for a much shorter sentence, suggesting his client get time served and probation for the manslaughter and murder convictions.

Before the judge announced the sentence, Floyd's daughter, brothers and nephew gave their victim impact statements. In a video played in court, 7-year-old Gianna said she misses her dad and she wishes she could play with him.

Chauvin was in court listening to everything, wearing a gray suit with a blue medical mask and a buzz cut, and he briefly spoke ... offering condolences to the Floyd family and suggesting some info will come out down the line that might give the Floyd family some peace of mind.

Chauvin's mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, also spoke to the court ... saying her son's replayed the fatal interaction with Floyd over and over in his head.

Floyd's family and their legal team quickly reacted to Chauvin's sentence ... expressing relief the former cop was held accountable and saying it brings the nation one step closer to healing.

The woman Diplo has filed a restraining order against and sued for stalking and harassing him has now filed her own lawsuit against the DJ ... claiming he pursued her when she was underage, had sex with her when she was an adult and never disclosed he had an STI.

Shelly Auguste claims in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ -- that Diplo first contacted her via Twitter when she was 17 and solicited nude photos of her ... while also sending her sexually explicit and vulgar comments.

She alleges they exchanged explicit photos before meeting in person for the first time in 2018, when she was 21. Auguste claims she later moved to L.A., and Diplo really began pressuring her for sex by sending unsolicited graphic photos of himself in sexual situations.

According to the docs ... Auguste says she heard a rumor Diplo had herpes and questioned him about it in late 2018, and he got angry and cut off all communication. However, she says they made up in 2019, and in April of that year, she claims she gave in to the pressure and lost her virginity to Diplo.

Auguste alleges Diplo recorded video of their sexual encounter despite her telling him she didn't want that.

Then, in July 2019, Auguste says she went to Diplo's show in Las Vegas, and claims afterward he tried to coax her into a threesome with a girl she believes was underaged at the time. According to the docs, Auguste says she was intoxicated and refused, but claims Diplo forced himself on her as she tried to fight him off.

Shortly afterward, Auguste claims she was diagnosed with chlamydia, and believes she got it from Diplo because she says he was her only sexual partner at the time. She claims he ignored her when she confronted him ... and their issues didn't stop there.

As for Diplo's side, his attorney, Bryan Freedman, tells us, "As has already been made clear in the restraining order we obtained against this individual, she has repeatedly stalked, defamed, threatened and attempted to shake down [Diplo] and his family."

Freedman continues, "These latest false claims are just part of that ongoing campaign of harassment, and we will not allow them to deter us from pursuing justice against her to the fullest extent possible under the law.”

As we first told you ... Diplo filed for a restraining order against Auguste in December 2020, not long after she made revenge porn claims against him. The DJ claimed their relationship soured that year, and she was the one posting his nudes everywhere.

Paris Hilton made it crystal clear where her allegiance stands in the whole Britney Spears conservatorship case ... she's with Britney, bitch.

The socialite made it known Thursday night during her DJ set for the grand opening of the newest casino on the Vegas strip ... Resorts World Las Vegas. Paris -- who donned an outfit eerily similar to Britney's 2003 wardrobe for the "Toxic" music video -- said 6 little words that had the whole place going berserk ... "We love you, Britney. Free Britney."

Paris and Britney, of course, go wayyy back. Who can forget the "Holy Trinity" outing from 2006? So, it should come as no surprise Paris is on the "Free Britney" train.

Paris said as much in September 2020 ... telling Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM Radio show, "I just love her so much. I feel like if you are an adult, you should be able to live your life and not be controlled."

As we've reported ... Britney's in the fight of her life as she continues her battle to get out from her conservatorship. She railed on her dad, her management, her therapist, lawyers and everyone else in the case during Wednesday's explosive court hearing.

Britney also said she's so angry she thinks her family has abused her ... to the point she'd like to sue them.

The collapse of a 12-story Miami condo building has left 4 people dead and more than 150 feared dead as search and rescue efforts continue ... but a lawsuit's already been filed over the disaster.

A class-action suit has been brought against the Champlain Towers Condominium Association following Thursday's tragedy in South Florida, seeking to "compensate the victims of this unfathomable loss."

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... "repair needs had been identified" concerning certain structural elements with the building, but allegedly those repairs were not done.

The condo association is accused of failing to protect the people and property "through the exercise of ordinary care, safety measures, and oversight" that could have prevented the catastrophic collapse.

The suit seeks more than $5 million in damages.

As we reported ... the building's collapse destroyed at least 70 units of the 135-unit structure. At least 4 people were killed, and as many as 159 people are unaccounted for.

So far, the authorities have not released a possible cause for the collapse, but there are reports that the building has been sinking into the ground since the '90s.

Britney Spears' decision to speak out against her conservatorship is inspiring others in California who are feeling trapped in similar situations ... and they want out too.

It's pretty incredible ... the day after Britney's impassioned court testimony, a California lawmaker spearheading legislation to change the way conservatorships operate tells us his office started getting flooded with calls from folks feeling burdened by their own conservatorship issues ... and they're feeling energized by Britney.

Assemblyman Evan Low tells TMZ ... the citizens reaching out said they were afraid to share their own conservatorship horror stories until Britney spoke out, and they feel her testimony helps to legitimize their claims and concerns.

Low says there are a lot of recurring themes between what folks are reporting to his office, and the conservatorship struggles Britney highlighted in court.

For example, we're told a 60-year-old woman and her husband want to end her mother's conservatorship, and they've spent about $3 million fighting in court to no avail.

Others have been even less fortunate ... we're told a woman told Low it's already too late for her mother, who took her own life after her conservator allegedly put her in isolation and started draining her finances. Before her death, we're told the woman stressed the need for conservatorship changes ASAP.

As we reported, Britney railed on her dad and other conservators Wednesday, saying she wants to end the conservatorship that's been in place for 13 years, and expressed anger at her family for the alleged abuse she's suffering.

T.I. is legally lashing out at the woman who alleges he put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her, and he wants her defamation lawsuit against him thrown outta court.

Sabrina Peterson's suing T.I. and Tiny for defamation, but in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... T.I. claims her reputation is already so horrible, it's basically impossible to inflict even more damage to it.

As we first told you, in her suit filed earlier this year, Peterson claims T.I. and Tiny smeared her good name with public statements and social media posts in the wake of her allegation against T.I.

The rapper's lawyer, Andrew Brettler, claims Peterson "is an adjudged liar, a convicted felon with a lengthy rap sheet for crimes involving dishonesty and violent assault, and has a reputation for being unscrupulous" ... and he says there's no way T.I. and Tiny could make her rep take a hit.

According to Peterson's suit ... Tiny referred to her on social media as "strange," and added, "everybody know you been special." Peterson claims she's since become the target of online harassment and threatening messages, but T.I. claims she can't sue over those comments because they are just opinions.

Bobb'e J. Thompson -- known for playing the foul-mouthed, trouble-making kid in "Role Models" -- is in some real-life trouble ... for allegedly having a stolen gun.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actor was going through security at LAX when a Glock firearm was found in his baggage. We're told the gun was loaded too, but did not have a round in the chamber.

Our sources say during the airport police investigation, cops learned the gun was stolen ... and Bobb'e was arrested and taken to the station.

According to police ... Thompson -- also known for roles on "That's So Raven," "30 Rock" and 'House of Payne' -- was booked for felony possession of a stolen firearm.

He was released after posting a $35,000 bond.

Britney Spears is opening up even more on the heels of her shocking testimony -- she's apologizing to fans for pretending her life was perfect when she was actually struggling, but she's gonna do one thing to make it better.

Brit says, "I believe as people we all want the fairy tale life and by the way I’ve posted … my life seems to look and be pretty amazing … I think that’s what we all strive for!!!!"

Her IG post continues, "I apologize for pretending like I’ve been ok the past two years … I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me … but honestly who doesn’t want to capture their Instagram in a fun light."

If you've followed Britney over the years, you know she posts videos of herself dancing, painting and even answering questions from fans -- but Wednesday in court she said that was all masking her real pain.

Britney says, "Believe it or not pretending that I’m ok has actually helped" ... and posted this Albert Einstein quote, "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."

She finishes her post in saying, "Instagram has helped me have a cool outlet to share my presence … existence … and to simply feel like I matter despite what I was going through and hey it worked … so I’ve decided to start reading more fairy tales!!!"

Speaking of sharing her presence, Brit's boyfriend, Sam Asghari, posted some vids of the couple on a private jet -- presumably taking a trip somewhere -- something the singer says she's been mostly restricted from ... so it's gotta be a good sign for fans.

The social media post comes just one day after Britney delivered stunning testimony in court on Wednesday ... comparing her alleged forced labor to sex trafficking, demanding her conservatorship end and she be allowed to get married and have children.

White Claw's all fired up over a company taking its popular hard seltzer cans and turning them into candles... according to a new lawsuit.

Mark Anthony International -- the maker of White Claw -- is suing M. Caitlin Minges and California-based Fun Club, LLC claiming they are removing the tops from their famous White Claw cans ... inserting wax and a wick in the empty cans and then selling them as candles.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, White Claw says its adult beverage launched in 2016 and scored enormous success ... so much so that just 4 years later it's become the leading brand in the category with over 50% of the market share.

But, the company claims all of that success could go down the drain if the defendants don't cut it out. White Claw says if an improperly labeled, insufficiently insulated or defectively manufactured candle with its logo ends up burning someone or causing a fire ... all of its hard-earned goodwill could be destroyed in an instant.

Translation: To wax poetic, if we may ... they don't wanna see their reputation get White Claw wasted!

White Claw also says the candles could cause confusion for customers. It's suing for trademark infringement, asking the court to block sale of the candles and force the defendants to fork over any of the profits they've made off the White Claw brand.

We've reached out to M. Caitlin Minges and Fan Club, so far no word back.

Kanye West is going after Walmart for allegedly selling a knockoff version of his well-known foam shoe design ... at a fraction of the price.

According to new legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Kanye and his company, Yeezy, claim the retail giant copied his famous Yeezy Foam Runner and left customers confused about whether they were buying the real thing or an imitation.

Kanye claims Walmart could be costing Yeezy hundreds of millions of dollars in sales by doing so.

According to the docs ... Yeezy introduced its Foam Runner in 2019 and the footwear made its public debut in June 2020, selling out instantly at $75 a pop.

Yeezy claims Walmart then made an "unauthorized exact copy" and has been selling it -- at just under $25 a pair -- in order to cash in on the popularity of Kanye and the Foam Runner.

Kanye's side claims it sent a legal warning to Walmart and told them to pull the shoes from its site ... but it has failed to do so.

So, Kanye and Yeezy are suing for major damages. We reached out to Walmart ... no word back so far.

Rudy Giuliani can't practice law in the state of New York, for the time being, and it's all because of the lawyering he was doing on behalf of former President Donald Trump.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a NY court just suspended Rudy from practicing law in New York, finding Giuliani made "demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large in his capacity as lawyer for former President Donald J. Trump."

In the docs, the court pointed to the Attorney Grievance Committee's allegations Giuliani made false statements to improperly bolster his narrative that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump due to widespread voter fraud. The court said Giuliani's conduct "immediately threatens the public interest and warrants interim suspension from the practice of law."

Giuliani's lawyers, Barry Kamins and John Leventhal, tell TMZ ... they're disappointed by the suspension, and claim Rudy was not given a hearing on the alleged issues before the decision came down.

His legal team says the former NYC Mayor does not pose a present danger to the public interest and believes Giuliani will ultimately be reinstated.

As you know ... while working as Trump's lawyer, Rudy infamously held a press conference after the election at the Four Seasons in Philadelphia -- Four Seasons Total Landscaping, that is ... NOT the hotel.

Britney Spears' strength and courage were on full display when she spoke out about her conservatorship ... that's what her boyfriend believes for sure, based on his Instagram post.

Sam Asghari shared a photo of a lioness on his IG story late Wednesday night, hours after Britney went off on her father and her management team in court for what she described as 13 years of hell in her conservatorship.

Sam has frequently referred to Britney, his girlfriend of 5 years, as his "lioness" ... previously saying it's because of how much she inspires him, like the female lion inspires the male lion.

The lion symbol has also been used as a sign of support for her among fans and members of the #FreeBritney movement.

In fact, Sam included a lion emoji on an earlier post Wednesday -- hours before Britney's explosive court appearance -- when he was boldly wearing a "Free Britney" shirt.

As we told you ... Sam's shirt was a pretty clear indicator of what was to come, though nobody could really expect just how incendiary Britney's testimony about her 13-year conservatorship would be.

Britney blasted her dad, Jamie, and many others involved in looking after her, claiming they've embarrassed, humiliated and isolated her, taken her money, tormented her, and won't let her get married or have a baby.

She's asking the court to let her out of the conservatorship without a medical evaluation ... and she says she wants to sue her family.