Legal

Murdaugh just appeared in a South Carolina court, going in front a judge and being read the charges against him.

Murdaugh has just turned himself in. He reportedly pulled up to the Hampton County Law Enforcement Center in a beige SUV.  Murdaugh was booked at the Hampton County Detention Center and is expected in court later in the day.

The disgraced lawyer faces a slew of charges ... including insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report.

"Dateline" correspondent Josh Mankiewicz knows the bizarre murder/assisted suicide case of South Carolina's Murdaugh family is right up his show's alley -- and he's totally into it -- but he says the location is a bit off.

Josh was leaving The Palm in L.A. Wednesday when we got his take on the endless twists surrounding prominent lawyer Alex Murdaugh, and the unsolved murders of his wife and son.

For starters, Josh, like everyone else, says the case is riveting and people are asking him about it nonstop. Comes with the territory when you're the go-to guy covering true crime cases.

For the uninitiated ... Murdaugh found his wife, Margaret, and 22-year-old son, Paul, shot dead outside their home in June -- and police have yet to make any arrests in that case.

Fast forward to September 4 ... when Murdaugh got shot in the head, but survived. He now admits he hired a hitman to kill him so his surviving son could collect a $10M life insurance policy. The shooter's already been arrested and charged with assisted suicide, and Murdaugh's expected to surrender to authorities Thursday.

Josh is blown away by all of this, and that's coming from a "Dateline" vet who's seen it all ... so, ya know we're in uncharted true crime waters. In fact, he says one of the strangest parts of the case is that it's NOT happening in Florida!

Apologies to the Sunshine State, but y'know ... some insane stuff does happen there. 'Memba this and this??? Anyway, Josh also has a tip for Alex Murdaugh, although we suspect it's too late to help him now.

BTW ... S.C. officials announced they're also opening a new investigation into the 2018 death of a housekeeper at Murdaugh's home. 😲

'Bachelor' star Hannah Ann Sluss is not down with seeing her face on Downy laundry products, and she's fed up enough to raise a legal "stink" with a slew of huge companies.

Hannah just filed suit against Procter & Gamble, CVS Pharmacy, Target and Walmart ... claiming P&G is still using a pic of her to sell products on those store shelves, even though its license to do so has expired.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Hannah claims she licensed one of her modeling photos to be used on a single product from October 1, 2017, to October 1, 2019 ... but she says P&G continued using it on multiple products after she got way more famous following her stint on 'The Bachelor.'

In her suit, Hannah claims her image is still being used to hawk at least 6 Downy products ... nearly 2 years after the licensing deal ended.

She's particularly upset one of the products is associated with P&G's "Life Gets Stinky" campaign ... calling it "especially egregious because it associated [her] with the word 'stinky.'"

Hannah's going after P&G, CVS, Target and Walmart for money ... and she's asking the judge to order them to stop selling the products featuring her picture.

Jessica Alba's Honest Co. is being sued by shareholders who claim the company misled them by failing to disclose so many parents stocked up on diapers and other Honest products at the beginning of the pandemic that sales in subsequent quarters tanked.

The shareholders claim in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, they bought Honest stock after the company went public in May, 2021 because the financial reports from 2020 showed gangbuster sales. They figured, hey, this company is on the rise so let's get in now.

Just 2 months later, Honest released a report saying they lost $20 million in the second quarter of 2021, and stock prices plummeted nearly 43% from the public offering price.

The shareholders claim Honest hid an essential fact ... that consumers had stockpiled diapers, wipes and other wellness products because of the pandemic, and by the time the company went public Honest knew sales were falling in a big way.

Now the shareholders do concede ... Honest disclosed that COVID was a driver of high sales and there was no assurance that would continue. But, the shareholders says Honest actually KNEW sales were declining but didn't ante up the info.

Marilyn Manson's rape accuser just had her lawsuit against the shock rocker tossed out of court ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge dismissed the suit Tuesday, ruling the statute of limitations had passed on the woman's claims.

TMZ broke the story ... Manson was sued back in May by a Jane Doe who claims they started dating in 2011 before things took a turn for the worse and he raped her.

Manson's accuser claimed she repressed her memories of the alleged rape ... but the judge dismissed the suit because the woman couldn't specify how her memory was repressed, or why she didn't learn of it earlier.

While this lawsuit is dismissed, for now, we've told you Manson is also being sued for sexual assault by 3 other women ... including his former assistant and "Game of Thrones" star Esme Bianco.

Rapper Mo Fayne's going away for a long, long time for his role in a PPP loan fraud case ... he's just been sentenced to 210 months in prison -- that's 17.5 years.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the "Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" star was hit with the prison sentence after pleading guilty to 6 counts, including bank and wire fraud.

Remember ... prosecutors alleged he funded a lavish lifestyle during the pandemic with money from the Paycheck Protection Program. The money was intended to help employees and small businesses hit hard by COVID.

Fayne had cut a plea deal with prosecutors ... who agreed to drop 14 other charges and recommend Fayne get a 151-month sentence. Instead ... the judge hit him with nearly 5 more years behind bars. The silver lining ... he was staring down a possible 30-year sentence if he didn't cut that deal, so take that for what it's worth.

According to the Dept. of Justice ... Fayne submitted a $3.7 million PPP loan application, falsely claiming his trucking business had 107 employees and an average monthly payroll of $1,490,200.

The feds say Fayne promised to use the PPP loan to retain workers and maintain payroll but instead used it for improper purposes ... including $40k for past-due child support, $85k for for jewelry, $136k for a Rolls-Royce, and $907k to start a new business in Arkansas.

The player union representing the U.S. Women's national soccer team is speaking out AGAINST the U.S. Soccer Federation's "identical deals" proposal ... saying the whole thing is nothing but a publicity stunt.

The USSF recently announced its plans to unite the men's and women's squads under the same collective bargaining agreement by offering identical contracts.

"U.S. Soccer firmly believes that the best path forward for all involved, and for the future of the sport in the United States, is a single pay structure for both senior national teams,' the USSF said Tuesday.

"This proposal will ensure that USWNT and USMNT players remain among the highest-paid senior national team players in the world, while providing a revenue sharing structure that would allow all parties to begin anew and share collectively in the opportunity that combined investment in the future of U.S. Soccer will deliver over the course of a new CBA."

The women's team is now breaking its silence on the matter ... calling BS on the deal, claiming it's anything but fair.

One of the issues ... World Cup prize money. The women -- who won the WC in 2019 -- receive about $40 million for winning the world's biggest soccer tourney.

Meanwhile, the men make around 10 times more ... raking in over $400 million.

So, you see why the women are calling the fairness offer nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Now, it's important to note that it's not the U.S. Soccer Federation entity that sets the World Cup prize money.

FYI, the women's team filed a $66 million lawsuit against the governing body in 2019 for gender discrimination ... but the suit was dismissed. The women are currently appealing the decision.

Star player, Megan Rapinoe, also spoke out demanding for equal pay at the White House back in March.

Octavia Spencer is saying sorry to Britney Spears and Sam Asghari ... she acknowledges her prenup comment on their engagement announcement wasn't funny.

The Oscar-winning actress says she was just trying to make a joke when she left a comment on Britney's social media post saying, "Make him sign a prenup" ... and she says she's since privately apologized to both Britney and Sam.

Octavia says her "intention was to make them laugh not cause pain" ... and now she hopes to "restore just a smidge of happiness they were robbed of."

The actress wasn't alone in telling Britney to get a prenup ... and as we reported, Sam told fans almost right away he would sign a prenup alright ... joking the prenup would be designed to protect his Jeep and shoe collection.

Octavia's singing a different tune in the wake of her apology ... she says she's thrilled for Britney and thinks the singer has found happiness after going through a lot of pain.

But, here's the real story ... Britney IS getting a prenup, because our sources say literally a day after she got engaged her team was on the case.

No word if Octavia's getting a wedding invite.

Simone Biles broke down while testifying about Larry Nassar in front of a group of senators on Capitol Hill ... choking back tears while explaining how U.S. Gymnastics and other agencies failed her and other abuse victims.

Biles, along with fellow former USA gymnasts McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman, told their stories in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington D.C. on Thursday ... and understandably, it's still an incredibly difficult topic to discuss.

"I am also a survivor of sexual abuse," Simone opened her statement, continuing, "and I believe without a doubt that the circumstances that led to my abuse and allowed it to continue are directly the result that organizations created by Congress to oversee and protect me as an athlete, USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee failed to do their jobs."

Biles then quoted Nelson Mandela, before getting emotional while saying she never wanted another child to endure abuse.

Of course, Nassar was convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of women and girls ... and effectively received life in prison -- getting sentenced to 175 years behind bars.

But, the hearing wasn't directly about Nassar's deplorable behavior ... it was held to discuss the FBI's failures with respect to their investigation into the team USA doctor, after a government watchdog group concluded the country's top federal law enforcement agency didn't adequately respond to the allegations.

And, the gymnasts didn't hold back when taking on the bureau.

“We suffered and continue to suffer because no one at FBI, [U.S. Gymnastics] or the [USOC] did what was necessary to protect us,” Biles told the committee.

“We have been failed and we deserve answers. Nassar is where he belongs, but those who enabled him deserve to be held accountable. If they are not, I am convinced that this will continue to happen to others across Olympic sports.”

"This is the largest case of sexual abuse in the history of American sport," Biles told the committee, adding, "It truly feels like the FBI turned a blind eye to us."

Maroney also went in on the FBI, saying ... "They had legal, legitimate evidence of child abuse and did nothing."

The U.S. gymnasts are still testifying on Capitol Hill.

As for Nassar, he's rotting in prison ... where he will remain for the rest of his life.

Former "Smallville" star Allison Mack couldn't wait to start serving her prison term ... or so it seems, 'cause she showed up more than 2 weeks early to begin serving her sentence.

Allison reported to the facility Monday, according to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, CA. She was supposed to begin serving her sentence on September 29.

Mack was sentenced to 3 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of racketeering and one count of racketeering conspiracy in her highly publicized sex cult case. She recruited and directed women to have sex with the leader of the cult.

After her release ... Allison will be on supervised release for another 3 years.

BTW, if FCI Dublin sounds familiar it's because that's where Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman served their sentences for their roles in the college admissions scandal.

As we reported ... Allison was sentenced back in June. The sex cult leader, Keith Raniere, was sentenced to 120 years in prison. Mack was with him in Mexico when he got busted back in 2018.

Cardi B's a mother of 2 now ... so she's asking the judge to postpone the trial over her 'Gangsta Bitch' cover art, which she was sued over nearly 4 years ago.

If you don't recall ... the album cover for Cardi's debut mixtape -- "Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1" -- features the rapper sitting back, drinking a beer, while a man with an elaborate back tattoo puts his head between her legs.

Kevin Brophy sued over the image, claiming that's 100 percent him in the image, but he never posed for the photo or gave Cardi permission to use his likeness. He also claimed the ordeal ruined his life and wanted at least $5 mil in damages.

The trial was finally slated for next month, but Cardi's filed new legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- asking for a delay because she just gave birth to her son on Sept. 4.

According to the docs ... Cardi doesn't believe she should be required to travel all the way from the East Coast to Southern California next month, because she needs to be with her newborn for obvious reasons.

She also brings up the risks of COVID from travel and spending extended periods of time in public places, such as airports, hotels, and the courthouse. So, she's asking the court to put the trial on ice for at least 75 days.

A man was arrested after showing up at Ariana Grande's Hollywood Hills home in the middle of the night, then flashing a knife when security tried to get him to leave.

23-year-old Aharon Brown's facing a felony brandishing charge for the incident, which our law enforcement sources tell us went down around 2 AM Friday on Ariana's property.

We're told Brown arrived and demanded to see the singer, and when security told him to beat it ... he refused and pulled a knife. LAPD was called to the scene and arrested him.

It's unclear if Ariana was home at the time, but if she was ... we're told she never came out during the altercation or Brown's arrest.

Britney Spears giveth, so she can also taketh away -- which is exactly what she just did -- 2 weeks before her monumentally important court hearing.

The singer deleted her IG page Tuesday ... with a generic "Sorry, this page isn't available" message that appears if you click on her handle.

There was no heads-up from BS either, but, we've got an explanation as to why -- sources with direct knowledge say she wanted a break from social media ahead of her court hearing later this month.

As it was put to us, Britney wants to keep a low profile. As for why, our sources say there was concern in Britney's camp that she was too "out there" with some of her posts, especially the topless ones, and that might not sit well with the judge.

At the risk of possibly reading a little too much into the latest twist, the only thing Britney has on the table for the Sept. 29 hearing is to remove her dad from the conservatorship. Her social media posts shouldn't affect that decision. You gotta wonder ... will she formally make a play to end the conservatorship as well? That would be a more direct reason to 86 her social media account.

Still, it's a little bizarre ... because she'd just announced a couple days ago she's getting married to her BF, Sam Asghari.

Here's hoping she comes back soon.

Jason "Mayhem" Miller allegedly broke a guys ribs in a bar fight just days before his domestic violence arrest, TMZ Sports has learned.

Our law enforcement sources tell us they recently responded to a fight at a San Fernando Valley bar. When they arrived, the altercation was over, and we're told no one wanted to press charges, so everyone was allowed to leave.

However, the next day, one of the people involved in the brawl went to the hospital ... and was diagnosed with several cracked ribs.

We're told at that point, cops took an incident report for felony battery. They're expected to turn the case over to the L.A. district attorney sometime in the near future ... and they'll decide whether or not to charge Mayhem for the bar fight.

Of course, we broke the story last week, Miller -- who has a long history of trouble -- was arrested for felony domestic violence after a woman accused the fighter of roughing her up early Friday morning.

During the domestic violence arrest, Mayhem didn't go easy, with cops using a taser in order to slap the cuffs on him.

Police said the alleged victim had injuries to her face and neck.

That case is still active ... and depending on what the D.A. decides, Miller could be hit with more charges from a totally separate alleged incident.

Michael Che made a bad call when he did a "homegrrl" sketch on his HBO Max show, because he jacked it from a TikToker's "HomeGirl Hotline" bit ... or so she claims in a new lawsuit.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... Kelly Manno says she's a popular TikTok creator who came up with the fictional idea of a service where "people unable to cope with certain social situations can call a hotline and order a 'home girl'" to help 'em out.

Manno says she created and posted a video of her bit in August 2020, and it racked up a couple hundred thousand views on TikTok ... while a second one in September 2020 got more than half a million views.

Fast-forward to April 2021 and the release of "That Damn Michael Che" on HBO Max ... Manno claims the sixth episode of the comedy series included 4 segments about a fictional service where people order a "homegrrl" to show up where they are and help them out of uncomfortable situations.

According to the suit ... Manno says each segment ended with a character saying a variation of "Thank you, homegrrl" ... which she claims infringes on her copyright that includes the phrase "Thank you, HomeGirl Hotline!"

Manno alleges this is willful copyright infringement, and she wants maximum damages and an order blocking Che and HBO Max from using it.

Linda O'Leary -- wife of "Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary -- has been found not guilty in her criminal trial for a 2019 fatal boat crash on a Canadian lake.

As we reported ... Linda had been charged with careless operation of a vessel, and was accused of drinking alcohol before the boat she was driving struck another, killing 2 passengers.

The verdict was just read in court -- not guilty -- and the judge rejected any suggestion O’Leary was impaired by alcohol at the time of the boat crash ... concluding that alcohol played no part in the accident.

An acquittal will be entered in the case, and Linda's off the hook for any criminal charges.

However, the O'Learys are still facing a wrongful death suit for the fatal crash. They were sued in late 2019 by the family of one of the victims, alleging Kevin and Linda were incapable of safely operating the boat because their judgment was impaired by alcohol, drugs or fatigue.

Amanda Bynes isn't walking the same path as Britney Spears ... a judge just signed off on her conservatorship remaining in place for at least another year and change.

The former child star had a status hearing in her conservatorship case this week -- and the judge scheduled the next status hearing for March 8, 2023 ... so it looks like Amanda's case will continue until at least then, unless something changes.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the conservatorship must file its next update by January 2023. Amanda's mother serves as her conservator.

Amanda was placed under the conservatorship in 2013 after a string of bizarre episodes -- including a disturbing store surveillance video -- that revealed her mental health struggles.

Since then, she's been relatively low-key ... staying out of the spotlight and pursuing other things outside of acting, like a design career via the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. She's also gotten engaged and dabbled in rap music too.