Legal

Scarlett Johansson is no longer at war with Disney over her "Black Widow" bottom line ... the actress and the Mouse House reached a settlement, sources confirm to TMZ.

The exact terms of the settlement are unclear, but Scarlett says ... "I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney." In a statement that sounds very much like an attempt to mend fences, she adds she's proud of the work she and Disney have done, has enjoyed their "creative relationship" and looks forward to collaborating further.

Disney Studios honcho Alan Bergman is also making nice after the explosive suit ... saying he's pleased with the settlement, appreciates Scarlett's role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and looks forward to working with her on upcoming movies, like "Tower of Terror."

Translation: Let's make nice and get back to making movies.

As we reported ... Scarlett sued Disney back in July, claiming the simultaneous release of "Black Widow" in theaters and on Disney+ violated her contract and cost her big money.

Things quickly turned ugly, with Disney responding to the suit with a blistering statement, attacking ScarJo and her suit for what the studio called a "callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic."

Scarlett's agent shot back, ripping Disney for announcing she'd made $20 million for the movie, and accused Disney of attempting "to weaponize her success as an artist and businesswoman."

Britney Spears was the big winner in court Wednesday, but it's hard to believe anyone celebrated her father's removal from the conservatorship harder than this fitness instructor ... who turned his joy into burned calories.

This TikTok vid beautifully illustrates the joy #FreeBritney folks felt when Jamie Spears was suspended from the conservatorship after 13 years -- as this guy literally jumped for joy when he heard the news.

The coach -- who's known as The Fitness Marshall -- parlayed his excitement into a fabulous "Free Britney" workout, including some hilarious jabs at her dad.

"Jump high, knee Jamie in the face" and "Elbow him in the name of the law" might well become new rallying cries for Brit's supporters ... if the other hashtags wear out.

As we reported ... along with Jamie being removed from Britney's conservatorship, it also looks like the conservatorship is coming to an end after Wednesday's monumental court hearing.

Jamie Spears says his ousting from Britney's conservatorship will only hurt his daughter, and having a stranger take his place in her life is the complete opposite of what Britney needs.

Jamie's lawyer, Vivian Thoreen, goes after the judge for suspending Jamie and appointing CPA John Zabel in his place to temporarily manage her estate.

But, Thoreen then bores in on the attacks against Jamie, saying he was the one who stepped in 13 years ago when no one else would ... noting Britney agreed to establish the conservatorship. Thoreen says, "This included helping her revive here career and re-establish a relationship with her children."

As for Britney's anger toward Jamie, Thoreen says, "For anyone who has tried to help a family member dealing with mental health issues, they can appreciate the tremendous amount of daily worry and work this required."

Of course, Jamie was hammered by the public, Britney's attorneys and even his own daughter in court ... saying he controlled, mentally abused and even prevented her from being married or having kids. Thoreen says Jamie made the choice to keep his mouth shut during the "false, speculative and unsubstantiated attacks."

And, then the attorney went after Britney's lawyer, saying Jamie -- not Mat Rosengart -- was the one who actually asked the judge to end the conservatorship immediately. She says Rosengart objected to pulling the plug now.

As we reported, Rosengart wanted 30-45 days to review the books to determine if there was misappropriation of assets or other abuse ... and presumably he wanted the judge to retain jurisdiction toward that end.

Thoreen says flatly, "Mr. Spears loves his daughter Britney unconditionally ... Mr. Spears will continue to look out for the best interests of his daughter and work in good faith towards a position resolution of all matters."

TMZ broke down everything that happened during yesterday's hearing on our new podcast.

There are a lot of people involved and pulling for Britney Spears these days, but the one person who has worked behind the scenes to remove Jamie Spears and end the conservatorship altogether is Cade Hudson, who has deep ties to Britney ... TMZ has learned.

Hudson has been one of Britney's closest friends for a dozen years. He's also been her agent for 9 years and has been in her inner circle the entire time.

Our sources say Hudson has been in constant contact with Britney, advising her on how to navigate the conservatorship. When Britney was upset about restrictions by conservators and others involved in the conservatorship, Hudson was there to give her guidance.

He was working behind the scene for a long time to try and bring the conservatorship to an end. And, our sources say ... Hudson is the one who hooked Britney up with attorney Mathew Rosengart, who is now shepherding Britney's move for freedom.

One of Vanderbilt University's longtime employees says she's been bullied and viciously mocked by co-workers -- using words like "freak," and "gross" -- after she underwent transition surgery.

Olivia Hill is suing Vanderbilt for the abuse she says started back in mid-2018, when she'd informed her employer she'd been diagnosed with gender dysphoria ... and, therefore, needed to transition from male to female. She says she soon learned a direct supervisor was referring to her as "it," "trans freak" and "weirdo."

Olivia -- a U.S. Navy veteran who's worked at Vandy for 25 years -- says that sort of reaction made her second guess getting the surgery, and she even delayed it until February 2019. In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, she says the abuse was even worse when she returned to work in May 2019 -- some people would leave rooms as soon as she entered, while others made crude remarks.

According to the suit, those comments included a bigwig commenting directly to her about her big feet looking strange. She alleges he also asked if she shaves her chest now, and added ... "Ugh, the thought of you shaving your tits is gross."

Olivia claims in the suit another employee asked if he could "be the first to use her new vagina."

Interestingly, Vanderbilt touted Olivia's transition ... even posting a video where she tells her story. However, Olivia's attorney, Abby Rubenfeld, says this only highlights the university's hypocrisy -- "The way Olivia was treated violates federal and state law, and is inconsistent with Vanderbilt's own policies and public presentation as allegedly being a model of LGBTQI tolerance and inclusion."

Olivia says she informed her supervisors, but got no relief, and even filed complaints with the University and federal employment agencies. She says the school placed her on paid administrative leave, and says she's been passed over for promotions.

She's suing Vanderbilt for damages, including lost wages and pain and suffering.

R. Kelly's persona non grata in Baton Rouge ... his "key to the city" there has been rescinded by the very same official who bestowed him with the honor.

Kelly was given the honor back in February 2013 by Denise Marcelle, who, at the time, was a member of Baton Rouge Metro Council. Marcelle tells us after Kelly's guilty verdict, she regrets giving Kelly a key to the city in the first place and is going to rescind it.

If you're wondering how that works, the process doesn't include actually physically taking the $256 plaque and key back from the singer ... but he's stripped of the honor.

Obviously, there were allegations against Kelly when Marcelle presented the key to him back in 2013, but she tells us she only knew he had been acquitted in 2008, and didn't do her homework to truly understand what was leveled against him.

Marcelle now serves as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and not in the BR Council, but a rep for BR tells us Marcelle still holds the power to rescind the key since she was the one who gave it out.

As we reported ... Kelly was found guilty earlier this week on all counts in his federal sex crimes trial.

Britney Spears won a huge victory Wednesday -- a victory she's sought for years -- because her dad has been officially removed as conservator of her estate, and it looks like the conservatorship is coming to an end.

It was a monumental day in court as Britney's lawyer, Mat Rosengart, zeroed in on Jamie Spears, saying he committed shocking abuse and mismanagement during his tenure as conservator. Rosengart was especially outraged over recent allegations Jamie engineered a scheme to secretly record Britney in her bedroom. Rosengart says there were conversations between Britney and her kids that were captured and he called it "unfathomable."

Jamie tried arguing the conservatorship should end today, but Rosengart begged to differ. The attorney wants to hold Jamie accountable for possible misappropriation of assets, among other things, and he wants the conservatorship in place until he can investigate.

The judge agreed with Rosengart and suspended Jamie. She also ordered Jamie to turn over all the books and records during his time as conservator so Rosengart can pour through them.

Our producer asked Rosengart on the way out of court if Britney would sue her dad if there's evidence of misappropriation of assets or other misdeeds. Rosengart jumped on the question and said Britney would absolutely sue.

As for ending the conservatorship ... the judge set a hearing for November 12. It's very possible the conservatorship will be terminated on that day. Significantly, there was no talk in court about a mental evaluation as a condition to ending the conservatorship. Fact is ... all parties, including Jamie, have advocated for terminating the conservatorship without a mental evaluation, so it seems things are headed in that direction.

In the meantime, a new conservator of Britney's estate has been appointed on a temporary basis. His name is John Zabel, a CPA handpicked by Rosengart.

For Britney's part, she's over the moon, posting on social media she's on cloud 9.

We interviewed a psychiatrist, Dr. Charles Sophy, on "TMZ Live" Tuesday -- he's handled numerous court cases involving celebrities and has been involved in a number of conservatorship cases -- and he suggested the judge should terminate the conservatorship with one string attached. Britney and her doctors should come back to court in 6 months so the judge could make sure she's taking her meds. That's his suggestion, but it seems everyone is headed in the direction of just ending it.

Britney will have a safety net in fiance Sam Asghari and her current personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery. BTW, Jodi has said she will stay on even if the conservatorship ends, and Britney is agreeable.

All in all, it was a huge day for Britney, Rosengart and Co.

As they say, it's the thrill of victory for Britney Spears -- but the agony of defeat for her father, Jamie Spears, is potentially just beginning, and we're explaining why on the new TMZ Podcast.

Just moments after Britney's conservatorship hearing ended, we got the team together for the inaugural episode of the pod. There's a lot to break down from Wednesday's hearing, and even more to discuss about what happens next.

As you know, the judge suspended Jamie from his gig as conservator of Britney's estate, and now Britney's lawyer is vowing to investigate him for alleged misappropriation and other conservatorship abuses.

We'll tell you why there could be some very real consequences for Jamie. Also, as you'd expect, Britney's already celebrating her big win as only Britney can. Ditto for the throngs of #FreeBritney supporters who were outside the courthouse.

Speaking of which -- looks like there's a #FreeBritney convert among us.

Britney Spears' potentially game-changing day in court is about to begin with her conservatorship hanging in the balance, and the environment -- inside and outside court -- is dramatic.

As you know, Wednesday's hearing is the most highly anticipated one since Britney testified in June during a previous hearing, in which she made shocking allegations and clearly stated she wanted to end the conservatorship after 13 years ... and possibly even sue her family.

Though Britney is not present in court today, her parents -- Jamie and Lynne Spears -- will be appearing via Zoom, along with Britney's attorney, Mathew Rosengart.

Wednesday's hearing for arguments on ending the conservatorship was originally set for January 28 but got moved up to today -- and while no one is expected to object to dismantling it ... it's still unlikely the judge will end the conservatorship today.

Instead, the judge could order another mental evaluation for Britney, or possibly order mediation where all the parties get together and come up with a plan on how to transition from the conservatorship.

Along with all that ... the hearing will likely address the removal or suspension of Jamie, fees for Jamie and his lawyers, and various accounting issues. So, get ready for a long one.

As we've reported ... ever since Britney spoke in court in June, a LOT has gone down -- both with the case and in Britney's personal life.

Following a quick Hawaiian getaway with her then-boyfriend, Sam Asghari, after her court testimony ... Britney began taking legal action to choose her own lawyer (her previous one, Sam Ingham, resigned) and remove her father as conservator of her estate.

Britney eventually hired Rosengart, who quickly went to work in ousting Jamie ... before Britney's dad seemingly agreed to step down in legal docs he filed in mid-August.

Things have gotten more complicated since then, however. After Britney formally asked to end her conservatorship last week, new allegations dropped in the NYT documentary, "Controlling Britney Spears," in which Jamie's accused of recording her bedroom conversations.

Then, on Monday, Jamie asked the judge not to forcefully remove him as conservator, but instead consider dissolving the conservatorship entirely.

The judge is expected to address some, if not all, of these issues Wednesday in court ... so get ready. You know the #FreeBritney crowd will be there ... as they've already gathered outside the courthouse to support their queen.

Meanwhile, as all of the legal issues have been unfolding, Britney's music manager resigned and claimed she's retired from performing ... and Britney and Sam got engaged.

U.S. Olympian Klete Keller admitted he spent nearly an hour in the U.S. Capitol building on January 6th, pleading guilty to felony obstruction of an official proceeding ... and now faces years in prison.

Remember, 39-year-old Keller -- a 2x gold medalist and former teammate of Michael Phelps -- was caught on video inside the halls of the capitol during the raid.

In fact, KK was wearing a Team U.S.A. jacket ... which helped others identify him once the footage was posted online by reporters.

Keller, who was hit with 7 charges stemming from the incident, appeared in person at a Washington D.C. District Court and pled guilty to the obstruction charge.

It's a charge that could carry decades in prison ... however, it's likely Keller ultimately gets sentenced to about 2 years in federal prison.

While addressing the court, Klete said he tried to erase all traces he was present at the raid, admitting he destroyed his phone and threw away the jacket he was photographed wearing.

Keller represented America as part of the U.S. Swim Team at the Olympic Games in '00, '04, '08. He was the anchor on the 4x200 meter freestyle relay team in 2004 ... and famously held off Australian superstar Ian Thorpe to narrowly secure the top spot on the podium.

The famous Folgers coffee jingle, "The best part of wakin' up is Folgers in your cup" is up for grabs ... the royalties for a piece of coffee history are on the auction block.

The bidding started this week at $63,000 and we're told there have already been 16 bids, with the auction entering its final stages at the Royalty Exchange.

The auction house says the Folgers jingle royalties for the past 12 months paid $11,747 and since 2011 the song's earned a total of $38,164 ... with more than half, about $20k, coming in the past 2 years ... so it's a long-term investment.

The winning bidder will own the songwriter's share of public performance royalties ... and get paid any time the song is used in commercials, on TV, in movies, on traditional and satellite radio, plus internet streaming.

The current bid stands at $70,700 and bids are in increments of $550 ... and the auction ends Thursday at 5 PM ET ... so it's coming down to the wire!!!

It is possible -- POSSIBLE -- the 13-year-long Britney Spears conservatorship could end today as everyone -- with one big exception -- appears in court via zoom for what promises to be an explosive showdown.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Britney will not be present for the hearing, but Jamie and Lynne Spears will be on zoom.

There was a hearing scheduled to hear arguments on ending the conservatorship set for January 28, but we've learned that was moved up to today. That presumably means the judge will hear arguments on ending the conservatorship, and here's the reality -- no one is going to argue the conservatorship should continue.

Britney, Jamie and Lynne all want to terminate the conservatorship, so there will be no opposition. Although it's possible the judge could end the conservatorship at today's hearing, our sources say it's unlikely.

There are 2 likely scenarios ... first, the judge could order another mental evaluation, because that's what triggered the conservatorship 13 years ago and maintained it for the years that followed.  That could take several months to complete.

Another option ... the judge could order a mediation where all the parties get together and come up with a plan on how to transition from the conservatorship. Specifically, who will manage Britney's business affairs and who will make sure Britney's able to live her life safely? As we reported, Jodi Montgomery has already agreed to stay on after the conservatorship ends.

And, that brings us to Jamie. TMZ broke the story, Jamie objects to the appointment of CPA, John Zabel, as temporary conservator of Britney's estate. Our sources say although Jamie has previously said he would step down after today's hearing, our sources now say he will ask the judge to keep him on as conservator until a transition plan is in place. This is something that Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, will fight tooth and nail -- he wants Jamie out NOW.

This promises to be a long hearing. Among the issues, removal or suspension of Jamie, termination of the conservatorship, fees for Jamie and the lawyers and various accounting issues.

TMZ has launched our first of many podcasts. Today after the hearing, we'll break down what happened and explain what it all means going forward.

Kodak Black's violated the terms of his supervised release in his federal gun case by failing a drug test ... and now we've learned the rapper was ordered to get treatment.

You may recall ... the rapper was sentenced to 46 months behind bars in the gun case in late 2019, but he was freed by Trump when his sentence was commuted back in January as part of the ex-President's flurry of pardons and commutations.

We're told Kodak's failed drug test resulted in a court hearing this week for violating the terms of his supervised release.

According to court records ... the judge ordered Kodak to complete a 90-day stint in a residential program due to the violation. Our sources say Kodak is already in the treatment program.

Bill Cosby thinks R. Kelly got a raw deal with a guilty verdict in his federal sex crimes case ... and he's blaming Gloria Allred and systemic racism.

We got Cosby's spokesman, Andrew Wyatt, at Avra in Beverly Hills and asked what his client's reaction was to Kelly's conviction on all 9 counts. He told us Cosby said, "The guy was railroaded."

Naturally, Gloria is drawing most of Cosby and Wyatt's ire ... she represented alleged victims in both Cosby's case and Kelly's, and Andrew says she's running a familiar playbook.

As we reported ... R. Kelly was found guilty Monday on 9 federal counts, including racketeering, sex crimes, kidnapping, obstruction of justice and human trafficking.

While, Kelly's looking at 10 years to life when he gets sentenced in May, Wyatt told us he doesn't think the disgraced singer will actually be sentenced, because an appeals court will overturn the conviction.

He's confident Kelly will walk free one day, just like Cosby, but there's a big difference between their cases.

Cosby's release from prison wasn't about his guilt or innocence -- it happened because the D.A. screwed him on a deal he'd made to avoid prosecution. Far as we know, Kelly didn't have any such deal.

Sen. Ted Cruz is proud to back the #FreeBritney movement, and did so Tuesday on Capitol Hill ... saying there are better options than a conservatorship for Britney Spears, and others in her situation.

The Senator from Texas raised Britney's case in calling for reform on conservatorship law -- and railed against the fact a grown woman "can't make basic decisions about her own life."

Cruz said, "Even though she's a mother, to this day she can't make basic decisions about her own life, her own career, her own health or her own finances." He added, "It seems that at each critical juncture, the legal system has been designed not for her benefit but to trample on her rights."

Cruz's solution? Instead of conservatorships, he'd like to see, among other things, the ability for someone in Britney's position to form a support network of people they know and trust ... and consult this group in the course of making their decisions.

Cruz also went off about allegations Britney was forced to get an IUD to prevent her from having a baby -- a claim she made while testifying back in June. The Senator says, "That is not somebody else's choice to make. That is grotesque."

Many would call that statement about a woman's reproductive rights ironic, at best, and hypocritical at worst ... due to Cruz's support of Texas' new anti-abortion law.

A renowned psychiatrist says he was asked earlier this year to determine if Britney Spears was overmedicated to the point she wasn't lucid ... and he makes an interesting case on how the conservatorship should end ... with one string attached.

Dr. Charles Sophy appeared on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and revealed around 8 or 10 months ago someone on Britney's team approached him to come and evaluate her medication.

Sophy says there was clearly a concern Britney was being excessively pumped full of drugs ... to the point she was not able to clearly speak for herself.

Sophy declined the invite ... because he didn't want to get involved in what he felt was a power struggle over the conservatorship. But, the good doc felt bad for Britney because he says IF she was in fact overmedicated it creates a vicious cycle she can't escape.

Dr. Sophy had an interesting idea ... end the conservatorship but attach one string -- that Britney must check in with the court from time to time to make sure she's taking her meds.  Otherwise, she should be free to live her life on her own terms, without a conservatorship.

Jamie Spears and Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, have been going at it in legal docs, and Wednesday's hearing promises to be contentious.