Legal

There's a new Hollywood twist to the Britney Spears conservatorship ... turns out the judge on the case is the mother of a famous producer, and now he's breaking his silence on death threats aimed at his mom.

Prentice Penny is an executive producer on the HBO hit show "Insecure," starring Issa Rae ... and he recently jumped on the "Clay Cane Show" to talk about his mom, The Honorable Judge Brenda Penny.

TMZ broke the story, Judge Penny faced online death threats after she decided against immediately suspending Jamie Spears from the conservatorship back in August. However, Prentice says it wasn't only death threats his mom got, but racist attacks as well.

While he didn't want to get into specifics, because Judge Penny is still on the case, Prentice told Clay, "I think it’s sad that whomever would use it as an excuse to espouse racist names and ideas, feels sad and it feels unnecessary."

Nonetheless, Prentice says his mother can absolutely weather the storm from pissed-off Britney fans. As he put it ... "My mom's a black woman in America, she's a tough lady."

Of course, there's a big decision coming from Judge Penny next week when she could decide if Britney should be let out of the conservatorship or not -- and whether that decision will include a mental evaluation for Britney.

Britney Spears' lawyer says Jamie Spears has done an about-face -- now urging the judge to end the conservatorship -- to save his own hide from what might come out in a deposition.

Mathew Rosengart filed legal docs essentially calling out Jamie, arguing he's done a reversal over the conservatorship for selfish reasons. He suggests Jamie is trying to immediately end the 13-year-running conservatorship to avoid answering questions under oath ... in particular allegations he bugged his daughter's bedroom.

In the docs, Rosengart is demanding "all documents and communications relating to any recording or listening device in the home or bedroom of Britney Jean Spears, including all documents and communications relating to the decision to place any such recording or listening device and the records of any such recording."

Rosengart is also demanding "all documents and communications relating to the electronic surveillance, monitoring, cloning, or recording of the activity of Britney Jean Spears' personal telephone, including but not limited to the surveillance, monitoring, cloning, icloud mirroring, or recording of calls, emails, text messages, internet browser use or history, and social media use or direct messages on social media."

As for Jamie's deposition, Rosengart cites an email dated October 22 from Jamie's new lawyer, which says, "As far as Jamie is concerned, the conservatorship is done and can be terminated immediately ... So it is said in no uncertain terms my client has no interest in continuing the conservatorship and I will join in any effort to terminate immediately ..."

Britney Spears wants to get married, buy a house and have kids ... but those plans are all on hold until the judge in her conservatorship case decides if it should end ... TMZ has learned.

Britney and Sam Asghari are engaged, but sources with direct knowledge tell us they have not made any wedding plans because of the impending court hearing. Ditto the prenup ... there's been no movement. And, TMZ broke the story ... they want to buy a house together, but that's on ice as well.

All signs point to the 13-year-long conservatorship coming to an end, but it's not guaranteed. The wild card -- whether the judge orders a mental evaluation. Britney, Jamie and others have urged the judge to end it without such an evaluation ... in fact, so far no one involved in the conservatorship has suggested otherwise.

Nevertheless, with 13 years of mental evaluations on file with the court, it's up to the judge whether to cut Britney free without another one. The judge has an easy out given the parties don't want it, but given the various diagnoses over the years, the judge may want to hear from psychiatrists and other doctors before making the decision.

As for all her plans, Britney is living her life ... hanging with Sam, going on vacation and posting stories about her life on social media.

Carole Baskin is putting her foot down over Netflix's sequel to 'Tiger King' -- insisting the producers and Netflix cut out all footage of her for their latest offering.

The big cat advocate -- who was heavily featured in the OG series last year -- just filed suit against producers of the mega-hit and the streaming giant itself, asking a judge to put the kibosh on footage of her and her Big Cat Rescue in the upcoming "Tiger King 2" project.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, all the new video of her that they're teasing in their trailer completely misrepresents reality ... namely, that she is NOT on board with this new project whatsoever.

Carole explains in her lawsuit that all this footage is just unused stuff that didn't make the cut for 'Tiger King' ... and argues that producers are simply rehashing/repackaging it to make it seem like she's given new interviews or insight.

That's not the case at all, so says Carole ... who claims she never realized she'd be portrayed as a villain in the original 'Tiger King' and thinks the whole series ended up undermining her true mission -- protecting big cats from folks like Joe Exotic.

As you well know by now ... a lot of the show focused on Carole's first husband, Don Lewis, who went missing years ago -- something for which Carole believes the docuseries made her seem responsible.

CB's rationale for suing is that the contract she signed to participate in the first series simply doesn't give producers a right to continue using the footage in the subsequent projects ... including this sequel.

Former Vine star and all-around influencer Hayes Grier will NOT be prosecuted for allegedly beating the crap out of a guy and jacking his phone.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors in North Carolina dismissed the case against Hayes, citing insufficient evidence.

In the docs, prosecutors from the Mecklenberg County District Attorney's Office say Hayes and the alleged victim were both intoxicated during the brawl and the only independent witness was going to testify that the alleged victim asked Hayes to fight.

Prosecutors also say they can't prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt because they couldn't determine the aggressor in the fight. That also goes for Hayes' influencer pal, Luke Foushee, who was also arrested and hit with 2 felonies. Both of those charges are dropped, too.

TMZ broke the story ... Hayes and Foushee were arrested back in July and charged with felony conspiracy and assault causing serious bodily injury. Hayes also got hit with a common law robbery charge.

As for the robbery charge against Hayes, prosecutors say the property was returned to the alleged victim, so prosecutors didn't think they had enough evidence to prove robbery.

Cops said the alleged victim suffered a broken left orbital bone (eyeball socket), bruised ribs, brain damage, loss of hearing and bleeding from the back of the head in the beatdown.

It might not be smooth sailing for Mark Zuckerberg in his quest to change Facebook's identity, because we've learned someone was already ahead of him in trying to grab the "Meta" trademark ... and they're willing to give it up to Zuck for a steep price.

Back in August, the founders of a company called Meta PC filed to trademark the word "Meta" for computers, laptops, tablets, software and more items relating to tech -- so, right in Facebook's wheelhouse.

The founders, Joe Darger and Zack Shutt, tell us they've been operating Meta PC for a little over a year, but recently filed docs to formally trademark their brand.

While Meta PC's trademark petition hasn't yet been granted, they still have a lead on Zuckerberg if he tries to claim it for his rebranded company. For that, Darger and Shutt tell us they're willing to give up their quest to lock the phrase down if Zuck will shell out $20 MILLION.

The cost might seem crazy, but the way Darger and Shutt see it, giving up the TM will require them to rebrand their entire company ... which, of course, will be super expensive.

Trademark or not, Meta PC has already reaped some of Facebook's announcement benefits -- they've seen a 5,000% increase in followers across their social media channels ... not too bad.

Ron Perlman is walking away from his marriage with one of Elon Musk's cars ... but his ex-wife is keeping the family home in their divorce.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the judge signed off on Ron and Opal Stone Perlman's divorce judgment, and his ex-wife gets to keep their massive property in Los Angeles.

Ron gets to keep a leased Tesla, and Opal is keeping a set of wheels too ... she gets a leased Mercedes-Benz.

Per the terms of the judgment, the 'Hellboy' star will pay Opal $12,500 per month in spousal support, plus 20% of his annual income between $52k and $1.5 million.

Dorit Kemsley says she and her family have stepped up security at their home since the scary home invasion that nearly cost her life -- but that home may be in their rearview soon.

We got the 'RHOBH' star Friday night with her husband, Paul, and some friends ... and she actually opened up a bit about the ordeal. Check out what she has to say -- it sounds like her family is taking immediate measures to make sure this never happens again.

Watch ... Dorit says they have since gotten a 24-hour security detail at their house, and that appears to be new -- because she tells us she was alone when this break-in occurred.

She also tells us that their children -- who were also in the house at the time -- were her top priority and the only thing on her mind. As for whether they'll move or not, she doesn't reveal her cards here, but later on ... her husband did.

PK says they, indeed, are considering getting the hell outta Dodge -- but wouldn't disclose where exactly they might be looking to move next. Probably safer that way, frankly. He also says there's no leads on the cops' side as for who might've pulled this heist off.

There's also this ... we asked Dorit if she felt posting online may have possibly contributed to her being targeted, and she says possibly. It seems like she'll be taking that into consideration going forward.

Alec Baldwin is speaking on the death of Halyna Hutchins for the first time on camera -- and he had a lot to say, including his doubts the film will ever finish.

The actor addressed a swarm of paps Saturday who were hounding him in Manchester, VT, where he and his family have been laying low since the fatal incident ... but have been getting followed around, including on the open road, where the Baldwin family literally pulled over to confront the photogs ... whom Alec says made his kids cry.

Alec came at them head-on with none other than his wife, Hilaria, at his side ... and they spoke their piece on where things stand, without divulging too much about the investigation.

Check out the video ... from the looks of it, the convo was pretty tense, albeit courteous. AB demands to know what the paparazzi wanted to know -- so that they could get off his back, and they sounded off one by one. On where things stand as the probe into this matter unfolds ... Alec said he couldn't discuss details, on orders of the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office.

He did say Halyna was his friend, and that he took her out to dinner upon arriving to shoot "Rust." Alec also characterized the crew as "well-oiled," noting the accident is obviously shocking and devastating to him. He also touched on how Halyna's family is doing ... saying they're mortified, but that he's in touch with them quite often. Ditto for the authorities.

One major takeaway from his interview is the fact Alec spoke on what should happen with firearms on movie sets going forward ... he fully supports tightening up safety measures, and possibly banning real guns/live ammo altogether, while acknowledging he isn't a pro on that.

It's interesting ... Alec asked an open-ended question that seems to show where his head's at as far as consequences -- wondering how many real guns and bullets have been fired on film/TV sets over the past several decades, mostly without incident. In his mind ... a lot.

Up until now, Baldwin has only spoken about the tragedy once in his own words -- but it was via Twitter, and not in the flesh.

Shortly after the shooting took place, he issued a since-deleted statement saying, "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours. I'm fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred."

He added, "I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna."

Baldwin has also been retweeting articles that dissolve him of responsibility -- noting he was simply handed a gun that he was told was "cold" ... and that he was only doing his job as an actor, relying on others to have properly checked it to make sure it was safe.

Those retweets, however, have also since been erased from his timeline -- it seems the guy figures saying less is best at this moment ... especially since a criminal investigation is still ongoing in New Mexico, and nobody has been ruled out for potentially being charged.

Alec touched base with Halyna's widowed husband, Matt, and their young son not too long after her death ... meeting them at a hotel in Santa Fe and embracing them. He looked as somber then as he did just recently while spotted out with his own family in New England.

You can see he's absolutely torn up about it ... just as he was on the actual day it happened, when he was photographed making calls on a nearby road and bawling his eyes out.

As you know by now ... how this all came to be is well-documented. Alec was rehearsing for a scene in a church on set, in which he was apparently going to be drawing his weapon for a gunslinging standoff of some sort.

While whipping the gun out, he pulled the trigger ... causing it to go off and fire a real bullet, which (for some reason) had been lodged inside prior to them starting work again. The bullet hit Halyna and director Joel Souza, who were standing close to Alec, near the camera equipment. Halyna was airlifted to a hospital, but succumbed to her injuries.

There appear to have been a number of slip-ups that led to this ... from the armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, seemingly not having thoroughly checked the weaponry -- not to mention the AD, David Halls, being the one who pawned it off ... prematurely proclaiming it to be safe.

Of course, we've also heard some crew member(s) took the gun off set at one point to screw around and do target practice. The biggest factors, though, are the fact that a real gun was being used, that live ammo was at play ... and that people were in the line of fire.

There is almost certainly going to be a wrongful death lawsuit filed -- among others, we imagine -- and it remains to be seen who exactly will be named as defendants.

Move over Danny Ocean, 'cause there's a new pair of thieves in town that are giving him a run for his money in the criminal world -- but their big score isn't a casino ... it's vino!!!

A man and woman posing as a couple made off with an incredibly rare bottle of French wine that's 215 years old ... and valued at $407,000. That's not all though -- they also got away with at least 6 other bottles from the 19th century, which are worth a pretty penny too.

Here's what happened ... the guy and gal -- whom are reported to have been English speakers, and acted "refined" -- visited the Atrio restaurant/hotel in Caceres, Spain ... a Michelin-starred place famous for its top-notch wine collection that they keep in a cellar.

They checked in at some point last week, deciding to dine in the attached eatery -- and, at one point, asked the front desk hotel clerk to serve them more food ... who then ran back to the kitchen, leaving security cameras unmonitored. That's when they made their hit.

Cops say the guy went down to their cellar and smuggled out 7 bottles, including the high-priced 1806 Chateau d'Yquem ... a dessert wine from the Sauternes district of Bordeaux. They checked out early Wednesday ... paying with a credit card, and leaving with a fat haul.

No word on how much exactly all 7 bottles are worth combined ... but it sounds like it might be well north of half a mill, at the very least. Folks there believe they were very much so professionals ... and pulling a heist on behalf of a wine collector of some sort.

Reason for the latter ... Atrio's owner says the $400k bottle is very well known on the market as their property, and it cannot be easily sold publicly without major flags being raised. So, either somebody wants it all for themselves, or is planning to sell it on the black market.

Robert Durst is looking worse for wear since being shipped off to a California prison facility -- and based on how he's looking here ... he ain't gonna be in a cell for a long while.

The recently-convicted NY real estate scion posed for his first mug shot Thursday while apparently in a hospital bed of some sort. In the photo, obtained by TMZ, you can see Durst with his face mask pulled down to his chin ... and him solemnly looking into the camera.

Obviously, he appears quite frail and ill ... as he has been for some time now, but this is especially bad. Remember, the guy is recovering from a COVID-19 diagnosis that came down some 2 weeks ago, which saw him have to be relegated to a ventilator for oxygen.

As for where Durst is now ... he's been transferred from the L.A. County jail system to the California Health Care Facility in Stockton -- which is part of the CA state prison system, and which takes in and attends to their most health-impaired inmates.

Durst was taken to Stockton on Wednesday.

Durst was found guilty of murdering his friend, Susan Berman, just a few weeks ago -- and was handed a life sentence as a result.

Berman's killing is believed to have been tied to the 1982 disappearance of his then-wife, Kathy, whom many believed was also offed by Durst ... albeit, he was never officially implicated, until last week.

It appears prosecutors think they finally have the goods to pin him to the crime -- 'cause they filed charges against him after all these years ... so that case will play out in the future.

Yasiel Puig has settled his sexual battery case after cutting a check to his accuser, TMZ Sports has learned.

We broke the story, a woman -- ID'd as Jane Roe in court docs -- alleged the former L.A. Dodgers star forced her into a bathroom while at a Lakers game at Staples Center in 2018 and was sexually inappropriate with her.

The woman claimed she did not know Puig before the incident ... and eventually sued him in 2020 over it all, asking for more than $50,000.

At the time, Puig denied any wrongdoing ... saying in a statement, "The fact is that I had consensual sex with a woman I met at a Lakers game after she propositioned me."

He continued, "Afterward, we talked about going out together, but she said she did not want her fiancé to find out. We messaged each other afterward and planned to get together again, but we never did. She's now suing me based on completely made-up allegations."

The two battled it out in court over the last year ... but sources tell us the sides settled this week after Puig paid the accuser an undisclosed amount.

Court documents confirmed the settlement.

We've reached out to Puig's attorneys for comment, but so far, no word back yet.

As for the accuser, her attorney, Vince Finaldi, tells us the case "has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties."

Puig, meanwhile, has been out of the MLB since 2019 ... when he last played for the Cleveland Indians.

Zayn Malik's family is stepping in to support the singer in his now very-public feud with Yolanda Hadid and the mother of his child, Gigi.

Malik's sister, Waliyha, posted a series of family photos, Zayn's statement denying the shoving allegation as well as a quote about karma on her Instagram Friday.

The quote reads, "Karma comes after everyone eventually. You can’t get away with screwing people over your whole life, I don’t care who you are. What goes around comes around. That’s how it works. Sooner or later the universe will serve you the revenge that you deserve."

While Waliyah doesn't say it specifically, it's easy to connect the dots and assume she's targeting the Hadids.

TMZ broke the story, Zayn pled no contest Wednesday to harassing Gigi, Yolanda and a security guard. Legal docs claim Zayn shoved Yolanda into a dresser during a nuclear argument at Zayn and Gigi's home in Pennsylvania.

The docs say Zayn called Yolanda a "f***ing Dutch slut," and ordered her to "stay away from [my] f***ing daughter" during the argument.

Jake Paul's proving revenge really is a dish best served cold ... 'cause after almost 2 years, he's finally responding to Gigi Hadid, brutally clapping back over the drama surrounding Zayn Malik and her family.

"Your 'rEsPeCtFuL KiNg' punched your mom in the face," Paul Tweeted on Friday.

Let's explain.

Jake's beef with the model started back at the Wilder vs. Fury II fight in 2020, when the YouTuber claimed the singer told him to "f*** off" for no reason, saying he almost had to "clap up" Malik.

Gigi defended her man at the time, writing, "Lol cause he doesn’t care to hang w you and your embarrassing crew of YouTube groupies ..? Home alone with his best friends like a respectful king cause he has me, sweetie. Unbothered by your irrelevant ugly ass. Go to bed"

While the feud seemed long over, Paul reignited the beef after Zayn recently got in a blowout fight with Gigi's mom, Yolanda Hadid ... who claimed the father of her granddaughter pushed her into a dresser.

We broke the story ... Malik pled no contest to 4 charges he criminally harassed Yolanda and a security guard. He must take an anger management class and domestic violence program ... and he was also given 360 days of probation.

Zayn denies getting physical with Yolanda.

Jake obviously saw the situation as a perfect opportunity to troll the hell out of Malik and Hadid ... using her own words against her.

Logan Paul even weighed in, clowning his bro with a simple Tweet.

Zayn Malik said Thursday his dispute with Yolanda Hadid was a "private matter," but we've learned it actually became a public matter, as in Zayn was charged with crimes against Gigi and Yolanda Hadid and ended up copping a plea.

Zayn was charged with 4 criminal offenses of harassment and, although one official doc says he pled guilty to one, court officials tell us he actually pled no contest.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Zayn was at Gigi and Zayn's Pennsylvania home on Sept. 29 and got into a nuclear argument. He allegedly called Yolanda a "f***ing Dutch slut," ordered her to "stay away from [my] f***ing daughter." He said this, although it's hard to know why, "the f***ing sperm that came out of [my] f***ing c***."

He then allegedly "shoved her [Yolanda] into a dresser causing mental anguish and physical pain." Zayn denies any physical contact.

As for the charge that he harassed Gigi, according to court docs, he screamed at her, "strap on some f***ing balls and defend your partner against your f***ing mother in my house." Sources with direct knowledge tell us Gigi was actually in Paris, but Zayn allegedly said this to her on a phone call during the incident.

There was a security guard on hand, and according to the docs, Zayn screamed, "Get the f*** out of my f***ing house, copper." The docs say Zayn tried to fight the guard.

Zayn pled no contest Wednesday to harassment and was fined, but with conditions. He's on 90 days probation for each count, totaling 360 days. He also must complete an anger management class and a domestic violence program. He must have no contact with Yolanda or the security guard.

Assuming all conditions are satisfied after 6 months, the judge could terminate probation.

As we reported, Zayn and Gigi broke up around the time of the incident. They share a 1-year-old daughter together.

We broke it all down in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast.

New York's former-Governor Andrew Cuomo isn't walking away clean from office ... he's now been hit with a criminal charge for alleged sexual misconduct.

Prosecutors in Albany, NY say the ex-Gov. has been charged with forcible touching, which is a Class A misdemeanor. The alleged victim is unknown, but this is the first criminal charge against Cuomo since he resigned in shame back in August.

You'll recall, NY's Attorney General Letitia James announced her investigation found the then Governor had sexually harassed several women -- mostly former and current staffers. The next day, Cuomo stepped down ... however he had not been charged with any crime.

For what it's worth ... if Cuomo were to be found guilty of forcible touching, he could face up to a year in jail or 3 years probation.

When he resigned, Cuomo tried to dismiss his behavior as a product of changing times -- claiming he'd just grown up in an era where his actions were commonplace. Almost no one bought that excuse.