Legal

Lyle Menendez was constantly injured during his early days in jail, his ex-wife says ... but, he kept a sense of humor through it all and never spilled on exactly what happened to him.

We spoke with Anna Eriksson -- Lyle's wife from 1996 to 2001 -- who tells TMZ she went to visit Lyle quite a bit when he was first incarcerated ... and, he was clearly suffering from a series of injuries when she saw him.

Eriksson says she once saw the white of his eye was blood-red ... and, another time he couldn't even walk properly. Anna says she sent Lyle new shoes but later noticed he was wearing some old ones she didn't recognize -- and, she believes the new ones were taken from him by force.

Erik Menendez owned his past by acknowledging he was a "spoiled brat" growing up, but things have radically changed.

Erik and Lyle Menendez were on TMZ's "2 Angry Men" podcast with Mark Geragos and Harvey Levin, and Harvey was blunt ... telling Erik when he covered their trial many years ago, his impression -- which was shared by many others -- was that they were spoiled brats.

Erik was clear ... guilty as charged, saying back then he thought he could mask his insecurities with expensive clothes and fancy cars. He went on to say measuring success by the stuff he acquired was ridiculous.

2:27 PM PT -- A spokesperson for Terrell Suggs tells TMZ Sports ... "Terrell is relieved that he can now put this unfortunate incident behind him. The safety and well-being of his family and himself have always been his top priority, and he is grateful that they are all safe. He appreciates the support and understanding from everyone during this time and he looks forward to moving forward."

Former NFL superstar Terrell Suggs pleaded guilty to a criminal charge on Thursday in his Starbucks threat case, TMZ Sports has learned.

The ex-Baltimore Ravens pass rusher appeared in a Maricopa County, AZ courtroom in a shirt and a tie -- and, after cutting a deal with prosecutors, he submitted a guilty plea to one count of disorderly conduct.

In exchange, officials agreed to drop the second charge of threatening or intimidating they had hit him with over a March 2024 incident at a local Starbucks.

Liam Payne's pal Roger Nores is still wrapping his head around being cleared of manslaughter charges tied to the singer's tragic drug-fueled death -- and the main thing he wants now is an apology from Liam’s dad, Geoff.

Roger appeared on "TMZ Live" Thursday, explaining that even though Liam’s dad is the reason he faced charges, he’s holding no grudges -- BUT for that defamation lawsuit to go away, Geoff needs to show some real remorse.

Roger tries to understand Geoff's actions, acknowledging to us that there's no greater loss than losing a child ... and how that feeling of responsibility could drive someone to blame others, even when they don’t have all the facts.

Blake Lively says she has people to corroborate her complaints against Justin Baldoni ... and, while JB and his team want them to reveal their names, there's one major reason they aren't -- they're terrified of receiving the same treatment as the A-list couple.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... it shouldn't come as a surprise that the two cast members from "It Ends with Us" who will testify in support of Blake are hiding their identities -- 'cause they don't want to deal with the abuse like Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, are receiving.

Our sources say Steve Sarowitz -- a partner in Wayfarer Studios -- allegedly comparing his retaliatory plan to Israel's campaign against Hamas, plus his willingness to empty coffers to take them down, would rattle anyone ... especially those just getting started in the industry!

As you know ... Blake filed an amended complaint earlier this week in which she said multiple people from the 'IEWU' set would come forward to corroborate her claims of sexual harassment against Justin Baldoni.

She didn't reveal their names ... and Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, blasted the whole complaint as hearsay -- from people who were "clearly no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims."

Baldoni’s camp tells TMZ … "Ms. Lively, Mr. Reynolds, and their paid representatives initiated this campaign which has severely impacted many private individuals, their livelihoods, and their families.

"Since they’ve yet to show any evidence and continue to blame others for the online vitriol resulting from their own actions, they are now speaking on behalf of alleged third parties who have not come forward themselves.

"Wayfarer, Justin, and their representatives have no ill will nor vendetta against anyone who speaks up in any circumstance and have first-hand experience with and empathy for the struggles of going against incredibly powerful individuals in pursuit of the truth."

Justin and Blake are both living their lives in spite of the growing legal fray ... with Justin cooling off in Hawaii, while Blake hit the Big Apple for the "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary special last weekend.

Ja Morant had more than $1 million worth of items taken from his home back in December ... with the Memphis Grizzlies superstar getting hit in the same burglary sting that affected Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Joe Burrow and more.

Local outlets report the 25-year-old guard was "Professional Athlete 6" named in the federal complaint that was unsealed earlier this week ... which stated valuables were jacked from the crib while Morant was at the FedExForum to play against the Golden State Warriors.

Morant had nine points that night ... with the Grizzlies beating the Dubs, 144-93.

Blake Lively's publicist says she shouldn't be a defendant in Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake because, despite Baldoni's claims to the contrary, she didn't start this public relations war.

Leslie Sloane -- owner of Vision PR -- filed a motion to dismiss herself and her company from the civil lawsuit JB's team filed against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, Thursday ... claiming there's no factual basis that she started a PR war against Baldoni.

Sloane claims Baldoni's amended complaint provides no evidence to back up this claim. In addition, she points to text messages Blake obtained last year ... in which Jennifer Abel -- part of the Baldoni PR machine -- allegedly wrote she wanted to "plant pieces this week of how horrible Blake is to work with."

Xzibit's estranged wife is back in court claiming she's still experiencing extreme financial hardships since they split in 2021 ... and now she's asking the judge to force the rapper to fork over more money to get back to the luxury life she once had.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained court docs obtained by X's ex, Krista Joiner, on Thursday, hoping to modify her existing spousal support from the West Coast rapper after she says her lifestyle has been downgraded.

According to Krista, she and the 12-year-old son she shares with Xzibit had to move out of the 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom home they were renting for $10K a month ... and she doesn't have the means to buy herself or son designer clothes.

2/21 6:45 AM -- Weston Cage's attorney tells TMZ in response to the lawsuit ... "Ms. Fulton’s decision to file a lawsuit against her own son is not surprising given her past history of litigation against family members.

He continues in the statement, "It appears to be nothing short of a money grab and call for attention. Ms. Fulton correctly advised the responding LAPD officers that her son was in the midst of a mental health crisis at the time of this incident. We will deal with this appropriately, and in a courtroom."

Nicolas Cage is far from Father of the Year in the eyes of his ex, as Christina Fulton is now suing him for fueling their son's violent tendencies ... which she believes led to him attacking her.

Christina filed the suit against Nic and their son Weston Cage over Weston's brutal alleged beating of his mother in L.A. last April. As you might expect, she's suing Weston for assault, battery, negligence and infliction of emotional distress -- but the legal twist here is she also thinks Nic's negligence played a big role in the abusive incident.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, she says Nic was well aware of Weston's history of mental and psychological disorders ... but instead of addressing it, the actor enabled it. Christina claims Nic gave Weston financial support, bailed him out of jail multiple times, but never pushed him into getting any professional help.

A$AP Relli broke his silence for the first time since his ex-pal A$AP Rocky was found not guilty Tuesday ... by posting an IG story and telling his haters to shove it!!!

There's a push for the D.A. to go after Relli for alleged perjury after his testimony was rejected by the jury -- but he says he's not bothered!!!

"Gossiping is a form of entertainment for people who have no meaningful goals or purpose in life, hate me, bring shame to my name, say bad things about me, I don't care. Your existence doesn't add any value in my life." 🙏🏾

Taylor Swift might be more involved in the creative process for "It Ends With Us" than people around her claim -- or so the Internet says, thanks to videos that have been dug up.

A bunch of clips from the film’s 2024 promo tour are making the rounds online, seemingly proving Swift's involvement -- and one standout includes Justin Baldoni gushing about how Taylor gave a thumbs up to his casting of Isabela Ferrer, who plays young Lily Bloom.

Justin explained he showed Isabela's casting tape to both Blake and Taylor -- and just like that, they instantly knew she was the one.

The world is A$AP Rocky’s oyster after being acquitted of assault charges ... and he's using his free time wisely -- with a shopping spree, of course!

The rapper was chill and grinning in Beverly Hills Wednesday, splurging on some high-end designers -- and with Rihanna's birthday today, looks like he’s loading up on a luxe haul for her.

RiRi’s hitting the big 3-7 today, and judging by how A$AP jumped right into her arms when his verdict came through earlier this week, it’s clear she’s his ultimate queen. No surprise here -- looks like he'll definitely be all about spoiling his partner and the mother of their two sons with some serious gifts.

Former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexual assault for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent after winning the 2023 World Cup.

Prosecutors wanted Rubiales behind bars for the incident ... but he was ultimately ordered to pay a fine of over $10,434, must stay at least 656 feet away from Hermoso and is banned from communicating with her for one year.

If convicted under Spain's new (2022) consent laws, Rubiales could have faced between one and four years behind bars.

Liam Payne's friend Roger Nores is off the hook in the criminal case of the One Direction singer's drug-fueled death in Argentina, TMZ has confirmed.

Prosecutors originally charged Nores with manslaughter for allegedly abandoning Liam just prior to the star plunging to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aries last October, while he was under the influence of alcohol and narcotics.

But, on Wednesday, the judges dropped the manslaughter charge against Nores and two hotel workers after the court ruled there was nothing the trio could have done to save Liam.

Brandon Hantz -- a veteran of the "Survivor" universe -- has been arrested on charges of racketeering conspiracy and arson ... while several of his alleged associates are facing murder charges.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas unsealed a 22-count indictment Wednesday charging Hantz and 13 others with a variety of crimes ... alleging they're all members or associates of the Bandidos motorcycle gang in the state.

According to prosecutors, the Bandidos are engaged in a turf war with a rival gang -- B*EAST ... and, the Bandidos allegedly put out a "smash on site" order against their rival, which means members are instructed to assault and even murder members of B*EAST.

Artem Chigvintsev says getting arrested for domestic violence "completely ruined" his life ... and, it's especially unfair 'cause the district attorney couldn't even charge him, he says.

The professional dancer talked about the incident on the "Glamorous Grind" podcast Tuesday ... and, he says that any way you cut it, his life was ruined by the arrest.

According to AC, he doubled down on what prosecutors decided back in September -- no criminal charges. Artem reiterated the Napa County D.A. found nothing they could charge him with ... but by then, the damage was already done.

As we've reported, Artem said his bank account took a huge hit -- losing $100,000 in income after the arrest due to lost dancing gigs.

Artem and Nikki Bella, who met as partners on "Dancing with the Stars" in 2017, were able to hammer out a divorce settlement after going to mediation last November -- a few months after Nikki filed for divorce following his DV arrest in August.

When asked on the podcast why he didn't take things to trial to clear his name, Artem explained he just wanted everything to be over, move on emotionally and financially, and get back to living his life.