Legal

Kim Kardashian can officially fling her graduation cap into the air and her law books into the trash ... 'cause she just completed her law program.

The reality television star celebrated the achievement in a backyard -- the only student in her law school class -- as two of her mentors lauded her with praise in videos posted by her sister Khloé.

One of them calls it "one of the most inspiring legal journeys we've ever seen" ... swearing Kim pulled herself up by her high heel straps -- no ivory tower shortcuts for her.

Diddy's former employee George Kaplan says part of his work as an executive assistant at Combs Enterprises called for him to set up hotel rooms for his boss ... complete with some staples for a "freak-off" -- like lube, baby oil and candles.

Kaplan testified Wednesday in Diddy's federal criminal trial in NYC, telling the jury he booked rooms for Diddy at hotels in New York, Miami and Los Angeles -- including at the InterContinental Hotel, where Diddy was later seen on video beating Cassie in March 2016 -- although Kaplan said he only worked for Diddy from 2013 to 2015.

He told jurors he would book rooms for Diddy using the alias Frank Black ... which he says was derived from one of The Notorious B.I.G.'s nicknames, Frank White.

SZA is sticking by her homegirl Megan Thee Stallion ... and telling Tory Lanez supporters to either get their man'z to file something in court or STFU!!!

The Diamond-selling R&B singer found herself in alignment with a post by social media legal influencer The Luncheon Lawyer on Tuesday ... which shades Tory's team for seeking public attention instead of alerting the government to the new evidence they've found.

SZA shamed all of Tory's delusional fans in the IG post ... "The density!!!!! I'm actually SO shocked at the amount of ppl fully comfortable bullying a woman that's proven to be a victim of assault ??! Like out loud where other ppl can see you ?? Lmao u finna be stupid OUTLOUD?”

Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as "The Punisher," tells us he's unsure why federal prosecutors called him as a witness in the Diddy trial ... because he says he never saw Diddy do anything that seemed illegal and thinks his testimony may have actually helped the defense.

"The Punisher" joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked him if prosecutors gave him any indication why they wanted to get him on the stand, because his testimony Tuesday left many people wondering how prosecutors thought it related to any of the charges against Diddy.

Hayes says he is still confused as to why his testimony was necessary ... telling us he let prosecutors know from the jump he didn't see anything that looked criminal during his sexual interactions with Diddy and Cassie.

Prosecutors are calling an expert witness in the Diddy trial, a clinical and forensic psychologist who is telling the jury about why victims stay in abusive relationships, how they cope, the obstacles they face in leaving, and how their memories are affected by trauma.

Dawn Hughes took the stand Wednesday morning as the 11th witness called by the feds.  Prosecutors are presenting her as an expert witness who specializes in trauma and traumatic stress.

Hughes told jurors it's quite common for victims to remain in abusive relationships ... explaining there's all sorts of mechanisms that make victims feel trapped, and it's not just reserved to physical violence.

Chris Brown is out on bail, fresh out of jail, "Breezy Bowl XX" dreaming -- his recent legal drama won't affect his tour stops!!!

Shortly after the R&B megastar was granted a hefty $6.7 million bail in London court stemming from a 2023 assault charge in the UK, Breezy let his 144 million Instagram followers know he was heading from "the cage to the stage" -- beginning on June 8!!!

Chris was charged with grievous bodily harm for allegedly beating music producer Abraham Diaw upside the head with a tequila bottle, and the situation was jeopardizing his jam-packed itinerary.

Federal prosecutors just dropped another document dump of evidence presented in court at Diddy's sex trafficking and racketeering trial -- and the pics give us a window into the music mogul's lavish and kinky lifestyle on Miami's Star Island.

As you know, Diddy lived in a huge mansion on the island -- and Homeland Security Investigations Agent Gerard Gannon testified Tuesday he was the head of the operation that conducted a raid on the property in March 2024. Gannon told the court the feds confiscated loaded assault rifles, sex toys and bottles of lubricant.

Now, the feds have publicly released a mountain of photos showing exactly what items the feds recovered from Diddy's sprawling estate -- which, by the way, is pretty darn high-end.

Meek Mill felt the need to go on "public record" about Diddy parties he's attended ... amid the spiraling allegations being flung around the Bad Boy mogul's federal sex trafficking case.

Speculation about Meek's involvement with Diddy has run rampant since he was linked in producer Lil Rodney's lawsuit last year ... which has since had several key complaints tossed out.

On Tuesday, Meek called all allegations an attack on his brand before flipping to his experience at Diddy parties ... he's claiming the craziest thing he's seen is "coke vibes."

Kevin Spacey's comparing his own plight to that legendary screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo ... and, it sounds like he's asking for some A-list assistance -- just like Trumbo got.

The actor accepted a lifetime achievement award from the Better World Fund Gala in Cannes Tuesday ... and, during his acceptance speech, he ruminated on the actions of film star Kirk Douglas.

Spacey reminds the audience that Douglas insisted upon Trumbo receiving a writing credit for 1960's "Spartacus" ... even though Trumbo was blacklisted by Hollywood for alleged Communist Party ties at the time.

Testimony continues Wednesday in Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in NYC, where Homeland Security Investigations Agent Gerard Gannon has taken the stand to continue Tuesday afternoon's questioning.

After some back-and-forth between attorneys regarding proceedings, prosecutors announced Mr. Mescudi -- AKA Kid Cudi -- will not testify Wednesday ... he's expected to take the stand Thursday.

As the hearing got underway, Gannon was asked on the stand by the prosecution about details of the 2024 raid on Diddy's mansion on Star Island in Miami -- pictures from the raid were released into evidence overnight depicting drugs, guns and bedroom items.

Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial is well into its second week in NYC ... and, more photos detailing Cassie's injuries have been entered into evidence -- capturing the brutal bruising she alleges Diddy caused.

The photos show Cassie sporting black, blue and yellow-green markings ... some on her thighs and upper arm.

In one pic, Cassie's rolling up her shorts ... showing an angry purple welt on the top of her thigh.

Nancy Mace shared a photo she claims shows her naked body in Congress ... right before accusing her ex of heinous crimes.

The congresswoman from South Carolina brought out an enlarged screengrab with a yellow circle around a silhouette during a House Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee meeting Tuesday about privacy and secret cameras.

Representative Mace explained she brought the image because she claims it's an example of the many photos and videos her ex-fiancé Patrick Bryant allegedly took of her without her consent.

Chris Brown can breathe a sigh of relief because he was just granted bail after his arrest for assault in the United Kingdom, TMZ has confirmed.

The R&B singer did not appear for a hearing in London's Southwark Crown Court Wednesday ... but a judge signed off on releasing him from jail, paving the way for him to begin his world tour in a few weeks.

The judge ordered Chris — who has not yet entered a plea -- to pay 5 million in British pounds as a security fee to the court, which translates to roughly $6.7 million in American dollars. We don't know the details of his bail conditions, but we'll update you once we get word.

Jimmy Clabots says he and other escorts were well aware of what went on in Diddy's bedroom for a long time ... and he's not surprised some of his ex-costars are now wrapped up in the trial.

Clabots, who appeared on "Gigolos" Seasons 1 and 2 as Jimmy Dior, tells us he was on hold a few times for Diddy, but was never ultimately booked.

He did, however, know other escorts at the agency who were ... and some of the guys told him they did see "chemicals" -- or drug use -- while others did not.

Prosecutors seemed to be getting more testimony geared towards the racketeering charge against Diddy in the seventh day of witnesses on the stand ... but there were still some outlandish stories told in court too.

The wildest testimony came courtesy of a male exotic dancer nicknamed "The Punisher" ... he told the jury about his first meetings with Cassie and Diddy and talked about a book he wrote about erectile dysfunction, "In Search of Freezer Meat."

The 'Punisher' had a lot to say about kinky sex ... but there wasn't a whole lot of meat on the bone when it came to the criminal charges ... even though we'll give him his due as a very entertaining character.

Frightening video shows the bomb going off outside a Palm Springs, California fertility clinic Saturday morning ... sending a fiery plume of smoke into the air.

TMZ obtained video ... nothing seems out of the ordinary on the sunshine-filled day, when all of a sudden a muffled blast goes off, followed by a tall puff of dark smoke aggressively shooting upward.

One person, the suspect, was killed in the explosion outside American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, with 4 injured.