Legal

Kid Cudi says he hated every minute of his time on the witness stand in Diddy's federal criminal trial ... but he ultimately went through with testifying because he wanted to support his ex, Cassie Ventura.

The rapper reflected on his experience with the Diddy case on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, telling host Alex Cooper he only testified because he was subpoenaed.

Cudi says he told the feds no a couple times, but they forced his hand ... and he explained why he ditched a suit and tie in favor of a more casual outfit when it came time to testify.

A crisis PR firm in Texas working for Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios in their war against Blake Lively asked for more money to battle on his behalf ... and it looks like at least some of the price was because of Blake's former bestie Taylor Swift and her legion of fans.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, someone from Justin's team asked for a $30K fee to deal with possible online blowback from Swifties.

An exhibit filed in the Baldoni-Lively case is an email among PR execs on Baldoni's side ... it's from August 7, 2024 and it lays out their game plan.

Drake firmly believes that Universal Music Group boss Lucian Grainge may have signed off on Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" with the knowledge the "pedophile" lyrics would damage his brand -- and Drake wants the judge to force UMG to hand over any documents that could prove his hunch!!!

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Drake and his legal team filed a letter motion asking the court to compel UMG to produce any evidence related to Lucian Grainge's role in approving the label's release of the mega-hit.

Since its release, "Not Like Us" has won several Grammys, secured sales and stream milestones, and even got the spotlight at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, where Kendrick performed this year.

Wendy Williams' medical evaluation is complete -- but her court-appointed guardian Sabrina E. Morrissey is asking to pause the ongoing litigation with A&E over their 2024 documentary to let the guardianship court make a call on whether, or how, the guardianship will continue.

In an August 5 filing, obtained by TMZ ... Morrissey says the evaluation is complete and "medical specialists have formed an opinion concerning [Wendy's] current neurological condition and diagnosis, including whether she has the ability to make decisions" about the A&E litigation over the network's doc, "Where Is Wendy Williams?"

Morrissey says the opinion was cemented following a significant number of medical and neuropsychological test and scans, which included brain imaging.

"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" star Katrina Law is pulling the plug on her marriage to Keith Andreen -- filing for divorce after 12 years, TMZ has learned.

According to docs obtained by TMZ, Katrina lists July 7 as the split date, cites irreconcilable differences, and wants to block the court's ability to award spousal support to either side.

She’s asking for joint legal custody of their 6-year-old daughter, but wants primary physical custody -- with Keith getting visitation.

It may be a pirate's life for Johnny Depp ... because one of the most powerful men in Hollywood thinks the actor would be open to returning to the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise.

Mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer just revealed Johnny seems open to reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in a sixth 'Pirates' flick ... on one condition.

Bruckheimer told Entertainment Weekly he's talked to Johnny about a new 'Pirates' movie and says, "If he likes the way the part's written, I think he would do it. It's all about what's on the page, as we all know."

Taylor Swift looks like she has big plans related to her new album ... her company has filed a trademark covering just about everything under the sun tied to its title.

Swift's management group, TAS Rights Management LLC, filed docs to lock up the rights to "TLOAS" Monday evening ... just hours before the pop star made her bombshell announcement about her upcoming album, "The Life of a Showgirl."

According to the new trademark filing -- obtained by TMZ -- Taylor's company is apparently trying to corner the market in everything having to do with her music ... from recordings to things like musical instruments, guitar picks and wireless speakers.

Shohei Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, have been sued ... after they allegedly screwed over some real estate business moguls in Hawaii -- costing them a fortune.

The lawsuit was filed in Hawaii Circuit Court last week ... and in it, the case's plaintiffs, Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and Tomoko Matsumoto, claim Ohtani and Balelo sabotaged a $240 million real estate venture they had all entered into.

According to the suit -- which TMZ Sports obtained on Tuesday -- Hayes Sr., a developer, and Matsumoto, a real estate broker, had gotten involved in a luxury housing project on the Big Island ... and brought Ohtani in to help promote it.

Sean Kingston's begging the judge in his federal wire fraud case for some home cooking ... as in, the singer wants to serve his prison sentence from the comfort of home.

Kingston and his attorney filed docs Tuesday asking the court to give him 2 to 2.5 years when he's sentenced this Friday, Aug. 15. They acknowledge official guidelines call for a sentence of 5 to 6 years, but they're hoping for a discount due to the fact Sean's never done time before, and has done a bunch of good deeds in his community.

According to the docs, Sean's organized toy drives, fed the unhoused and gathered clothing for the needy. They include several photos of him performing the charitable work. As his lawyer put it, "He did not just donate money, he rolled up his sleeves and served countless dinners to those in need."

Looks like Sean Avery and Hilary Rhoda are skating on smooth ice ... 'cause the former NHL player just filed to have his wife's restraining order against him dropped and seemingly confirmed they're back together.

In a Monday court filing in Los Angeles obtained by TMZ, Avery requested the RO -- set to expire on Sept. 11 -- be terminated ... reasoning "mom and dad have reconciled" and that "Hilary and Sean have been living together for over a year."

You may remember ... the model filed for divorce from Avery back in July 2022, citing "irreconcilable differences."

Piers Morgan is throwing in the white towel ... after calling Jake Paul's fights "boring, staged bulls***," and prompting "The Problem Child" to hire an attorney, the media personality has clarified his comment online.

"What I meant is that his fights have been predominantly against older, past-their-prime opponents, which may be lucrative for both sides, and may have entertainment value, but don’t reveal how he stacks up against currently ranked boxers and therefore are not a good look for the sport."

Morgan continued on X ... "I did not intend to suggest that the outcome was predetermined and certainly didn’t mean to suggest anything illegal."

Bryan Kohberger left behind a devastating murder scene after killing four University of Idaho students ... and, police have released some of the harrowing images.

The Moscow Police Department dropped a series of photos that likely would've come out during trial had Kohberger not pled guilty ... with the first capturing a pair of handprints pressed into a window back in November 2022.

The two prints are tinged with frost ... standing out starkly from the rest of the crystal clear glass. Unclear if they were made on the inside or outside of the building.

Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers found some more mud to sling ... Denise says she caught her estranged husband red-handed stealing her laptop.

The estranged couple had their lawyers duke it out in court Friday as part of a hearing for the temporary restraining order Denise has against Aaron ... and Denise's camp claimed they have security footage of Aaron running away from her home with her computer in hand.

Denise has claimed Aaron stole a laptop containing her nude photos ... but Aaron's denied it. His lawyers said Friday he doesn't have the laptop -- but her attorneys shot back with their claim that they have him on video with the laptop.

Baby oil and Astroglide were a big part of the government's case against Sean "Diddy" Combs ... but his lawyer used federal prosecutors' obsession with Diddy's personal lubricants against them ... and he tells us the moment he knew the jury was buying what he was selling.

Attorney Marc Agnifilo joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked him if he mocked the baby oil and Astroglide elements of the case as a way to diminish the prosecution.

Agnifilo had been making light of the baby oil aspect since September 2024, when the feds started crowing in their federal indictment and ensuing press conference about finding 1,000 bottles of lubricant in raids on Diddy's homes ... and now the endgame is clear.

The Menendez brothers are making a last-ditch effort to get a new trial, and none of what they've presented is compelling enough to get them one ... so says the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

The D.A.'s Office filed a 132-page response to the writ of habeas corpus submitted on behalf of Erik and Lyle, in which the office ripped into their attempt to get a new trial based on two pieces of what they call "new evidence" in the case.

The D.A.'s argument is focused on the premeditated nature of the murders ... writing, "There are few murder cases in which the evidence of planning and premeditation is as stark as that presented in this case."

Diddy will probably be sentenced to confinement for 1 to 3 years, and his lawyer may ask the judge to let him do the time at his home.

Marc Agnifilo -- the lead lawyer on Diddy's legal team -- tells us Diddy needs and wants therapy for both anger issues and substance abuse ... but says prisons aren't equipped to provide optimal help in those areas.

Harvey asked Agnifilo squarely -- will he ask the judge to place his client on home confinement rather than prison when he is sentenced, and he said that's on the table.