Legal

'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Kandi Burruss and her ex-husband, Todd Tucker, have settled their divorce after months of bitter back and forth ... TMZ has learned.

Kandi and Todd informed the court of their deal on March 11, explaining they hashed out a full and final settlement ... this according to court docs, obtained by TMZ.

The court ordered Kandi and Todd to submit their settlement paperwork -- which covers child support and includes a parenting plan -- by next week.

There's a whole lot of legal drama in Dwight Howard's life these days ... we've learned the former NBA superstar is being sued for emotional distress and unpaid wages by someone claiming to be a former assistant ... in the midst of recently filing for divorce from his estranged wife, Amber Howard.

Us Weekly was first to break the news.

Here's the deets -- Terrence Hudson says he worked for the former NBA pro and Amber as a home security guard, domestic manager, and Dwight's personal assistant, from June 25, 2025 to October 8, 2025 ... this according to court documents obtained by TMZ.

Terrence says in the docs -- filed in December 2025 -- he agreed to $2,000 per week in pay, but claims he only received "inconsistent payments totaling $8,137.54" throughout his employment.

Rapper 42 Dugg is off the hook after he was charged with making malicious threats to a woman in Michigan ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, the “Grace” rapper -- real name Dion Hayes -- sent messages to the unnamed individual between November 12, 2024 and March 11, 2025 with intent to "terrorize, frighten, intimidate, threaten, harass, molest, annoy, or disturb" the individual.

Prosecutors say the alleged victim was pregnant with his child when the threats were made ... and claim he sent such messages with the intent of coercing her to get an abortion. It's unclear if any baby was brought to term.

Hayes was also accused of threatening physical harm against her family.

He pleaded not guilty during his January court appearance, according to court docs. Hayes faced 6 months in the clink and a $1,000 fine if found guilty.

Ray J says Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner are totally lying about having no involvement with the release of the infamous sex tape ... and they should be prosecuted for it.

The rapper tells TMZ ... Kim and Kris "completely lied about everything" in their declarations yesterday -- calling lying to the world, as he alleges they did, "the worst thing you can do."

Ray J claims he sat in a room with Kris and Kim, as well as executives from the company Vivid -- the sex tape's distributor -- to discuss a deal. Vivid has always maintained that it obtained the sex tape from a third party.

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Miranda McWhorter’s ex-husband Chase McWhorter is ready to fight prosecutors in court over accusations he drove on a suspended license months after being locked up for a DUI ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Chase entered a plea of not guilty to one misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle without insurance, and one infraction for driving without a license, after being pulled over by police in Utah on January 25, 2026.

As part of his plea, Chase requested that prosecutors produce copies of all 911 calls related to the matter and any communications between officers about the incident.

A couple of days before Chase entered his plea, the court issued a bench warrant for failing to show up for court.

Dwight Howard called the cops on his wife, Amber Howard, claiming she took off with several of his prized personal belongings ... including jewelry, his wedding ring, and even his phone.

In new 911 audio -- obtained by TMZ -- Howard is heard telling a dispatcher about an apparent theft at his Georgia mansion ... saying a "female" left the home with the items "in a gray Camaro."

Howard told the dispatcher he was no longer at the house because he had to leave to pick up his child.

Lauryn Hill allegedly owes a substantial six-figure sum in back taxes, more than a decade after she spent time behind bars over issues with the IRS ... but the legendary singer’s spokesperson tells us the entertainer is handling the matter.

According to official records, the New Jersey Division of Taxation filed two separate liens against the Grammy-award-winning entertainer. The first was over an unpaid debt totaling $133,246 ... and the second was over $758,912.02. Both liens remain active in the system.

"The Real Housewives of Pretoria" star Melany Viljoen is in a bit of hot water after she was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stealing from a Florida supermarket.

Boca Raton police say the South African reality star and her husband Petrus "Peet" Viljoen swiped more than $5K worth of groceries from a local Publix.

According to local outlets, the couple was booked after a traffic stop involving their black Range Rover -- which cops say was seen on surveillance video driving near the store.

Cops say Melany and Peet were caught on camera doing something called "ticket switching" ... meaning they would scan the barcodes of cheap groceries but bag the more expensive stuff.

The pair allegedly hit that one Publix location dozens of times since August 2025, failing to properly scan around 392 items -- things like wine, toilet paper and sparkling water -- according to police.

Police docs allege Melany swiped items at the self-checkout while her husband distracted the employees.

They were both charged with aggravated grand retail theft over $3,000 ... and arrest records say they're each being held on a $10K bond.

Mia Goth looked cool, calm and totally unbothered while out shopping in an equestrian shop in L.A. ... even as her estranged husband Shia LaBeouf remains tangled in a whirlwind of legal drama on the other side of the country.

The "Frankenstein" actress swung by a horse-riding supply shop in Los Angeles Wednesday ... looking in the zone as she tried on a new belt.

Mia didn’t show a hint of stress ... enjoying some quiet solo time ahead of the glam-packed Oscars weekend, where she’s expected to make appearances.

Gambino family crime boss John Gotti’s daughter Victoria is making a desperate plea to a New York judge to keep her fraudster son out of the clink ... 'cause he's planning to donate one of his kidneys to her.

In a lengthy letter submitted Wednesday to U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury, obtained by TMZ, the “Growing Up Gotti” star said her "Miracle Child" Carmine Agnello has stepped up to donate a kidney after she learned she has chronic kidney disease ... and she argues that undergoing such a procedure while in prison would be a major risk to his health.

Therefore, she is begging the judge to give Carmine probation for the $1.1 million COVID fraud he pleaded guilty to in 2024. ICYMI, Gotti's grandson admitted to fraudulently applying for three COVID relief loans for his business, Crown Auto Parts ... and the feds say he used $420,000 of the loan money to invest in a cryptocurrency business.

Travis Kelce's coming back for his 14th season with the Kansas City Chiefs ... but that's not his only gig for 2026 -- the NFL superstar is the new face of Six Flags!!

The amusement park company -- which joined forces with Cedar Fair in 2024 -- announced the three-time Super Bowl champ as it's newest ambassador on Thursday.

Kelce will take part in a bunch of digital content, social posts and "other fun surprises" ... somehow fitting this in with all his wedding planning and football prep.

Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kelli Ferrell is back in court with her ex-husband, Mark Ferrell, TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Kelli, who has primary custody of their three kids, claimed Mark is not up to date on his $3,991 per month in child support. 

Kelli claimed Mark failed to pay for January and February for a total of $7,982. The reality star said her ex had the ability to pay but willfully did not, “placing undue hardship on the minor children.” 

Mark has yet to respond to the case. 

3/12 11:18 AM PT -- The plaintiffs in the matter released a statement following the news of the settlement with Ohtani and his agent:

"After further discussions between the parties, we recognize there was a misunderstanding of what transpired during the development of this project, and we are therefore withdrawing our lawsuit," the statement said. "The misunderstanding was of a business nature that is not uncommon in complex real estate ventures, and all parties have reconciled. The parties are enthused to move forward in a positive and mutually beneficial manner. We are proud of our contributions to the development of this world class project and look forward to its completion.

Shohei Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, have settled their Hawaii real estate lawsuit ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Attorneys for both parties struck a deal to dismiss the case with prejudice ... saying they agreed to a settlement "of all claims and causes of action."

As we previously reported, the plaintiffs in the case claimed that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar and Balelo sabotaged a $240 million real estate venture they had agreed to enter.

It’s been a long, rocky road ... but Shia LaBeouf finally departed for Rome for a very personal moment ... his father’s baptism.

Check out the pic -- Shia stepped out of a car in a funky shirt on his way out. He looked surprisingly cool, calm, and collected, even though the trip wasn't exactly easy to pull off given all the recent drama swirling around him.

Quick reminder -- court docs show initially denied his request to leave New Orleans and travel March 1 to March 8 ... ordering him to stay put and continue substance abuse treatment.

Donna Motsinger's lawsuit against Bill Cosby is taking yet another dramatic turn ... Cosby wants to use evidence her son, Jeff, is an alcoholic with childhood trauma to undermine his testimony ... but Donna's lawyers say he can't do that!

In court papers, obtained by TMZ, Donna says that because Cosby has no expert to say that Jeff's "alcoholism or childhood trauma" is in any way related to Jeff's memory, any evidence of a drinking problem or history of trauma can't be used in the case to discredit his testimony.

As we reported ... Donna claims Cosby drugged and raped her in 1972 ... and pointed to Cosby admitting during a deposition that he obtained recreational prescriptions for Quaaludes that he secured from a gynecologist at a poker game.

Mickey Rourke says there’s a good reason he stopped paying rent at his L.A. apartment … claiming the place was plagued by rodents and other serious maintenance problems.

The famed actor tells TMZ ... "The reason I stopped paying rent was because the living conditions in the apartment had become unacceptable," adding the serious problems repeatedly went unaddressed for months, despite my efforts to have them fixed."

He goes on to say ... "There were ongoing rodent issues that required multiple visits but were never fully resolved, and the bathroom and plumbing frequently did not work." Mickey says he made repeated requests for repairs, but the problems persisted and "basic maintenance was never properly handled."