Legal

The Pima County Sheriff's Department canned one of its deputies after he was arrested on a kidnapping charge ... according to KOLD-TV.

The deputy, Travis Reynolds, was booked by the Tucson Police Department Thursday ... and he was in court Friday, where the judge set his bond at $200K.

Prosecutors claim a female victim told authorities she was afraid of the deputy because of the "power dynamic" between the two of them after Reynolds allegedly called her "hot" and shared a vape pen with her while transporting the woman to Pima County Jail in Arizona.

Dr. Henry C. Lee -- a renowned forensic scientist whose testimony for the defense is credited with helping a jury acquit O.J. Simpson in the world-famous double-murder trial in 1995 -- died today at his home in Henderson, Nevada. He was 87.

Among other high-profile cases, Lee worked on the JonBenét Ramsey murder investigation in the 1990s, the Laci Peterson case in the early 2000s, as well as the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. He also assisted the forensics investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Denise Richards' estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, is now on the hook for a hefty sum after failing to respond to a lawsuit ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted a default judgment in the amount of approximately $160K against Aaron.

The case was brought by a widower named Rupert Perry, who says he lost his wife, Elina Katsioula-Beall, in May 2024 following a battle with sarcoma cancer.

Rupert filed a lawsuit against Aaron for alleged fraud and breach of contract in November 2024, claiming Elina met Aaron -- who was running a wellness center at the time -- in June 2023 when her normal cancer treatments were not working.

"Looksmaxxing" streamer Clavicular is jailmaxxing in Florida because law enforcement says he instigated a fight between two women on his stream.

Clavicular -- government name Braden Eric Peters -- was arrested Thursday on a warrant out of Osceola County and hit with a misdemeanor battery charge ... and we've got new details on the reason behind the arrest.

The Osceola County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... deputies responded to a call for an alleged battery at an Airbnb near Kissimmee on Feb. 2 and were met by a 19-year-old woman who told deputies she had been battered by 24-year-old Violet Marie Lentz during a physical altercation inside a residence rented by Clavicular.

Kim Kardashian and Ray J hashed out a secret settlement in 2023 that prohibited either from dishing about their infamous sex tape -- and TMZ obtained a copy of the agreement.

Kim and Kris submitted the deal executed by the mother-daughter duo, along with Ray J and his mother, Sonja Norwood, in April 2023.

The deal was titled “Confidential Settlement Agreement and Mutual General Release.”

“The parties have agreed to enter this agreement addressing all past, current, or future claims, disputes, causes of action, defenses, and alleged losses, including without limitation, all claims and defenses arising out of or concerning the subject matter of the sex tape.”

A photographer who took pictures of JonBenét Ramsey just months before she was found dead in her Colorado home won a big legal victory ... as the Oregon State Supreme Court overturned his child sex conviction.

Here's the deal ... Randall D. Simons was arrested in November 2019 after cops accused him of "regularly accessing images of child pornography" on a public Wi-Fi network at a local A&W restaurant, according to local reports. He was convicted in 2021 on 15 counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse.

Simons took his case to the state supreme court ... which found the police's year-long investigation of him violated his right to privacy under the Oregon State Constitution.

'Looksmaxxing' streamer Clavicular is now jailmaxxing in Florida ... after getting arrested for battery in Fort Lauderdale.

According to jail records, Clavicular -- real name Braden Eric Peters -- was arrested Thursday night on a warrant out of Osceola County and hit with a misdemeanor battery charge.

The 20-year-old posed for a stone-faced mugshot ... staring blankly into the camera. Records list him at 6'1", 170 pounds ... with a bond set at $1,000.

Michael Jordan is back in the spotlight for something he's no stranger to -- winning.

His Airness is opening up about his legal war with NASCAR and didn’t hold back in a sit-down interview on Friday with CBS’ Gayle King … admitting his lawsuit against the racing giant wasn’t just business -- it was personal.

“100%,” Jordan said when asked if his intention was to shake up the sport.

The NBA legend -- now co-owner of 23XI Racing -- explained that once he got deeper into NASCAR, he didn’t like what he saw ... particularly when it came to how the people “putting on the show” were treated compared to those at the top.

Pete Hegseth blocked the promotion of four diverse Army officers to the rank of One-Star General ... according to a New York Times report.

NYT -- citing current and former senior military officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity -- reports two of the officers targeted by the Secretary of War are Black, and two are women.

Secretary Hegseth had reportedly been trying to convince military officials -- including Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll -- to remove the officers' names for months ... before ultimately just unilaterally making the decision.

10:25 AM PT -- The University of Alabama issued a statement on Friday about Aden Holloway after he was granted permission to travel outside the state this weekend.

"Nothing has changed with regard to Aden's status with the team.”

Alabama hooper Aden Holloway just got a green light from a judge … but don’t expect him to magically reappear on the court Friday night.

TMZ Sports has obtained court documents that show Holloway asked for -- and received -- permission to leave the state of Alabama after his recent arrest on felony marijuana charges. Because of his bond conditions, he needed approval just to travel … and a judge signed off Friday morning.

The plan? Head to Chicago and return Monday -- right as Alabama gears up for its Sweet 16 matchup with Michigan in a matter of hours … and a possible Elite Eight game if the Crimson Tide advances.

A man authorities believe is at the center of a disturbing viral video showing a pit bull being violently attacked has turned himself in ... and cops say the backlash was so intense it nearly overwhelmed their department.

According to cops, Michael Gerchy surrendered Friday at Connecticut's Glastonbury Police Department on two active warrants -- one for animal cruelty and another for violating a protective order.

Authorities say the investigation kicked off on March 12, when officers first caught wind of a shocking video circulating online that allegedly showed Gerchy assaulting one of his own dogs at a residence in Glastonbury.

Britney Spears has major beef with an ex-bodyguard who allegedly hacked into her personal devices and Apple iCloud account ... and now she's threatening legal action.

The singer’s lawyer fired off a cease-and-desist letter, obtained by TMZ, to Thomas Bunbury ... who she claims gained access to her devices and iCloud account without her authorization or consent.

In the letter, dated last month, Brit says Bunbury's allegedly violating a bunch of state and federal laws ... and she's threatening to report him to law enforcement and press charges.

Another batch of domestic violence allegations against Taylor Frankie Paul has made it to a district attorney's desk ... and they're weighing their options.

Draper Police Chief Rich Ferguson tells TMZ ... the City Prosecutor has submitted the case to the Salt Lake County District Attorney for evaluation ... this is regarding the alleged February incident in which TFP is accused of choking Dakota Mortensen and ripping a necklace off his neck.

According to Ferguson, the D.A. will determine if any charges will be filed ... but even if the D.A. doesn't file charges, the City Prosecutor could still decide to bring forth more legal action in the case.

OJ da Juiceman's reps are rushing to his defense after what they say was an unjust arrest ... which led to a "serious medical emergency."

OJ's management tells TMZ ... "While in custody, OJ suffered a serious medical episode related to his Type 1 diabetes on March 21 and required emergency treatment at Grady Memorial Hospital. His health and safety should never have been put at risk in this way."

As we reported ... the trap rapper was arrested March 15 by the Georgia State Patrol and slapped with 10 charges ... after a trooper claimed OJ passed him on the interstate and pointed a gun at him multiple times.

Months after a woman hit Paul Pierce with a paternity lawsuit ... she is now asking a court to make the NBA great pony up nearly $30K a month in child support.

In court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, Princess Santiago claims Paul is the father of her newborn and is asking the judge to award her sole legal and physical custody, monthly child support in the amount of $29,811 and another $100K for her legal bills. She is also again requesting genetic testing to confirm that Paul is, in fact, the daddy.

On top of that, she wants Paul to pay one-half of all "reasonable expenses" relating to her pregnancy, birth, and post-birth expenses -- which she says totals $18,846.

The legal battle between Justin Baldoni’s team and his former publicist Stephanie Jones is heating up, with a federal judge ruling Baldoni's production company's claim of defamation can move forward ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, a federal judge ruled the defamation claims filed by Wayfarer against Stephanie can proceed.

Wayfarer claimed Stephanie made statements to persons -- including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Blake’s publicist Leslie Sloane -- that Wayfarer had retaliated against Blake and others for reporting alleged sexual misconduct and spearheaded a smear campaign against her.