Legal

Singer D4vd has been officially charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas ... in addition to first degree murder with special circumstances -- which makes him eligible for the death penalty.

He's also been charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and mutilating a body.

The D.A. says the last time Celeste was seen was at D4vd's house ... never to be seen again. Her mutilated body was discovered in 2 bags in D4vd's Tesla.

Nathan Hochman says D4vd was lying in wait on April 23, 2025 ... and it appears that's when the D.A. says he killed her. He says another special circumstance was murder for financial gain. The financial gain was that Celeste was a "witness" to something -- presumably their sexual relationship -- and he would lose his career if she talked. The D.A. suggested Celeste threatened to go to police or go public regarding their sexual relationship, so he invited her over to kill her ... thus, the lying in wait.

LAPD Police Chief Jim McDonnell says there is evidence D4vd and Celeste had a sexual relationship.

Here's the booking photo D4vd snapped after being taken to jail following his arrest in the Celeste Rivas murder case.

The mug shot was shown to the media Monday before prosecutors and cops held a press conference to talk about the case.

D4vd was arrested Thursday afternoon ... over 7 months after Celeste's decomposing body was found in the trunk of his Tesla.

Kash Patel is suing a magazine and a journalist for defamation over a story claiming the FBI director has "alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences."

Patel filed suit Monday against The Atlantic and the woman who wrote the article, Sarah Fitzpatrick ... and he's going after them for $250 million in damages.

The story was published Friday with the headline "Kash Patel's Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job" ... and in Patel's lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, he takes issue with what he claims are "numerous false and defamatory statements of fact."

Katy Perry could be charged for her alleged sexual assault of Ruby Rose from 16 years ago if investigators find evidence of a crime ... prosecutors in Australia say there's no statute of limitations that prevents bringing the case.

As the world knows, Katy is under police investigation following Ruby's stunning claims the singer sexually assaulted her at a nightclub in Melbourne in 2010. We're told if police investigators find evidence of a crime, they can turn the case over to prosecutors, who can then bring charges against Katy.

Jacqueline Harris, a rep for the Office of Public Prosecution in Victoria, Australia, tells us ... "There is no statute of limitations on prosecuting indictable (serious) crimes in Victoria."
Harris went on ... "The law at the time the alleged offence was committed applies to criminal proceedings and sentencing for historical offences."

HGTV’s “Renovation Aloha” has landed in seriously hot water -- and this time it’s not about a botched remodel, but something far more sensitive … human remains.

The show is now under scrutiny after an episode allegedly featured ancient Native Hawaiian burial remains -- and state officials say that may have crossed a legal line, according to a report from Hawaii News Now.

The controversy traces back to December 2025, when hosts Kamohai Kalama and Tristyn Kalama were filming on a property in Hilo and came across skeletal remains inside a cave. Instead of that discovery staying behind the scenes, footage of the bones reportedly made it into the show -- triggering immediate concern once it aired.

Celeste Rivas' family wants justice for their slain teenager ... and, according to their attorney, D4vd's arrest makes them feel they're going to get it.

Patrick Steinfeld -- a lawyer for Rivas' family -- released a statement following the singer's arrest, explaining how the family plans to handle D4vd's possible upcoming court hearings.

Family members plan to exercise their rights under California's Victims' Bill of Rights -- better known as Marsy's Law -- to attend D4vd's arraignment if the D.A. chooses to charge him with murder. They will also attend any press conference the D.A. holds following the arraignment ... and will speak to the media after that. Steinfeld also shared an insight into how the family's feeling ...

Bam Margera wants to build a real relationship with his son ... something he's telling the court he can only do via joint legal custody.

The "Jackass" star filed court documents in Los Angeles Friday ... asking a judge to modify the current custody order for Bam's and Nicole Boyd's 9-year-old son, Phoenix Margera.

Margera says he currently only gets to see his son for four hours of supervised visits on Saturdays and Sundays. The two also connect on FaceTime up to 4 times a week.

Justin Baldoni is calling out Blake Lively's recent request to block talk about her net worth from their upcoming trial ... telling the New York judge all that is super important -- especially 'cause Blake brought her money into the drama in the first place!

In legal docs filed by the actor and director Friday, and obtained by TMZ ... he argues talking about all the dough Blake is rolling in is relevant because she alleged she's lost millions of bucks due to the alleged smear campaign she claims Justin leveraged against her. She claims she lost $161 million as a result of Justin dragging her name through the mud.

Justin doesn't just want Blake's financial status and income streams brought up in the trial -- he says it's important her hubby Ryan Reynolds' is discussed, too, because she "typically does not accept acting opportunities which conflict with Reynolds’ acting schedule – particularly when he is able to garner a higher income for his movies than she can."

Offset was just slapped with a federal lawsuit by a music producer who claims the rapper used his song on his solo album without first getting a deal in place ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, music producer Chase Dalton Rose aka ChaseTheMoney claimed Offset used his song “Worth It” on his second solo album, Set It Off, without an agreement in place with him.

The producer admits he worked on the song with Offset that would have allowed the rapper to record vocals over one of his songs, but said no agreement over compensation and transfer of rights was ever executed. He wants a full accounting and an order forcing Offset to fork over some of the money he made on the song.

Back in March 2025, Offset sued ChaseTheMoney, over the drama in federal court seeking a declaration from the court that Offset fulfilled his end of the deal with the producer.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney will file criminal charges against D4vd Monday, following his arrest for the alleged murder of Celeste Rivas ... sources connected to the case tell TMZ.

Monday is the deadline to either charge D4vd with a crime or release him from police custody ... and we're told they will do the former, after sources say the LAPD put the pressure on prosecutors.

D4vd was arrested Thursday in a huge show of force by the LAPD ... and Mark Geragos told us on the "2 Angry Men" podcast cops were fed up with the wait, and arrested D4vd to force prosecutors' hand.

The LAPD was frustrated at the L.A. County D.A. for not filing murder charges against singer D4vd for the death of Celeste Rivas ... so they literally took the law into their own hands, this according to sources connected to the case.

Mark Geragos, cohost of the "2 Angry Men" podcast, told Harvey he has spoken with people high up in the D.A.'s Office who say they were not ready to charge D4vd, but the LAPD was sick of waiting, believing there was more than enough evidence.

Geragos says the D.A. didn't have its ducks in a row and wanted more time, but the LAPD wanted to force the D.A.'s hand by making the arrest. If the D.A. doesn't file charges by Monday, authorities have to set D4vd free, which is not a great look for prosecutors. Geragos says the LAPD is banking on the D.A. filing charges quickly to avoid the embarrassment.

Tory Lanez is suing over a prison stabbing that put him in the hospital ... and he's seeking a whopping $100 million in damages.

The rapper just filed suit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, plus the warden and 50 corrections officers at California Correctional Institution (CCI) in Tehachapi, where he was stabbed.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Tory says he was stabbed 16 times by a fellow inmate wielding a shank in May 2025 and suffered permanent scarring to his face and two collapsed lungs.

Celeste Rivas's family is reportedly planning to release a statement through their attorney on Monday in reaction to D4vd being arrested 7 months after the 14-year-old's decomposing body was found in the trunk of his Tesla.

The family statement would be the first time the public hears from Celeste's loved ones since D4vd's Thursday arrest in Los Angeles.

Prosecutors have a Monday deadline to either charge D4vd with a crime or release him from police custody ... and, according to ABC7, an attorney representing Celeste's family says if the Los Angeles County District Attorney holds a press conference, Celeste's parents and sister will be there.

Diddy is doing OK in the slammer ... at least according to his son.

TMZ just got King Combs out in L.A. ... and he told us the disgraced music mogul was holding up just fine at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix in New Jersey -- and KC thanked fans for their support.

See for yourself ... we chopped it up with Diddy's son -- ironically with a police siren in the background -- and he made it clear ... he thinks it's time to "free pops."

D4vd's parents aren't surprised he's behind bars -- on suspicion of murdering Celeste Rivas -- but, they don't plan on giving up on their son .... TMZ has learned.

Kent Schaffer -- the Texas-based attorney representing Dawud Burke and Colleen Burke -- tells us D4vd's folks are, obviously, upset and sad for their son, but they were well aware this was a strong possibility. As we've reported, LAPD's viewed the singer as their suspect in the case for several months.

Schaffer says the Burkes didn't speak to D4vd after his arrest Thursday evening, but he's uncertain if they had a chance to do so on Friday.