Legal

Chris Brown's former housekeeper is fighting his effort to block any talk about his arrest for assaulting Rihanna at their upcoming trial ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Maria Avila -- who is suing the singer after she claims he should be held responsible for her being mauled by a dog at his L.A. home in 2020 -- asked a judge not to limit evidence being introduced about Chris' past domestic violence or assault allegations.

Maria -- who is seeking $90 million in damages -- pointed out that Chris pled guilty to felony assault in connection with a domestic violence dispute involving Rihanna in 2009.

Looks like James Comey's facing another indictment ... seven months after his last one. Two sources familiar tell CNN that Donald Trump's Justice Department has indicted the former FBI director once again.

This new investigation is in connection with Comey's Instagram post from last year ... the one-time Trump official was accused of making threats against his ex-boss. Comey posted a photograph of seashells arranged on beach sand spelling out "8647" ... which some officials accuse him of covertly, or not so covertly, saying he wanted Trump -- who's the 47th American president -- removed from office, perhaps violently.

In hospitality/restaurant shorthand, to "86" someone is to throw them out of a location -- usually a bar or restaurant. It also means the restaurant has run out of a menu item. But "86" could also be taken to have more violent connotations ... and Comey deleted the post shortly after the accusations of a threat on Trump's life.

The last time this happened ... the ex-FBI boss was interviewed by the Secret Service, and the case was quietly dropped in May last year.

An Illinois woman has pleaded guilty after shelling out thousands to bankroll some of the most disturbing online content imaginable -- so-called "animal crush" videos.

Prosecutors say footage she procured shows real monkeys being burned alive, mutilated, and subjected to horrific abuse. Amanda Leigh Fourez admitted in federal court on April 15 she helped make it happen.

ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said Fourez admitted she was deep in online chat groups and private payment rings built around creating, sharing, and discussing these violent, sexualized videos ... all for a niche -- but deeply deranged -- audience.

Kirsten Storms' ex-husband Brandon Barash claims the soap star is exhibiting concerning behavior and he fears for their daughter's well-being, and now a judge agrees she is suffering from a mental health crisis ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Brandon pleaded for an emergency restraining order against Kirsten, and got it approved.

Brandon -- who also starred on "General Hospital" -- said following their divorce, they moved separately to Tennessee. He said Kirsten's landlord sued her for eviction, and "instability with housing has been a recurring theme" for his ex.

Offset claims the security guard suing him for assault provoked the fight that went down at a L.A. weed shop ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the Migos member denied all allegations of wrongdoing in the case brought by a security guard named Jim Sanchez.

Offset claims he's not responsible for any alleged damages and is asking for the entire lawsuit to be tossed.

"Love Island USA" star Huda Mustafa is allegedly evading being served a restraining order petition filed by her boyfriend's baby mama ... TMZ has learned. A rep for Huda adamantly denies the claim.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, lawyers for Nicole Olivera -- who has a child with Huda's boyfriend Louis Russell -- claim they're having trouble getting the legal docs effectively served on Huda.

According to the filing, Nicole hired a process server to try to serve Huda at her luxury condo in North Carolina. The lawyer says the process server was told by security to leave and not come back, and he says the guard threatened to call the police if the man didn't leave.

In the docs, Nicole's attorney says she believes Huda is "actively evading service" to avoid the court battle. Huda's rep tells TMZ, “Huda is not evading service, and any suggestion otherwise is inaccurate. No attempt has been made to serve her while she has been present at her residence, with attempts instead occurring while she has been away working on music for her upcoming rollout."

The rep added, "She will address any legal matters through the proper and the mature way — via her legal team.”

John Branca is all smiles over the "Michael" biopic -- especially when it comes to Miles Teller playing ... well, him.

We caught Branca in L.A. Monday and he couldn't stop hyping Miles -- calling him a great actor and basically gushing over his performance in the film, which Branca also produced.

Check the clip ... he also shows love to Jaafar Jackson, who steps into the King of Pop's shoes for the role.

Taylor Frankie Paul's attempt to shut the public out of her legal war with Dakota Mortensen just got rejected in court.

On Monday, a judge denied Taylor's request to seal Thursday's upcoming protective order hearing and keep the media out ... making it clear her case will be treated like any other case -- despite the massive public attention surrounding the former couple.

During Monday's status conference, Taylor's attorney, Eric Swinyard, argued the hearing set for Thursday will be far more substantive than previous proceedings and will dive into serious allegations made by both sides.

Joseph Duggar's wife Kendra is back in court over her own criminal case ... and she just scored a major legal win after getting a no-contact order lifted.

According to new court docs obtained by TMZ, Kendra's attorney, Travis W. Story, filed an entry of appearance on her behalf last week and entered a not guilty plea to charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and false imprisonment.

Her legal team also asked the court to dissolve a no-contact order that had been put in place on March 20 ... arguing the alleged victims wanted contact with Kendra restored, that she had complied with all conditions of the order, and that continued restrictions were preventing important third-party evaluations tied to the case.

"The Challenge" star CT Tamburello's divorce from OnlyFans superstar Catalina White has hit a roadblock due to him being overseas filming a reality show ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ ... CT and Catalina are negotiating a settlement. The parties say the deal is in "its final stages" but add that CT is currently filing and reality show and has "very limited contact with his counsel."

The court docs note both parties expect the settlement to be finalized soon, but the parties are asking for a short extension on filing certain financial docs so they can get it done.

Taylor Swift is making sure A.I. doesn't turn her into its next puppet ... because, according to docs obtained by TMZ, she's quietly locked down some very specific trademarks aimed at making sure any digital copycats of her voice and image are "CANCELLED!"

According to new trademark filings submitted last Friday, Taylor is seeking federal protection for two phrases tied directly to her voice: "Hey, it's Taylor Swift" and "Hey, it's Taylor." The filings fall under the rare "sound mark" category -- the same trademark lane used for recognizable audio cues ... like Netflix's "tu-dum" and NBC's iconic chimes.

Taylor's legal team appears to be on their "Vigilante S***" preparing for the growing wave of A.I.-generated songs, videos, and deepfakes that mimic celebrities without permission. By trademarking phrases tied to her voice, Taylor could have a stronger argument if someone uses A.I. to create content that sounds too much like her.

Justice has been a long time coming in the murder of Run-DMC legend Jason Mizell -- AKA Jam Master Jay -- because another man has admitted his role in the hip-hop icon's killing nearly 24 years after the shocking crime.

Monday, federal prosecutors announced Jay Bryant pleaded guilty in a federal court in Brooklyn to his role in Jam Master Jay's 2002 murder ... after prosecutors alleged he helped the killers get inside the legendary DJ's Queens recording studio before the fatal shooting.

"More than two decades after the cold-blooded, execution-style killing of Mr. Mizell, an exhaustive investigation revealed Bryant's role and today he finally admitted his guilt," U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said. "The prosecutors in our Office and our law enforcement partners never give up, no matter how long it takes, in the pursuit of justice for the victim and the victim's family."

Michael Madsen is getting dragged to court even in death ... Los Angeles County says the late actor owes his ex-wife a ton of money.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department claims Michael owes his ex-wife Jeannine Bisignano over $1.2 million in back child-support payments.

The department says the $1,267,573.49 in back child support stems from Michael and Jeannine's divorce judgment, which dates all the way back to March 1995 ... and it looks like Jeannine is entitled to a percentage of payments Michael received in his SAG pension plan.

Sophia Hutchins' estate and Caitlyn Jenner are requesting access to the late manager's Apple account nearly a year after her shocking death.

The estate filed documents Friday requesting a judge grant an order authorizing their access to her Apple ID ... explaining the estate has fallen behind on its financial obligations and more because its inability to access the account has held up the process.

The estate -- led by Sophia's mom, Amy -- says it went to Apple after Sophia died, requesting access ... but Apple responded by asking for a court order.

One of Anthony Edwards' baby mamas is helping his other baby mama out in court, TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Ayesha Howard -- who has a daughter named Aubri, born in 2024 -- submitted new evidence in her legal battle with the Minnesota Timberwolves star.

Ayesha obtained a declaration from Anthony's other baby mama, Alexandria Desroches -- who has a son named Amir with Anthony -- that she is using.

"The Challenge" star CT Tamburello's ex-wife, Lilianet Solares, is dragging him back to court for allegedly failing to follow the court's order in their final divorce judgment ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Lilianet claims that CT has not provided health insurance for their son, Christopher Solares.

CT and Lilianet finalized their divorce in November 2023 ... and the reality star was ordered to pay $761 per month in child support, plus $332 for each week that he cannot exercise parenting time due to work.