Legal

Howard Stern is firing back at the ex-employee who claimed the shock jock created a hostile work environment.

On Wednesday, Stern filed to dismiss former assistant Leslie Kuhn's lawsuit, calling it a "shakedown" and "transparent sham" ... according to court docs obtained by multiple outlets.

In his motion, HS claims she's after a "hush-money payment," saying in the motion ... "The reason Kuhn filed this lawsuit was to pressure the Stern Parties into making an outlandish payment to make her go away."

The Barack Obama Foundation just got dragged to court by a former employee who claims she asked for mental health help ... but got shown the door instead.

According to a new federal lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, a woman named Tifphany McClinton says she worked as a curatorial assistant from mid-2023 until she was fired in December 2025 -- and alleges the nonprofit failed her at nearly every turn.

McClinton claims she suffers from anxiety, PTSD, depression and scoliosis -- conditions she says required accommodations like physical therapy during work hours and a modified schedule that allowed her to leave the office by 3 PM.

But instead of support, she says she got resistance ... and worse.

Chris Brown’s former housekeeper is fighting to show graphic injury photos in court, which she says show the aftermath of a dog mauling her at the singer’s home ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Maria Avila, who sued Chris over the 2020 incident, is opposing his effort to block her from introducing the images as evidence in their upcoming trial.

Maria argues the photos are clearly admissible to show the severity of her injuries, pain and suffering, and emotional distress from the ordeal. She said if she can’t show them, it would be hard to prove her damages.

Addison Rae’s dad, Monty Lopez, claimed his estranged wife, Kaitlyn Lopez, had a gun on her during their recent altercation that led to him being thrown behind bars ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Monty asked the court to grant him an order of protection against his wife, Kaitlyn Nicole Lopez.

In the filing, Monty alleged that Kaitlyn had physically attacked him multiple times during their relationship. As TMZ first reported, Monty and Kaitlyn wed in a Vegas ceremony in October 2025.

6:49 PM PT -- Lorna's lawyers tells TMZ ... “Lorna categorically denies the allegations. She never engaged in any inappropriate conduct with this individual of any kind and has never even been to the location where the alleged sexual assault supposedly took place."

A spokesperson for JPMorgan tells TMZ ... "Following our investigation, we don’t believe there’s any merit to these claims. While numerous employees cooperated with the investigation, the complainant refused to participate and has declined to provide facts that would be central to support his allegations."

A JPMorgan Chase senior VP says his female boss made his life a living hell, ordering him to have sex with her and threatening to destroy his career when he wouldn't ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The plaintiff -- identified only as John Doe -- filed the suit Monday against Lorna Hajdini, executive director of JPMorgan Chase's Leveraged Finance division. Daily Mail was the first to report on the case.

Doe claims Hajdini used her power to pressure him into having "non-consensual and humiliating sex acts" ... even though he says he's married and pled with her to stop.

He says Hajdini also confessed she repeatedly slipped him "roofies" -- the date rape drug -- while at one point forcing him to have sex as she scolded him and made him cry.

Daily Double ... this lawyer appears on "TMZ on TV" and "TMZ Live" and is now competing on "Jeopardy!" ... Who is Derek Kaufman!!!

That's true, our very own lawyer Derek is among the contestants on tonight's episode of "Jeopardy!" ... and everyone in the office is looking forward to ribbing him about his performance.

Derek and our other lawyer, Jason Beckerman, are huge 'Jeopardy' fans ... who may or may not have a running competition on who can answer the most final Jeopardy questions correctly.

Well ... Derek took a test, auditioned and then got picked for the game show ... and now's his big moment.

Celeste Rivas' family's lawyer said her relatives are dealing with "indescribable pain" and have decided not to make any public statement, after learning of the horrific details surrounding her tragic death.

Patrick Steinfeld tells TMZ ... on Wednesday, he had to inform the Rivas family about the horrific allegations made against D4vd -- including that he allegedly "stood by while she bled out" and later used a chainsaw to cut off her limbs.

Steinfeld says speaking to the family about such macabre allegations is the hardest thing he's had to do in 37 years as a lawyer ... and it's affected the family so much that they've decided against their original idea of speaking publicly throughout the criminal process.

Britney Spears is officially facing criminal charges after being arrested on suspicion of DUI.

Prosecutors in Ventura County have charged Britney with one count of misdemeanor DUI.

TMZ broke the story ... Britney was pulled over March 4 in Westlake Village, near her home. Dispatch audio revealed she was allegedly swerving between lanes before being stopped by police.

50 Cent is being dragged to court by a woman who claims he fired her when she wouldn't commit crimes to protect him. A rep for the rapper adamantly denies the claims.

The rapper is being sued by Monique Mayers, who claims she worked for 50 Cent for 12 years in senior operational roles across his various businesses -- until she was unceremoniously fired and then harassed and intimidated.

In the lawsuit, filed by attorney Bennitta Joseph of Joseph & Norinsberg and obtained by TMZ, Mayers claims she was working for 50 Cent when he was going through bankruptcy ... and she says she refused his demands to hide property in her own name to help him.

Jeffrey Epstein's possible suicide note has been hidden from public view for years ... this according to a new report.

The New York Times on Thursday uncovered a note allegedly written by Epstein in jail in July 2019, when he was found unconscious in his cell with a strip of cloth around his neck ... weeks before he was found dead by attempted suicide in a similar manner, in August.

Nicholas Tartaglione, a former cop and the cellmate of the disgraced financier, says he found the note -- which the Times reports has been sealed as part of Tartaglione's own criminal case ... essentially hiding it from Epstein investigators.

Erik Fleming is asking a judge for mercy -- admitting he helped supply ketamine in the lead-up to Matthew Perry's death … and saying he'll spend the rest of his life trying to make up for it.

In new court documents, obtained by TMZ, Fleming is requesting just 3 months in prison, a 9-month residential drug treatment program, and 3 years of supervised release.

In a letter to the judge, he doesn't sugarcoat his role, writing … "I knew it was illegal and wrong ... I should never have agreed to acquire ketamine for Matt."

President Donald Trump is making waves over James Comey's "86 47" post ... and he's not letting it wash away.

Trump lit up Truth Social with a fiery post Wednesday night ... insisting the phrase isn't harmless slang -- it's a straight-up threat. In his words, "'86' is a mob term for 'kill him.' They say 86 him! 86 47 means 'kill President Trump.'"

He didn’t stop there ... Trump went full attack mode, branding Comey a "Dirty Cop, one of the worst," before dropping a chilling line: "EIGHT MILES OUT, SIX FEET DOWN!" -- that's one interpretation of what "86" means to some ... despite the term widely recognized as originating in the food service industry, a term for tossing someone out, or a menu item being out of stock.

Kyrsten Sinema is no longer sleeping with a married man -- because her boyfriend Matthew Ammel’s divorce has now been finalized -- TMZ has learned.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, a North Carolina judge signed off on Matthew and his now-ex, Heather Ammel, being legally single on March 30, 2026.

The judge granted Matthew an "absolute divorce" from Heather. The order says Matthew is a resident of Arizona. Official records show Matthew and Krysten are associated with the same $2 million home in the state.

"Owning Manhattan" star Jade Shenker was fighting over her father's finances months before his death ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Jade took issue with the guardian, Bonnie Stevens, refusing to provide her with certain financial documents related to her dad's building in New York.

The guardian claimed Jade was not entitled to all the information she was seeking, but the reality star insisted she had a right to get the info and to participate in her dad's guardianship case.

Pooh Shiesty’s dad, Lontrell Williams Sr., is fighting the prosecutors' attempt to throw him behind bars pending the outcome of his criminal case ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Lontrell -- who was arrested along with his rapper son over the alleged kidnapping and robbery of Gucci Mane -- said the feds’ case against him is weak and doesn't show he would be a danger to the community if released while his criminal case is pending.

As TMZ first reported, the DOJ arrested Lontrell Sr., Pooh, and seven others. The alleged incident with Gucci went down on January 10 at a Texas recording studio. Pooh was signed to Gucci’s label and allegedly wanted out of his contract.

Pooh allegedly forced Gucci to sign paperwork releasing him from his deal while pointing a gun at him.

4/30 - 5:02 PM PT -- A spokesperson for the Soho Grand Hotel tells TMZ ... "We are committed to full compliance with all federal, state and city non-discrimination laws, including those protecting individuals on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, and we have always been a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community since our inception. But we cannot comment on pending litigation."

Wesley Han, a non-binary actor famous for their work in "Power Book II: Ghost," is suing a swanky hotel in New York City for harassment and discrimination ... and it sounds like it's all about which bathroom they allegedly used.

In a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Wesley claims they were attending a private event at the Soho Grand Hotel when they were accosted by a security guard who forcibly removed them from the women's restroom.

Wesley says they were dressed in women's clothing when they attempted to use the women's restroom ... and they say a security guard asked women in the foyer, "Excuse me ladies, have you seen a man enter?”