Legal

Brandon Clarke's body has officially been cleared to be released to his family ... but the mystery surrounding his sudden death remains unclear.

According to the Los Angeles Medical Examiner's website, the ME has declared the NBA star's body ready for release, however his cause and manner of death is currently deferred ... pending additional testing as authorities investigate.

As we previously reported, Clarke’s death came just days before he was due in court to face multiple criminal charges, including trafficking a controlled substance and felony fleeing.

The Los Angeles Fire Department PIO confirmed to TMZ Sports they responded to a medical emergency call around 5 PM on Monday ... and when paramedics got to the scene, the 29-year-old male was declared deceased.

TMZ Sports confirmed his death is being investigated as a possible overdose ... with officials finding drug paraphernalia inside the home the Memphis Grizzlies player was staying at.

A handyman who claims he was injured at Lisa Vanderpump's $14 million mansion is now demanding a hefty sum in court ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Eric Nieto filed a lawsuit back in November against Lisa and Ken Todd over an alleged incident at the couple's 5-bedroom, 8-bathroom, 8,801-square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills on November 25, 2023.

Nieto claims he was hired to perform handyman work at the home and says he was required to use an interior stairway leading down to the basement.

D4vd looked more like he was waiting on a delayed flight than fighting a criminal case Tuesday morning ... casually slumping in his chair during a court hearing while his lawyers and prosecutors deliberated over the case's timeline.

The artist -- born David Burke -- appeared in Downtown Los Angeles for a status conference tied to his upcoming preliminary hearing ... rocking an orange jail jumpsuit and appearing unusually relaxed throughout the proceedings.

A sketch shows him entering the courtroom in restraints as he faces first-degree murder and mutilation charges tied to the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez ... whose dismembered remains were found inside a Tesla registered to the singer last year. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges after his April arrest.

Kim Zolciak was grilled on video in court by lawyers for her boyfriend Kyle Mowitz's estranged wife -- and now Kim's estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, is working to get a copy of the recording ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Kroy's lawyer issued a subpoena to obtain the transcript and video of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star's deposition ... during which the reality star was questioned about gifts and trips that Kyle purchased for Kim.

Kyle's estranged wife, Jillian Greene, dragged Kim into the divorce fight last year ... where $100 million is reportedly on the line.

Prosecutors will get the chance to see Tiger Woods' prescription drug records, a judge has ruled.

In a hearing at Martin County Circuit Court in Florida on Tuesday, the judge granted the state's request to subpoena records of Tiger's meds as part of their DUI investigation.

The judge gave prosecutors permission to access his prescription records on file at Lewis Pharmacy in Palm Beach ... following his arrest in Florida earlier this year.

Kim Kardashian scored a massive six-figure award in legal fees from a man who unsuccessfully sued her, TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the reality star and mogul was awarded $167K of the $186K she requested from Ivan Cantu after she successfully shut down his lawsuit.

As TMZ first reported, Cantu sued after Kim posted his photo on social media when she intended to post a photo of a different man with the same name — a death row inmate she was advocating for. Kim argued the mix-up was an honest mistake that she corrected immediately, while Cantu claimed the incident caused significant harm to his life.

The man accused of stealing Beyoncé's unreleased music last summer in Atlanta won't be going to trial after all, but he will be going to prison ... after he cut a plea deal in the 11th hour.

Kelvin Evans pleaded guilty Tuesday to several charges related to the theft, WXIA-TV reports. Investigators say surveillance cameras captured Evans breaking into an SUV just two days before Beyoncé’s Atlanta stop on her "Cowboy Carter" tour. The Jeep was rented by a member of Beyoncé’s team who had a flash drive of unreleased music that was swiped.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Dorit Kemsley and her estranged husband, PK Kemsley, have a mutual friend who made shocking claims in the couple's bitter divorce ... TMZ has learned.

Justin Levine -- who says he's known the couple for many years -- filed a bombshell declaration stating he tried to talk to Dorit in an effort to help resolve their ongoing issues over money and their $6 million marital home. Justin claims he tried to convince Dorit in early April to work with PK on an agreement over the property.

Levine says, "During the call, [Dorit] became highly agitated before I was able to complete my explanation of the purpose of the call. While she has previously expressed frustration, this conversation was notably different in both tone and intensity."

Hulk Hogan's former accountant is facing a slew of federal charges for allegedly stealing more than $890,000 from a "public figure" in Florida, TMZ Sports has learned.

The wrestling legend is not identified as the victim.

Melissia Gauthreaux has been charged with six counts of wire fraud, after the feds say she used her business, Accounting Resources and Management Services, to embezzle enormous amounts of money between 2017 and 2021.

'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star PK Kemsley’s alleged income was revealed as part of his divorce battle with his estranged wife, Dorit Kemsley ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained court docs, filed by PK where he claims he's bringing in a massive 5-figure monthly income.

PK, who works as a music manager, says he earned around $887,180 from April 2025 to March 2026 ... bringing in around $91,999 in net income each month.

The publicist who claims Diddy ejaculated into Biggie Smalls' shirt is hitting back at the former Bad Boy Records CEO for responding to his bombshell sexual abuse lawsuit by saying it's total BS.

First, a refresher ... Last July, Jonathan Hay filed the suit against Diddy -- and Biggie's son, CJ Wallace -- for sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, and more.

Hay says Diddy pressured him to take ketamine, before masturbating in front of him at an L.A. warehouse filled with Biggie's clothes. Hay also says Diddy orgasmed into one of the late rapper's shirts while watching porn on his phone -- and even asked Hay to finish him off in a sexual sense.

The federal judge presiding over Blake Lively's battle with Justin Baldoni seems to be on the same page as the public ... tired of the back and forth -- and told the actress that, for now, he didn't need to read any additional briefs from the parties before making a final decision on any fees or damages she may be entitled to in her final legal battle with Justin ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge denied Blake's request to file additional briefs and offer additional information as she argues she's entitled to recovery of her legal fees and damages based on Justin filing his defamation countersuit against her.

As we previously reported, Blake and Justin hashed out a deal that ended the legal battle in which she claimed to have experienced sexual harassment on the set of "It Ends With Us" ... except with respect to one final issue.

NBA star Miles Bridges asked a judge to order his ex Mychelle Johnson to submit to a psychological evaluation, claiming she has an "obsessive fixation" on his new girlfriend ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the Charlotte Hornets star claimed Mychelle has been acting quite erratically in the past couple of months.

He says the exes share four minor children and have had a temporary custody and support deal in place since 2023.

Daz Dillinger is dragging a record label that controls a bunch of Tupac's music to court ... and it sounds like he feels he's owed big bucks.

The legendary rapper just filed suit against Amaru Entertainment, a record label Tupac Shakur's mother, Afeni, founded back in the day.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Daz claims he's not being paid his fair share of royalties for helping to write and produce a bunch of Tupac hits ... including "I Ain't Mad at Cha," "Got My Mind Made Up," "Skandalouz," "Ambitionz az a Ridah" and "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" ... just to name a few.

Kevin Hart's business world might be running low on punchlines ... because behind the scenes, insiders say there have been layoffs, lawsuits, and chaos instead of comedy.

A new Bloomberg report claims the comedian's once-booming media empire, Hartbeat, has seriously downsized in recent years -- with exec shakeups, stalled projects, canceled staff meetings, and multiple rounds of cuts gutting the company from the inside.

The drama reportedly escalated after Kevin quietly struck a deal in January with Authentic Brands Group -- the company behind celebrity brands tied to stars like Shaquille O'Neal and David Beckham. While the announcement sounded like a power move, the report says the deal also gave Hart money to buy out his private equity partner and move his endorsement business into the hands of Authentic.

Wesley Edens -- co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks -- was allegedly extorted for over $1 billion.

Prosecutors say Edens hooked up with Changli "Sophia" Luo -- who founded the One World Initiative Advocacy nonprofit group -- back in 2023, and she later threatened to publicize videos and photos of them having sex.

They claim she kept threatening him for months ... even contacting his family and saying she was going to go to his investors.