Legal

Alex Murdaugh isn't wasting any time after getting his murder convictions thrown out ... because he's now suing court clerk Becky Hill over claims she rigged the trial against him so she could cash in on the case with a book deal.

According to a new federal lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Murdaugh says Hill secretly worked jurors throughout his explosive 2023 double-murder trial ... allegedly warning them not to be "fooled," "confused," or "convinced" by his defense team and pushing them toward a guilty verdict.

The filing comes just days after the South Carolina Supreme Court tossed Murdaugh's convictions ... ruling Hill's comments to the jury jury tampering poisoned the trial process and denied him a fair trial.

Clavicular just got served the world’s most brutal slice of humble pie in court -- and it came courtesy of the judge overseeing his alligator shooting misdemeanor case ... who accidentally stole the entire internet’s "looksmaxxing" crown right from under him!

The influencer, famous for flexing his appearance online, showed up for a hearing Friday ... but people barely cared about the charges once Judge Marcus of Florida’s Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court walked into frame with icy blue eyes, slicked-back hair and a jawline sharp enough to cut glass.

Memes flooded social media within hours ... with commenters claiming the judge "mogged” Clavicular, while others joked the irony was too good with the judge being the actual, flesh-and-blood definition of "looksmaxxing."

Shakira has scored a massive court win in Spain ... officially ending her years-long war with the country's tax authorities after a judge ruled the government unfairly pursued the singer over alleged fraud ... TMZ has learned.

Shakira's team tells TMZ ... they called the ruling an "ultimate victory" ... after Spain's National High Court sided fully with the superstar in the final open legal battle against the Spanish Tax Agency.

The court found officials couldn't prove Shakira spent the legally required 183 days in Spain to qualify as a tax resident ... with the ruling stating it was "obvious" the penalties against her were "contrary to law."

Jeff Wittek and David Dobrik can put their legal drama behind them ... because they've settled their lawsuit, TMZ has learned.

Remember ... Jeff sued the social media star for a stunt gone wrong, saying he almost died when David swung him too fast as he was attached to an excavator.

The former Vlog Squad member was suing for $10 Million in damages ... but sources tell TMZ the entire thing is settled and Jeff dropped the lawsuit. The exact terms were not revealed.

President Trump appears to be rubbing off on his son, Eric, who is now gearing up to sue MS Now and their popular host, Jen Psaki, over their recent coverage of him in China.

As everyone knows, Donald is usually the one in the Trump family to slap his rivals with lawsuits, but not this time.

On Friday, Eric posted a message on X, saying Psaki aired a FALSE report on MS Now about him sitting on the board of a company, ALT5, which is purportedly trying to do business with China. The report implied that Eric is using his dad's powerful position as commander-in-chief to make money in China off his business ventures.

A woman was shut down in her effort to obtain a restraining order against streamer Chud the Builder, TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, a woman named Yashmine Shauntea West filed a petition for a protective order against Chud in November 2025.

Yashmine claimed that Chud -- legal name Dalton Eatherly -- had committed "racial violent behavior." She said he "exposed me on social media ... has created a harassment following."

Alex Murdaugh could be staring down an even darker outcome during his retrial for murder -- because prosecutors say everything’s back on the table ... including the death penalty.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said Friday the state could seek the maximum punishment if Murdaugh is tried again following the shocking overturning of his murder convictions.

The bombshell ruling came after the South Carolina Supreme Court decided Murdaugh didn’t get a fair trial due to alleged jury tampering tied to former court clerk Becky Hill.

The Alabama man charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of a 22-year-old woman, who was dating his son, is NOT innocent ... at least according to the attorney for the victim's family.

Jeffrey Scott Towers is charged in the shooting death of Whitney Harlow Robeson, who graduated last year from Auburn University. His attorneys say he's an "upstanding" man who is not guilty of a crime ... but the lawyer for Whitney's family begs to differ.

Andrew J. Moak tells TMZ ... "The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office determined that Mr. Towers acted with criminal recklessness. Given that determination, efforts to portray Mr. Towers as 'innocent' are not supported by the evidence in this case."

NBA star Miles Bridges' ex-girlfriend Mychelle Johnson denied she showed up at one of his games with the intention to mess with his car -- days after being hit with a temporary restraining order, TMZ has learned. 

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the Charlotte Hornets star's ex scoffed at his claims that she abandoned their kids with a nanny to drive out to his game. 

She admitted she attended his game on March 21, 2026, on Miles' birthday, because a friend of hers had an extra ticket. 

Jed Wallace is trying to breathe new life into his dismissed defamation case against Blake Lively -- because now he's appealing ... TMZ has learned.

ICYMI ... Jed and his company Street Relations Inc. were named in Blake's 2024 civil rights complaint for allegedly smearing Blake after the "It Ends With Us" drama.

Wallace filed a defamation suit in Texas in response … but a judge tossed it last year for lack of jurisdiction.

The Auburn graduate who was allegedly killed by her boyfriend's dad died from a gunshot wound to the chest ... TMZ has learned.

According to the Jefferson County Coroner and Medical Examiner's Office ... 22-year-old Whitney Robeson died from "injury to left lung, heart, and aorta, due to gunshot wound of chest."

The manner of death is homicide, the office also announced on Friday.

MAGA influencer Melissa Rein Lively and her banker boyfriend are facing criminal charges overseas ... after authorities say they were involved in an allegedly racist confrontation inside a London subway station.

Lively -- who runs the "anti-woke" firm America First PR and once claimed she was close to becoming President Donald Trump's press secretary -- was charged with assault Friday following the October incident ... while her boyfriend, Philipp Ostermann, was hit with two racially aggravated public order charges and an additional public order offense.

Cops say the whole thing went down when the couple allegedly collided with a stroller being pushed by a woman entering the station with her family and two young children.

Karen Read's infamous SUV -- the one she was accused of using to kill her Boston cop boyfriend -- didn't even make it to bidding ... 'cause someone swooped in with an offer before the auction could officially kick off.

The Lexus was set to go up for auction at Manzi Appraisers in Woburn, Mass. ... where bidders had to prove they had at least $20K in the bank just to register.

A few people showed up ready to throw their hats in the ring -- including two spotted holding bidding signs -- but the whole thing was abruptly halted after an outside group made an offer behind the scenes.

Harvey Weinstein’s legal saga just keeps dragging on -- 'cause his third New York sex crimes trial ended in a mistrial Friday after jurors couldn’t agree on the rape charge.

The deadlocked jury couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict over claims Weinstein raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel room back in 2013.

Weinstein has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty throughout the retrial ... while his lawyers argued the relationship was consensual.

The mistrial comes after Weinstein was already convicted last year of sexually abusing former production assistant Miriam Haley -- though he was cleared on another charge tied to former model Kaja Sokola.

Clavicular got some good news in court Friday ... his alligator shooting case won't end with a conviction if he keeps his nose clean.

The "Looksmaxxing" streamer appeared in Miami on Friday morning ... where he reached a deal in the case tied to the viral Everglades livestream incident.

Under the resolution, we're told the case will come off his record in 6 months if he stays out of trouble, completes a firearm safety course and finishes 20 hours of community service.

Chud the Builder's going to need some serious dough to get himself out of jail before his attempted murder trial ... because a judge just set his bail at $1.25 million.

The controversial streamer was in a Tennessee courtroom Friday morning for a hearing when the judge set the price ... and, if you watch Chud's reaction, you can tell it's not the outcome he wanted. Check out the clip recorded by Nashville's WKRN-TV.

Chud -- legal name Dalton Eatherly -- closes his eyes and drops his head just a bit ... clear signs he's disappointed.