Legal

Jeffrey Epstein "sexually and psychologically" abused his former assistant for over a decade ... at least that's what she told a House oversight committee investigating the late pedophile's crimes.

According to the transcript of Sarah Kellen's interview with the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform May 21 ... she claimed Epstein groomed, abused, controlled, and manipulated her "until I could no longer tell which thoughts were mine and which were his."

Sarah told the Committee she didn't even get her first paycheck from the disgraced financier until she agreed to "submit to his sexual abuse."

The ex-girlfriend of "Love Island USA" star Huda Mustafa's ex-boyfriend Louis Russell looks like she's calling off the dogs ... seemingly dropping her effort to get permanent court-ordered protection from Huda ... weeks after alleged texts of Huda crashing out surfaced.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, there was a hearing today as part of Nicole Olivera's restraining order petition against Huda ... but it looks like Nicole and Huda failed to appear. 

As a result, the judge dissolved all the temporary restraining orders and dismissed the case for lack of prosecution.

Nicole dated and has a child with Louis, the Netflix reality star who recently broke up with Huda. Prior to Huda and Louis' split, Nicole asked the court to order Huda not to come near her or her home.

Drew Sidora's feeling relieved after narrowly avoiding eviction in her bitter divorce battle with estranged husband Ralph Pittman ... and you can see it in her face.

We got the 'RHOA' star leaving Riviere Agency's Swim & Resort Day in New York City on Thursday and our photog asked her about a judge swooping in at the 11th hour to save her from being kicked out of her home.

Drew tells us how she reacted after getting the good news ... and she says she's trusting the court system to do its job and is finally hoping to see the light at the end of what's been a devastating three-year chapter.

O.J. Simpson's longtime attorney is ripping into Tanya Brown, blasting her idea to cancel The Juice's famous No. 32 NFL jersey as "weak-minded" and "flawed."

In fact, "weak-minded" was exactly how O.J. viewed Tanya when he was still alive ... O.J.'s estate executor Malcolm LaVergne tells TMZ.

LaVergne says O.J. felt Nicole Brown Simpson's sister didn't have much of a career, which made him sad for her.

Tanya floated the idea of the NFL benching O.J.'s No. 32 jersey earlier this week, when she spoke to TMZ ahead of the June 12 anniversary of Nicole and Ron Goldman's 1994 murders. Tanya says the number remains deeply tied to trauma for lots of folks connected to the case.

LaVergne says Tanya trying to cancel the jersey number O.J. wore for 11 years in the NFL as a star running back with the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers is just utterly ridiculous.

"Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch" star Chad Ollinger is fighting to get the criminal case accusing him of murdering his cellmate thrown out ... but prosecutors are scoffing at his attempt, while revealing details of his alleged crime ... TMZ has learned.

Chad is behind bars at Clark County Detention Center, where he allegedly killed his cellmate in December 2025 ... officers say they found the deceased man “lying motionless inside a cell.”

In new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Chad’s lawyers argue the murder charge should be dismissed due to a violation of his due process rights by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health [DPBH].

Chad's lawyer says the court found him incompetent to stand trial in the case and ordered him to be committed to DPBH for restorative treatment on January 29, 2026. They say DPBH was required to provide Chad with a bed within 7 days of the order being signed ... but they didn't meet the deadline, not by a long shot.

Karen Read is off the hook for the death of her cop boyfriend, John O'Keefe ... but she's not done fighting the system that put her through hell.

She sat down with the "Today" Friday to explain why she's suing the police departments working the case, saying it was always her plan to file a lawsuit after first defending herself in court.

Karen explains ... "I have to continue fighting for justice. The acquittal is deserved, but the wrongs have not been completely righted."

"Top Gun: Maverick" star James Handy was savagely murdered in Los Angeles ... and now there's video purportedly showing the assailant -- who police say is his girlfriend's son -- strolling away from the crime scene.

Check out the clip ... the suspect -- believed to be 44-year-old Michael Gledhill -- appears to be captured on Ring camera walking along a sidewalk in front of a neighbor's home as he leaves the scene before coming back to the house where James was stabbed to death Wednesday morning ... according to video obtained by FOX 11.

After the murder, Gledhill allegedly called 911 and told dispatchers, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.”

The orange figure seen near Jeffrey Epstein's cell the night he died in a federal lockup in 2019 will remain a mystery, at least for now, after a former correction officer testified that the strange shape was not her in surveillance footage.

Last month, Tova Noel testified in front of the House Oversight Committee that she was NOT the mysterious figure climbing a flight of stairs to Epstein's tier inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in NYC on August 9, 2019, the night before Epstein died.

Epstein's body was found inside his cell in the Special Housing Unit, and the NYC Medical Examiner ruled his death a suicide. But conspiracy theories persist to this day that the pedophile financier -- who was awaiting trial for child sex trafficking -- was murdered. 

An ex-girlfriend of one of the male escorts suing Cassie over Diddy freak-offs is helping the singer fight the guy in court ... TMZ has learned.

A source connected to the situation tells TMZ ... Cassie was contacted by Clayton Howard's ex, Francyna Evins, who offered up some information on her ex. Clayton is suing Diddy and Cassie in federal court.

In his lawsuit, Clayton claims Diddy and Cassie hired him to have sex with Cassie during the infamous freak-offs. He claims he contracted an STD from Cassie and even got her pregnant at one point … which he claims led to her having an abortion.

"Bad Boys" star Theresa Randle is facing new legal issues after her ex filed a restraining order claiming she broke into his home and desperately needs help ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained the petition filed by Theresa’s ex, Dario Pallini, who claims the the 61-year-old actress -- who also appeared in "Malcolm X" -- has been harassing him since their 2024 split.

Pallini, who says he dated Theresa for two years, claims she broke into his home on June 1, when he came home to find her "sitting in my closet with my dog" and "smoking crack." He says she was "surprised I was there and said that she thought I was in jail."

An Arkansas dad accused of killing a man charged with sexually abusing his teenage daughter has scored a massive courtroom victory ... because he's off the hook in his murder case.

A judge on Thursday tossed the second-degree murder charge against Aaron Spencer, the Arkansas father who became a national headline after launching a campaign for county sheriff while awaiting trial.

The ruling stems from a lengthy fight over missing evidence. Spencer's attorneys argued investigators lost key materials during the case ... and the judge ultimately decided misconduct by law enforcement "was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted."

3:30 PM PT -- Adam22 confirms that there is no bad blood between him and his wife Lena the Plug, who he calls his "C----."

Lena the Plug says reports she's divorcing Adam22 are completely bogus ... claiming a mystery man has been trying to end her marriage for months by allegedly filing court paperwork in her name.

The influencer jumped on X Thursday to address what she called the "chaos" surrounding TMZ's report on her divorce filing -- and if you watch the full video, she insists the divorce filing wasn't her doing.

According to Lena, the drama started when she checked her mailbox and found rejected divorce paperwork that had allegedly been submitted using her name, address, and a forged signature. She says the filing included a $435 check from a man whose name immediately rang a bell.

Karmelo Anthony fought Austin Metcalf for four minutes under a tent at a Texas high school track meet before fatally stabbing him ... at least that's what prosecutors say the surveillance video shows.

Jurors were shown footage that appears to show one person shoving another person under the tent at the 2025 track meet where Austin was stabbed.

Prosecutors say it's Karmelo and Austin in the video ... even though you can't see their faces. They say this goes on for four minutes before a person -- who they claim is Karmelo -- is seen running from the tent, toward the exit.

Karen Read is suing the Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department after being acquitted of her late cop boyfriend John O'Keefe's murder … claiming they hire and train "biased and corrupt" officers who she says are "virulent bigots."

According to Karen's lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, she claims MSP and CPD have created an "insidious culture of bigotry and misogyny" that "has likely resulted in other unconstitutional criminal investigations."

Karen specifically names former MSP Detective Michael Proctor -- the lead investigator in O’Keefe’s death -- and former CPD Sergeant Sean Goode ... claiming they had "entrenched and unrepentant hatred for women, Black Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, Hispanics, Arabs, and gay people."

The complaint claims Proctor once said … "Actually, take your time, I saw a n***** was involved, so I wouldn't rush if you're working. Let them die."

Gambino family crime boss John Gotti's grandson is back in legal hot water ... after allegedly choking his girlfriend just weeks before he's due to begin a prison sentence.

Carmine Agnello -- grandson of the infamous "Teflon Don" -- was arrested Wednesday after an alleged domestic dispute at his East Norwich, NY home ... according to multiple reports.

Law enforcement says Carmine allegedly got violent with his 29-year-old girlfriend after claiming she was cheating on him. Investigators allege he shoved the woman, followed her outside when she tried to leave, then slapped and punched her in the face before putting both hands around her neck.

Police also claim Carmine kicked the woman several times and smashed her cellphone, causing roughly $2,000 in damage.

'Real Housewives of Atlanta' alum Kim Zolciak is using an alleged text from estranged husband Kroy Biermann's female friend as evidence in their bitter divorce ... TMZ has learned.

The alleged text was sent from Kroy's ex, named "Bri" to Kim's new boyfriend, Kyle Mowitz ... but the message appears to be meant for Kim.

The text reads, "Just tell Kim that she needs to watch her back when it comes to Maria [redacted]. She had sex with Kroy and tells him everything. She basically sends [redacted] to Kim's house to be a spy. She even told him that [redacted] spent 10K on your credit card and sent it to her house."