Legal

Alan Jackson's down to jump back on the case as Nick Reiner's lawyer ... but there's a financial holdup ... and he tells us that's why Nick's petitioning for access to his trust fund money.

The famed defense lawyer joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday after Nick asked the court to give him the money he says he's owed from the trust fund Rob and Michele Reiner set up for him and his siblings.

Alan said it's "wildly unfair" that the money is being held back from Nick, because it's the trustee's duty to make sure Nick gets his payout. He noted ... "That is Nick's money."

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's daughter Zahara is making moves in court to officially drop her famous dad's last name amid their estrangement ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained a petition Zahara filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, where she asked for her new legal name to be "Zahara Marley Jolie."

The 18-year-old did not provide any reasoning in her paperwork, but she has not been close to her dad in years. Zahara hasn't been using Brad's last name for a while now, but it now appears she wants the change to be legal. In Touch was the first to report the news.

The morning Christine Banfield was murdered was even more chilling than many realized ... with a new documentary laying out what investigators say was a carefully planned plot from start to finish.

Detective Thomas Gadell breaks down the case in FOX Nation's "The Au Pair Affair: Murder in Suburbia" ... detailing the actions of Brendan Banfield, who was recently sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of the deaths of his wife, Christine, and a stranger, Joe Ryan.

According to investigators, Banfield orchestrated an elaborate BDMS-fueled scheme involving his family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhaes, whom prosecutors said he was romantically involved with.

Karmelo Anthony's mom took the stand to plead with the jury set to determine her son's fate, TMZ has learned. 

Kala Hayes testified minutes after her son was found guilty of murdering Austin Metcalf. She told the 12-person jury she knows her son is very sorry for what he did. 

Prosecutors asked Kala if she still had love for her son. 

Stefon Diggs is being ordered to finally explain how he knows the man accusing him of sexual assault ... because a federal judge says calling him an "acquaintance" just isn't good enough.

According to new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, the judge ruled on a series of discovery disputes last week in Diggs' ongoing legal battle with Christopher Blake Griffith ... the man who has accused the NFL star of drugging and sexually assaulting him in 2023 ... allegations Diggs has repeatedly denied.

One of the biggest rulings centers on how Stefon must answer a basic question: How did Diggs and Griffith know each other before the alleged incident?

Nick Reiner wants the money he says he's owed from the trust his parents Rob and Michele Reiner set up for him ... as he awaits trial for their murders.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the 32-year-old filed a petition Monday, requesting the distribution of money he says was supposed to be paid out from the trust when he turned 30.

Nick said he tried to hire lawyer Alan Jackson to help him fight the murder charges, which he says his siblings Jake and Romy agreed to. He claims the trustee refused to pay Jackson which caused him to depart the case.

It's Lesley Groff's turn to testify in a Congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's crimes ... and it sounds like his former assistant said she never saw the late pedophile do anything illegal.

Groff appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Tuesday to begin her testimony, and a source familiar with the matter told MS NOW that Groff told the committee ... "I never saw anything improper."

The report said Groff's been answering questions, but sometimes responds by saying she doesn't know or doesn't remember.

Lenny Hochstein plans to use video footage, text messages and other evidence he says paint a dramatically different picture than the one described in a sexual assault lawsuit against him ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ has obtained video the 'Real Housewives of Miami' star's lawyer says was recorded shortly after the alleged incident ... showing his accuser leaving his Miami mansion smiling, chatting with him, and appearing completely at ease.

In the footage, the woman -- who alleges he drugged and sexually assaulted her at his Star Island home -- appears to do a little dance outside the front door before walking to an Uber.

Hochstein's lawyer, Lorne Berkeley, tells TMZ ... "Dr. Hochstein categorically denies the allegations asserted against him. We possess evidence that we believe materially contradicts the claims and evidence that will be presented in the appropriate legal forum."

OnlyFans model Michaela Rylaarsdam had a guilt-fueled meltdown in court as she was sentenced for killing a man in a BDSM act.

Rylaarsdam was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Dale, who suffocated to death after she put a plastic bag, Saran Wrap, and duct tape over his head during a kinky encounter gone wrong.

The adult entertainer, wife, and mother of three broke down on the stand in San Diego Superior Court as she profusely apologized to Dale's family.

Karmelo Anthony was defending himself when he fatally stabbed Austin Metcalf because Austin was using "deadly force" ... at least that's what Karmelo's defense is saying.

Closing arguments began in Karmelo's murder trial Tuesday, and the defense went first.

Defense attorney Mike Howard told the jury Austin "had no legal right" to put his hands on Karmelo, or use force to remove him from the tent they were under at a Texas high school track meet.

Howard described how it was raining during the event, and someone from Frisco Memorial High School allegedly told Karmelo he could come under their tent to stay dry.

Howard continued ... "Then all of the sudden Hunter Metcalf, or Austin, says 'Who are you? You need to leave.' ... These guys are much bigger than you. Do you turn your back and walk away and take a chance with these teenage boys with their raging hormones?"

Nick Reiner says he not only needs money to pay lawyers for his legal defense, but also to fund his commissary account ... and the accused double murderer claims his trustee isn't playing ball.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Nick says he's repeatedly asked the trustee controlling his money to replenish his jailhouse account to buy additional snacks and hygiene items ... but he says the trustee has yet to break him off a little bread.

The commissary gripe is included in a petition filed Monday by the 32-year-old, requesting the distribution of money he says was supposed to be paid out from the trust his parents Rob and Michele Reiner set up for him in 1992.

Nick claims he was supposed to get the money when he turned 30, and he wants the funds to hire back Alan Jackson as his lawyer ... and also to get some stuff from the commissary while he sits in jail.

Nick Reiner's former lawyer, Alan Jackson, is ready to take on the alleged murderer's case, but he says drama over how he and his firm would get paid led to him dropping the case several months ago.

Alan filed a declaration that was submitted with Reiner's motion seeking release of his trust funds ... in it, he describes what he says went down behind the scenes that led to his law firm withdrawing from Nick's criminal case.

As TMZ previously reported, Alan was hired in December 2025 to defend Nick in court after he was charged with the murder of his parents, Rob and Michele Reiner. Alan and his firm withdrew from the case weeks later, and a public defender was then assigned to Nick's case.

In his newly filed declaration, Alan says Nick told him he wants his firm back representing him. Alan said he is willing and ready to defend Nick if funding becomes available.

Todd and Julie Chrisley claim the people who were supposed to keep them out of prison are the very reason they ended up behind bars ... and now they're suing them.

The reality TV stars filed a lawsuit against their former lawyer, Chris Anulewicz, and the law firm Balch & Bingham, claiming a massive mistake in their federal fraud case paved the way for their convictions.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the Chrisleys say their attorneys missed a key opportunity to keep some of the government's most important evidence out of court.

According to the suit, the "Chrisley Knows Best" stars say they believe the entire case grew out of an illegal warehouse search years before they were indicted.

Their lawyers successfully got some of that material thrown out after convincing the judge the search was illegal ... but Todd and Julie claim the legal team never went after the emails, bank records and other evidence investigators found because of that search.

Sean "Diddy" Combs has been hit with a new lawsuit ... this time from a man who claims Diddy sexually assaulted him when he was a minor under the guise of helping his acting career.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, a man suing as a John Doe said he was already a working child actor when invited to a Hollywood Hills party in 2007 as a networking event ... which is when he says he met Diddy. The man says the rapper invited him to talk in private about career opportunities.

Once alone, according to the docs, the man claims Diddy was rubbing on parts of his body, working his way down before he allegedly performed oral sex on the man while also pleasuring himself. The man claims he told Diddy the situation was making him uncomfortable before the oral sex.

Anna Kepner's cell phone turned into a key piece of evidence that led to the arrest of her stepbrother, Timothy Hudson, after the 18-year-old was sexually assaulted and strangled aboard a Carnival Cruise ship in 2025, according to a new report.

People obtained a transcript of testimony given by FBI Agent Andrew del Valle, who told the court that Hudson, 16, tried to destroy and dispose of Kepner's phone, but he failed to do so.   

Del Valle testified that FBI agents started looking for the missing phone on November 8, 2025, after they launched an investigation into Kepner's sexual assault and murder aboard Carnival's Horizon cruise ship in Miami, Florida.

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is cracking down on alleged unlawful behavior near Nancy Guthrie's upscale Arizona home ... and his department just arrested 3 streamers for allegedly causing problems in the area, including one who was caught urinating in public.

Alexander Zabel, who runs the true crime account "Criminal Network," was arrested and charged with 2 counts of obstructing a highway or thoroughfare and one count of public nuisance ... the sheriff's department tells TMZ.

Troy Bradshaw, who heads the "DAA JUICE" YouTube channel, was arrested and charged with public nuisance. He was livestreaming when authorities let him know he was being taken into custody. He and Zabel were booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex.