Legal

Emotions were running high outside a Texas courthouse while Karmelo Anthony was inside awaiting his fate ... and Anthony wasn't the only one who left in handcuffs.

According to the Collin County Sheriff's Department, one person was arrested for public intoxication Tuesday while another was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant for unlawful carrying of a weapon.

Authorities say they're still gathering information and have not yet released the identities of either individual.

The arrests came as supporters of both Anthony and stabbing victim, Austin Metcalf, gathered outside the courthouse during the trial and sentencing hearing.

Karmelo Anthony will spend 35 years behind bars for murdering Austin Metcalf, a judge has ruled.

On Tuesday, the jury found the Texas teen guilty of murder, for stabbing Austin to death at a high school track meet last April. The death penalty was off the table because Karmelo was a minor.

The jury rejected Anthony's claim he acted under "sudden passion" in the fatal stabbing. Anthony will be required to serve at least half of the sentence before he can be considered for parole.

'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Drew Sidora wants her estranged husband, Ralph Pittman, to cough up over $400K to cover legal bills she racked up in their divorce battle ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Drew, who was married to Ralph from 2014 to 2023, said the "hostility" shown by her ex during the divorce has been "continuous and unrelenting."

Drew claims Ralph is dragging out the divorce in an attempt to destroy her while "seeking to maintain a certain level of clout for having been married" to her.

Soulja Boy emailed his baby mama's lawyer and told him "f*** you" ... at least according to new court documents.

The docs, obtained by TMZ, include an alleged email Soulja sent to Jackilyn Martinez's legal team ... and it's laced with profanity.

Per the alleged email thread, Jackilyn's team contacted Soulja after he called her to discuss the paternity suit she filed against him.

Her lawyer wrote Soulja, "Based on your conversation with Jackilyn, it sounds like you both want to resolve the [lawsuit] amicably, expeditiously, and privately." The attorney also told Soulja to have his lawyer call her.

According to the docs, the rapper replied, "F*** you" and then added ... "Stop emailing me, you dumb bitch. There will be no litigation or settlement idk who the f*** u think u talking to."

Michael Turner’s baby mama wants the ex-NFL star to be found in contempt of court for allegedly failing to comply with a judge's order in their child support battle ...  TMZ has learned.

Michael’s ex, Rasheeda Walker-Williamson, asked the court to find him in contempt for failing to pay his share of medical bills and to properly set up certain financial accounts.

Michael and Rasheeda share a daughter, born in 2009, and a son, born in 2011. The ex-NFL star has been paying $2,500 per month in child support, according to Rasheeda.

Francisco Gonzalez -- the Florida attorney accused of helping bankroll an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting his daughter Gabbie's baby daddy Jack Avery -- says prosecutors are trying to keep him locked up without bail based on speculation, not evidence.

According to new court documents, obtained by TMZ, Francisco is asking the judge to reject the state's request for no bail and instead release him on a $2M bond with strict conditions. His lawyer argues prosecutors have failed to show he's a current danger to Jack, witnesses or the public.

As TMZ previously reported ... Gabbie was released from custody on a $2M bond shortly after last month's arrest.

Francisco, however, remains behind bars as prosecutors continue pushing for a no-bail order.

The jury has spoken in the Karmelo Anthony murder trial ... and they found him guilty of murder, rejecting his claim of self-defense.

A Collin County jury returned the verdict Tuesday after hours of deliberation in Anthony's trial for the fatal stabbing of fellow teenager Austin Metcalf at a Frisco, Texas track meet in April 2025. Anthony faces between 5 and 99 years in prison.

The case centered on a confrontation under a team tent that ended with Metcalf being stabbed once in the chest. Prosecutors argued Anthony turned a dispute into a deadly encounter ... while the defense maintained he acted in self-defense.

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.