Legal

Brad Pitt is being called out for secretly attempting to gain information in his legal fight against his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, in their never-ending war ... TMZ has learned.

The claims are courtesy of the Russian vodka giant, Stoli ... the company's long been dragged into Brad's lawsuit against Angelina over their French estate, Château Miraval.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Stoli claims Brad has been making improper moves. They say his team fired off a subpoena in December 2025 to a bank as part of a bankruptcy that Stoli filed in Texas. The subpoena asked the bank to turn over emails exchanged with Stoli, and included questions about Vladimir Putin, Russia, and any Russian assets of Stoli. 

Tiger Woods looks as good as a hole-in-one ... appearing happy, rested, and recovered after leaving rehab.

The legendary golfer was seen for the first time in several weeks ... returning to Jupiter, Florida, after coming back from Switzerland, where he went through rehab ... flashing a smile Friday as he walked out of a private airport.

Tiger wore a pair of white athletic shorts and a long-sleeve black shirt ... and it looked like he had a dog in tow.

Hollywood is entering a whole new era ... because the U.S. Justice Department has officially approved Paramount Skydance's massive $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

The decision, announced Friday, clears the way for Paramount Skydance to combine forces with the media giant behind CNN, Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max ... creating one of the most powerful entertainment companies on the planet.

According to Politico, Justice Department officials concluded the deal didn't pose a threat to competition and opted not to challenge the blockbuster merger.

Ryan Reynolds is looking to score a distraction ... stepping out for a World Cup match just as his wife, Blake Lively, absorbed a legal setback in her battle with Justin Baldoni.

The actor was spotted in Toronto for the Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina game Friday afternoon, appearing relaxed and in good spirits as he took in the action from the stands.

The outing comes right after we broke the story ... Blake struck out in her bid to collect damages from Justin and Wayfarer -- though she did score one win, with the court ruling they must cover her attorney's fees.

1:56 PM PT -- Kiefer's lawyer, Andrew Brettler, tells TMZ, “Six months ago, Kiefer Sutherland was involved in a scary incident when he was the passenger in an Uber and the driver refused to stop the vehicle despite repeated requests to do so. Although the driver declined medical attention at the scene, in the months since then, Kiefer has become the victim of his consistent attempts to embellish and exaggerate his claims of distress and injury while demanding millions of dollars in compensation after he and his lawyer learned of Kiefer’s celebrity."

"Kiefer intends to fight this suit since he has absolutely no interest in rewarding someone who has crafted a distorted account in pursuit of a massive payday," the lawyer added.

Kiefer Sutherland is being sued by his Uber driver for assault and battery for the alleged L.A. incident that ended with the actor's arrest. The actor's lawyer adamantly denied the claims.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ ... Uber driver Rafael Manvelyan says Kiefer was "visibly intoxicated" on January 12 when he picked up the actor.

Rafael -- who says his English is limited because he primarily speaks Russian and Armenian -- claims Kiefer got "agitated" when the actor was struggling to understand him.

The lawsuit claims Kiefer became "increasingly hostile, aggressive, confrontational" during the ride, allegedly yelling and being verbally abusive.

11:25 AM PT -- Blake Lively's attorneys Esra Hudson & Michael Gottlieb tell TMZ ... Today’s ruling makes it clear that Ms. Lively brought her claims in good faith, that there was no evidence she acted with malice.

They continue to say, "The parties’ settlement agreement expressly preserves Ms. Lively’s rights to obtain those damages. Lively is gratified that her lawsuit shows how laws like it create a path for survivors to hold accountable those who weaponize online attacks and retaliatory lawsuits to intimidate and silence survivors."

Blake Lively struck out in her bid to make Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer cough up money for damages ... but she is getting them to cover a portion of her legal expenses.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a judge ruled Blake won't be getting the punitive or treble damages she was seeking ... but Justin is being ordered to pick up the tab for her attorney's fees.

No word yet on how much Justin and Wayfarer will have to shell out ... the amount is still undetermined, as of right now ... but they're not paying Blake any damages on top.

Karmelo Anthony made a split-second decision to stab Austin Metcalf ... a fatal choice he regrets ... so says the lawyer who represented him during his murder trial.

We asked Mike Howard if he thinks his former client is remorseful for fatally stabbing Austin in April 2025 during a Texas high school track meet ... and he started off by saying it's hard to gauge Karmelo's exact feelings fairly because Karmelo didn't testify in court.

However, Howard tells TMZ ... "I believe from my many interactions with him that, while he believed that in that split-second of chaos that he was defending himself, that Karmelo also has and continues to feel remorse for Austin Metcalf, for Hunter Metcalf, for the entire family for their loss."

Nick Reiner may have access to his trust fund very soon ... because TMZ has learned his trustee actually wants a judge to hand over the dough ... and plans to file legal paperwork ASAP to get the money flowing.

Sources connected to the case tell TMZ ... Jodi Montgomery, the trustee of Nick's trust fund, will file court docs next week asking a judge to sign off on Reiner's petition asking for money he says was supposed to be paid out to him when he turned 30 in 2023.

Our sources say Jodi will make the request ... but a judge will have the final say on whether to release the money as Nick sits in jail awaiting trial.

Stefon Diggs just scored another significant victory after his former chef case -- the NFL star will not face punishment from the league after an investigation determined he did not violate its personal conduct policy.

Diggs -- who was found not guilty of strangulation and assault and battery last month -- was under the NFL's microscope ever since the allegations surfaced back in December.

Despite the serious claims made by his female staffer, Diggs continued to play for the remainder of the New England Patriots' postseason run, which ended in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

The man who was arrested after Sabrina Carpenter claimed he showed up at her home multiple times is now objecting to her request for court-ordered protection against him ... TMZ has learned.

Sabrina obtained a temporary restraining order against William Applegate earlier this month ... but Applegate is now asking the court to deny the singer's request for a permanent order prohibiting him from coming near her ... according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Applegate said he did not believe Sabrina wanted the restraining order … and that it was concocted by her team and "brought against Carpenter's will by her employed security group and the Los Angeles Police Department in conjunction with her legal team as an artifact of a military government program's maligned instructions."

He claimed Sabrina's Coachella performances on April 10 and April 17 were "made for and directed at me."

Applegate also alleged that the singer and her family "knew about my presence outside her residence as soon as it began in April."

Cassie says she's being harassed and threatened by an ex-male escort who used to be hired for her freak-offs with Diddy ... and now she wants a judge to step in and help her ... TMZ has learned.

Cassie's lawyers fired off a letter Thursday to the judge handling a lawsuit Clayton Howard filed against her ... and in the note, obtained by TMZ, Cassie says Clayton posted a video on social media last week where he allegedly made threats against her ... including, "Bitch, I'm going to burn you out with fire."

Clayton allegedly added ... "You want to play stupid games, you can win stupid prizes." Cassie's lawyers insist the comments constitute true threats of violence.

Rick James' son, Tazman Johnson, is currently locked up in the Los Angeles County Jail facing serious drug charges involving Fentanyl ... TMZ has learned. 

TMZ obtained jail records that show the late musician's son was arrested April 29 on a felony warrant and no bail warrant.

Court docs, obtained by TMZ, say Tazman was initially arrested in March 2024 for possession of Fentanyl. Rick's son was charged with misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia. He was released from custody on bond.

A couple weeks later, a judge issued a bench warrant for $10K after Tazman failed to appear in court.

He wasn't arrested on the bench warrant until April, and last month he pleaded not guilty to both charges.

The Vegas valet who says Quavo slapped him is on the hunt to collect the 7-figure sum he won in court from the Migos member ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Antonio Henry, who sued Quavo for assault and battery, is making moves in Georgia to collect on the judgment he got in Nevada.

Henry sued Quavo for assault and battery back in 2020 ... claiming he got roughed up back in 2018 when he was working valet at Encore Hotel & Casino. He claimed Quavo slapped him when he was trying to break up a fight.

Massachusetts mom Lindsay Clancy exhibited "extreme atrocity and cruelty" when she allegedly strangled her 3 kids to death with exercise equipment, prosecutors say.

In a new motion obtained by CourtTV, prosecutors are asking that the 911 phone call from Lindsay's husband, Patrick, be included in their case for her upcoming trial.

Linsday is accused of killing her 3 young children, Cora, Dawson, and Callan by strangling them with exercise bands on January 24, 2023.

Cassie is being called out in court by the former male escort who is suing her over the psychological injuries he claims to have suffered from participating in freak-offs with her and Diddy, TMZ has learned. 

Clayton Howard, the former male escort who was mentioned several times in Diddy’s criminal trial, filed court docs scoffing at Cassie’s claim he supported her cause after she came forward with claims against the disgraced mogul.

As TMZ first reported, Cassie submitted a text Clayton sent her husband Alex Fine, after she sued Diddy, which partly read,“ know your wife's truth is 100% valid as I'm sure you did as well, I would have come forward and I'm glad she got some form of Justice!"

Bravo says "Real Housewives of Orange County" newbie Carmella Garcia is a "girls' girl" ... but was once caught up in a bar fight with another woman, and it landed her a year's worth of probation.

'RHOC' officially announced on Thursday that the former Playboy Playmate of the Year will be joining the cast of season 20.

In a press release, Bravo says Carmella is "a self-proclaimed 'girls’ girl'" ... but she was accused -- and ultimately acquitted -- of kicking a woman during a 2004 bar fight.