Legal

A woman wanted in connection with a violent kidnapping investigation near the home of Savannah Guthrie's missing mom, Nancy Guthrie, has been arrested in Arizona.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department says 40-year-old Coral Michelle Smith was taken into custody Monday on an active arrest warrant tied to a May aggravated assault and kidnapping case.

According to authorities, Smith allegedly assaulted a woman who later died from her injuries. Detectives say the investigation remains ongoing.

Chris Brown showed up to court to defend himself against his former housekeeper’s claims she was viciously mauled at his L.A. home ... but the case was declared a mistrial shortly after it started ... TMZ has learned.

The trial started Monday after a jury was selected in the lawsuit brought by Maria Avila, the housekeeper who said she suffered emotional and physical injuries after a large dog attacked her while taking out the trash at Chris' home.

But shortly after the proceedings started, the judge declared a mistrial and excused everyone from the courtroom. Rolling Stone reported the decision was due to a juror searching for information about the case before the trial started and also sharing it with others.

Kendra Duggar is making a major real estate move as husband Joseph Duggar gears up for trial in his child molestation case ... listing the family's Arkansas home for sale amid their growing legal troubles.

The couple's home is in Siloam Springs ... it's 1,738 square feet with three bedrooms and is on the market for $407,900 ... according to real estate records. The estate sits on 1.14 acres.

The listing comes months after Joseph and Kendra discussed unloading the home during a jail phone call.

At the time, the pair weighed whether it made more sense to sell the property or keep it as a rental source of income if Joseph were to serve prison time.

Diddy might be trading a federal prison for a recording studio sooner than expected ... because the music mogul's projected prison release date has been moved up.

The music producer and rapper is now scheduled to be released from federal lockup on February 23, 2028 ... according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.

This is an improvement for Diddy ... his previous prison release date was reportedly in April 2028 ... which had been moved up from June 2028.

Jeffrey Epstein fashioned multiple nooses in jail -- after asking how to make one -- before taking his own life while imprisoned at New York City's Metropolitan Correctional Center.

This new information surrounding the late, disgraced financier comes from a new report by The New York Times ... which spoke to over 40 inmates, jail employees, federal officials, and more officers associated with Epstein's controversial death. The report tries to answer some of the biggest questions surrounding his suicide.

Epstein exhibited patterns showing he idealized killing himself, the report shows.

For instance, one of his former cellmates, Nicholas Tartaglione, told the outlet he abruptly asked him one day, "How do you make a noose?" Tartaglione also claimed he once found a noose hidden under Epstein's mattress.

Joseph Duggar was hoping to spend time alone with his four kids while out on bond in his child molestation case ... but a judge isn't having it.

Joseph was in court Tuesday when a judge denied his motion for unsupervised contact with his kids.

The judge is allowing Joseph to have supervised visits with his children ... but getting them all to himself was a no-go.

Former 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Kim Zolciak’s boyfriend, Kyle Mowitz, is not only helping her pay her monthly bills ... he's also covering her sessions with a psychic ... at least according to Kyle's estranged wife.

Jillian Green -- who's in the midst of a nasty divorce from Kyle -- makes the claims in new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, as part of their ongoing court case.

Jillian, who previously said Kyle was spending wildly on Kim, claims he's covering her bills related to her trying to get a read on her future with a psychic ... as well as laser treatments, facials, rent, vacations, mattresses for all her children, and legal bills she racked up in her divorce from Kroy Biermann.

Josh Duggar's transfer to a federal medical facility last month had nothing to do with his health and everything to do with retaliation from the Bureau of Prisons ... at least according to the former reality star's lawyer.

Josh's attorney, Beau Brindley, tells TMZ ... he believes Josh's transfer from FCI Seagoville in Seagoville, Texas, to the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth was purely punitive because the two pointed out significant flaws in the legal mail system at Seagoville during their latest court hearing.

Brindley said BOP officials put Josh through what they called a "routine transfer" with no explanation, which he says was very unpleasant.

Marlon Wayans is on a roll .... he has a megahit with "Scary Movie 6," and his ex is no longer dragging him to court for a custody battle over their daughter.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Marlon's ex, Brittany Moreland, filed papers to dismiss the child custody case she brought against him.

In her initial suit, filed in 2024, Brittany asked for primary custody of their young child, Axl July Ivory, with the actor getting visitation. Marlon quickly opposed the request and asked for joint custody.

Timothy Hudson, the 16-year-old accused of killing his stepsister, Anna Kepner, aboard a Carnival cruise ship, surrendered to U.S. Marshals after Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres ordered him back into custody.

Hudson turned himself in Monday after Judge Torres revoked the teen's pretrial release, just days after prosecutors argued he should no longer remain free while awaiting trial.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge cited the government's evidence and ruled Hudson poses a danger to both himself and others. In the order, the judge wrote the prosecution's case alleging forcible rape is "beyond clear and convincing" and said the allegations suggest "a level of psychopathy and lack of remorse" that raises concerns Hudson could "snap at any time."

Tiger Woods' medical records may soon be part of his DUI case ... prosecutors say they want any documents relating to treatment he received at the hospital after his rollover crash and arrest.

The State Attorney's office in Martin County, Florida, filed a notice of its intent to subpoena medical records from a local hospital in Stuart -- the Cleveland Clinic Martin South -- and they're after anything that has to do with drinking or drugs.

The subpoena, which will be issued on June 30, according to officials, seeks "any and all reports documenting statements of the patient regarding alcohol or chemical substances use" and "any and all drug screen results," in addition to the names of anyone who administered the tests.

Diddy just scored a legal win ... because Dawn Richard's civil lawsuit against him was thrown out of federal court ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, a federal judge dismissed all of Dawn's claims ... and all but one of them can't be refiled.

The court found the vast majority of her claims were filed past the statute of limitations. However, the judge ruled Dawn could refile one her claims -- which is related to copyrights -- in New York state court.

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit is dealing with a royal-sized family scandal ... because her son, Marius Borg Høiby, has been sentenced to four years behind bars after being convicted in a rape case.

The verdict came down Monday, with Oslo District Court handing 29-year-old Høiby prison time following a six-week trial. Høiby appeared for the proceedings via video link.

According to reports, Judge Jon Sverdrup Efjestad convicted Høiby of assaulting former girlfriend Nora Haukland.

Tyra Banks is getting a taste of her own medicine, and it's laughable she doesn't like it ... at least that's what Adrianne Curry is implying.

Here's the deal ... Tyra's suing Netflix for defamation, saying the streaming service used only a fraction of her 3-hour interview "to support a false and defamatory narrative" in its docuseries, "Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model."

But the original 'ANTM' winner went on social media Sunday to point out that's exactly what Tyra did to all of the contestants on her show, saying ... "I read that Tyra Banks is suing Netflix because she didn't like being edited."

Construction on Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' massive New York dream home can resume ... because the Hollywood power couple has resolved millions in contractor debt claims.

According to mechanics liens obtained by TMZ ... a combined $2.1 million for multiple claims has been satisfied as of May 26.

As we reported ... five contractors and subcontractors filed mechanics liens against the couple's 110-acre Lewisboro, New York property in April ... claiming they hadn't been paid for work on the sprawling estate.

Former NBA Star Dwight Howard says his wife is a master of lies and manipulation ... and alleges she tricked him into marriage with false claims about her fertility ... at least according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Dwight filed court docs requesting a protective order against Amber -- also known by her stage name Amy Luciani -- claiming they have had a rocky relationship for years … which led to him filing for divorce.

He said Amber started a “crusade of lies and defamation” against him … costing him job opportunities. He said she is also spreading lies about him to his family, friends, and the mothers of his children.