Legal

R. Kelly is shooting his shot at President Trump in a bid to get out of prison early ... filing for clemency with the Department of Justice, this according to the R&B singer's lawyer.

Attorney Beau Brindley tells TMZ ... he had been working with Kelly on the clemency petition for quite a while before it was submitted Tuesday to the DOJ's Office of the Pardon Attorney.

We're told Kelly is asking POTUS to commute his combined 31-year sentence for two convictions in 2021 and 2022 -- one of which was in Brooklyn, New York, and the other in Chicago, Illinois.

Stefon Diggs is slamming the man suing him for alleged sexual assault … and he vehemently denies whipping out his penis while they were hanging out.

The NFL star called out Christopher Griffith as they continue their back-and-forth in court ... saying Griffith's claims about Stefon's penis is "completely false and defamatory."

As we've reported, Stefon sued Chris for spreading alleged lies about him, and Christopher countersued over an alleged assault on May 22, 2023, at Stefon's Maryland home.

Christopher claims Stefon took out his penis and tried to make sexual advances, which Chis rejected, after Stefon drugging him. He said Stefon had his brother and two other men attack him a week later to keep him silent. Stefon says the entire thing never happened and Christopher caused his rep harm.

07/15/2026 2:26 PM PST -- Colin Dias denies all claims made by his ex-wife. In a statement to TMZ, Dr. Dias' attorney -- Robert Eisfelder -- says his client denies Lia Jones' allegations and claims her latest filing ignores a lengthy history between the former couple. The attorney says the court previously awarded Colin sole legal and physical custody of the couple's two minor children and contends the children have been "thriving" while in his care. Eisfelder claims Lia is seeking to modify the existing custody orders at a hearing scheduled for July 28.

"Married to Medicine: Los Angeles" star Lia Jones claims her ex-husband Colin Dias tried to hire a neighbor to murder her ... and now she's begging for court-ordered protection.

Lia beelined it to court Monday and filed a domestic violence restraining order against Colin, claiming a neighbor told her Colin asked them "what would it cost to get rid of [her]."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the reality TV star claims the neighbor told her Colin said he could get a "clean gun" to have her whacked. Lia claims Colin is "actively looking and recruiting to have it done."

The Davie Police Department just released images of the alleged injuries Geno Smith and his female employee sustained during an incident at his home ... fresh off the investigation being put on ice due to a lack of evidence.

In the pictures, Smith had three visible marks on his face ... and cops stated the New York Jets quarterback also had a bump on his head, although it's hard to spot in the snapshot taken at the scene.

As for the woman, there was a bloody abrasion between her thumb and index finger. She also had a notable bruise on her arm.

An Idaho woman charged with killing her 18-month-old twins and then blaming their deaths on vaccinations had a medical professional in her corner for a bond hearing ... but it didn't end up working.

Here's the deal ... Andrea Shaw faces two counts of first-degree murder after she allegedly suffocated her kids in May 2025 and then claimed they died due to adverse reactions to routine vaccinations.

According to reports, Shaw's bond was initially set at $2 million ... and her lawyer argued for a drastic reduction to $100K on Wednesday -- but the judge ended up revoking her bond entirely.

Sean "Diddy" Combs just unloaded one of his crown jewel properties on Miami's Star Island, selling it for a whopping $55 million, TMZ has confirmed. 

The waterfront property -- at 1 West Star Island -- was purchased by JFStar LLC, a real estate holding company based in Newport News, Virginia Beach, according to The Real Deal, which first reported the story. 

According to the publication, the giant sale appears to be an off-market deal with the buyer financing the purchase with an $18.5 million bank mortgage.

Here's what Lil Wayne looks for in his assistants ... dog lovers with good hygiene who know how to roll a mean blunt.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Weezy's former assistant reveals all the duties he was responsible for when he was working for the rapper ... and it's oddly specific.

Andrew Williams, who worked for Wayne for years, is currently involved in a bitter court battle with his former boss over claims Wayne assaulted him on a private jet in 2022 ... and his job description is being used as evidence in court.

JPMorgan Exec Lorna Hajdini is fighting back against the sexual harassment claims lobbed against her with a counterclaim of her own ... TMZ has learned.

According to new court docs obtained by TMZ -- Hajdani is suing her accuser for defamation and libel, claiming he's running a smear campaign against her.

She says in the counterclaim that the lawsuit against her is an attempt to "destroy her reputation" in order to extort her and JPMorgan Chase out of millions.

Hajdini claims her accuser didn't report any instances of harassment or assault until May 2025, even though his allegations date back almost a year before that.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is asking a judge to intervene in his legal battle with his sister, Ann Altman, over childhood sexual abuse allegations ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Sam claims his sister has failed to turn over requested docs and schedule a time for her deposition or her independent medical exam in the case.

Sam said his lawyers have pressed for answers from his sister -- who is representing herself -- but he claims she has failed to turn over a ton of important info in the case and coordinate her schedule for the deposition and medical exam. He's asking the judge to order her to comply with the case deadlines and warn her that her case could be dismissed if she fails to do so.

The Napa County District Attorney's office is looking into Paul Pelosi's alleged hit-and-run case from the other week ... TMZ has learned.

According to the Napa County D.A.'s office, the July 5 incident -- where Nancy Pelosi,'s husband allegedly hit a parked car -- has been submitted to their office for review.

The D.A. will ultimately decide whether or not to file criminal charges against Paul.

Stefon Diggs' male sexual assault accuser, Chris Griffith, is firing back at Cardi B after she cast doubt on his allegations against her on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Cardi went off on Chris in a social media barrage Tuesday … claiming he's changed his story about Stefon multiple times. She alleged his initial story did not include any claim of Stefon taking his penis out in front of him … but that ended up as a claim in his lawsuit. 

She said she hated how she was defending Stefon, who she was currently beefing with. Cardi said she was upset because she didn't believe Chris' claims against her baby daddy ... but Chris told her to "take off the blinders."

The investigation into assault allegations made against Geno Smith has been put on ice ... with officials stating there's not enough evidence to move forward with the case.

According to the incident report, obtained by TMZ Sports, Smith told Davie (FL) police he was in the shower on June 21 when he heard commotion inside his home. After he got dressed, the New York Jets quarterback said he discovered his manager/son's caretaker inside the residence without his consent ... as he had previously requested she leave his kid with his mother at a guard gate to his community.

Smith explained the woman is his employee .... and while they occasionally engage in casual sex, they are not dating or have any children together.

Smith told cops the woman then started to leave the home with a bag in her hand, and he believed his personal items were inside it ... so he followed her to her vehicle. Smith claimed the woman began to punch and push him ... and he decided to enter her car to take her laptop as "collateral to whatever was in the bag which she took."

Bill Cosby was unable to attend his deposition scheduled for June 23 and June 24 ... and the reason, according to his lawyer, is because he is no longer in good health.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Cosby's lawyer Jennifer Bonjean says her client could not proceed with his deposition due to his "disabilities, age-related health issues, and related logistical challenges that could not be avoided."

Bonjean says Cosby is "legally blind and suffers from a variety of health issues, including significant mobility limitations," which make appearing in-person for court hearings far from his home difficult.

50 Cent says his former employee's lawsuit is long on accusations and short on actual evidence ... and now he's asking a judge to throw out the case.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, 50 is asking a federal judge to toss Monique Mayers' lawsuit in its entirety ... calling it a "media stunt" packed with inflammatory and baseless allegations that have no place in court.

Mayers claims 50 fired her when she wouldn't commit crimes to protect him, but the rapper says her entire case hinges on the theory that, because random people called and texted her phone asking for "Curtis," "50," or "Fif," he must have been secretly directing a campaign of intimidation against her.

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kelli Potter is close to having her wages seized over an unpaid six-figure debt.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a company named ARF Financial sued Kelli and her restaurant, Nana’s Chicken-N-Waffles, in 2025 ... she failed to respond to the suit, and a default judgment was entered against her in the amount of $217,301, which grows with interest every day. 

Kelli’s creditor is firing off subpoenas to various banks to see if the 'RHOA' star has any money in accounts to seize. 

Devin Haney and his baby mama, Leena Sayed, hammered out a custody agreement ... and in the process, the boxer revealed his massive monthly income.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Devin agreed to pay Leena $20,000 a month in child support ... a figure they say was based on Devin's monthly earnings of $435,699.

The exes also agreed to joint legal and physical custody of their one-year-old daughter, Khrome ... though Devin must have a professional nanny or his mother around when he's watching the kid ... at least until she's 3.