Legal

A friend of Nolan Wells is lawyering up amid a wave of online speculation ... denying a viral photo shows him with a woman some social media users are attempting to link to Nolan's death.

Attorney Russell Latino says the old high school photo does show Bart Edmiston Jr. with a young woman -- but insists she is not Katie McCormick, a woman social media users have attempted to romantically link to both Bart and Nolan.

Latino says Bart has never dated Katie and did not even know who she was before Nolan’s death.

Rep. Lauren Boebert says Dr. Anthony Fauci's silence speaks volumes ... arguing he had no reason to plead the 5th Amendment unless the truth was "radioactive."

The Colorado congresswoman joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday after Fauci refused to answer every question during a fiery Senate hearing on the government's COVID-19 pandemic response.

As we previously reported, Fauci blamed Sen. Rand Paul's repeated calls for his prosecution ... but Boebert says President Biden's preemptive pardon gave Fauci every reason to talk.

Influencer Sara Gilson's ex-husband says their young son narrowly escaped the terrifying violence that claimed his mother's life ... telling TMZ the child never witnessed the fatal shooting, but did hear the gunfire as he ran for help.

Lyle Landers, who shares two children with Sara, tells TMZ there has been a lot of misinformation circulating since Sara's death, and he wants to make one thing clear -- their son did not see his mother after she was shot.

According to Lyle, his son was in another room playing games on his computer when he heard a commotion. He walked into the entryway and saw Sara and Jeremiah 'Shawn' Duffey in the kitchen, where Shawn was allegedly holding a gun. Lyle says Shawn told the boy, "You need to leave," and Sara -- realizing how serious the situation had become -- instructed him to run and call 911.

Nick Reiner has reportedly gotten into trouble behind bars ... because the man accused of murdering his famous parents allegedly became "extremely hostile" with L.A. jail staff.

According to PEOPLE ... Nick got disciplined back in April ... after he got super pissed and started yelling when a deputy didn't come to get him fast enough when he was done with a shower to return to his cell. Nick was "screaming, using profane language and directing hostile remarks at both a sheriff and a sergeant" -- but it never got physical.

PEOPLE reports Nick was issued a disciplinary write-up ... and lost several inmate privileges for five days, including phone calls, visitation, and commissary access.

TikTok influencer Gabbie Gonzalez's request for parenting time regarding her and Jack Avery's child has been denied.

Court docs obtained by TMZ show a Los Angeles judge kept all current protections in place regarding Jack's temporary restraining order against his ex ... meaning she won't be seeing their daughter, Lavender, for quite some time.

Remember, Jack obtained a temporary restraining order in May after Gabbie was arrested for allegedly conspiring to hire a hitman to kill him ... and sought sole legal and physical custody of Lavender. The TRO was granted, and Gabbie hasn't seen their kiddo since.

Federal prosecutors have closed their investigation into Jeremiah "Shawn" Duffey following his death in an apparent murder-suicide involving his wife, social media influencer Sara Gilson.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma tells TMZ ... the office had been investigating allegations Duffey inappropriately touched a juvenile member of the traveling basketball team he coached, with assistance from the FBI.

The spokesperson says the allegations were unrelated to domestic violence and the probe is now closed because Duffey is deceased.

However, Owasso Police's investigation into the deaths remains ongoing.

Kanye West is celebrating a legal headache coming off his plate ... partying at one of Ibiza's hottest clubs after settling his ex-assistant's sexual assault lawsuit.

Ye hit Pacha Ibiza Tuesday night for Rüfüs Du Sol's set ... and video shows him planted in the packed crowd, bobbing along as the music blasted and red lights swept through the club.

His night out came days after Ye and former personal assistant Lauren Pisciotta had settled her lawsuit, which accused him of sexual harassment and assault.

Social media stars Kristy Sarah and Desmond Scott are officially ex-husband and ex-wife... because their divorce has been finalized, TMZ has learned.

According to court records, the couple submitted the settlement they hashed out, which covers the division of property, custody and support.

TMZ broke the story ... Kristy filed for divorce from Desmond back in January, saying infidelity was the reason they were splitting up.

The murder trial for Lindsay Clancy enters day 2 ... and her ex-husband Patrick took the stand to reveal the horrifying scene he saw when he found the children's bodies.

Clancy is accused of strangling Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan with elastic workout bands at her Duxbury, Massachusetts home -- before she tried to kill herself.

Opening statements were Monday in a horrific case ... and Clancy's ex-husband Patrick took the stand, and he defended her.

Kanye West and his former personal assistant Lauren Pisciotta have reached a settlement over her sexual harassment lawsuit against him, TMZ has learned.

The pair settled the lawsuit on July 23, according to court docs Lauren's lawyers submitted to a Los Angeles court Tuesday that were obtained by TMZ. The filing says the settlement is "unconditional" and that a request for dismissal will be filed within 45 days of July 23.

The details of the settlement are under wraps. TMZ has reached out to reps for Kanye ... so far, no word back.

The man accusing Stefon Diggs of sexually assaulting him inside his Maryland home was ordered to turn over DMs he exchanged with the NFL star ... TMZ has learned. 

The accuser, Christopher Griffith, has 14 days to produce his entire Instagram direct message history with Stefon ... according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

Christopher will also have to turn over all documents related to his travel to and from Maryland on the weekend of May 20-23, 2023, when he claims the sexual assault happened. He has to hand over all documents related to his flight arrangements, luggage, hotels, and ride-share receipts. 

Emily Willis' family has reached a $3 Million settlement with the Malibu rehab facility where the former adult film star suffered catastrophic brain damage and was left permanently disabled.

Willis' mom and legal guardian, Yesenia Cooper, sued Malibu Lighthouse Treatment in 2024, claiming the facility failed to properly care for Emily while she was being treated for ketamine addiction at Summit Malibu earlier that year.

According to court docs, Emily is expected to receive approximately $1.25 Million after attorneys' fees and liens, while her mom will continue serving as her conservator. The defendants denied wrongdoing and did not admit liability.

Afroman is suing one of the Ohio sheriff's deputies who previously took him to court over videos mocking a raid on the rapper's home.

The rapper filed a malicious prosecution lawsuit Monday against former Adams County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Newland, claiming in docs obtained by TMZ that Newland’s earlier defamation case was baseless, forced him to rack up legal fees, and caused emotional distress.

Newland and several other deputies sued Afroman in 2023 over social media posts and music videos using surveillance footage from a 2022 search of his Ohio property ... an investigation that did not lead to criminal charges.

More bombshell allegations against JPMorgan Chase executive Lorna Hajdini ... and this time an alleged threesome is involved.

The same banker suing Hajdini for allegedly making him perform "non-consensual" and "humiliating" sex acts filed another lawsuit Monday, claiming his boss once propositioned a threesome with him and another person while "completely naked" and "visibly drunk."

According to the filing, obtained by TMZ, Hajdini assaulted him in September 2024 ... after allegedly threatening to tank his promotion if he didn't have sex with her.

Prosecutors laid out the evidence they've gathered so far in their murder case against D4vd, but they also revealed a lengthy list of items investigators still haven't recovered ... including the alleged murder weapon and a couple of Celeste Rivas' allegedly severed fingers.

According to prosecutors, Celeste's left ring finger -- which was allegedly tattooed with D4vd's name -- and her pinky finger are unaccounted for. They say D4vd murdered Celeste with a sharp object, but they don't have the object and don't even know exactly what was allegedly used.

They say D4vd was in possession of those two fingers at some point ... ditto for a shovel, a blue Makita 10-inch chainsaw and a fire mat -- key evidence they say is MIA.

Additionally, both Celeste's and D4vd's cell phones, Celeste's purse, and security footage from his Hollywood Hills home recorded between 10:10 PM and 10:31 PM on April 23, 2025 -- the period when prosecutors allege D4vd murdered Celeste -- are still not available to investigators.

Prosecutors presented what they described as an 18-month text message trail between D4vd and Celeste Rivas … arguing the exchanges documented the progression of their relationship from pregnancy scares, abortion discussions and plans to live together ... leading up to her alleged murder.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman walked through messages dating back to November 2023 ... when prosecutors say Celeste was 13 and D4vd -- real name David Anthony Burke -- was 18 -- noting their initial communication began all the way back in August 2022, when Celeste was just 11.

Early texts included discussions about missed periods, ovulation tracking and pregnancy prevention -- with D4vd allegedly advising her about taking emergency contraceptives such as Plan B.

Silverman showed texts from December 31, 2023 ... where D4vd says to Celeste, "why not 1 band why u deserve ten," in which Celeste responds ... "10 because u f***** me ten times >.<" ... D4vd corrects her and says, "6 actually baby."