Legal

Disney is fighting back against the Trump administration -- the Mouse House just sued the FCC for allegedly violating its First Amendment rights.

The media company filed the lawsuit in federal court in DC on Tuesday ... alleging Trump’s FCC has "waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts."

ABC's talk show "The View" is currently being investigated by the FCC, and FCC chairman Brendan Carr has been a vocal opponent of the company ... even claiming Disney might be committing "illegal DEI discrimination." Disney owns ABC.

Brian Hickerson suffered a legal setback just days before the death of his on-again, off-again girlfriend, Hayden Panettiere ... TMZ has confirmed.

A judge denied Hickerson’s request to have his past felony domestic violence charges reduced to misdemeanors, as well as his request to expunge the convictions, according to court documents, obtained by TMZ.

The ruling came Thursday, August 13 ... just three days before Panettiere died at age 36. Hickerson pleaded no contest in April 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend following a string of incidents involving Panettiere between May 2019 and January 2020. He had originally faced an eight-count criminal case.

Andrew Gillum is swapping jail for rehab ... but the court will still be keeping close tabs on him.

According to new legal documents obtained by TMZ, a judge ordered the former Florida gubernatorial candidate released from the Baldwin County Jail Friday ... so he could enter Cumberland Heights Treatment Center in Nashville.

Gillum must wear a GPS ankle monitor during his release ... and remain at the facility for at least 30 days, or however long it takes him to complete a drug and alcohol treatment program.

Luigi Mangione will not go on trial for murder next month ... the start of his state proceedings have been delayed after his federal guilty plea last week.

A judge in Manhattan has given state prosecutors until October 9 to respond to Luigi's request to dismiss the case ... thus pushing back the previous September 8 start date.

As we reported ... Luigi's legal team filed to dismiss the state case right after he pled guilty to federal stalking charges -- arguing that the guilty plea now bars the state case from moving forward under the federal Constitution and New York's double jeopardy law.

The NAACP joined Nolan Wells' family in their legal fight for answers ... and the organization is saying enough is enough as questions swirl about the teen's mysterious death.

The NAACP said Monday it has offered additional investigative resources to Nolan's family ... demanding "truth and transparency" in the case that's captivated the nation.

As you know, Nolan went missing after taking a boat out to Horn Island with friends on the Fourth of July. His body was found days later in the water, near where he was last seen alive.

2:30 PM PT -- Lee Budner, attorney for the child's biological parents, tells TMZ ... the baby underwent surgery this morning and "is now recuperating under the loving care of his parents and his heroic team of doctors, nurses, and medical staff."

Budner tells us ... "This is the last update on Rumi's health that his family intends to share. His condition remains critical and complex, and his family seeks privacy in caring for their son on his long road to recovery."

He adds ... "Meanwhile, Ms. West continues to assert baseless claims for custody of Rumi, in violation of multiple courts orders out of both Alaska and California. We look forward to quickly defeating those claims as Rumi's parents continue to focus on his health and safety above all else."

We're told the Norwood procedure is the first of three surgeries required within the first several years of life for children born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

The biological parents who wanted their surrogate to terminate the pregnancy are now taking steps to keep their newborn alive ... telling a judge they've decided their son will undergo major heart surgery.

According to a court filing, obtained by TMZ, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed have elected to have the baby undergo the Norwood procedure after consulting with doctors at Children's Health.

The Norwood procedure is a complex open-heart surgery performed on newborns with hypoplastic left heart syndrome -- the condition doctors discovered during the pregnancy. It helps the side of the heart that works pump blood through the body.

Influencer Brianna Olsen says there are two sides to every story ... and when it comes to Santos Salazar's attempted murder case, she insists her baby daddy is being accused of something he didn't do.

We got Brianna outside of a downtown Los Angeles courthouse on Monday, and she told our photog she was a nervous wreck ... even though she swears Santos is an innocent man who is falsely accused.

Brianna told us she'd been up all night with their newborn, who she brought with her to her baby daddy's court date.

The murder trial for alleged Tupac Shakur killer Duane "Keffe D" Davis began Monday ... and the much-anticipated opening arguments were 30 years in the making.

The trial's taking place in a Nevada courtroom almost exactly 30 years after Tupac was gunned down near the Las Vegas Strip.

Prosecutors say Keefe planned the murder and produced the gun used to kill Tupac -- though they say he's not the man who fired the fatal shot.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.

Adam22 and his wife, Lena The Plug, showed up to court to fight the fake restraining order filed against him ... TMZ has learned.

The hearing was held on Thursday, during which Adam22 and Lena spoke via Zoom. 

Per the minute order, Lena told the judge that she did not file the restraining order, despite it being taken out in her name. She asked the court to dismiss the temporary restraining order … which prohibited Adam22 from coming near his wife. 

The judge signed off on the request and dissolved the temporary order. 

Kyrsten Sinema allegedly bonded her boyfriend, Matthew Ammel, out of jail after he was arrested for assaulting a physician ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Matthew was involuntarily committed to the hospital on November 19, 2025 and arrested the next day for assaulting a physician at the facility.

Matthew's ex-wife, Heather Ammel, previously claimed in their ongoing case that Kyrsten traveled to North Carolina to bond Matthew out of jail and moved him "out of his rental property to her house in Arizona."

Surrogate McKenna West's online fundraiser is closing in on $80,000 in donations, as the surrogate continues her legal fight following the birth of the baby at the center of a bitter surrogacy dispute.

West's self-described friend -- Ellen Fisher -- launched the GiveSendGo campaign to help the single mom with legal fees, travel, living expenses and costs associated with caring for her two children. The fundraiser is approaching the $80,000 mark with a goal of $100K.

In the fundraiser, Ellen gives her account of how West allegedly found herself in a financial and legal bind after doctors discovered the baby had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS ... claiming West was told to schedule an abortion after the diagnosis and was "terrified," believing she could face financial consequences and potentially a lawsuit if she refused.

Luigi Mangione's legal defense fundraiser is still going strong despite his recent guilty plea in the federal case tied to the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ... and GiveSendGo says there's a simple reason why.

A GiveSendGo spokesperson tells TMZ the fundraiser was created to cover Mangione's legal defense costs across three separate cases and remains active because he still faces unresolved legal matters.

As you know ... Mangione pleaded guilty Friday to two federal stalking charges related to Thompson's death. He is still facing a separate New York state case, and his federal sentencing is scheduled for December 18.

The GiveSendGo spokesperson explains the platform's policy requires money raised through legal-defense fundraisers involving violent or weapons-related charges to be received by a licensed attorney or law firm. In Mangione's case, the spokesperson says the guilty plea does not change the status of the fundraiser while his remaining cases are active.

The spokesperson also stresses that keeping the fundraiser online should not be interpreted as an endorsement of Mangione, his alleged actions or his public statements ... adding "Hosting a fundraiser has never been an endorsement of a person, their actions, or their public statements."

GiveSendGo also says it doesn't decide who deserves financial support, and leaves that decision to individual donors.

The fundraiser has drawn continued contributions from supporters even after Mangione's guilty plea. As we previously reported ... donations increased by roughly $1,000 in the hours following his court appearance -- and another roughly $3,000 has been raised since then.

Influencer Brianna Olsen says her baby daddy's arrest has been totally blown out of proportion ... claiming an attempted murder booking goes way too far.

Photogs caught up with the star on Saturday and asked her about Santos Salazar -- the father of her recently born child who was arrested early Thursday morning.

Brianna says she's hired an attorney to spearhead Santos' defense ... and they're keeping details of what allegedly went down private for now.

The Nancy Guthrie investigation was in trouble from the get-go because of the team's shocking lack of experience ... so says a sergeant connected to the case.

We sat down with Sergeant Aaron Cross -- the president of the Pima County Deputies Organization, a union representing sheriff's deputies -- to discuss the problems that have seemingly plagued the investigation.

Sgt. Cross notes the relative lack of experience among investigators who jumped on the case shortly after Nancy went missing ... noting many of them had just 3 years' experience -- which isn't much when it comes to homicide.

Selena Gomez's lawyer says the claims against his client are total BS ... and they're ready to fight it out in court.

Mathew Rosengart released a statement after two companies filed a lawsuit against Selena, her mother, Mandy Teefey, and their former business partner, Daniella Pierson, claiming they misrepresented the strength of their mental health company, Wondermind, to investors.

He tells TMZ ... allegations against Selena engaged in any fraud or other wrongdoing are "completely meritless, both factually and legally." PEOPLE was the first to report Rosengart's statement.

CBS News Chief Correspondent Matt Gutman has reportedly been accused of harassment by a former colleague.

The allegations are part of a broader wrongful termination lawsuit against ABC News by former ABC field producer Samira Said ... who says she worked with Gutman while employed by ABC between 2021 and 2025. Gutman joined CBS in January 2026.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Los Angeles and reviewed by TMZ, accuses Gutman of being inappropriate on two occasions. During one instance, Said accuses Gutman of initiating a discussion with her and a group of male employees in which they would rate a female correspondent’s appearance, "reducing her professional standing to a numerical score based on her physical attributes."