The man who Carrot Top's legal team claims tried to extort the comedian with a sexually explicit recording is speaking out ... and he claims he never threatened to release the video ahead of his suicide attempt.
In response to the Sept. 3 filing ... Brian Evans tells TMZ ... that the USB drive recording the lawsuit mentions had already been deleted.
He tells TMZ ... "I never threatened - ever - to post any video anywhere in exchange for a settlement. … The video they are discussing - as I made very clear - was deleted a long time ago in accordance with the prior settlement."
Influencer starAsh Trevinohas filed a lawsuit against a woman she says called her probation officer in the hopes that the influencer would get a violation of her supervised release ... before posting the whole recorded call on her TikTok.
In a Sept. 17 filing ... Ash's legal team claimed that Raelene Ortega called her probation officer ... and alleged that the influencer was "making threats" and using "racial slurs" online against a restaurant she claimed Trevino had publicly criticized.
When the officer told her she could report any illegal activities to the police, the filing -- which lists Stephanie Lama as a co-defendant -- claims Raelene said ... "OK, but, that's no[t] like violation of her, of her probation?"
Mark Ruffalo is begging California not to settle their anti-trust lawsuit with Paramount ... as the studio seeks to take over Warner Bros. Discovery.
Tagging in California Attorney General Rob Bonta ... he told the official ... "Don't you dare ... do not cave. 5,670 film makers put their necks on the line for you to fight this merger. Another 75,000+ and counting have signed to tell you not to concede in just 3 weeks."
Mark said that Bonta's constituents would "be hurt if you let this lousy deal filled with empty promises go forward."
Jack Avery is pushing back against his ex Gabbie Gonzalez's latest attempt to reconnect with their daughter ... saying there's a good reason a criminal protective order currently blocks her from having any contact.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the "Why Don't We" singer filed a response opposing the TikTok influencer's request for visitation and video calls with their 7-year-old daughter, Lavender.
Jack says there's no emergency that calls for changing the current setup ... especially with their custody case already headed to trial October 20 and 21.
Carrot Top's legal team is speaking out about what they're calling an attempt to extort the comedian ... just weeks before his suicide attempt.
In a filing obtained by TMZ ... the 61-year-old's lawyer says that Brian Evans threatened to enter a sexually explicit recording on a USB drive depicting the comedian into a court's legal docket ... unless he was paid $500,000 as a settlement.
In exhibits contained with the Sept. 3 filing, Evans wrote in an email to the comedian's lawyer ... "Given the existing posture of the case and the coverage already in print, I expect the press will report the motion and will use its own imagination about what the USB is... That is a foreseeable fact about third-party reporting of a public docket. It is not a threat."
Rep. Lauren Boebertis flat-out denying claims made against her in a complaint submitted to Congress that she had affairs with current and former staffers and made a hush-money payment ... and is calling the accusations baseless.
A rep for Boebert tells TMZ ... "Congresswoman Lauren Boebert rejects these allegations as utterly false and there is no truth to them whatsoever. This is nothing more than a politically motivated stunt designed to manipulate the ethics process, create headlines, smear her, and generate clickbait."
They added ... "They come from an activist who has long recycled sensational claims, including numerous baseless accusations previously fact-checked as false."
Donald Trumphas used his presidential authority to officially pardon a golf caddy who already served his time ... and it's all so he can go to PGA tournaments across the pond.
Missing last year's British Open, Eric Larson -- who spent 11 years behind bars for a drug-dealing conviction from three decades ago -- couldn't attend because his U.K. authorization was denied due to his record.
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Of course, Harris English -- the PGA golfer Eric caddies for -- came in second at the tournament that year, winning $1.8 million ... the New York Post reported.
The White House seemingly poked fun at the massive Ponzi scheme that claimed Travis Kelce as a victim ... and jokingly offered him a job.
Sharing an X post about the news that Kelce had been hoodwinked by the fraudster accused of stealing $35 million in total from his victims ... the White House wrote ... "This is why we do what we do."
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They added ... "Seems like a good time to re-up the work of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud: identifying fraud & protecting Americans. Oh and it looks like the next draft pick to join the Task Force is [Travis Kelce]."
Hip-hop producer Tay Keith's death didn't make his bills disappear ... his estate is now being hit with nearly $200,000 in claims from creditors.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, American Express National Bank filed two separate claims against the late producer's estate this week ... seeking roughly $60K on a Business Platinum account and another $27K on a Platinum account.
And AmEx isn't the only company looking to get paid ... Bank of America filed a claim in connection with Tay's 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLS, saying his estate owes the financial institution about $115K.
Former NFL star Adrian Peterson is close to wrapping up his criminal case for his 2025 DWI after completing over 30 hours of community service ... TMZ has learned.
TMZ obtained court docs showing Adrian racked up the hours from July 13 to July 30 by working 4-hour shifts at Meals on Wheels, a local food drive, helping supervise youth bags for the homeless, working a July 4th event for senior citizens, and assisting with a YMCA program.
You'll recall ... Adrian was ordered to complete 32 hours of community service, which it looks like he has now satisfied. The former All-Pro running back reached a plea deal with Minnesota prosecutors in March 2026.
The parents of the baby at the center of McKenna West's surrogacy battle are pushing back on her latest Supreme Court move ... saying the emergency relief she's seeking could put their son's health at risk.
Attorneys for Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed filed a response with the U.S. Supreme Court, obtained by TMZ, opposing McKenna's latest attempt to challenge the California ruling naming them the legal parents of baby Rumi.
Their lawyers say pausing the parentage ruling could create confusion over who gets to make medical decisions for Rumi ... potentially disrupting his treatment.
A woman from Missouri who allegedly threatened to kill Austin Metcalf's father has been indicted ... federal authorities announced.
Sharifa Nicole Henderson has been indicted on 3 counts of sending threats to injure after authorities say she sent some pretty terrifying messages to Jeff Metcalf.
According to the indictment, Sharifa allegedly sent multiple threatening messages back in June ... including one which reads, "I will hunt you forever until I kill you ... I will be there. You will always have to look over your [expletive] shoulder."
2:40 PM PT -- Jeremy Saland, who represents Scott Kretzschmar, one of the defendants, tells TMZ ... "We wholeheartedly deny the allegations in the complaint ... we possess documents that thoroughly corroborate our position, including the plaintiff's own words, statements from other parties, and scientific evidence demonstrating that the claims against him are false."
Saland adds ... "Our system of justice allows anyone to make a complaint, criminal or otherwise, even a wrongful one. However, it is lost on no one that the criminal investigation led to no charges against Scott even if the plaintiff for some odd reason states she believed the investigation remains open nearly two years later. Simply, the evidence against him, or, more accurately, lack thereof, didn't even muster up to the nominal standard of probable cause because the allegations against him as described did not happen. Simply, there was absolutely no criminality on Scott's part. He is completely innocent. Period."
Seven members of Cornell's Chi Phi fraternity sexually assaulted a 20-year-old student after drugging her with ketamine ... and sent each other disturbing text messages to join in the gang rape ... at least according to a new lawsuit.
The suit, filed this week in Manhattan Supreme Court, alleges a Jane Doe under the age of 21 was served alcohol at a local bar before stumbling alone to the Chi Phi frat house to hang out with one of her sorority sisters.
Inside the Chi Phi frat house, she says frat brothers Matthew Ingalls and Johnathan Newell pressured her into snorting ketamine before beginning to sexually assault her.
Trey Songz's alleged sexual assault victim is pleading with the court to release a huge chunk of the money the singer paid to settle the matter ... TMZ has learned.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Jauhara Jeffries said she settled her lawsuit in 2025 in which she claimed the singer sexually assaulted her.
She says the money is currently being held in a court-controlled escrow account until a lien issue is handled, but is asking the court to release 55% of the total amount or all amounts above $69,950.52. That means the settlement is at least around $70K, and she says she needs the money ASAP.
"American Idol" alumCaleb Flynn allegedly wasn't subtle about wanting his wife dead ... prosecutors say he texted his mistress about wanting to kill his wife and get away with it.
Caleb is standing trial on charges he murdered his wife ... and during opening statements Friday, prosecutors said investigators found more than 100,000 messages between Caleb and his mistress from the year before his wife Ashley Flynn was killed.
In one alleged message, prosecutors say Caleb wrote he stayed up until 4 AM "trying to think of ways to kill her and not go to jail" ... adding he'd kill Ashley "in a heartbeat" if he could do it without going to hell.
"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Dorit Kemsley should be paying her estranged husband, PK Kemsley, child support ... at least according to PK's accountant.
In new legal docs obtained by TMZ, PK's accountant said Dorit should be shelling out $581 a month in child support even though PK's average monthly income is around $107,943.
Dorit's monthly income was redacted from the document ... and the accountant's child support claims would indicate she earns more per month than PK.
The accountant says Dorit spent $32K on family expenses from January 2026 to August 2026, plus another $435K on clothes and jewelry, and $56K on travel.
