Legal

Tobey Maguire will officially be a single man very soon ... after reaching a deal with his estranged wife, nearly 5 years after she filed for divorce ... TMZ has learned.

The docs, obtained by TMZ, say the "Spider-Man" star and Jennifer Meyer hammered out an agreement to dissolve their longstanding marriage and restore their status as single people ... and now they just need the judge to sign off.

They have yet to finalize a full settlement regarding their assets and other issues, but this is the first step toward wrapping up the divorce. The parties have also agreed to appoint a private judge to handle disputes as they work through the remaining issues in the case.

Ben Crump isn't buying the official line from Mississippi authorities that Nolan Wells simply drowned to death, saying the District Attorney never explained the injuries the teen sustained to the back of his head.

Crump -- the Wells family attorney -- issued a statement Monday night, claiming Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath is trying to close the chapter on Nolan's death "without getting to the bottom of what caused the blunt force trauma to the back of his head and body."

Crump also released the results of Nolan's second and final independent autopsy, finding that the 18-year-old's cause and manner of death were undetermined. 

Clavicular is facing serious charges, including one count of rape, in Massachusetts ... and it appears to be in connection with similar allegations made by a woman who is suing him in civil court.

The Bulwark released a report on Monday ... stating Clav has been charged with rape, drugging a person for sex, and providing alcohol to a minor, all related to an alleged incident that went down in May 2025.

While the alleged victim in the case has not been identified, it appears to be the same incident relayed by influencer Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza in a civil lawsuit she filed earlier this year.

Nolan Wells' death has been determined to be "consistent with a drowning" ... months after the 18-year-old vanished during a Fourth of July boating trip to Mississippi's Horn Island.

According to the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's autopsy report, Nolan's manner of death was ruled "undetermined."

“The Grand Jury finds that the position of, the condition of, time of discovery, and location of Mr. Wells’ body is consistent with drowning,” the report read. The Grand Jury, which consisted of 13 men and 10 women, was impaneled on April 20, per local reports. They met again on September 14 and ended on September 18. The report also noted Nolan did not have cocaine in his system, despite rumors.

Carrot Top was handed a $2 million demand just days before his attempted suicide ... and within hours, his lawyer was telling the court the comedian was being extorted ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained a pair of emails laying out the heated legal battle that unfolded last Monday -- four days before Carrot Top was hospitalized.

In the first message, Brian Evans -- whom Carrot Top's team has accused of extortion -- proposed a $2 million deal to end the legal fight involving himself, Carrot Top -- real name Scott Thompson -- and several others.

Dolly Parton's nephew, who announced her death, has been fired from his longtime role protecting the country legend's properties ... and the abrupt security shake-up is fueling an escalating war over her estate.

TMZ obtained a termination notice sent to Bryan Seaver -- Dolly's nephew and former head of security -- informing him that he and his security companies were immediately dismissed from every Dolly property.

Sources tell TMZ ... the notice landed Wednesday, just as replacement guards descended on Dolly's main home in Nashville. Her museum, downtown residence and warehouse were also taken over by the new security team.

Bobb'e J. Thompson's headed to prison for a couple years ... but he won't be abandoned by his longtime friends on the outside ... 'cause Kyle Massey says he's got the dude's back.

We caught up with Kyle -- who starred with Bobb'e J. on the beloved Disney Channel show "That's So Raven" -- at LAX on Monday ... and our photog asked about Bobby recently being sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.

Kyle immediately sends love to Bobb'e ... adding "Free Bobb'e J" and calling him his brother. He says he and others support Bobb'e, and they're always going to have his back.

Jennifer Eckhart was fighting a $1 million defamation lawsuit when she died ... filed by a Florida couple who claimed she falsely linked them and their business to sex trafficking.

Court docs obtained by TMZ show a woman named Darby Annunziata, her husband John, and their lash salon, Sugar Pie Lashes, sued the former Fox News producer in February ... about 7 months before she died by suicide in her Florida home.

According to the complaint, Jennifer allegedly walked into a nearby boutique and warned people not to do business with the salon, claiming Darby "doesn't really support women at all, especially single hard-working mothers working sex trafficking."

NBA legend Elgin Baylor's family is fighting over his estate, years after his death ... and it's getting nasty.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Elgin's daughter, Alison Clayton, filed a petition claiming her stepmom, Elaine Baylor, is withholding information about her inheritance. 

Elgin died on March 22, 2021, at 86 ... and Alison said her stepmom, who was with Elgin at the time, didn't let Alison or her brother know their dad had died, and has since refused to reveal any information about the estate. 

The former Ohio lawyer whose attempt to shoot his ex-wife in public was foiled by his gun's safety just had the book thrown at him ... the judge sentenced him to nearly a quarter-century behind bars and used video of the attack to tear apart his defense.

Matthew Exton was sentenced Monday for attempted murder, two counts of felonious assault, and multiple firearm charges after he was convicted earlier this month in a trial that went viral.

The 43-year-old insisted he never intended to kill or hurt his ex-wife ... calling the charges political and arguing, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people."

Brian Evans -- the man accused of allegedly trying to extort money from Carrot Top before the comedian's shocking suicide attempt -- says the public has the wrong idea about their legal case ... claiming there are more gray areas than the media coverage would lead one to believe.

Evans posted a video to YouTube responding to common reporting on the case ... blaming a judge for branding him "vexatious" ... he says he was just following the judge's orders.

He says, "It's not as black and white as people try to make it" ... before issuing a challenge ... claiming he'll do any live interview at any time to clarify what's really going on.

Carrot Top appeared to be in good spirits at a Las Vegas event just hours before he attempted suicide ... TMZ has learned.

A witness tells TMZ ... the comedian and longtime Vegas performer attended the soft launch of Finney's Crafthouse around 2 PM Friday, where he was seen at the bar with two women.

We're told Carrot Top was drinking what appeared to be white wine but did not seem intoxicated. One witness says he appeared normal and upbeat while chatting with the women before seemingly leaving with them.

D4vd's new attorney is making moves for a face-to-face conversation with Celeste Rivas' alleged murderer, TMZ has learned.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the public defender recently assigned to D4vd's case asked the judge to facilitate an in-person meeting in a private area of the L.A. jail where the singer is locked up.

The public defender explained that in order to provide D4vd with effective assistance of counsel, he needs to review all the evidence against him, including social media evidence and possibly video evidence.

Lindsay Clancy's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, is asking the court to allow for a thorough investigation of the holdout juror ... including access to his phone records and a review of his 2021 criminal charge for allegedly assaulting his wife.

The attorney filed a document in court recently asking the judge to let his team see the confidential juror questionnaire and "Juror Doe's record from the statewide domestic violence registry."

Reddington is asking for the juror's mobile phone records -- calls, texts, and data from August 27 through September 4.

Paramount was threatening to bolt California just days ago ... but now it sounds like it reached a settlement that could save its massive Warner Bros. Discovery takeover and keep the studio rooted in place.

Bloomberg reports Paramount Skydance struck a deal with California and the other states suing to block the $110 billion merger. The agreement is expected to be announced Monday.

TMZ broke the news last week ... Paramount had told California officials "we're done" and was prepared to leave the state before the two sides suddenly got back to negotiating.

The talks surrounding Paramount's anti-trust case are splitting state officials at the bargaining table into two factions -- deal and no deal.

The studio is trying to settle the case brought against the entertainment giant by 12 states as it tries to push forward its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Now, a new report claims there's no consensus among the states involved.

Despite many in the entertainment industry -- including Mark Ruffalo -- urging California AG Rob Bonta not to reach a settlement over the merger, Bonta is apparently trying to push the deal through ... this according to CNN.