Legal

One of the Cornell frat bros accused of gang-raping a fellow student apologized to her for the backlash she was getting ... before questioning why she was calling him.

Winston Lee -- one of seven Chi Phi members named in Jane Doe's civil lawsuit -- spoke with the woman in a November 2024 phone call ... she recorded the conversation, and ABC News obtained the audio.

Lee apologizes to the woman for all the "backlash" she was getting ... and says he feels sorry for her.

President Trump is going old-school with the death penalty ... approving execution by firing squad for the man convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood massacre.

Trump signed off on the execution of former Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death for killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others.

The move comes just days after Tennessee's attempt to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection went horribly wrong ... with Pike surviving two doses of pentobarbital before being rushed to the hospital.

Cornell is getting heat from its own professors over the school's handling of a student's gang rape allegations ... and it sounds like the faculty has lost faith in their administration.

Members of Cornell's Faculty Senate introduced a no-confidence resolution Monday night, according to CNN, with the full Senate expected to take it up Oct. 14.

Professor Paul Ortiz told the outlet -- faculty have been flooded with complaints from students, alumni and staff ... saying people are fed up with how the university has handled sexual assault allegations.

Caleb Flynn was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife, Ashley, but the biggest blow might've come from his young daughters.

The girls’ uncle, Matthew Keyt, read 10-year-old Ava's scathing statement in court before the "American Idol" alum's sentencing.

She wrote ... "Dear Daddy, I don't even know where to start. How could you do such a thing?"

The law firm that successfully represented Diddy against the most serious charges is now representing one of the Cornell frat bros accused in the Jane Doe case ... TMZ has learned.

The Agnifilo firm -- of Marc and Karen fame -- has signed on to the case ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

The partner who is handling the case is Teny Geragos, who has famously repped some high-profile defendants, including Diddy and Harvey Weinstein. FYI, she got a New York rape charge against Weinstein dismissed.

Dolly Parton's nephew is asking the court to pump the brakes on his ongoing estate battle ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ ... Bryan Seaver asked Monday to push back his Oct. 9 hearing by 10 days after struggling to find counsel in Tennessee.

We’re told every attorney Bryan has approached has ties to Pinnacle Bank -- which is involved with the trust at the center of the estate battle -- creating a conflict of interest.

Marlon Brando’s son, Miko Brando, rushed to court after having trouble finding his birth certificate ... and is using a typed letter from his famous late dad to help him out, TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Miko says he was born on February 26, 1961, to his father Marlon and his mom, Movita Brando.

He notes his parents were "film actors and travelled quite a bit” and says he was born in Mexico during one of their trips.

6:31 PM PT -- Olivier filed new docs refuting Halle's claims he has resisted their son getting help for neurodivergent , behavioral issues. He said Halle has "deliberately" misrepresented "my behavior where Maceo's mental health treatment is concerned."

Halle Berry is firing back at Olivier Martinez, calling BS on his claim she was violent toward their 13-year-old son ... saying she's a domestic violence victim and advocate, not a perpetrator.

Halle filed a voluminous response to Martinez's petition to change their custody agreement from joint legal and physical custody to temporary sole custody, with Halle getting only visitation. He ended up getting a modified version of what he wanted.

Olivier claims Halle got angry at Maceo a week ago while he was playing a VR game and put him in a headlock, choking him. She denies the claim.

Chris Brown's baby mama, Diamond Brown, is asking for around $45K per month in child support for their daughter, Lovely, saying that's what's needed to cover her and Lovely's expenses. 

Diamond filed court docs proposing that Chris's support obligations should cover her rent and household expenses (about $23K, as well as all school, medical, and extracurricular expenses for their child ($20K). 

Among the monthly childcare costs, Diamond claims $500 for Lovely's clothes, $3500 for child care, $2K for college savings, $2K for gifts, $350 for a haircut, and $1500 for art and sports lessons.  

A lawyer for one of the Cornell fraternity brothers being sued over the alleged gang rape blasted the university during the investigation back in 2025 ... TMZ has learned.

TMZ obtained an alleged email, dated May 16, 2025, from an attorney named Jeremy Saland -- who represented one of the accused men -- to Cornell officials as part of the Title IX probe.

In the letter, Jeremy claimed one of the panel members who decided the consequences for his client was distracted and driving during one witness’ testimony. He said he asked for the hearing to be adjourned for the day, but his request was denied.

Former "American Idol" contestant Caleb Flynn was just sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Before being sentenced, Flynn broke down in tears as he declared he was innocent ... while also asking the judge for forgiveness.

Flynn was found guilty of murder in the death of his wife, Ashley Flynn ... and now it's time for the singer to face the music.

As we previously reported, the jury sided with the prosecution, who had argued that Caleb shot Ashley twice in the back of the head and staged the scene to look like a break-in.

Jane Doe called frat bro Matthew Ingalls 3 weeks after the alleged gang rape to figure out what exactly went down, and she recorded their tense convo about consent.

During the phone call, Jane reportedly told Ingalls she'd had 10 shots of booze before she got to the Chi Phi house party, but you hear Ingalls suggest the opposite ... telling Doe, "You did tell me you were sober, by the way. You said you hadn't been anywhere."

But, ABC News reports Jane insisted she was out of it, and wondered how so many guys ended up in the room with them, telling Ingalls ... "If I wanted to take this somewhere, what y'all did would be classified as gang rape."

Influencer Jack Doherty showed police security footage to back up his claim that he didn’t touch his girlfriend ... this according to the police report.

TMZ obtained the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department report over Jack’s arrest in September over alleged abuse.

According to the report, the alleged victim told cops that she had lived with Jack for six months but told him she planned to end the relationship ... which apparently triggered the fight.

Nolan Wells' family is turning up the pressure on authorities ... calling once again for the FBI and DOJ to step in and investigate the 18-year-old's mysterious death ... 93 days after he passed.

Attorney Ben Crump joined join Nolan's parents and Stop AAPI Hate Executive Director Cynthia Choi at a news conference Monday in Inglewood, California.

His mother Christine Wells-Wonsley and father Elmore Wonsley renewed demands for a federal investigation into what happened to Nolan, who disappeared during a Fourth of July boating trip to Horn Island in Mississippi and was found dead two days later.

Halle Berry isn't letting her nasty custody battle with ex Olivier Martinez keep her from spending time with their son ... stepping out with Maceo just days after Olivier accused her of abusing the 12-year-old.

Halle was spotted Sunday at a Best Buy in Los Angeles with Maceo and her longtime boyfriend Van Hunt ... and from the looks of things, it was a pretty normal family outing.

The three walked through the parking lot together ... with Halle sticking close to Maceo.

The father who allegedly impregnated his 14-year-old daughter has been arrested in Mexico and the teen has been rescued ... according to authorities.

Officials believe the teen gave birth to her father's child on the side of a California road ... and the newborn -- named "Baby Angelita" by law enforcement -- was found dead on August 1.

Authorities found Sergio Galvez Perez and his daughter in Mexico, in a reported rescue mission by Mexican authorities and the FBI.