Legal

Ja Morant's barely been back on the NBA hardwood for a week, but he's already found himself mired in a bit of controversy again -- this time after he hit a celebration that appeared to feature imaginary guns.

The Grizzlies point guard pulled out the celly Tuesday night after he helped give Memphis an insurmountable lead over the Pelicans in overtime of their game in New Orleans.

The 24-year-old -- who just came back from a 25-game ban for a string of incidents involving gun-related social media videos last week -- seemed to turn his hands into the shape of pistols after throwing down a thunderous alley-oop dunk, before he appeared to spray the road crowd with fake bullets.

The gestures only lasted a few seconds, before Morant returned to defense to finish off the game -- but basketball fans were still critical of the moves nonetheless.

Several roasted him as "tone deaf" -- particularly after he had just returned from his suspension on Dec. 19.

Of course, it's entirely possible Morant was not mimicking firing guns and was instead just simply hitting a dance -- but the hooper has yet to publicly address it all.

Rudy Giuliani might be praying to God to help him pay the $146 million debt he owes to two former Georgia election workers he defamed -- and we got the pictures to prove it!!

The former NYC mayor was photographed attending the Christmas midnight mass with other worshippers at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. Rudy, accompanied by a brunette woman, sat down in one of the pews to listen to the priest's sermon -- and possibly ask the Lord for a large infusion of cash!!!

Strangely, Rudy was wearing a big grin on his face when he has very little to smile about lately. Case in point: Rudy just lost a massive legal battle in a Georgia civil court where a judge recently ordered him to pay the whopping sum of money to the two ex-election workers, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss.

In their defamation suit, Freeman and Moss claimed Rudy had spread lies about them as he tried to overturn the 2020 Presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump, working as 45's personal attorney.

The women have filed a second defamation suit against Rudy for similar statements he made after the judge's first ruling.

As for Rudy, he has reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to seek protection from creditors given the massive sum of money he owes them.

But Rudy seemed to have a few bucks still stashed away in his bank account. On Thursday, TMZ obtained photos of Rudy pulling out cash from an ATM inside a Citi Bank.

Rudy Giuliani podría estar rezándole a Dios para que le ayude a pagar la deuda de 146 millones de dólares que tiene con dos ex trabajadores electorales de Georgia a los que difamó, ¡y tenemos las fotos que lo demuestran!

El ex alcalde de Nueva York fue fotografiado asistiendo a la misa de medianoche de Navidad con otros fieles en la Catedral de San Patricio en Manhattan. Rudy, acompañado por una mujer morena, se sentó en uno de los bancos para escuchar el sermón del sacerdote y posiblemente pedirle al Señor una gran infusión de dinero en efectivo

Extrañamente, Rudy lucía una gran sonrisa en su rostro, y sabemos que últimamente tiene muy poco por lo que sonreír... Rudy acaba de perder una batalla legal masiva en un tribunal civil de Georgia, donde un juez recientemente le ordenó pagar una gran suma de dinero a los dos ex trabajadores electorales, Ruby Freeman y Wandrea "Shaye" Moss.

En su demanda por difamación, Freeman y Moss afirmaron que Rudy había difundido mentiras sobre ellas mientras intentaba anular las elecciones presidenciales de 2020 en nombre de Donald Trump, trabajando como abogado personal de 45.

Las mujeres han presentado una segunda demanda por difamación contra Rudy por declaraciones similares que hizo después de la primera sentencia del juez.

En cuanto a Rudy, al parecer se ha acogido al capítulo 11 de la ley de quiebras para buscar protección frente a sus acreedores dada la enorme suma de dinero que les debe.

Pero Rudy parecía tener unos cuantos dólares todavía escondidos en su cuenta bancaria. El jueves, TMZ obtuvo fotos de Rudy sacando dinero de un cajero automático dentro de un Citi Bank.

Teen star Brooklynn Prince is climbing her way up the Hollywood ranks ... 'cause we've learned she cashed in for her recent role in "Cocaine Bear" with an eye-watering payday.

According to her minors contract, obtained by TMZ, the 13-year-old hauled in $65k, as a base salary, for her role as Dee Dee in the "loosely based on a true story" film -- which is all about a black bear wreaking havoc after it stumbles upon a smuggler's coke stash in the Chattahoochee National Forest.

And that's not all, as the contract states Brooklynn could've bagged additional box office bonuses totaling $500k more if the movie scored big at the worldwide box office.

Unfortunately, it only made a worldwide total of $89.7M following its release on Feb 24, 2023 ... so it doesn't look like any of the box office bonuses -- which only kick in once the movie hits $160 million worldwide -- were triggered.

Brooklynn starred in the goofy horror-comedy "Cocaine Bear" -- directed by Elizabeth Banks -- alongside Keri Russell, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich and the late Ray Liotta.

She got the gig after winning critical acclaim in some impressive roles -- mainly 2017's drama "The Florida Project."

A Texas preacher gave an emotional sermon ... addressing scandalous Diddy-related TikTok rumors about himself during his Christmas service Saturday.

T.D. Jakes, who has been trending this week after rumors of an association with embattled music producer Diddy took hold online, denounced the rumors.

The 66-year-old preacher began by saying some people came in solely to hear what he had to say about the buzz ... and quickly made it clear he wouldn't.

"All of you who expect me to address a lie, you can log off," Jakes said in a defiant voice.

He continued, "I will not use this sacred day and this sacred pulpit to address a lie when I have chance to preach a truth. I will stand straight up, head up, back straight and preach the unadulterated, infallible word of God."

Jakes' name has swirled on the internet rumor mill this week with social media users claiming the preacher attended sex parties hosted by Diddy and questioning his sexuality.

He'd already denied the claim through a PR rep, who called the rumors "unequivocally false and baseless."

Of course, an association with Diddy wasn't always taboo, but in the wake of multiple sexual assault lawsuits, including one he settled with ex Cassie, relationships with him have drawn scrutiny.

Kevin Connolly had a visitor on XMAS Eve, and it wasn't Santa ... the "Entourage" star’s L.A.-area home was burglarized just before midnight ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a burglar forced open a backdoor and entered Kevin's home. The actor was not there. The thief stole an antique gun and some other minor items before beating it.

Kevin was notified of the break-in and met the cops at his home, where they took a report.

Cops reviewed surveillance footage from the area and determined the suspect appeared to be a homeless man and not a member of the burglary rings that have been targeting high-dollar homes around L.A. in recent months.

TMZ broke the story ... thieves smashed a window at Keanu Reeves' home this month and stole his Glock.

Sophie Turner is back on mommy duty just in time for the holidays ... it's her turn to look after her two children as part of her child custody arrangement with Joe Jonas ... but a family reunion may be in the cards.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Sophie's got the kids through Jan. 7 ... which means she'll probably be celebrating Christmas and New Year's with Willa and Delphine over in London.

But, get this ... Joe is in England too -- he was recently spotted at London hot spot Chiltern Firehouse -- so it appears there's at least a decent chance Joe will get to see the kiddos on Xmas too.

Of course, the big question then becomes ... will Sophie and Joe spend time together with their daughters for the holidays, which are traditionally a family affair?

The girls have been with Sophie since Dec. 16 ... and they're allowed to travel with her in the United States and the United Kingdom ... but the kids have to be dropped back off to Joe in NYC on Jan. 7.

Remember ... Joe had the kids for Halloween and Thanksgiving, so the parents are splitting holiday duties under their temporary child custody agreement as they work through a divorce.

Meanwhile, Sophie was spotted making out with British aristocrat Peregrine Pearson earlier this month in London ... before she had the kids.

Sophie Turner está de vuelta en su deber de mamá justo a tiempo para las vacaciones y es su turno de estar con sus dos hijas como parte de su acuerdo de custodia con Joe Jonas, pero una reunión familiar puede estar en la mira.

Según los nuevos documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ, Sophie tiene a los niños hasta el 7 de enero, lo que significa que probablemente va a celebrar la Navidad y el Año Nuevo con Willa y Delphine en Londres.

Pero escuchen esto, Joe está en Inglaterra también y fue visto recientemente en Londres en Chiltern Firehouse, por lo que parece que hay al menos una posibilidad de que Joe vea a las niñas en Navidad también.

Por supuesto, la gran pregunta es, ¿pasarán Sophie y Joe tiempo juntos con sus hijas para las fiestas, que son tradicionalmente un asunto de familia?

Las niñas han estado con Sophie desde el 17 de diciembre y tienen permitido viajar con ella a Estados Unidos y el Reino Unido, pero tienen que estar de vuelta con Joe el 7 de enero en Nueva York.

Recuerden, Joe tuvo a las niñas para Halloween y Acción de Gracias, por lo que los padres están dividiendo los deberes de vacaciones en virtud de su acuerdo temporal de custodia. Todo, en medio de su proceso de divorcio.

Mientras tanto, Sophie fue vista besándose con el aristócrata británico Peregrine Pearson a principios de este mes en Londres, antes de tener a las niñas.

Amber Heard fue, en efecto, marginada de la nueva película de 'Aquaman', tal como un ex jefe de Warner Bros confirmó bajo juramento el año pasado, y la verdad es que ella es apenas un personaje secundario.

"Aquaman y el Reino Perdido", la secuela del éxito de superhéroes de 2018 protagonizada por Jason Momoa, acaba de estrenarse en los cines este fin de semana y hay muy malas noticias en términos de taquilla y de críticas, pero quizás lo más interesante es el tiempo en pantalla de Heard.

Según Business Insider, Amber Heard solo aparece en cámara durante unos 20 minutos más o menos y aunque su personaje habla, apenas dice unas míseras 11 líneas, al parecer.

Business Insider dice que Amber aparece en algunas secuencias de acción al principio y al final, pero está mayormente alejada de la historia principal, a pesar de que su bebé junto a Jason Momoa, es un punto central de la trama. Algunas de las líneas que al parecer dice son también bastante risibles.

He aquí algunos de sus diálogos: "No ha habido brotes como este en años. ¿Por qué ahora?", "Asaltaron la bóveda de almacenamiento, no podemos dejar que se escapen", "¿Dónde está Jr.?", "¡No!", "Siento algo en el agua" y "Gracias." Hay otras líneas, pero también son mínimas.

En lugar de que Amber sea la protagonista, Momoa y Patrick Wilson acaban formando equipo y protagonizando la mayor parte del filme. Yahya Abdul-Mateen y Nicole Kidman también están en la mezcla.

No es de extrañar que el papel de Amber haya sido reducido, esto se remonta a 2022, cuando estaba en juicio después de que Johnny Depp la demandara. Walter Hamada, el ex jefe de Warner Bros, fue interrogado en una declaración y explicó que el estudio decidió marginarla por la falta de química percibida entre ella y Momoa, y porque querían una historia diferente.

Por supuesto, el equipo de Amber sospechaba que esto se debía a todo lo que estaba pasando con Depp en ese momento, pero el estudio lo negó. En cualquier caso, ella es una ocurrencia tardía en la película.

Una vez que Johnny Depp ganó el juicio, muchos se comprometieron a boicotear la película si ella no se retiraba de ella, pero a estas alturas, era difícil saber si el factor de Amber realmente jugó un rol en los números de taquilla a la fecha, que no son tan grandes, a pesar de ser la película número 1 en este momento.

"Aquaman 2" va camino a recaudar unos 40 millones de dólares hasta el lunes, una cifra pésima para los estándares de las películas de superhéroes. Dicho esto, liderará el fin de semana festivo, así que, ¿felicidades?

Amber Heard was indeed sidelined in the new 'Aquaman' movie -- just as an ex-WB honcho confirmed under oath last year -- and the word is ... she's barely even a side character.

"Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" -- the sequel to the 2018 superhero hit starring Jason Momoa -- just got released in theaters this weekend ... and there's a lot of bad news in terms of box office and reviews, but perhaps the most interesting is Heard's screen time.

According to Business Insider, AH only appears on camera for about 20 minutes or so ... and while she does talk in the film, it ain't very much -- just a measly 11 lines apparently.

BI says Amber shows up for a few action sequences toward the beginning and the end, but she's largely removed from the main story ... even though her and JM's movie baby serves as a central plot point. Some of the lines she reportedly delivers are also pretty laughable.

Here's some of her dialogue ... "There haven't been outbreaks like this in ages. Why now?" ... "They raided the storage vault, we can't let them get away" ... "Where's Jr.?" ... "No!" ... "I sense something in the water" ... "Thank you." There are other lines, but they're also minimal.

Instead of Amber taking center stage, Momoa and Patrick Wilson end up teaming up and leading most of the film. Yahya Abdul-Mateen and Nicole Kidman are also in the mix.

Not surprising that AH was downplayed -- that was being telegraphed dating back to 2022, when she was on trial after Johnny Depp sued her. Walter Hamada -- the ex-Warner Bros. boss -- got grilled in a deposition, and explained the studio decided to sideline her based on a lack of perceived chemistry between her and Momoa, and wanting a different story.

Of course, Amber's team suspected this was because of everything that was going on with Depp at the time -- but the studio denied that. In any case, she's an afterthought in the film.

Once JD scored his W in the trial, many vowed to boycott the film if she wasn't dropped from it -- but at this point, it's hard to tell if the Amber factor really played into the box office numbers thus far ... which aren't all that great, despite the flick being #1 right now.

'Aquaman 2' is on pace to make about $40 mil through Monday ... crappy by superhero movie standards. With that said, it'll lead the holiday weekend pack -- so ... congrats?

Ali Wong quiere empezar el nuevo año como una mujer soltera porque la comediante acaba de solicitar el divorcio de Justin Hakuta.

De acuerdo con los documentos obtenidos por TMZ, Ali presentó la solicitud el viernes en Beverly Hills, citando "diferencias irreconciliables" como la razón de la separación.

La fecha de la separación aparece fijada como el 10 de abril de 2022, que, como recordarán, fue apenas unos días antes de que anunciaran su separación públicamente.

Ali y Justin tienen dos hijas en común, de 8 y 6 años, y Ali está solicitando la custodia legal y física compartida.

En términos de la manutención del cónyuge y la división de los activos, los documentos dicen que Ali y Justin se encuentran actualmente en mediación y su intención es resolver cualquier problema por sí mismos. Ali dice que la pareja tenía un acuerdo prenupcial, que ahora está pidiendo a la corte que se cumpla.

Los dos se conocieron en una boda en 2010 y se casaron 4 años más tarde. Durante sus 8 años de matrimonio, Ali se ha convertido en una gran estrella en el mundo de la comedia, mientras que Justin se hizo un nombre como empresario, sobre todo como ex vicepresidente de GoodRx.

Ali Wong is looking to start the new year off as a single woman… because the comedian just filed for divorce from Justin Hakuta.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Ali filed Friday in Beverly Hills, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.

The date of separation is listed as April 10, 2022 ... which, as you'll recall, is just days before they announced their separation online.

Ali and Justin share two daughters together, who are 8 and 6 years old -- and Ali is seeking joint legal and physical custody.

In terms of spousal support and divvying up assets, the docs say Ali and Justin are currently in mediation ... and the intention is to resolve any issues themselves. Ali says the couple had a prenup, which she is now asking the court to enforce.

The 2 met at a wedding in 2010 and tied the knot 4 years later. During their 8-year marriage, Ali has become a huge star in the world of comedy, while Justin made a name for himself as an entrepreneur -- most notably as the former VP for GoodRx.

Blueface has been hit with a lawsuit by Soulja Boy's baby mama after claiming he slept with her the day before her baby shower ... among other things.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jackilyn Martinez beelined it to court Friday ... claiming Blueface made false and defamatory statements about her and her child.

In case you missed it ... Blueface and Soulja Boy have been beefing heavily on social media this week, which started after the two began arguing about who would win in a Verzuz battle.

Well, things escalated quickly ... and Blueface made some pretty outlandish comments to Soulja Boy about Jackilyn, which includes, "Because I fucked your baby mama the day before your baby shower."

The docs say Blueface went on to say things like, "Till Soulja get a DNA test that's my child lil bro I'm the daddy now," and "What's old about your baby mama sucking my d--k."

However ... the docs say Jackilyn and Blueface did have protected sex one time in 2018, but since then there's been no sex of any kind.

Jackilyn's attorneys say they sent Blueface a cease and desist letter on Tuesday -- demanding he remove all these defamatory statements from social media -- but instead he mocked Jackilyn by posting on IG, "Nobody ever said your name ... I don't even know who you are."

Jackilyn claims she has been receiving death threats since it became known she sent Blueface a C&D letter.

Cardi B and Offset are bein' taken to court over the Beverly Hills house they were renting ... 'cause they allegedly skipped out on rent and left the place trashed.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Cardi and Offset lived in the swanky pad starting in early 2022, but they bounced from the property in October -- without giving a notice.

According to the landlord, they were behind on rent and utility payments when they left.

Making matters worse, the owners say they found "significant property damage" once the couple left ... including permanent scratches in the tile floors, rugs, and curtains, broken furniture, holes in the walls, and burn marks on things like tables, counters, and cabinets.

They estimate the cost of damages to be around $85,000 ... and the landlord says they've tried multiple times to resolve the issue, but to no avail.

The property drama comes on the heels of Cardi and Offset's relationship being on the ropes ... as you know, Cardi unleashed a profanity-laced tirade accusing Offset of treating her poorly and said they were no longer an item.

Cardi B y Offset están siendo llevados a juicio por la casa de Beverly Hills que estaban alquilando, ya que supuestamente se saltaron el alquiler y dejaron el lugar destrozado.

De acuerdo con los documentos obtenidos por TMZ, Cardi y Offset vivieron en el palacio desde principios de 2022, pero se fueron de la propiedad en octubre, sin dar un aviso.

Según el propietario, tenían atrasados la renta y el pago de los servicios básicos cuando se fueron.

Para empeorar las cosas, los propietarios dicen que encontraron "daños significativos en la propiedad" cuando se fue la pareja, incluyendo arañazos permanentes en los pisos de las baldosas, alfombras y cortinas, muebles rotos, agujeros en las paredes y marcas de quemaduras en cosas como mesas, mostradores y armarios.

Se estima que el costo de los daños es de alrededor de $85.000 y el propietario dice que han intentado resolver el problema varias veces, pero ha sido en vano.

El drama de la propiedad viene después de que la relación entre Cardi y Offset esté contra las cuerdas. Como saben, Cardi se descargó con el rapero en un furioso video en donde lo acusaba de tratarla mal y afirmaba que ya no estaban juntos.

Tinashe's hoping she finally has some peace of mind in her years-long ordeal involving a man who's repeatedly shown up at her home -- the R&B star's been granted court-ordered protection for the next 3 years.

According to court documents, the judge just signed off on the restraining order against Ramon Oppikofer, and it will remain in effect until December 2026.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Tinashe claimed she'd been bombarded with messages from Oppikoffer on IG since 2022, but says things escalated this year at her brother's Halloween party, where Oppikofer showed up, uninvited, and was allegedly lurking later in her neighborhood.

Tinashe claimed he later broke into her home before some of her peeps chased him away. We're told he was later arrested for trespassing, but then released on his own recognizance because of L.A.'s no-cash bail system.

However, the L.A. City Attorney has since charged Oppikofer with one misdemeanor count of trespassing.