Legal

5:55 PM PT -- Special prosecutor Erlinda Ocampo Johnson, who resigned during Friday's hearing, tells TMZ ... "As prosecutors we have obligations to disclose all the evidence. When I learned this morning of the existence of the evidence that had not been disclosed, I believed that the right decision was to dismiss the case. When my voice was not heard, I asked to withdraw from the case. We not only owe a duty to the people, but to the defendants accused of crimes as well. The prosecution must always be above reproach."

4:50 PM PT -- Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey gave a statement to reporters saying, “I believe that the importance of the evidence was misconstrued by the defense attorneys."

She continued, “But I have to respect the court’s decision.”

It's a stunning turn ... Alec Baldwin's manslaughter trial has come to an abrupt end as the judge dismissed the "Rust" case after finding law enforcement had concealed evidence that prevented the actor from preparing his defense.

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta is rolling back restrictions on Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts ... making the reversal only days after Trump ripped Mark online.

Meta announced Friday it was lifting all limits on Trump's official FB and IG pages as Trump gets closer to formally becoming the GOP nominee for president at next week's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

In a statement, Meta explains ... "In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis."

The feds probing Matthew Perry's death are "confident" they have the goods to take down the people who helped him obtain the ketamine that contributed to his death ... TMZ has learned.

DEA agents launched their Perry death investigation after the L.A. County Medical Examiner determined the "Friends" star died from drowning in his hot tub after taking ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects.

Our sources tell us ... the feds are aiming to charge the suspects with drug distribution resulting in death or great bodily injury, which carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison.

Alec Baldwin's never going to forget his manslaughter trial, because there's a filmmaker capturing his every move as part of a documentary about the "Rust" tragedy.

Ever since Alec touched down in Santa Fe, NM for his criminal trial in the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on the "Rust" movie set, he's been shadowed by a woman with a video camera.

While Alec's got an upcoming reality show about his family airing next year on TLC, our sources say the woman behind the camera is NOT part of that project.

While Eminem's fans are celebrating the release of his 12th album, the family of slain "Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is probably furious over him referencing her death.

The ninth track on "The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)" is called "Fuel," and he closes the song with a verse that name drops Halyna, as well as Alec Baldwin, who is currently on trial for fatally shooting Halyna in 2021 on the set of "Rust."

Em leads up to the blistering line by bringing up guns -- "Clutchin' the nine millimeter, tuckin' the heat. Got the toaster like an English muffin. No, I mean, "Toast to" like you drink to somethin' But it's in a holster, I proceed to bust it."

Nikki Glaser came out swinging at the ESPY Awards ... cracking a ton of jokes at several athletes' expense -- and Scottie Scheffler's legal troubles were not off-limits.

The comedian brought out the big guns at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles while presenting the award for Best Male Athlete to "peak athletes who push their bodies to the limit and also a golfer."

She then apologizes to the golfer in question -- Scottie Scheffler -- saying she knows it's difficult to putt, chip and drive ... over a cop's leg.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard's trying to move on from her estranged husband Ryan Anderson, but her pregnancy and a Louisiana law are complicating that, and prompting her to step on the gas when it comes to divorce.

While she happily announced this week she and ex-fiance Ken Urker are expecting, there's a law in the Bayou State that adds another layer to the story. It says if the mother of a child is married to someone who isn't the biological father when the child was conceived -- or has been divorced for less than 300 days at the time of birth -- then her ex, or estranged husband, is presumed to be the father.

So, in the eyes of Louisiana, Ryan's name would go on the birth certificate as the daddy ... even though Gypsy says Ken is the biological father.

DaBaby's taking a plea deal in his 2020 felony battery case ... and we’ve learned the "Rockstar" rapper won't have to do any time for allegedly sucker punching Gary Pagar, the homeowner of a music video shoot location.

DaBaby wasn't in the L.A. County court Thursday, but pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery through his lawyer, Blair Berk, and was sentenced to one-year probation, in addition to time served.

DaBaby was also ordered to pay $10k restitution, to stay 100 yards from Pagar, and is forbidden from possessing firearms and deadly weapons during the probation period.

A Los Angeles man is in custody after cops say he was caught on surveillance video dropping a 7-month-old puppy down an apartment staircase.

The clip is horrifying, so watch at your own discretion -- in the video, a shirtless man cops identified as 27-year-old Joeboury Coleman is seen grabbing the dog by the collar, taking it to the stairway railing, and then callously dropping the animal.

Concerned residents at the Koreatown residence alerted the LAPD to videos posted on social media ... leading to his arrest.

Internet personality SteveWillDoIt went to a famous theme park in Florida and then ended up in jail, where cops snapped a funny mug shot.

The YouTube star -- government name Stephen Rocco Deleonardis -- was arrested by the Orlando Police Department on Wednesday afternoon for trespassing ... TMZ has learned.

Orlando Police tell us officers responded to Universal Studios in reference to a trespass call. Cops say theme park security told them Steve was previously removed from the theme park for trespassing back in August and warned not to come back.

7/11 -- 11:30 AM PT -- Christina Fulton released a statement saying, "On April 28th, 2024, around 5:30 pm I received urgent messages from friends of my son, Weston Cage regarding his deteriorating mental state, urging me to come help. When I arrived to offer support and console him, he was already in the midst of a manic rage. Within minutes, I was brutally assaulted and sustained serious injuries."

She continued, "Despite my desperate pleas to the responding Police officers to detain him for a mental health evaluation, the Police officers refused my request and neglected my urgent need for my medical attention. As a mother, I am deeply saddened and concerned about Weston’s on-going mental health crisis. It is imperative that he receives the help he desperately needs."

Weston Cage kicked off his day in police custody ... arrested for allegedly assaulting his mother Christina Fulton.

Brendan DuBois, a best-selling New York Times author and former "Jeopardy!" champ, was arrested Wednesday in New Hampshire on child porn charges.

DuBois turned himself in to authorities Wednesday -- this after the Exeter Police Department executed a search warrant on his home following a joint investigation with the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce which kicked off in March.

DuBois has been hit with 6 felony Class A complaints of possession of child pornography.

9:30 AM PT -- Police just released Gary A. Miles' mug shot and the charges he's facing.

Philly PD says it's booked Miles for indecent assault, indecent exposure, open lewdness and harassment.

The Philly man accused of masturbating on a woman's leg inside a Dollar Tree store has surrendered ... after cops, and even rapper Meek Mill, launched a manhunt for him.

Beastie Boys are accusing Chili's of committing the ultimate party foul on their legacy ... using one of their songs without permission -- and it happens to be their classic hit "Sabotage" at that!!!

According to court docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop ... surviving Beastie Boys members Michael Diamond, Adam Horovitz and the late member Adam "MCA" Yauch's widow claim Brinker, the parent company of Chili's, jacked the band's iconic, 1994 music video for a commercial.

The lawsuit alleges Chili's ran an ad on social media in November 2022, synchronizing the famous track and styling it after the Spike Jonze-directed video. The video featured three characters wearing the same conspicuous '70s-style disguises as the Beasties ... where they comically rob a Chili's restaurant of its secret ingredients.

Danny Trejo's infamous Fourth of July brawl is now with authorities as cops investigate it as a potential hate crime -- especially after the actor claimed he and his buddy were targeted because of their race.

LAPD sources tell TMZ a battery/hate crimes report has been filed to investigate the incident at the Sunland-Tujunga parade last week ... and authorities are aiming to get to the bottom of what happened.

We're told when cops arrived on scene, most people involved had already booked it ... and those who remained didn't want to lodge a complaint.

Danny Elfman, a famous film score composer, is being sued by a woman accusing him of serving her a martini glass filled with semen ... she says his public denial paints her as a liar, and she insists it actually happened.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Nomi Abadi is suing Elfman for defamation ... she says he lied about her in a Rolling Stone article where he and his reps denied he engaged in sexual misconduct toward her.

In the suit, filed by attorney Eric M. George, Nomi says Danny invited her over to his studio in August 2016 and placed a martini glass filled with an off-white substance in front of her. She says she "sat in silence, terrified, gagging from the putrid smell coming from ... semen ejaculate."