Legal

Jussie Smollett had another brush with the law -- only this time the crime was for real, and it involved one of his closest family members!

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Jussie's mom, Janet, had her L.A. home nearly burglarized by a couple of would-be thieves Monday night -- and her actor son immediately rushed to her side to make sure she was all right. Thankfully, she was.

Here's how it all went down ... two prowlers showed up at Janet's house and tried to smash open a back door, causing $300 in damage to a window. We're told the suspects were unable to get inside her residence.

Diddy is taking another bite at the apple ... trying to get himself released on bond, 3 weeks after he was arrested and thrown behind bars.

The rap mogul's attorneys just filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, appealing the most recent order denying him bond.

In the docs, Diddy's legal team argues he poses no conceivable flight risk ... contrary to what federal prosecutors have been claiming.

Diddy's latest accuser -- who's suing him for allegedly raping her and recording it -- tried to get her now-ex-boyfriend to corroborate her claim by paying him 7-figures, according to the ex ... TMZ has learned.

Thalia Graves is suing Diddy and his head of security, Joseph Sherman, for allegedly raping her back in 2001 -- and in the suit, she says she was dating one of Diddy's employees who was shown a video of the alleged incident.

However, TMZ has seen a November 2023 text exchange between Thalia and the man who was her BF, and in it, she reveals she's planning to sue Diddy "because he's the one that has the money."

Ryan Garcia is apparently in the clear in his hotel vandalism case -- his attorney tells TMZ Sports the misdemeanor charge the star boxer was facing has been dropped.

The 26-year-old and one of his lawyers, Michael Goldstein, posed for a picture outside of a Los Angeles-area courthouse Tuesday ... and on a caption on the image, Garcia wrote, "CASE DISMISSED."

"Thank you [Michael] Goldstein," he added. "Best attorney on the planet!!!!"

Sage The Gemini -- of "Red Nose" and "Gas Pedal" fame -- is being accused of sexual assault inside the home of his most famous collaborator ... Chris Brown!!!

LAPD sources tell TMZ Hip Hop a woman filed a police report Monday claiming to have been sexually assaulted by Sage back in September 2017.

The woman told cops she initially met Sage on social media, and he invited her to Chris' house.

"American Horror Story" alum Naomi Grossman is coming to Ryan Murphy's defense amid the growing debate surrounding "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."

ICYMI ... the Menendez brothers have made it clear they aren't fans of the show, with EM previously bashing the Netflix drama as a "dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime."

Yet, when we caught up with Naomi in Santa Monica, California, she voiced her shock at the siblings' outrage ... since she felt the show painted Erik and Lyle as "total victims."

Nelly was recently sued by his former group St. Lunatics for $50 million, but now it appears only ONE rapper wants to continue pursuing the case -- Nelly's lawyer states the other 3 are saying they want out!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained a legal letter that was sent to the attorney who filed the lawsuit against Nelly, that states Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, and City Spud did not give authorization for them to be included in the lawsuit filed in mid-September.

The lawsuit is spearheaded by ex-Lunatics de facto leader Ali Jones, and it claims Jones and other St. Lunatics members have been shut out of royalties and profits from Nelly's Diamond-selling "Country Grammar" album and other various tracks.

Diddy is about to have a major honor taken away from him ... a symbolic key to Miami Beach.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Miami Beach city officials are in final negotiations to rescind Diddy's Key to The City.

While our sources say Diddy's key will be rescinded imminently, the exact day this change will be officially finalized is unclear ... due to Hurricane Milton hurtling toward Florida.

Big celebrities on the level of Diddy are going to be sued for allegedly helping him carry out and cover up sexual assaults, unless they settle out of court first ... so says attorney Tony Buzbee.

The Houston-based attorney joined us Monday on "TMZ Live," and we asked him what we should be expecting from his forthcoming lawsuits against Diddy ... specifically, if other major celebs would be named as defendants too.

Buzbee says a bunch of famous people everyone has heard of are going to be sued by his law firm in the coming weeks ... and he's already sent out demand letters, giving these celebs the chance to pony up a lot of money to settle and avoid a public lawsuit.

Diddy’s mom has finally weighed in on her son’s legal troubles ... stating while he might not have been completely honest about the whole Cassie situation, that doesn’t automatically make him guilty of all the allegations in his indictment.

Janice Combs spoke out about the situation to Local 10 News on Sunday through her attorney, Natlie G. Figgers ... expressing her devastation over the allegations against her son, saying he was judged not by the truth but by a "narrative created out of lies."

Janice added, "To bear witness to what seems like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words.”

Talk about a heavy topic for some late-night laughs ... "Saturday Night Live" went all in on Diddy, who’s currently behind bars on charges related to racketeering, sex trafficking and other serious crimes.

On the show's "Weekend Update" segment, Michael Che quipped alongside a pic of Diddy, “It was reported that the U.S. added 245,000 new jobs. Unfortunately, they were all 'Diddy accusers.'”

The audience erupted in laughter as Michael kept it rolling, saying, "It was announced that Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking case has been assigned to a new judge. One that Diddy hopes is cool with rapes."

The two people who say they sustained gnarly wounds in the Rashee Rice car crash earlier this year are now hoping the Chiefs star's own recent injury will expedite an amicable resolution to their impending lawsuit.

Edvard Petrovskiy and Irina Gromova said in court documents filed back in April that they suffered brain trauma, lacerations to their face, bruises on their bodies, as well as internal bleeding after Rice and his friend lost control of their sports cars on March 30 and crashed into their ride while speeding down a Texas highway.

Petrovskiy and Gromova asked for no less than $10 million in punitive damages -- but there appears to be no disposition to the suit in sight ... as court records show a trial in the case isn't slated to begin until June 2025.

But, Sanjay S. Mathur, the attorney representing the plaintiffs, said in a statement to TMZ Sports this week that following the wide receiver's knee injury Sunday ... he's hopeful things will now change.

"We are saddened to hear about Rashee Rice's injury on the football field and hope for his quick recovery," Mathur said. "We recognize that injuries can significantly impact one's life, causing both physical pain and mental distress. They disrupt routines, hobbies, daily chores, and activities. Injuries often lead to medical procedures and bills, and they can hinder one’s ability to earn a living."

"We are struck by the fact that Rice was injured at a time when the plaintiffs in our case against him are seeking justice for their own injuries," Mathur continued. "We hope that these recent developments will foster empathy, a resolve to seek resolution, and, most importantly, an acceptance of responsibility toward the injured parties in our case."

Rice, who has previously expressed remorse for his role in the wreck, was hurt while attempting to make a tackle following a Patrick Mahomes interception against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium. The extent of his injury has not yet been revealed -- although the Chiefs have placed him on injured reserve ... meaning he'll miss at least the next four Kansas City games.

Nikki Garcia (AKA Bella) looks happy doing the single mom thing ... taking her son to his dance class after getting a restraining order against his famous father.

Nikki was spotted Friday in Napa, CA for the first time since a judge gave her court-ordered protection from "Dancing With the Stars" pro Artem Chigvintsev.

She was smiling as she carried their son, Matteo, in her arms ... and they had matching all-black outfits.

A 10-year-old boy in Minneapolis allegedly went for a joyride that turned scary when he drove through a park, nearly hitting several kids ... and it was all caught on camera.

In the recently released shocking footage from last month ... the car allegedly driven by the youngster is seen barreling through the park as kids play nearby at the Nellie Stone Johnson School in north Minneapolis.

It's clear from the video that the adults on the playground with the kids are in shock for a few moments ... before they rush to try and gather the kids to get away from the danger.

Diddy and Justin Bieber hung out back in the day ... but it was hard to gauge just how close the two celebs were ... until now.

TMZ has obtained rare archived photos of the music legends kicking back at two events ... the 2010 Haiti Benefit Concert at American Airlines Arena in Miami and the 2016 after-party for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards at 1OAK in L.A.

Reviewing the images, one thing becomes abundantly clear ... Diddy and the much younger Bieber were super tight.

Erik and Lyle's lawyer is feeling confident after the L.A. County District Attorney's Office announced they're reviewing new evidence in the Menendez brothers case ... which could potentially result in the brothers' release from prison.

We had Mark Geragos on "TMZ Live" Friday, where he explained why he has a positive outlook about his clients' case following Thursday's press conference. As Geragos puts it ... D.A. George Gascón is brave to touch the controversial 35-year-old case in an election year, as Gascón himself is on the ballot in November.

The lawyer feels the D.A. is serious when he said his office is reviewing sexual abuse claims Lyle and Erik have made against their late father, Jose Menendez. Those allegations were not allowed to be presented in the brothers' 2nd murder trial ... which led to their life without parole convictions.