Legal

Three officers who the New York State Attorney General's Office claims were present when Robert Brooks was beaten are named in other lawsuits alleging brutal beatings at the hands of prison guards.

In documents reviewed by TMZ ... Nicholas Anzalone, Glenn Trombly and Anthony Farina -- all three suspended pending further investigation by New York's Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner -- are named as defendants in lawsuits filed by incarcerated or formally incarcerated individuals.

In a lawsuit filed in September 2022, a man named Adam Bauer sued Anzalone along with several other correctional officers ... after he claimed he suffered an unprovoked beating by one for smoking a cigarette in a bathroom in 2020.

11:30 AM PT -- Hannah Berner has responded to the online response to her Netflix roast joke about Blake Lively, writing in an Instagram Story post ... "My joke in the Netflix roast was filmed before news of the lawsuit. To be 100 percent clear, I support Blake xoxo"

In comedy, timing is everything ... and, the time to make jokes about Blake Lively's alleged bad behavior has clearly passed -- and one comedian may catch flak for a previously recorded crack.

Here's the deal ... Netflix's "Torching 2024: A Roast of the Year" comedy special came out on Friday -- with well-known comics riffing on the biggest stories of the year.

Hannah Berner -- a former reality TV star turned stand-up comedian -- decided to take aim at Lively over rumors about her difficult personality.

12/30 12:24 PM PT -- James Miller, rep for NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association tells TMZ ... "NYSCOPBA’s Executive Board has reviewed the video footage released by the Attorney General regarding the death of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility.  What we have witnessed is reprehensible. It is clear to all of us that these actions are a disgrace to our profession and have put everyone inside our facilities at risk. As correction officers and sergeants, we have a duty to protect every person inside a correctional facility. At all times, we must be ready to stop those seeking to do harm, and that includes fellow staff. We, as an organization, stand in complete defiance of the callous disregard for the suffering that we have all witnessed on this video. NYSCOPBA will continue to fulfill its legal obligation to defend all members from all administrative charges, regardless of severity or public outcry. However, as more information becomes readily available, NYSCOPBA must continue to focus its efforts on advocating on behalf of those members who dutifully come to work every day and act with the professionalism and selflessness demanded of them."

Body cam footage of corrections officers brutally beating a restrained inmate -- who died hours later -- has been released by the New York State Attorney General ... showing officers hitting the bloodied man repeatedly.

The video shows Robert Brooks -- an inmate serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault -- repeatedly being punched and kicked ... and, one man appears to gag him with a towel.

Videos released by the attorney general's office show one officer repeatedly striking Brooks in his midsection with a shoe as other officers hold him down with his arms behind him. At one point, the officers lift Brooks up by his neck ... he's got blood all over his face and he can't even hold up his own weight.

New technology could transform the way our legal system works ... because a judge in Florida put on a virtual reality headset to get a better sense of a defendant's testimony.

Attorney Ken Padowitz is using VR to defend his client in a criminal case, and he joined us on "TMZ Live" to explain how the fancy tech is being introduced to the legal system.

Ken's client is Miguel Albisu ... the guy owns a wedding venue in Florida and is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Albisu brandished a gun at a wedding reception, but says he was acting in self-defense after some of the attendees started getting rowdy.

Donald Trump is urging the Supreme Court to pause the upcoming TikTok ban.

A new law is set to go into effect Jan. 19 -- the day before Trump is inaugurated for his second presidency -- and it requires TikTok be sold by its Chinese parent company or be shut down.

Trump's lawyer, John Sauer, filed a brief Friday saying DJT requests SCOTUS consider delaying the upcoming change ... at least until Trump is in office.

Whitney Cummings may not know Justin Baldoni personally ... but that sure didn't stop her from opining that she knows his type -- and she thinks there were clearly warning signs that align with allegations in Blake Lively's recently filed complaint.

Here's the deal ... Blake sued costar Baldoni for sexual harassment and alleged he took part in a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation ... all stemming from their work together on "It Ends with Us."

Since news of the shocking complaint broke ... Justin has been dropped by his talent agency ... and a number of stars -- including SAG and Sony Pictures -- have expressed strong support for BL.

Luigi Mangione is locked up in a notorious NYC federal detention center known for its horrible conditions -- and TMZ has been given the lowdown on his life behind bars.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Mangione is tucked away in "administrative segregation" at MDC Brooklyn -- with a group of inmates separated from the general population because they require heightened security.

In the case of Mangione, he became infamous after being arrested for the high-profile murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson -- so he could be a target for other inmates. Hence, the extra security.

Our sources say Mangione's locked up in a single cell -- nobody's rooming with him. But, the cells are close together and inmates frequently talk to one another.

The National Lacrosse League player who was seen on video attacking a pair of fans following a game last weekend has been issued a citation over his role in the altercation.

The incident went down on Dec. 21 after the Halifax Thunderbirds' loss to the Colorado Mammoth in Denver ... when Tyson Bell went after two people who appeared to be heckling him and his team.

In footage captured by a spectator inside of Ball Arena, you can see Bell punched one of the fans, before he hit another with his stick.

Chanel Maya Banks -- the "Gossip Girl" actress who was reported missing by her family before posting a message to social media explaining she was not in fact missing -- has now filed a restraining order against her mother and cousin.

Banks filed for the restraining order Thursday ... claiming her mother, Lutchmin Judy Kumar, and cousin, Danielle Singh, have worked together to destroy her credibility and harass her.

In the document, Banks says her mom and cousin have repeatedly tried to make unwanted contact with her ... after she says she told them she wanted distance back in October. She says the pair then called Los Angeles police to report her as a missing person and had officers conduct a wellness check on her.

Luigi Mangione is not hanging out with Diddy at one of America's most notorious jails ... because they're being held in totally different cell blocks.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Luigi and Diddy are not in the same jail unit at MDC Brooklyn.

Reports surfaced last week speculating Luigi and Diddy would soon be held in the same protective jail unit, but we've learned that's not the case.

Actress Betsy Brandt has filed for divorce from her husband of more than two decades ... finally taking the step after apparently separating more than a year ago.

The "Breaking Bad" star filed to divorce her husband Grady Olsen pro per -- without a lawyer like Jennifer Lopez did back in August -- earlier today ... citing the boilerplate "irreconcilable differences."

Brandt says the two married back in September 1998 ... and lists the date of separation as August 2023 -- almost 25 years of marriage.

Jamie Foxx isn't turning the other cheek when it comes to the alleged assault where he took a glass to the face ... TMZ has learned he wants the perpetrator prosecuted.

A source with direct knowledge tells us the actor -- who is fully cooperating with the investigation -- wants to press charges so this type of incident does not happen to others.

No arrests have been made yet. While not named a suspect or person of interest in the investigation, we're told cops want to speak with Jasper Dolphin -- a "Jackass" stuntman who was apparently at Mr. Chow's on the night in question ... in connection to the alleged assault.

The woman accusing Jay-Z of allegedly raping her as a teenager just got the green light from a New York judge to keep her identity under wraps ... at least for now.

In legal docs filed Thursday, Judge Analisa Torres ruled the "Jane Doe" accuser can remain anonymous at this point in the case. In the ruling, the judge also called out Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, saying he was being combative and trying to "fast-track" the case.

While Judge Torres did grant the plaintiff’s request to proceed anonymously for now, she noted that things could change as the case moves forward and made it clear that she intends to revisit the issue if and when the case progresses.

Florida authorities have arrested a woman for allegedly stabbing another woman more than a dozen times ... and cops think the stabbing could be over the tip the victim gave to the delivery person on her pizza and wings order.

Police arrested Brianna Alvelo on charges including attempted murder and kidnapping -- after they say they were called to a motel Sunday and came upon Melinda Irizarry, who was suffering from 14 stab wounds.

After getting out of surgery, Melinda told officers a woman came by about an hour before the stabbing to drop off a delivery order from a pizza shop.

Peter Thomas' prison sentence isn’t the only thing he’s dealing with in his tax case -- a judge just laid out a bunch of conditions for his supervised release when he gets out of prison.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ, the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star has to join a substance abuse testing program during his two years of supervised release once he finishes serving his 18-month prison sentence.

He’ll have to stick to the conditions of his supervised release ... and it looks like his probation officer will be keeping an eye on him and can search him if they have a reason to suspect something’s up.

Nina Thomas clearly isn't letting allegations that she swindled her ex, Earl Thomas, out of millions of dollars affect her personal life ... she attended Beyoncé's big concert Wednesday -- and it looked like she had a blast.

The estranged wife of the former Seattle Seahawks superstar hit up NRG Stadium for the Texans vs. Ravens Christmas game in Houston ... and rocked out to Queen Bey at halftime in some great seats.

Nina -- wearing a lowcut spaghetti strap top, some blue jeans and a cowboy hat -- crooned 'Yoncé's tunes along with the musician, and sported a big grin on her face the entire time.