Money

Becky G claims she's getting left high and dry in a $525 MILLION water deal -- and she's pointing the finger directly at her former music producer, Dr. Luke, in a new lawsuit.

The core of this story is Core -- the bottled water company which is reportedly in the process of being bought out by Keurig Dr Pepper for half a BILLION dollars. Dr. Luke owns a significant piece of Core.

21-year-old Becky G has been pushing the brand on social media and in her music videos since she was a teenager -- but claims she only agreed because she felt if she didn't make Luke happy, he would "squash" her career.

"Dr. Luke made it clear both directly and implicitly that [her] ability to have a music career would be tied to [her] continuing involvement in promoting Core," Becky's lawsuit reads.

Becky says she feels Dr. Luke turned her into a "singing billboard" in the hopes of making the company culturally relevant ... and dangled the release of her album over her head to make her continue the promotion.

Becky claims she was eventually promised 50,000 shares of stock in the company -- but now that Core is about to cash out, the company is trying to slither out of the deal.

The singer has now sued Core -- claiming she should be paid the standard rate for a brand ambassador, which is anywhere from 20% to 50% of the company.

Do the math ... Becky wants between $105 mil and $262 mil (based on the $525 mil valuation).

Look, endorsement for equity deals can pay off HUGE -- just look at 50 Cent who reportedly sold his interest in Vitaminwater for between $60 million and $100 million after they got bought up by Coca-Cola back in the day.

Becky is not suing Dr. Luke personally -- just Core Nutrition -- but in the court docs filed by Ben Meiselas of Geragos and Geragos, she definitely paints him as the bad guy.

We reached out to Core and Dr. Luke for comment -- so far, no word back.

Casey Kasem's daughter says his widow is throwing out bogus claims to try to discredit her family ... and thwart their efforts to get justice for his 2014 death.

Julie Kasem tells TMZ ... Jean Kasem's recent allegations -- that members of the Church of Scientology and Casey's kids conspired to kill the radio legend for his money -- are blatant lies she's using to take the heat off herself.

Julie admits her sister, Kerri, is a Scientologist, but says it doesn't matter ... because Scientology has absolutely nothing to do with the case. She then doubles down on her belief that Jean's elder abuse contributed to her dad's death.

She also insists no money she or her siblings have received from their father went to Scientology, as Jean has also claimed.

If you don't know ... police in Washington opened an investigation into Kasem's death last month at the request of Jean. As we reported ... they already filed a wrongful death suit against Jean in 2015.

Casey's children claim Jean removed him from an assisted living facility in California and took him on a 7-day journey all over the Western U.S. ... but when they returned, he had a massive bedsore that was deeply infected. The suit alleges Casey died as the result of a staph infection, UTI, and sepsis ... all brought on by Jean's neglect.

Jean's adamantly denied doing anything to harm her husband before he died. We got her outside the courthouse Wednesday, and she doubled down on her claims against the kids, and her ongoing legal battle for the estate. She's asking to be the executor of Casey's will ... but no decision has been made on that yet.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has 99 problems, and one of them is allegedly pilfering a pile of money from Fashion Nova only to double cross the company on his new album, "Dummy Boy."

Tekashi's album "Dummy Boy" dropped Tuesday ... and one of the highlights is the track "MAMA," which features Nicki Minaj and Kanye West. The lyrics include, "Splish splash apple bottoms make that ass phat." It's catchy, but it has messed up a deal with Fashion Nova.

Record company sources tell us Tekashi inked a 6-figure deal with the clothing company, to include branding in his music video -- and according to the deal the lyric in question was supposed to go this way --  "Splish splash Fashion Nova make that ass phat."

Fashion Nova maybe naively believed Tekashi would deliver, so they gave him the entire amount up front. At first, it seemed things were hunky-dory, because the teaser to the track that Tekashi posted on Instagram included the Fashion Nova lyric.

Fashion Nova believed its deal with Tekashi was solid during the shooting of the music video for the song, which was derailed by a real shooting. And, check out the pic we got ... Fashion Nova is emblazoned on the screen with those phat asses.

Now we come to how Fashion Nova got screwed. The music video never got finished, and it's not going to be completed now that Tekashi is in custody. As for the song itself, when it was released the lyric was changed so the reference to Fashion Nova was deleted and replaced by Apple Bottoms.

As for why it was changed ... a source tells us Nicki Minaj was enraged because Cardi B has hooked up with Fashion Nova for a new clothing line, so she asked Tekashi to 86 the brand from the song and he obliged.

4:00 PM PT -- The judge has granted the TRO, staying the arbitration until the next court date. Spiro tells TMZ that the order "is a victory for everyone."

To paraphrase Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" ... Jay-Z wants to see some black faces on a list of potential arbitrators to handle a legal battle over his company's logo, and until he does ... TMZ has learned he wants to pump the brakes on the case.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Jay-Z's lawyers are requesting a restraining order that would put an immediate halt to the lawsuit Iconix Brand filed against him. In the docs, Jay-Z's attorney, Alex Spiro of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, says they've been given a deadline of Nov. 30 to choose an arbitrator in the case, but the list of candidates they've been given is, quite frankly, too lily white.

TMZ broke the story ... Iconix Brand says it paid $204 million for merchandising rights for the Roc Nation logo. Iconix sued Jay because the logo got slapped on a bunch of MLB gear without its permission. Both sides have agreed to handle the dispute in arbitration, rather than open court.

However, Jay's legal team is clearly concerned the lack of diversity could hurt their chance of getting a fair shake in the case.

In the docs, they say they initially got a list of 200 potential arbitrators, NONE of whom were African-American. After they complained, they got a new list of 6 arbitrators "of color," but one of them is a partner at the law firm repping Iconix ... a clear conflict of interest.

Jay-Z's team wants the restraining order so they can determine if the other candidates have similar conflicts. Bottom line ... they need more time and more black arbitrators.

Conor McGregor will be living the chauffeur life for a while -- the UFC star's driver's license has been suspended for 6 MONTHS in Ireland over a 2017 speeding incident.

McGregor arrived to court Wednesday morning -- in a SHARP looking suit -- in County Kildare, Ireland to face the judge in a case where he was accused of doing 95 mph in a 60 in a blue Range Rover.

Aside from having his driving privileges revoked, McGregor was also hit with an $1,100 fine.

During the hearing, McGregor reportedly apologized to the court -- but the judge was upset and asked why Conor wasn't charged for a more serious crime, considering how dangerously the UFC star was driving.

After the hearing, McGregor told media including the Irish Mirror, "I gotta drive safer."

Funny, the punishment for speeding seems to be more harsh than Conor's punishment for throwing a steel dolly at a bus in Brooklyn earlier this year.

Remember, in the case Conor was sentenced to 5 days of community service, ordered to pay for the damages and complete an anger management course.

As for the driving ban, too bad for McGregor -- his fleet of cars is sick ... dude drives everything from Lamborghinis to Rolls-Royces ... even giant Proper 12 semi-trucks.

Good thing he can afford a driver ...

The L.A. celebrity burglary ring is WAY bigger than we thought -- officials say a total of 10 gang members were a part of the group targeting stars like Rihanna, Yasiel Puig and LeBron James.

Officials had previously arrested 4 people in connection to the crime wave -- after video captured a couple of guys breaking into Puig's home and raiding his bedroom.

1 of the initial 4 suspects is apparently off the hook (the mother of one of the other suspects) but now 7 new men all between the ages of 18 and 25 have been arrested and charged with various crimes.

The charges include everything from criminal street gang conspiracy to 1st degree residential burglary and home invasion robbery.

In total, cops say the burglary crew hit more than 24 homes -- and had at least 12 more rich and famous targets in their sights, including Viola Davis.

The key to solving the case ... cops say a neighbor of NFL star Robert Woods had called police to report a robbery at his house. Cops located the suspect and, during the arrest, they found items connected to the other high profile cases.

In total, cops say the group stole more than $1 MILLION in property -- including $50,000 cash, watches, purses and a vehicle. Cops say one of the suspects also had a firearm.

Pauly D is shining brighter than a summer day on the Jersey shore, now that he's immortalized his mug with an insane custom piece of jewelry.

We're told Pauly co-designed a custom DJ Pauly D face pendant with Avi, the owner of Pristine Jewelers in NYC ... and it took about 3 months to create!

Check out the gallery ... the 36-carat pendant is a direct copy of Pauly's famous look, complete with his blowout and diamond earrings! The face bling hangs on a tri-color Cuban link chain, dripping with more than 48 carats of rose, yellow and white diamonds.

Pauly didn't stop fist pumping there -- he also got a matching tri-color Cuban link bracelet, bringing the total value of his new accessories to $500,000.

Eva Longoria is no longer a 'Desperate Housewife,' but she's definitely desperate to get you in her home ... stat.

The actress is unloading this incredible pad in the Hollywood Hills. It'll cost ya a pretty penny at $9.8 million ... but, considering Eva just dropped the price by $1.2 million ... it's quite the bargain. Some houses have all the bells and whistles ... this one has extra houses. Seriously.

There are 2 houses on the nearly 3 acres -- a 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom country house and a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom French villa on the other side. There's also 2 standalone studios and a charming cottage that makes for a perfect wine tasting and storage room.

It's almost got ya wondering why Tom Cruise unloaded it to Eva back in 2015. In any event ... the pads feature panoramic views, a resort-like pool and even a storybook bridge.

A judge is siding with Tyrese, ruling there are limits when it comes to his ex-wife demanding he cover childcare costs ... especially if her activities aren't work-related.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge ruled Norma Gibson can't expect Tyrese to reimburse her for babysitters to watch their 11-year-old daughter, Shayla ... if Norma's running "non-work errands" or running her household.

As we first reported, Tyrese was pissed about childcare bills Norma was running up -- especially one particular day in August -- when she admitted she was merely "living life." He was also upset that, in his view, she wasn't making an effort to get a steady job.

In the docs, the judge lays out what qualifies as work activities for Norma -- including developing her life coaching biz, working on her book or pursuing her art. The court says if she requires childcare while doing any of those things ... she can put that on Tyrese's tab.

7:35 AM PT -- Whatever amount of money Damon got in the settlement, he's satisfied with it. He tells TMZ ... "I'm good. Just happy 2 people from the culture could work things out."

Lee Daniels is a man of his word -- he told us he would make things right with Damon Dash -- and now he has ... reaching a settlement in their lawsuit over a $2 million movie investment.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, both sides agreed to drop the matter and each will pay their own attorney's fees. As we first reported ... Dame was livid about the cash he'd given Lee to make a couple of movies. In fact, he got in Lee's face during a Diana Ross concert earlier this year ... demanding the dough.

Damon's next step was filing the suit for $5 million -- due to interest and lost profits.

Lee made it clear to us ... he'd settle the debt, and thanked Dame for supporting his projects when no one else in Hollywood would.

The docs don't reveal any financial details ... but based on Lee's own words, it's a good bet he forked a hefty chunk of change to Dame.

The Red Sox players are STILL winning ... 'cause the bonus checks for their World Series "W" were just announced -- and Boston got paid!!!

Major League Baseball just announced the postseason bonus pool totaled $88 MILLION to be divided by all of the teams that made the 2018 playoffs.

The total pool number -- essentially made up of playoff stadium ticket sales -- is the largest pot in MLB history. It's divided by the 10 playoff teams based on how far they got.

The biggest payout was obviously Boston -- the champs split $31.7 million between 66 players, which came out to $416k each!

Not too shabby, but slightly LESS than the $438k each Houston Astros player got last year for winning the 2017 World Series.

Don't feel too bad for the 2018 losers ... Los Angeles will get a cut of the bonus money too -- with their checks coming in at $267,027.49 per player.

Here's how the rest of the playoff bonus money was distributed ...

Houston Astros -- $154,656.05 per player.

Milwaukee Brewers -- $122,957.13

Atlanta Braves -- $40,375.74

Cleveland Indians -- $37,040.29

Colorado Rockies -- $40,335.96

New York Yankees -- $43,081.55

Chicago Cubs -- $16,155.34

Oakland Athletics -- $19,760.35

Yeah, it still pays to be good.

Alicia Silverstone's divorce agreement calls for her to pay her ex-husband spousal support -- but she's included a clause that gets her out of it sooner than usual.

Alicia and Chris Jarecki's divorce was finalized earlier this month, and according to docs ... she'll be forking out $12,000 each month to him in spousal support. They've also agreed to joint legal and physical custody of their 7-year-old son Bear Blu.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Alicia and Chris have agreed on a "cohabitation" clause. It means she will stop paying Chris if he shacks up with someone for 5 months within a 1 year period. Normally, spousal support has to pay until the other person gets married.

Clearly, Alicia wanted to make sure Chris couldn't slow play a new relationship ... just to keep getting the $12k monthly.

The exes were married for almost 13 years. For what it's worth, her rep says Alicia and Chris are "still close friends."

Drake fans can hold on all they want, they're NEVER gonna go home to the kinda bedroom Drizzy's building in his Toronto mansion -- you could easily get lost in the damn place!

The publicly filed floor plans for his crib feature the layout for the most insane master suite we've ever seen. How big? The 941 square feet literally takes up HALF of the second floor of the ginormous crib.

Here's what he's working with: his own stairwell entrance, 2 dressing rooms AND 2 closets (all part of one elaborate wardrobe area), a steam shower and tub with a skylight above, TWO balcony areas with an outdoor hot tub and a kitchenette.

Again, all of that is JUST for his bedroom quarters. Of course, there are 4 impressive guest bedrooms too ... although they don't compare to Drake's.

If the room itself isn't impressive enough, take a gander at the estate in its entirety -- to call it a beaut is a gross understatement.

The mansion is about 35,000 square feet on a 2-acre lot and the toys include ... 2 saunas, a massage room, a 10-car garage, an elevator, a gym, a screening room ... and a full basketball court. There's more, but we're tired.

Drake bought the place for nearly $4 million and had it under construction for a majority of 2017 and about half of 2018. Talk about views!

Internet superstar Hayes Grier is tired of begging his former handler to return his Cartier bracelet, so now he's seeking a ton of money ... according to a new lawsuit.

Hayes claims he told his former legal guardian, Griffin Hadley, to buy the expensive wristwear using the then-16-year-old's credit card. Problem is ... Hayes said Griffin kept it for himself and refused to give it to Hayes.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Hayes says he was shopping in Barcelona with Griffin during a photo shoot for Taco Bell when he told Griffin to buy the Cartier bracelet. But, get this ... Hayes claims Griffin kept the bracelet after mailing it to Griffin's home in the States.

It pays to protect Tekashi69 -- especially these days -- 'cause he spared NO expense when it came to hiring muscle to cover his ass in La La Land ... TMZ has learned.

Tekashi hired a small army from 2 different security companies during his recent 10-day stay in L.A. -- we saw the mountainous men shadowing him everywhere. We're told the armed guards provided round-the-clock protection and 3 bulletproof SUVs ... all for the low, low price of $97,165.

Sounds like a ton of cash, until you add the context of what went down during that trip ... starting with nearly coming to blows with Slim 400 in an intense showdown.

6ix9ine's security had to hold him back, which almost certainly saved him from an immediate probation violation and prison time.

Then, a few days later the Bev Hills shooting went down. We're told there were only 2 shifts of security initially scheduled for the music video set, but after the gunmen opened fire ... they called in a third emergency shift. As a result, Tekashi racked up 25 hours of protection for that single event!

The kicker? The security companies ain't happy ... and not due to the bullets. We're told Tekashi hasn't paid his tab, but to be fair he's had bigger things on his mind.

The saying "old habits die hard" was on full display Saturday night at The Forum when Tito Ortiz, 43, knocked out Chuck Liddell, 48, in the first round of their highly anticipated trilogy fight ... as the 2 UFC legends showcased decades of experience inside the Octagon.

We got Chuck after the loss in WeHo at Nightingale, chilling with his parents and friends. He was in good spirits and unsurprisingly didn't rule out a fourth fight with Tito.

Chuck's parents have different thoughts on their son's future in the Octagon.

This was Tito's first win against Chuck. The last time they squared off was 12 years ago. The long respite clearly didn't subdue their rivalry, because the two had been trash-talking each other for months leading up to this fight.