Money

Fox News is cutting a nine-figure check to avoid going to trial in one of the highest-profile defamation cases in American history -- the network struck a last-minute deal with Dominion Voting Systems to settle the case.

The trial was scheduled to start Tuesday in Delaware Superior Court ... 12 jurors had been selected in the morning, but before opening statements, the judge announced the settlement from the bench.

According to Dominion lawyers, Fox will fork over $787.5 million to settle the suit.

Remember ... Dominion, a voting machine maker, was seeking $1.6 billion in damages after accusing Fox News of sullying its reputation in the wake of the 2020 election with claims of votes being taken from Donald Trump and given to Joe Biden.

The massive settlement means Fox News on-air personalities like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Maria Bartiromo won't be called to the witness stand. Jurors would have been tasked with determining if Fox News acted maliciously in airing false statements about Dominion's voting machines.

Worth noting, Dominion is a small privately owned company that's reportedly worth less than $100 million, but it's about to be pretty flush.

Pras isn't going down without a fight in his political conspiracy case -- he took the stand Tuesday to testify in his own defense.

According to sources with direct knowledge, the former Fugees rapper's attorney called him as a witness this morning. His testimony covered several topics ... such as his background, upbringing, education history and, of course, his career as a platinum-selling musician.

Pras will likely be on the stand for the rest of day and perhaps again tomorrow as he faces 22 years behind bars for allegedly accepting around $88 million from Malaysian refugee Jho Low between 2012 and 2017.

We caught up with Pras earlier this month when the trial was heating up ... but it was unclear whether he'd actually take the stand in the case.

Coachella is cutting a check because Frank Ocean wasn't the only one performing late into the night ... the music festival is being dinged six figures for going past curfew.

A rep for the City of Indio, where Coachella is held, tells TMZ ... fines for curfew violations over the first weekend totaled $117,000.

We're told curfew is 1 AM on Friday and Saturday and midnight on Sunday, and Coachella missed the cutoff time on all three nights ... going over by 25 minutes Friday, 22 minutes Saturday and 25 minutes Sunday.

City of Indio officials say the fines are part of its agreement with Goldenvoice ... with the contract calling for a daily fine of $20,000 for the first 5 minutes past curfew, with another $1,000 tacked on for every minute after.

As we reported ... Frank Ocean cited the curfew during his Sunday headlining set. He showed up late, starting his show at 11 PM and wrapped his performance with an unenthusiastic one-liner ... "Guys I'm being told it's curfew, so that's the end of the show."

The $117,000 in fines goes into Indio's General Fund, and we're told the city uses the money for operating costs, including public works and the police and fire departments.

Ralph Yarl, the Black 16-year-old who was shot in Kansas City after accidentally going to the wrong house, is getting an outpouring of support -- financial and otherwise -- from celebs raising awareness of the teen's tragic story.

Ralph's aunt set up a GoFundMe after last week's shooting, and it's quickly received more than $1.8 million in donations -- and that includes a $1K donation from Julianne Hough and another $1K from comedian Lil Rel Howery.

Christina Ricci and author Pamela Meyer each sent $500 to the fund, and a whopping $5K donation came through from Guy Oseary, Madonna's talent manager.

For those unaware, Ralph was picking up his younger siblings Thursday when he accidentally rang the doorbell of the wrong house. Cops say the homeowner, Andrew Lester, opened the door and shot Ralph twice -- once in the head, according to the Yarl family.

Celebs have also amplified awareness about Ralph's horrific shooting by sharing the link to his fundraiser. Justin Timberlake, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Hudson and Halle Berry are among those who've posted about the case.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes also sent thoughts and prayers to Ralph ... and called for the justice system to do what's right.

Aliyah Boston -- the top pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft -- believes NIL deals for college hoops stars like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark could change the league ... and by that, she means bigger paychecks for the players!!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the former South Carolina forward/center recently in New York City ... just as the "NIL deals vs. WNBA salaries" conversation started to trend over Reese's reported income from brand deals

According to On3, the LSU star's projected earnings grew to $876k after her Final Four performance ... which is more than any WNBA player's 2023 salary, including Diana Taurasi, who'll make $234,936 this year.

This revelation was met with a lot of criticism, considering pros like Taurasi and A'ja Wilson make less than college student-athletes. But, Boston -- who will play for the Indiana Fever this upcoming season -- believes it could actually force the league to increase their salaries.

"Everything that's happening is to grow the game," the 21-year-old said. "I just think no matter how it goes, I just think it's all just to grow the game."

The 2022 Naismith Women's College Player of the Year also believes it's a personal decision whether a college athlete wants to stay in school or not ... saying they must do "what's best for them."

Netflix and Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah -- the filmmakers behind the Kanye West touting 'jeen-yuhs' doc -- are defendants in a lawsuit from a Chicago woman who claims they exploited her with its release.

The suit was filed Monday by Cynthia Love, and according to documents obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, she originally made a cameo in Kanye’s 2003 music video “Through the Wire” ... which Coodie and Chike directed.

The vid served as Kanye’s breakout hit and opens with Cynthia dancing inside a restaurant … and she says she was paid $20 for that appearance.

Cynthia's issue is she claims she was in an "altered state and not capable of providing consent" at the time -- and she's upset an extended version of that moment was then shown in the 'jeen-yuhs' documentary on Netflix.

In the suit, she says it represents a part of her past she'd like to move past. She claims she's now been sober for nearly 18 years, has held down long-term jobs and repaired relationships with friends and family.

She says the doc revealed her dark past to many who were unaware of her background, forcing her to rehash bad memories.

Cynthia also claims Coodie told her son, via text message, he assumed she was dead instead of trying to contact her before the film's debut.

Cynthia alleges the footage has now caused her emotional distress and harmed her reputation.

Jalen Hurts just GOT PAID ... the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback just became the highest-paid NFL player ever (yearly) after signing a 5-year extension worth over a quarter of a billion dollars!

The blockbuster deal was announced Monday morning, per Adam Schefter ... which will pay Hurts $255M through the 2028 season, with $179.3 million guaranteed.

That means Hurts gets $51 million average annually, making him the highest-paid player ever!

That's more than Patrick Mahomes, who averages $45M annually.

Of course, none of these figures factor in endorsements, etc.

Hurts also has a no-trade clause in the deal, the first in Eagles' history ... and the organization confirmed the deal by tweeting, "QB1 is here to stay."

Hurts had an interesting journey to the NFL. He had an amazing career at Alabama before he was benched for Tua Tagovailoa in the 2018 CFP National Championship game.

Jalen ultimately transferred to Oklahoma for his senior year and was selected by the Eagles in the 2nd round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

From them, he's earned the fat contract.

He almost instantly became a star upon being named the starter ... logging 6,845 passing yards, and 38 passing touchdowns the last two seasons. But, he's not just a threat to throw the ball ... he also ran for 1,544 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns.

Hurts led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl since 2018 -- and became the youngest QB to ever make it to the big game.

He also made history with the most rushing yards and rushing TDs by a QB in the SB.

Congrats!! 💰💰💰

Chris Cornell's estate -- which is run by his widow, Vicky -- appears to finally be on the same page, legally, with his old band, and it seems like there's even new music on the way.

A statement was issued through Chris's official IG page, and it reads ... "Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell, on behalf of the Estate of Chris Cornell, are happy to announce they have reached an amicable out of court resolution."

It goes on ... "The reconciliation marks a new partnership between the two parties, which will allow Soundgarden fans around the world to hear the final songs that the band and Chris were working on. The two parties are united and coming together to propel, honor and build upon Soundgarden's incredible legacy as well as Chris's indelible mark on music history."

The update comes after years of acrimonious legal battles between Vicky and the band since Cornell's death.

From what we know ... she'd actually sued Soundgarden twice -- once in 2019 over royalties and 7 unreleased tracks and again in 2021 regarding the value of his stake in the band ... and there were even complaints to a judge about COVID protocols amid all this drama. It's been a lot.

Now, it seems like they've all buried the hatchet -- which presumably means both lawsuits have been settled. And that's gotta be great news for Chris' fans around the world.

50 Cent and his longtime girlfriend Cuban Link sparked engagement rumors over the weekend after she was spotted wearing a HUGE diamond rock while watching him perform ... but fans shouldn't start cooking up about wedding day scenarios just yet.

A rep for 50 Cent tells TMZ Hip Hop ... the ring is not an engagement ring, but the couple IS very much together.

Cuban certainly helped stir the rumor pot with her IG post showing herself backstage watching her man with a Summer Walker love ballad playing -- plus, her caption had white heart and padlock emojis.

She had to know what fans would think, but again ... we're told there's no engagement.

Trick Daddy has officially ended an era -- his gold grills, which were in dire need of an upgrade after 30 years -- are now gone!!!

Danielle Noguera, CEO of 5 Star Smiles, tells TMZ Hip Hop the Miami rap legend had a moment of clarity about his oral health after refusing to visit the dentist for 15 years. 😳

Trick’s golden chompers were first set in 1994 and remained front and center, if you will, while he made plenty of platinum raps.

But, the permanent caps decayed Trick’s teeth so badly he had to undergo bone loss surgery and currently has temporary fillings in place as his gums heal. He'll have the bottom teeth removed next week.

We’re told Trick has spent $60k on treatment thus far, and the final treatment will be done in about two months ... with a mouthful of porcelain veneers being the final result!!!

“Love & Hip Hop: Miami” will document the entire procedure and the final results in the new season’s first episode later this year.

Mike Tyson isn't 100 percent done with boxing ... the former heavyweight champ -- who last fought Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 -- tells TMZ Sports he's still open to fighting again if the price is right.

We spoke with the boxing legend this month about a potential rematch with Jones Jr. -- who just lost to former UFC star Anthony Pettis on April 1 -- and he didn't close the door on a return to the ring against the Hall of Famer at all.

In fact, the 56-year-old told us, "I could be persuaded."

Then, when we asked about another possible rematch, one that would pit him against his former rival, Evander Holyfield -- Tyson said the same thing.

Iron Mike wouldn't reveal the dollar figure that it would take to persuade him to agree to future bouts with the boxing legends ... though he did say he has been recently approached by people in Saudi Arabia who want "me to do this stuff too."

"I don't know," he said ... before adding, "When I see the money people for the end of the product, my mind works clearer. I can't express myself right now financially."

Tyson fought Jones Jr. in a wildly successful exhibition match back in 2020. He also fought Holyfield twice in two memorable tilts in 1996 and 1997, but lost both bouts.

Tyson had previously agreed to an exhibition match with Holyfield in 2021, but negotiations fell through.

Mauricio Umansky -- the real estate tycoon who's married to Kyle Richards -- has a spooky story about selling the house Michael Jackson died in ... and if you don't believe in spirits, then explain what you're about to hear!

The 'RHOBH' husband and The Agency CEO joins us on "TMZ Live" Monday with a story that's in his new book, 'The Dealmaker' ... a story about selling the Holmby Hills estate where MJ died back in 2009.

For starters ... how is it that Mauricio locked up the house tight as a drum and, when he came back, the window in the room where Michael passed was open and music was playing? And if you don't believe that, listen to how it happened a second time.

That's all well and good, but he tells a story about what appeared to be a broken chandelier that gave the buyer cold feet. MU threw a Hail Mary to Michael, and his prayer was answered ... scoring an $18.1M sale back in 2012.

Mauricio is dishing out all the deets in "The Dealmaker: How to Succeed in Business & Life through Dedication, Determination & Disruption."

Joan Cusack got written up by cops in Chicago this weekend after she slammed into another car ... this after allegedly peeling out of her place of business.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that the actress -- who's John Cusack's older sister, and who runs a tchotchke shop there in Chi-Town -- was issued a citation Saturday after an accident unfolded that police apparently felt Joan had caused.

We're told the ticket was for driving too fast for the conditions -- although it's unclear exactly what that means. What we do know is that the aftermath was caught on camera.

Based on this video, obtained by TMZ, you can see four young women being attended to by first responders alongside their Honda -- which definitely looks dinged up -- and Joan standing by next to her pickup truck ... looking pretty annoyed by the whole thing.

The people who shot this seem to think they know what happened ... essentially, it looks like a T-bone collision -- but, again, we don't know for certain how this went down. The cops are saying that Joan was simply trying to enter a parking space when she struck a sedan.

Chicago PD doesn't offer much more of a description beyond that. The only other observation was that there weren't any serious injuries, and that Joan was the one who got dinged, legally.

Jimmy Kimmel's late-night sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez, is in the doghouse with a rescue agency that says two pups he adopted ended up at a shelter, but he says the whole ordeal started with a misunderstanding within his family.

Mutt Scouts, a dog rescue group based in SoCal, tells TMZ ... Guillermo adopted two chihuahuas -- Chase and Rey -- back in 2021 when they were just puppies. He was stoked about the addition to his family, posting pics of them on IG soon after getting them.

However, Mutt Scouts says they recently got a call from an animal shelter in the L.A. area ... saying the dogs were surrendered to them by an unnamed woman. The shelter called Mutt Scouts because both pups were microchipped and registered to the org prior to Guillermo adopting them.

Mutt Scouts provided TMZ a copy of the contract Guillermo signed before adopting -- which says the rescue would be the first point of contact to help rehome the dogs if he no longer wanted the dogs or couldn't care for them.

The org took to social media this week to call him out, and some 'Kimmel' fans were pissed and noted Guillermo's past post with the dogs is no longer on his page.

Guillermo tells TMZ ... this all started when he was asked to take care of his grandmother's large dog because she's battling dementia. At the same time, he went in for knee surgery ... so his stepsister had to watch Chase, Rey and grandma's big dog.

He says his stepsister panicked the big dog was going to harm the two chihuahuas, and that's when she decided to take them to the shelter. When Guillermo found out, he says he immediately told her she'd make a big mistake. He knew they should have gone to Mutt Scouts and says he contacted the group on Friday and said he "was sorry from the bottom of his heart."

Mutt Scouts tells us they hope Guillermo's case is a teachable moment for anyone looking to adopt a pet. It's standard procedure for adopted animals to be returned to the rescue agency if the owner can longer care for them.

Chase and Rey are now with Mutt Scouts, which is hoping to find a new home for them. Mutt Scouts tells us Guillermo made a $5k donation to help them care for the pups in the interim.

Manila Luzon's two-year-old campaign for Jack Daniel's -- which features drag queens -- is drumming up outrage anew ... and she says those who are boycotting can cry in their corner.

The former 'Drag Race' star responded to the latest wave of indignation over an LGBT-friendly ad that the whiskey brand ran a full two years ago ... back in 2021. Apparently, some are just catching wind of it now -- and dramatically pouring their JD down the drain.

In one viral instance, a guy actually poured his Jack into a firepit ... and torched the sauce.

Luzon tells TMZ ... the fact these iconic American brands have been teaming up with the LGBTQ+ crowd to reach a new demographic is nothing new -- and she's eye-rolling over the fact that certain folks are just now figuring it out and screaming at the sky about it.

She makes a couple good points here. For one, ML says these companies have entire departments dedicated to market research ... and since they're pivoting toward inclusivity, ya gotta figure they know it's good for their bottom line to reach out to a new customer base.

In Jack Daniel's case ... that actually bares out in the numbers. Their parent company, Brown-Forman, reported huge boosts in sales of the famed liquor last year. Hard to say if that's due to their drag queen ad, specifically, but something's working for them dollarwise.

The other takeaway here is this ... there's options in America. If you're not happy with a brand, for whatever reason, you don't have to buy it anymore. Plain and simple.

Luzon notes, though, that if these people wanna boycott every company that runs an LGBT-leaning ad or campaign -- they might be out of products in the near future. She says this is the way the world is going ... and they can either get onboard, or be left behind.

It's out with the old and in with the new for NFL star D.J. Moore ... and we're not just talking his next team -- he upgraded his jewelry, too!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the former Carolina receiver -- who just got shipped to Chicago as part of the Panthers' acquisition of the first overall pick in the 2023 Draft -- decided to give a shiny shout-out to his new squad ... by getting some bling that matches the Bears' colors.

We're told Moore hit up Al The Jeweler from Labelle Jewelry in Totowa, NJ for the job ... and he came up with some seriously high-quality pieces that have him pretty stoked!!

Moore is now the new owner of a chain decked out in orange sapphires and VS white diamonds ... and a matching Cartier watch!!

Of course, Al has done work for a ton of NFL guys in the past -- including Stefon Diggs, Sauce Gardner and more.