Money

Donald Trump is helping one Pennsylvania mother fight inflation, but his showy method -- handing her cash for groceries -- means he's potentially flirting with committing a crime.

Here's how it went down ... while working the campaign hustle, the Republican presidential nominee swung by Sprankle's Neighborhood Market Monday in Kittanning, PA, and casually dropped a $100 bill to pay for the mom of 3's grocery haul.

As he slips her the cash, you can hear DT quip, "Here, it’s gonna go down a little. It just went down 100 bucks" ... referring to her grocery tab.

12:59 PM PT -- OMG Girlz and their attorney just released a statement to TMZ, reveling in their big win.

“First and foremost, we’d like to thank God for seeing us through this tough battle. We’d also like to thank our attorneys, John Keville, Chante Westmoreland and Rob Green and the entire Sheppard Mullin team for their diligent work and perseverance on this case. It has taken us over four years to get vindication for MGA’s unlawful appropriation of our trade dress and likeness, and we are grateful to the jury for their attention during the case and their ability to see the truth through all MGA’s distractions.

"We hope this case makes companies think twice about taking an artist’s intellectual property without their permission. We will continue to create our music and grow our signature style for our fans. We love all of you for your support!”

John Keville of Sheppard Mullin and lead counsel for the Harris family also added ...
"T.I. and Tiny did what any parent would have done—used their resources to stand up for their kids. We were proud to represent the OMG Girlz, Tiny and T.I. who had the courage to stand up for themselves. They fought a billion-dollar corporate bully with grace, perseverance, and a determination to stand up for themselves and other creatives and because of that a remarkable jury did the fair, just and right thing by holding MGA FULLY ACCOUNTABLE.”

T.I. and Tiny emerged victorious in their lawsuit against toy company MGA Entertainment -- and if the award stands, the couple will be a whole lot richer as a result.

A jury awarded the music duo a whopping $71 million after their weeks-long trial wrapped up Monday after finding MGA violated the intellectual property rights of their teen pop group, OMG Girlz ... according to Rolling Stone magazine.

The jurors reportedly agreed that "L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. dolls" infringed on the trade dress and misappropriated the name, image, and likeness of the all-female group that T.I. and Tiny formed in 2009.

If you're a 7-footer looking for a customized home in Southern California that fits all of your vertical needs ... you're in luck -- TMZ Sports has confirmed Kareem Adbul-Jabbar's old place, which was tailormade for his gigantic frame, has just gone up for sale!

The Marina Del Rey pad -- which the 7-foot-2 NBA legend owned from 2011 to 2021 -- was listed this month for $2,995,000 ... and it's got everything a tall homeowner could want and more.

The property is part of a gated community that only has 12 homes ... and it comes with harbor views, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a family room with a fireplace and a side garden patio area.

Reggie Bush got his Heisman trophy back earlier this year, but now he's looking for something else -- as he filed a lawsuit on Monday against his alma mater, the Pac-12 and the NCAA, seeking lost name, image and likeness compensation.

Bush's legal team said in a statement to multiple media outlets that all three institutions benefited from the work he put in on the field during his time as a Trojan in the early 2000s. They identified television contracts, merchandise sales and media rights agreements that they said coincided with the Heisman Trophy winner's legendary career.

"This case is not just about seeking justice for Reggie Bush," attorney Evan Selik said. "It's about setting a precedent for the fair treatment of all college athletes. Our goal is to rectify this injustice and pave the way for a system where athletes are rightfully recognized, compensated and treated fairly for their contributions."

Jay-Z and Damon Dash's tug-o-war over rights to the "Reasonable Doubt" album is getting more complicated -- New York City's now entered the chat, accusing Jay of intentionally sabotaging the auction of the album's rights.

Over the weekend, Dame took to social media to read docs filed by NYC lambasting Jay-Z for deflating enthusiasm for the auction ... which will sell off Dame's one-third share of the album.

In new docs, the NYC Department of Social Services straight up claimed Jay-Z was "poisoning" the auction through public statements indicating Dame's piece of "Reasonable Doubt" would revert back to Jay in 2031. The City claims that's not how it'll work per the recording deal Jay-Z signed, and insists rights for 'Reasonable' will remain with Roc-A-Fella until 2098.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck showed up at their WeHo office building Monday morning, along with famed divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, and it's not hard to read between the lines.

Sources tell TMZ Wasser is mediating the divorce ... something that has been going on for several months.

TMZ broke the story ... J Lo and Ben shockingly did not have a prenup, and the 2 have been involved in multiple projects during their 2-year marriage, and deciding who gets what has been tricky.

Tyreek Hill has just hired a slew of new attorneys -- including one who helped represent George Floyd's family following his death in 2020 -- in an effort to try to ignite national police reform following his now-infamous run-in with cops in Miami earlier this month.

Hill's original lawyer in the case, Julius B. Collins, announced the hirings on Monday morning ... some two weeks after the NFL superstar was pulled out of his sports car and thrown onto the ground by Miami-Dade Police officers during a routine traffic stop.

Collins revealed he'll now be joined by Jeffrey A. Neiman, Stephen B. Kelly, Jr. and Devon M. Jacob -- who worked alongside Ben Crump in Floyd's family's 2020 civil case -- as Hill pushes for change in police departments across the nation.

J.D. Vance is likely scrambling to fix his latest awkward field trip ... the politician is facing backlash over his claims about the cost of eggs under the Biden administration.

Check it out ... the Vice President hopeful swings by a grocery store in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he laments to locals about the rise in egg costs in recent years.

As Vance puts it ... current Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is responsible for the increase in grocery costs ... claiming eggs are now $4 a dozen thanks to the VP.

Quavo stole the flavor for his modest 2018 hit "Bubble Gum" from a Louisiana rapper who says he actually handed Quay the inspiration in person ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained docs filed by a man named Lamount London -- who goes by L.Mont -- in which he claims he opened for 2 Chainz and Quavo's group Migos at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, LA on February 9, 2016.

Following the concert, L.Mont claims he passed Quavo a CD containing his song, "Bubble Gum" ... a bouncy NOLA-style track he says he recorded in 2015, in hopes of working together down the line.

Caitlin Clark's breaking records on and off the court ... her autographed WNBA draft rookie card just sold at auction for a record-breaking $84,000!

The Panini Instant one-of-one card features the No. 1 draft pick holding up her Indiana Fever jersey on stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York ... moments after she was selected.

The Blue Viper rookie RC card was also signed by Clark, "guaranteed" authentic by Panini America.

8:09 AM PT -- After further review, David Kohler tells TMZ Sports he and his SCP Auctions team now believe the ball would sell for around $500,000 if it hits the block.

The man who pulled Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball from a scrum in the stands of LoanDepot Park on Thursday afternoon is about to be a whole lot richer ... 'cause, according to auction experts, the keepsake is worth a small fortune.

David Kohler, president of SCP Auctions tell TMZ Sports ... based on their initial evaluations -- the baseball that Ohtani socked over the left field wall during the Dodgers' blowout win over the Marlins will likely sell for over $300,000 on an auction block.

Josh Flagg isn't sold on Diddy's current listing for his Los Angeles-area home ... noting the mansion has a number of hurdles to overcome -- especially after the recent "Freak Offs" allegations.

We caught up with the "Million Dollar Listing" star on Melrose Place in Los Angeles, where he offered his professional real estate opinion on Diddy's Holmby Hills home -- which was listed for over $60 million earlier this month.

As Josh put it ... the listing price is far too high, suggesting $50 million would be a smarter price point for the manse.

Derek Carr's recent touchdown celebration was "Bad" in the eyes of the NFL -- 'cause the New Orleans Saints quarterback was just fined a solid chunk of change for channeling his inner Michael Jackson against the Dallas Cowboys.

The pretty shocking moment (considering the subject) went down during the second quarter of the Saints' routing of America's Team in Week 2 ... when No. 4 executed a QB sneak to help put his squad up 35-13.

Once he reached the end zone, Carr did his best MJ impression ... doing a leg kick and grabbing his junk before making his way back to the sidelines.

Jamie Lynn Spears is going from the small screen to the big diamond -- at least for one day -- 'cause the actress is gearing up to compete in a charity softball game on Saturday.

Britney's little sister is slated to field ground balls and take hacks at the plate at the University of Louisiana Monroe ... in an effort to help the school's softball team raise funds.

It'll all go down at 6:30 PM -- and general admission tickets start at $40 ... but for an extra $20, university officials say you can get an autograph from her following the game.

Diddy's got a small reason to smile despite being behind bars in federal custody ... a judge just set aside the $100 million default judgment in his Michigan sexual assault lawsuit.

The embattled rapper scored the legal win during a motion hearing Wednesday ... where one of his attorneys, David Fink, convinced the judge to set aside the massive judgment because inmate Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith -- who claims Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted him at a 1997 Detroit party -- failed to prove he effectively served the lawsuit in accordance with Michigan law.

Judge Anna Marie Anzalone also scrapped the temporary restraining order stopping Diddy from selling off any assets to cover damages ... noting Diddy has a likelihood of winning the case on statute of limitations grounds because Cardello-Smith's claims date back to an alleged incident in 1997.

Patrick Mahomes seemingly has everything -- a loving family, three Super Bowl rings and an NFL contract worth roughly half a billion dollars -- but Travis Kelce still tried to hook him up with a sweet birthday gift this week nonetheless.

The Chiefs' star signal-caller revealed during an interview with "The Drive" on Tuesday his favorite pass catcher got him a swanky Louis Vuitton golf bag for his big 2-9.

It's unclear how much Kelce dropped on the present -- but on the designer's website, there are a few different models that range from $22,600 to $31,500.