R. Kelly Claims Learning Disability Led to Loss in Sexual Abuse Case

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R. Kelly's legal team has another reason for the judge why it believes the singer's L in his recent sexual abuse civil case shouldn't count ... he can't read.

Kelly's attorneys, Zaid Abdallah and Raed Shalabi, filed legal docs claiming even though Kelly was served in the civil case -- in which Heather Williams alleges he sexually abused her when she was 16 -- he was in Cook County Jail at the time for failing to pay child support and should not have been served there.

More significantly, though, according to the docs ... Kelly "suffers from a learning disability that adversely affects his ability to read," adding ... "in essence he cannot."

Translation -- Kelly had no idea what the legal papers were all about, so he didn't take the appropriate steps after being served to defend himself.

The new legal docs also blast the fact Kelly was served while incarcerated, claiming Williams' lawyers could have easily served Kelly's criminal lawyer or delivered the docs to Trump Towers where he lives. Williams' lawyer has said security at his residence made that impossible, but Kelly's attorney calls BS on that.

As we reported ... Williams won a default judgment against Kelly when he failed to appear for a hearing in the case.

Kelly's legal team is asking the court to vacate the decision ... so he can properly mount his defense this time around.

Coachella Herpes Spike!!!

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There was an unwanted guest running amok at Coachella this year ... herpes.

According to honchos at HerpAlert -- an online diagnosis and treatment website for the STD -- there's been a huge spike in folks looking to get treated for herpes in the communities surrounding the famous music festival.

HerpAlert's been in business for 2 years now, with doctors issuing prescriptions to pharmacies after people submit photos of their, umm ... situation, for medical pros to review. The turnaround time is blazing fast, it only takes about 2 hours.

We're told the site has seen a massive surge in folks seeking prescriptions for herpes since Day 1 at Coachella. A whopping 1,105 cases have been reported in Indio, Palm Desert and Coachella Valley -- and also L.A., Orange and San Diego counties where most of the concertgoers live.

HerpAlert tells us they typically handle 12 cases a day in Southern Cali ... but during the first 2 days of Coachella, the site serviced almost 250 patients!!! The biggest previous spike was during Oscars weekend 2018, when they got a mere 60 cases a day.

Bottom line ... what happens in Coachella might stay with you. For life.

Kings and NBA Launch Joint Investigation Into Luke Walton Accusations

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The Sacramento Kings have teamed up with NBA officials to launch a joint investigation into the Luke Walton sexual assault allegations.

Both the Kings and the NBA have hired their own teams of investigators -- which are already working together to look into the accusations made by sports reporter Kelli Tennant.

Tennant claims Walton -- now the head coach of the Kings -- sexually assaulted her in a hotel room back in 2014, when Walton was an asst. coach with the Golden State Warriors.

The two women leading the Kings investigation are Sue Ann Van Dermyden and Jennifer Doughty -- who both have extensive experience conducting investigations.

As for the NBA side, they've tapped NBA Senior VP Elizabeth Maringer -- who previously served 12 years as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The Kings and the NBA issued a statement saying they "take these allegations very seriously and will collaborate to conduct a complete and thorough investigation."

As we previously reported ... Walton adamantly DENIES assaulting Tennant and claims she's an "opportunist" looking for a quick buck.

Tennant held a press conference earlier this week emotionally recounting her version of the incident -- saying she thought Walton was going to rape her that day.

Walton has vowed to fight the case in court and says he will NOT settle for any amount of money.

Robert Kraft Spa Masseuse Arrested ... After Video Shows Sexual Encounter

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7:45 AM PT -- A judge ruled Mingbi will be released on $5,000 bond on the condition she surrenders her passport and does not work in the spa/massage industry.

Cops have arrested another woman in the Robert Kraft prostitution case -- a 58-year-old who allegedly performed a sexual act on the Patriots owner with another woman at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa.

Jupiter Police arrested Shen Mingbi -- who cops say was in the massage room with Kraft on January 19, 2019.

According to the police report, Kraft was joined in the massage room by 2 women -- one of whom was Mingbi.

Officials say the encounter was captured on surveillance and shows both Mingbi and Lei Wang using their hands on Kraft's penis.

Officials say Mingbi was also involved in sexual acts with several other men at the spa.

Wang had already been arrested and charged in the case -- but now, officials have busted Mingbi too.

Mingbi has been formally charged with 1 count of deriving support from prostitution and 8 counts of offer to commit prostitution. She's in court right now (Tuesday) to face the charges.

As for Kraft, he's got a hearing on Friday where he'll continue to fight to block officials from releasing the spa video to the media.

Kraft has claimed the release of the video would hamper his ability to get a fair trial because it would taint the jury pool.

Ronda Rousey Considering Quitting WWE After Having Baby

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Ronda Rousey says her wrestling career is up in the air -- admitting she could quit WWE forever after having her baby ... but she hasn't made up her mind yet.

As we previously reported, Ronda is taking a hiatus from WWE to work on starting her family with husband Travis Browne. In other words, they're humping with a purpose these days.

The two just gave a video update on RondaRousey.com -- Travis says there have been multiple attempts to get Ronda pregnant ... and they might be pregnant right now. They don't know yet.

As for Ronda's future, she opened up during the video ...

"As for WWE plans in the future, we want to have a baby first. I don’t know what it’s like to have a baby," Ronda said.

"I could look down at this beautiful child and be like, ‘F*ck everything, I don’t care about anything else other than this baby.’ And, you’ll never see me again."

"Or, I could be like my mom, who she trained until she was 8 months pregnant and then won the U.S. Open [of judo] 6 weeks after giving birth. Which was unbelievable."

"I don’t think I’m going to try and aspire to her level. But, I’m just saying, you never know, I don’t want to make any promises about the future when I don’t know how I’m gonna feel in the future."

Translation -- Ronda isn't making any promises either way ... which should probably scare Vince McMahon and Triple H because she's become one of the biggest stars in wrestling.

In the meantime ... good luck with the baby making!

'Game of Thrones' Fans Freak Out Over Arya Sex Scene ... Immediately Check for Age!

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It wasn't exactly The Red Wedding ... but "Game of Thrones" fans FREAKED OUT Sunday night when Arya Stark ditched her clothes for a sex scene -- going to Wikipedia in droves to check for her age!!

Here's the deal ... the actress who plays Arya is Maisie Williams -- who was 14 YEARS OLD when the series began back in 2011. She's basically grown up before our very eyes.

When the series began, Maisie's character, Arya, is 11 years old ... and since the passage of time is a bit confusing on the show, it's unclear how old she's supposed to be now. But, young.

So, when it was time for Arya to finally get her shwerve on Sunday night -- getting down with Gendry (played by Joe Dempsie) the scene called for some nudity -- nudity 'GoT' fans didn't see coming.

Don't worry ... Maisie is 22 years old in real life.

Williams also spoke about the nude scene -- admitting she thought it was a prank when she first saw the script ... and told the showrunners, "I was like, ‘Yo, good one.’ And [they were] like, ‘No, we haven’t done that this year.'"

Maisie says producers gave her the option to show as much or as little as she wanted -- and what you see in the scene is ultimately what she went with.

Now, the question ... will Arya and Gendry hook up again? Or is Arya a "hit it and quit it" kinda gal??

Robert Shapiro Rips Robert Kraft Prosecutors They Should Be Ashamed!!!

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"I think prosecutors in this country should have something much better to do."

That's Robert Shapiro -- a famous piece of O.J. Simpson's dream team -- going scorched Earth on prosecutors in the Robert Kraft case, telling TMZ Sports they ALL should be ashamed of themselves.

"You know what, I think this case is something that the people that are prosecuting and the people that are investigating should be ashamed of," Shapiro said leaving the restaurant, E Baldi, this week.

"There is so much crime going on in this country and to take valuable assets and time from law enforcement to enforce something that has nothing to do with the allegations they're bringing, I think it's just irresponsible."

Of course, Kraft is currently in the fight of his life down in Florida ... fending off charges of soliciting prostitutes and scrapping like hell to block videos of the alleged incident from getting out to the public.

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THE CASE AGAINST KRAFT

Shapiro thinks it's straight-up ridiculous that the 77-year-old is going through this ... telling us prosecutors in the case should just drop the charges now and move on.

"It's a very private, personal matter," Shapiro says ... "He's moved on and I think prosecutors in this country should have something much better to do."

For his part, Kraft has pled not guilty to the charges ... and his team is due back in court later this month to try to keep the sex spa videos sealed.

Brian Banks Denies Sexual Assault Claims Evidence Proves Allegations False

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11:57 AM PT -- A rep for Banks tells TMZ Sports the allegations are simply not true -- adding, "Evidence exists that proves this false."

Ex-NFL player Brian Banks -- who was famously exonerated in a previous rape case -- is facing new allegations of sexual assault in a lawsuit ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Banks is being sued by a woman who claims the former Atlanta Falcons player hired her to clean his apartment in Feb. 2018 -- and while she went to work, he pulled out his penis and started masturbating in front of her.

In her suit, the woman claims Banks showed her porn on his computer and asked her to join in -- and when she refused, he got up and started forcing himself on her.

The woman claims Banks forcefully kissed her breasts and began groping her butt. She also claims Banks forced her to touch his penis while she "repeatedly" asked Banks to stop and let her go.

Eventually, the woman left -- and now she claims she was so traumatized, she can no longer clean homes out of fear she might be assaulted or raped.

She's suing Banks for $10 MILLION for assault, battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

We reached out to Banks for comment -- so far, no word back.

Brian's story is famous -- he was a high school football phenom when a classmate accused of him of rape in 2002. He eventually served 5 YEARS in prison.

But, after he was released, the accuser admitted she LIED -- and a judge overturned the conviction in 2012.

Banks resumed his football career and even signed a contract with the Falcons in 2013.

His story is being made into a movie that is scheduled to premiere in August 2019.

Robert Kraft Masseuses Claim Cops Leaked Naked Spa Video

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The two women accused of running the Orchids of Asia Day Spa claim Florida officials have leaked the naked surveillance video of Robert Kraft ... and they want the leakers punished ASAP.

The lawyers for Hua Zhang and Lei Wang have filed new court documents calling for emergency action after new reports say the unblurred Kraft spa video is being shopped to various media outlets.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, the women claim the only agencies that had access to the video were the Jupiter P.D. and the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office.

The women claim the "logical conclusion" is that someone in one of those groups is responsible for the leak.

The leak would constitute a violation of the court order barring officials from releasing the video -- and the women want the judge to hold groups in criminal contempt.

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THE CASE AGAINST KRAFT

The women claim release of the video would "egregiously jeopardize their rights to a fair trial." Kraft has previously argued the same point.

Unclear if/when a judge will rule on this issue -- but it should happen soon.

There's been a war over the video -- multiple media outlets have argued that officials are obligated to release the footage. Kraft, along with Wang and Zhang, claims the footage was obtained illegally and if released would taint potential jurors.

A judge is expected to rule on the release of a blurred version of the footage before the end of the month.

WWE's Lana Leaked Sex Tape Is NOT Her!

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The leaked sex tape allegedly featuring WWE superstar Lana is NOT her -- sources connected to the wrestler tell TMZ Sports.

Multiple reports surfaced Thursday that Lana's personal Snapchat page was hacked -- with some scumbag leaking a private sex tape from the account in an attempt to publicly embarrass her.

But fortunately, sources close to Lana tell us she's adamant she's NOT in the video -- and neither is her WWE superstar husband, Rusev.

In fact, we're told the Snapchat account that published the video does NOT belong to Lana -- though, it was intentionally created to look like it does.

There's a female voice in the sex video -- but as one Lana source puts it, "The voice in the clip is clearly not her."

Bottom line -- sorry, perverts ... not this time.

We're told the WWE is investigating the situation.

Robert Kraft Prosecutors Won't Give Up Spa Video Evidence

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Patriots owner Robert Kraft isn't buying what prosecutors are selling when it comes to the video police secretly recorded inside the Orchids of Asia Day Spa -- and ultimately it could determine if the video is ever released to the public.

Kraft filed a request for prosecutors to hand over all evidence about the "number of individuals who were recorded on video in the massage rooms while receiving lawful massages or were not charged."

Translation: How many innocents were caught in the crossfire during the 5 days cops continuously recorded video inside all the rooms at the spa?

Well, in docs obtained by TMZ, the prosecutors say Jupiter PD recorded 2 men and 2 women on January 20 and 21 who received "lawful massages."

TMZ broke the story ... prosecutors and Jupiter PD are now being sued by one man who says he was recorded in the spa, but did not engage in any sexual activity while there. He believes his civil rights were violated, and his attorney, Joe Tacopina, tells us his client isn't the only one. Tacopina says he's spoken to 17 people who went to the spa on the up and up during the time cops were recording.

Kraft's legal team also seems to think prosecutors are lowballing the number of people recorded getting legit massages. They're now demanding the state reveal how many people were recorded but "were not charged."

Kraft believes police had no right to record video inside the spa. If they recorded scores of innocent people it could help his argument the video should not be released to the public. There's a hearing next week to determine whether that happens.

Chris Hardwick Calls BS on $606K Podcast Lawsuit You Owe ME Millions!!!

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9:20 PM PT -- Hardwick's attorney just fired back at Cadence13, telling us, "Cadence13 is the only party in breach - the company owes Chris $3 million - and filing this lawsuit is their last ditch, desperate attempt to try and avoid fulfilling their obligations to pay him."

Chris' lawyer continues, "The truth is that Chris has delivered over 30 podcast episodes since October 2018 and hasn't been paid a dime, while Cadence13 has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad revenue during that period."

In an interesting twist ... Hardwick's attorney says, "There is extraordinary irony in the fact that the law firm representing C13 in this action is the same one which conducted a comprehensive investigation and exonerated Chris of the baseless allegations (of emotional and sexual abuse) referenced in the filing."

"Chris and his team will take all appropriate steps to recover the millions of dollars which C13 contractually owes him."

Chris Hardwick is being accused of bowing out of a deal to produce a weekly podcast and failing to pay back the rest of his $1 million cash advance ... this according to a new lawsuit.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, podcast company Cadence13 claims Chris signed a two-year deal in early 2018 to create four podcasts per month ... but the company claims Chris stopped making new episodes in June of last year after an actress accused him of emotional and sexual abuse.

As we've reported ... Chris' ex-girlfriend, Chloe Dykstra, accused him of sexual and emotional abuse during their relationship. Hardwick denied the accusations.

In the suit, Chris' podcast partner claims it paid the comedian $1 million in advances, but claims he's yet to pay the full amount back after stopping his weekly "ID10T" podcast.

According to the docs, Cadence13 says it recouped about $394K in ad revenue -- but they're still going after for him the remaining $606K.

NYC Anchor David Ushery Check Out My 'Doggystyle' Snafu ... Co-Anchor Loses it!!!

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NBC4's David Ushery must have been listening to Snoop Dogg on his way into work today ... otherwise, he's got some explaining to do about this slip of the tongue on-air.

The NYC anchor was reporting Tuesday morning about a dog that was rescued 135 miles off the coast of Thailand. What David meant to say was "doggy paddle" ... but what came out of his mouth was a bit more, um ... sexual.

Check out the flub ... his co-anchor Stacey Bell's reaction says it all.

Bell couldn't stifle her laughter for long ... and Ushery knew he was screwed. To his credit, he owned it and made the situation even more hilarious with a perfect joke to wrap it up ... and through their LOL'ing they managed to get to a commercial.

Trained professionals.

Robert Kraft Day Spa Customer Sues Cops for Violation of Civil Rights ... You Had No Right to Videotape Me!

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The Jupiter Police Dept. and Palm Beach prosecutors are being sued by a patron at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa ... claiming the secret videotaping inside the spa is a gross violation of the customer's federal civil rights.

The lawsuit was filed anonymously -- listing the plaintiff as John Doe. Doe was not charged with a criminal offense like Robert Kraft, but he was at the spa during the period where video cameras were rolling in every room. Doe says in the suit he did not engage in any sexual activity in the spa.

The lawsuit describes a crazy way in which the cameras were installed. According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, the Jupiter PD staged a false "suspicious package" warning on January 18 that triggered an evacuation of the spa. While everyone was outside, cops came in and installed secret cameras in the private rooms. Doe went in the next day to receive a massage.

Doe says in the lawsuit, filed by top attorney Joe Tacopina, that the secret recordings violate his civil rights ... especially since everything he did was on the up and up.

Doe claims the risk the videos will become public is high, because of the celebrities who have been snared in the case.

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THE CASE AGAINST KRAFT

The lawsuit also says the cops were sleazy in the way they investigated ... sometimes following patrons who drove away and stopping them for minor traffic violations and grilling them about what went on inside the spa. The suit claims cops also rifled through trash to find napkins and tissues with semen.

He wants damages and an injunction, ordering authorities to destroy all videotapes.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court and Tacopina tells TMZ a dozen other plaintiffs will follow suit and this will become a class action.

Michigan Gymnastics Coach Sex Arrest Caught On Video ... 'This Is Awkward'

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TMZ Sports has obtained police footage of the moment cops busted U. of Michigan gymnastics coach Scott Vetere for banging one of his gymnasts in public ... AND IT'S SUPER AWKWARD!!!

First off, police HEAVILY pixilated the video before they released it (you watching, Robert Kraft?) ... but you can still make out every bizarre moment ... from the second the cop arrives to the scene.

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THE AWKWARD POLICE VIDEO

It all went down in October when someone called the Ann Arbor Police Dept. to report two people having sex in a car in the middle of the day in a public parking lot.

You can hear the cop bang on the car door to announce his arrival -- and he tells the couple, "Well, this is awkward. Clothes please."

The officer proceeds to lecture the 39-year-old coach and the 18-year-old female student -- telling them how dumb their actions were.

"Do we even need to have a talk right now? Everything's crystal clear?" One officer tells Vetere ... "There's a lot I could say right now, and I'm not even sure that there's a point to it."

Both the woman and Vetere -- who was the 2000 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year back in the day --were hit with disorderly conduct charges for the incident.

Vetere later resigned from his coaching position at UM and left the school. He reached an agreement with prosecutors last month ... and got his charge reduced to a civil infraction. He paid off a fine and now the case is closed.

But, the best part of the video might be the end ... when the officer sends Vetere on his way and says, "You know what? Forgive me if we don't shake hands."

HA!!!

R. Kelly Feds Turn Up Heat in His Own Backyard ... Over Alleged Sex Trafficking

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R. Kelly's virtually getting smoked out by the feds in his own backyard as prosecutors frantically look to interview Kelly's associates in connection with their sex trafficking investigation.

Sources close to the case tell TMZ ... federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois this week contacted parties closely associated with Kelly. We're told there was a sense of urgency to the calls ... prosecutors wanted to speak to them ASAP.

As you know ... there are 2 separate U.S. Attorney probes into Kelly -- one by the Eastern District of NY and another by the Southern District. Our sources tell us the Northern District of Illinois' investigation is unrelated to either of those other cases. This appears to be a third and entirely separate case that Illinois is building against Kelly.

Either way, it's bad news for him ... the feds are now in Kelly's own backyard looking into the singer. BTW ... Homeland Security is also looking into possible human trafficking ... so things are really piling on for Kelly.

We've reached out to the Northern District of Illinois for comment ... a spokesperson declined to comment.