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Joe Exotic's legal team is throwing a Hail Mary in hopes of getting his pardon request in front of Donald Trump before he leaves office -- and they want a judge to force the issue.

The 'Tiger King's' legal team just filed new docs asking a court to compel the Office of the Pardon Attorney -- the wing of the White House that vets pardon requests -- to get Joe's application on Trump's desk for a final decision, as they say only he can make it.

It's kinda technical, but long story short ... Joe's team says they initially filed for a pardon in early September, and also a waiver to be exempt from a rule that says you have to wait 5 years after being convicted before you can ask for a pardon.

Joe was convicted for the murder-to-hire plot against Carole Baskin in 2019 ... so he's very early in his ask.

Joe's lawyers claim that no more than a few days after Joe filed, the Pardon Attorney's office got back to him with a flat-out denial of his request to get that waiver. No explanation was provided, and the decision was final ... according to Joe's team.

They believe Joe's application never went through the normal screening process ... which would have POTUS weigh-in for a final decision, with the Pardon Attorney's recommendation attached for consideration.

In their docs, Joe's team cries foul ... claiming the Pardon Attorney overstepped their authority and tried sweeping Joe's application under the rug due to the 5-year rule. In the docs, the team doesn't explain under what grounds Joe should be exempt, but they want his app pushed through to the Oval.

Remember, Joe's team seemed confident earlier this year they'd be able to get Trump's say-so springing Joe from prison. They'd made a couple trips to D.C. and circled the White House in a huge tour bus.

Alas, sounds like that was all done in vain, because the paperwork never even got to Trump.

Of course, Trump is well aware of Joe Exotic -- since he mentioned him by name in a press conference once -- but it's kinda now or never.

Jake Paul's after-party following his knockout of Nate Robinson had a beat-down of it's own ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

The YouTube star and undefeated boxer is being sued by a man who claims he got the crap beaten out of him at Jake's post-fight bash. According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Gabriel Dos Santos claims Jake's crew beat the snot out of him while kicking people out of the party.

In the suit, filed by attorney Simon P. Etehad, Dos Santos claims Jake's crew repeatedly kicked and punched him in the face, body, arms and legs ... and he claims the violent attack left him bruised and battered.

According to the docs, Dos Santos claims he suffered a fractured cheek, dislocated shoulder, cuts to his face and bruises to his forehead and eyes.

Jake's not being accused of throwing any punches, but Dos Santos claims Jake's still on the hook for negligently hiring and supervising of the guys who allegedly beat him up.

If you're looking for a Christmas miracle, look no further than this German Shepherd ... which survived an horrific incident of animal cruelty at a Florida motel.

The pooch has, appropriately, been named "Miracle" by the Volusia County Sheriff's deputies who showed up Monday at a Daytona Beach motel ... responding to calls about a suicidal woman.

The deputies went to her 2nd floor room and knocked on the door, but got no reply from the woman for a few minutes. When she finally opened the door she quickly stepped out with the dog, immediately picked it up and threw it over the railing as deputies yelled and tried to stop her.

Cops pounced on Allison Murphy and arrested her on the spot. During the arrest, you hear them asking other deputies outside the room if the dog is okay.

Amazingly, she is! Miracle didn't even break anything, and cops were able to recover her as she tried to run away after the fall.

Miracle is now in the custody of Animal Services.

As for Murphy ... she was booked for felony animal cruelty and resisting an officer without violence. She's still in custody.

'RHOBH' star Erika Jayne's estranged husband has had his assets frozen and a judge now wants prosecutors to have a look at what he allegedly did.

A federal judge said Tom Girardi conducted himself in an "unconscionable" manner ... finding that he misappropriated at least $2 million in client money. Even more ominous ... the judge is referring the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office for possible criminal investigation.

The money was intended to compensate the families of victims of the Boing 737 Max, Lion Air crash. Lawyers for Girardi said their client didn't currently have the $2 mil he owes his clients ... shockingly announcing Girardi's firm has a measly $15k in the bank.

And, get this ... Girardi's lawyers said they had concerns about his mental competency, adding they were unsure if he understood the seriousness of the case. One of his lawyers told the judge she wanted Girardi to undergo a mental evaluation ... this according to the L.A. Times, which first reported the news.

As if the legal fallout couldn't get any worse ... Girardi's facing TWO more lawsuits -- one from Robert Keese, the other named partner in Girardi's firm, who claims Girardi owes him $506k for using his name per a deal they struck. Keese says Girardi made some payments but then stopped.

In the second lawsuit ... Girardi's partners in a venture called 1126 Wilshire filed legal docs to dissolve the partnership ... claiming Girardi fraudulently encumbered property the partnership owns worth around $7.5 million.

Breonna Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, is about to get a huge assist from one Tyler Perry as he ramps up to fight a lawsuit from one of the cops who raided his home ... and by that, we mean major financial help.

Sources tell TMZ that the Hollywood producer and filmmaker just donated a whopping $100,000 to Ken's legal defense fund that was recently started on GoFundMe. The goal was $100k, but was somewhat lagging in the early going ... idling at less than $10k.

On Sunday, however, we're told Tyler threw down some big cash in four separate installments within minutes of each other. He donated 2 shipments of $10k, then donated $50k and topped it all off with a final donation of $30k. Now, Ken's over the finish line and then some.

As for why ... you can take a guess. Tyler wants to support Kenneth as he prepares to go to court against Louisville PD officer Jonathan Mattingly -- who was shot in the crossfire during the raid on Ken and Breonna's home.

As we reported ... Mattingly sued Kenneth for emotional distress and trauma -- this after criminal charges against Ken were dropped. The issue in Mattingly's lawsuit is the same as the investigation into Breonna's death. Did the police announce themselves before entering? Many neighbors, along with Ken, say no. The cops say they did announce themselves.

San Diego strip clubs are intentionally violating California's stay-at-home order, and one of Joe Biden's cabinet picks is laying down the gauntlet ... shut down, or else.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who will become the Secretary of Health and Human Services next month, fired off a letter to the owners of Pacers Showgirls International and Cheetahs Gentlemen’s Club, making it clear they have crossed the legal line.

The letter reads, “Specifically, the Regional Stay at Home Order requires that restaurants, including your clients’ restaurants, may continue to operate for carry-out and delivery services but may not offer indoor or outdoor dining or other services that cause people from different households to come into contact for extended periods of time and thereby increase the risk of transmission of COVID-19.”

We're told Becerra and his office were acting on behalf of orders from CA Governor Newsom and the California Dept. of Public Health ... aka they weren't carrying out the orders independently.

Now the threat ... “Therefore, MIDWAY AND F-12 are hereby ordered to cease and desist from operating in violation of the Regional Stay at Home Order.”

Becerra promises the State will go to court to shut the strip clubs down if they don't comply.

Fact is ... not all judges are sympathetic to the State. A Superior Court judge issued an injunction last month, siding with strip clubs that were prohibited from providing live entertainment under a public health order.

R&B singer Ann Marie is no longer behind bars for the alleged shooting of a male friend -- but the judge put her on a tight leash while she's awaiting trial.

Ann posted a $60k bond to get out of jail ... and into her living room. The judge placed her on house arrest, and said she can only travel for work ... with prior approval.

She's got a bunch of other restrictions too. Ann Marie has to give the court a 24-hour heads up for any appointments, and she'll have to provide proof of said appointment. They'll know if she's breaking the rules because she has to wear an ankle monitor.

She's also been ordered to have ZERO contact with the alleged victim, Jonathon Wright, or any of his family members and close associates. If, for some reason, she just happens to run into him, she's been ordered to leave the premises immediately and stay 200 yards away.

She can't possess a firearm, either.

As we reported ... Ann was arrested earlier this month after cops got a call to a hotel in Buckhead, GA where she told officers Wright had been accidentally shot in the forehead.

The 911 call didn't shed much light but Ann can be heard overcome with emotions ... screaming and crying and heard saying, "I love you" to Wright.

The woman who plowed into a half dozen protesters on the streets of New York says she was in fear for her life after protesters screamed, "White privilege, Bitch!" and started pounding on her car.

Kathleen Casillo was driving her BMW with her 29-year-old daughter in NYC Friday when she stopped at a light where protesters were gathered demonstrating against ICE. She says they started banging on her car and pulling the door handles to get inside. She says she feared for her and her daughter's lives, saying images from news reports of drivers being pulled from their cars and beaten flashed before her eyes.

The 52-year-old woman says she floored it in fear, and doesn't even remember hitting anyone.

Hit people she did ... 6 to be exact, who were propelled into the air like rag dolls. All 6 suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Lil Wayne just pled guilty in federal court to illegally possessing a loaded weapon while traveling to Miami on a private jet.

The feds say an anonymous tip led them to Wayne's PJ at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on December 23, 2019, and when they boarded to speak to the passengers ... Wayne told them he had a gun in his bag.

Police say they found a gold-plated Remington 1911, .45-caliber handgun loaded with 6 rounds of ammunition. They also claim they found a bag containing personal use amounts of cocaine, ecstasy, and oxycodone.

Lil Wayne pled guilty to the gun charge Friday in Miami, and his sentencing is scheduled for next month. Weezy, who was convicted of a felony gun charge in NY back in 2009, is now facing up to 10 years in prison.

However, he's likely to get leniency. Our sources say Wayne agreed to the guilty plea and in exchange, the government agreed to recommend a lighter sentence because he's accepting responsibility. Ultimately, his sentence will be up to a judge, but it's a good sign for Tunechi.

Shia LaBeouf has just been sued by his ex-girlfriend, FKA Twigs, who claims he physically abused her, tormented her and gave her an STD.

FKA Twigs outlines in her new lawsuit horrific allegations of abuse. She claims Shia once slammed her against a car and attempted to strangle her. She also claims while they were driving he pulled a pistol out and claimed he had killed stray dogs before because he wanted to know what it felt like to take a life, so he could get in the mindset of a killer.

She goes on to claim he was so wildly jealous he would literally count the number of kisses she gave him in any given day and would berate her if she fell short of the target.

She says he was paranoid and would sleep with guns because he was afraid gang members were coming after him.

As for the claim of sexual battery, she says he knowingly gave her an STD, which she believes she contracted in 2019, and says he confessed and said he had a flare-up but covered it up with makeup. She also claims at least one other woman with whom Shia had a relationship contracted the disease.

FKA Twigs says she's not suing because she wants money, rather she says she filed suit because she wants to warn other women, "Shia LaBeouf hurts women."

She's suing for unspecified damages.

Shia told the NYT, "Although many of these allegations are not true. I am not in the position to defend any of my actions. I owe these women the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability for those thing I have done. As someone in recovery, I have to face almost daily reminders of things I did say and do when I was drinking."

He continues, "It has always been easy for me to accept responsibility when my behavior reflects poorly on myself, but it's much harder to accept the knowledge that I may have caused great pain to others. I can't rewrite history. I can only accept it and work to be better in the future. I write this as a sober member of a twelve-step program and in therapy for my many failings."

Pepa from Salt-N-Pepa can't shake her thang without pain and discomfort, because she claims a doctor pressured her into multiples butt surgeries and botched them.

Sandra Denton, better known as Pep, is suing Dr. David Sayah for negligence, claiming he talked her into 3 separate procedures to repair damage she suffered in a July 2018 car accident.

In legal docs, she says the wreck made the biopolymer injections she previously had in her butt and hips shift, leaving her in extreme discomfort. Pep says she was referred to Dr. Sayah in Sept. 2019 to help her out, and the plan was to remove the biopolymer material and butt implants to relieve her pain.

According to the suit, the doctor initially convinced Pep to simply replace her butt implants with smaller ones ... because she claims he told her she'd be distraught if she went back to her au natural derriere.

Instead, Pep alleges Sayah performed an unsuccessful liposuction, which required yet another corrective surgery.

Before that one went down ... she claims Dr. Sayah pressured her into a different procedure which caused her buttocks to harden and knot up -- making it difficult and stressful for her to perform on stage.

She claims the third and final surgery was in Feb. 2020 when Sayah finally removed the biopolymer material ... or so she thought.

Pep says she went to another doctor because her butt was still hurting and, after an MRI, discovered a "large amount of biopolymer silicone and dead scar tissue remaining."

Lil Wayne is deep in the hole with his ex-manager to the tune of more than $20 mil ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Ronald Sweeney claims Wayne hired him in 2005 to help renegotiate his deal with Cash Money. You'll recall Weezy beefed with Cash Money honcho Birdman over how much Cash Money paid out to Wayne's label, Young Money.

Long story short ... Lil Wayne settled that Cash Money lawsuit in May 2018, but Sweeney now claims he only got a few payments from that settlement ... and they were nowhere near what he says his full cut should be.

Then there's this ... in the suit, filed by attorney Ed McPherson,  Sweeney says back in May 2018, Lil Wayne asked him to fire Cortez Bryant -- Weezy's manager and childhood friend -- over a conflict of interest in a legal dispute involving Drake and Cash Money.

Sweeney says he did so, and took over Bryant's duties and got Wayne to give him a pay bump from 10% to 17% commission. But, Sweeney claims Bryant and Mack Maine then conspired to drive a wedge between Wayne and Sweeney, which allegedly worked. Sweeney says Wayne fired him in September 2018.

Then, this past June, Lil Wayne sold his masters to Universal Music Group for more than $100 million. Sweeney doesn't seem to be asking for any money from that deal ... but brings it up seemingly to point out Wayne has the cash to pay him what he claims he's owed.

Kelly Clarkson has declared war on her estranged husband, claiming he defrauded her out of a fortune.

Clarkson just filed legal docs with the California Labor Commission, claiming her ex, Brandon Blackstock, who also served as her personal manager, defrauded her by charging exorbitant fees, and she wants all of the loot back.

Among other things, Kelly says Brandon wasn't legally allowed to operate as a talent agent, because he never obtained a license.

She wants all the money back, and we are talking a fortune. Kelly has been one of the top money earners in the music biz for a long time now, so the commissions she's paid are enormous. She was with Brandon's company for 13 years.

Bryan Freedman, lawyer for Starstruck, tells TMZ “The labor petition conveniently ignores the fact that Kelly had her own licensed talent agency CAA at all times. While Starstruck Management Group provided talent management services on her behalf, it did so at all times that CAA was her agency of record."

He continues, "It is unfortunate that Kelly is again attempting to avoid paying commissions that are due and owing to Starstruck to try and achieve some perceived advantage in her ongoing custody and divorce proceedings.”

Kelly was sued by Brandon's company in September, Starstruck Management, claiming she owed the company $1.4 mil in commissions.

This is the latest shot over the bow in what has become a nasty divorce.

TMZ broke the story ... Kelly and Brandon were fighting over custody ... he wanted their 2 kids to stay with him at the family's Montana ranch. She said she did not want the kids shuttling back and forth between states, and L.A. has been home base for the children. The judge agreed, and now Brandon can only see the kids every other weekend.

A Canadian cop was out for revenge when a motorist dared to call him out for not wearing a mask ... and it's right there on video.

It went down in Winnipeg when the officer pulled a woman over and said he was prepared to give her a warning for some sort of driving infraction. That's when the lady asked the cop why he wasn't wearing a mask, and that did not sit well with the officer.

He clearly felt disrespected, for some reason ... incorrectly saying he was safe because he was 6 feet away. In case he missed it, the pandemic has exploded, and just about every scientist is saying 6 feet away isn't enough ... you gotta wear a mask, even outdoors.

In any event, he exacts revenge on the woman for daring to question him.

God, we hope she fights this in court.

Pfizer is in inevitable competition with the other drug companies that are developing COVID vaccines, and it's apparently trying to get a jump on its competitors with a new catchphrase.

The pharmaceutical giant filed docs this week to lock up the rights to the phrase, "Science will make the breakthrough." The phrase will be used in several initiatives, including marketing vaccines.

As we get closer to mass inoculation, the drug companies that are able to market COVID vaccines will have to make the case ... they should be the first choice, and good marketing becomes essential.

And remember, this is not a one-time deal. Everyone will have to periodically get re-inoculated ... ultimately it will go direct to consumer, so marketing will be essential.

While a rep for the company wouldn't say exactly what the campaign would look like, they did tell us, "We plan to use the phrase in our corporate campaign as a continuation of our 'Science Will Win' digital ads.”

As you know ... it was almost exactly a month ago when Pfizer gave the world a figurative booster shot by announcing it had developed a coronavirus vaccine that was more than 90 percent effective.

That number went up even higher -- closer to 95 percent -- after a phase 3 study concluded, and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has already begun to be administered to at-risk folks in England.

Pfizer's mission statement says its purpose is to "deliver breakthroughs that change patients’ lives" ... so they must be feeling themselves right now.

G Herbo is grounded -- for international travel, anyway -- after handing over his passport and pleading not guilty in his fraud case.

The rapper appeared, via Zoom, in front of a federal judge Wednesday in Massachusetts to enter his plea. According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Herbo posted $75k bail but there are lots of strings attached.

For one, the rapper had to surrender his passport, and even some of his domestic travel will require permission. He also can't sell or give away any assets worth more than $50k. And, get this ... Herbo's also barred from opening any new lines of credit. It's a fraud case, after all.

He's also gotta submit to drug testing. As we reported ... Herbo, along with his associates, are accused of perpetrating a massive fraud to fund their fancy vacations, private jets and even puppies.

According to the federal complaint ... Herbo allegedly conspired to defraud several businesses with stolen credit cards over the course of a 4-year period. The feds also alleged Herbo used the scheme to purchase 2 "designer puppies" at a luxury pet store. He was charged with 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 2 counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft.