Teen Killed By PA State Troopers Ben Crump Filing Federal Lawsuit ... Mother's Emotional Plea
The Pennsylvania State Troopers who shot and killed a suicidal teenager are about to be sued ... and his heartbroken mother has a question for the cops who killed her only son.
Civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Devon Jacob are representing Christian Hall's family, and they just announced plans to file suit and are calling for an internal investigation into his death at the hands of law enforcement.
As we reported ... PA State Troopers responding to a call about a suicidal man on a highway overpass in Hamilton Township back in December ended up shooting him dead during a standoff that played out before horrified drivers watching from below.
Police say 19-year-old Hall was holding a handgun when troopers arrived and initially obeyed orders to place the weapon on the ground ... but cops say he later reached for the weapon, started walking toward troopers and pointed the gun at them, so they opened fire.
Crump says Hall was having a mental health crisis at the time and was crying out for help, but instead of de-escalating the situation, troopers settled it with a gun.
Hall's mother got super emotional as she wondered why her son was killed by those who were supposed to help him ... and she asks the troopers how they would feel if their child suffered the same fate.
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Drake Champagne Partner Sues Retailer ... Claims Bigotry Against Rapper
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A champagne company in which Drake's heavily invested claims it got screwed by a distributor that's treating its luxury product like cheap booze ... and it thinks "racial bigotry" is involved.
Mod Selection is suing the retail store Total Wine & More for allegedly conspiring with the distributor Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits to destroy the brand ... and claims the distributor was downright racist when it came to marketing the champagne.
According to docs, Mod entered an agreement with Southern in 2018, but claims the distributor failed to market the high-end champagne the right way ... and it all comes back to the famous rapper.
Drake -- who's not suing or being sued, but is described in the suit as an investor and brand ambassador for Mod Selection -- was holding a bottle of it on stage in 2019 when he accepted his Billboard Music Award for Best Male Artist.
In the docs ... Mod says Drake permitted the company to use his name, image and likeness to promote and market their champagne, but Mod claims Southern Glazer damaged that relationship when it "repeatedly subjected [Drake] to browbeating and dismissive treatment."
Mod claims Drake considered this treatment to be motivated by "racial bigotry" ... and says he was also angry Southern marketed Mod as a "black" or "rapper's" champagne ... suggesting racial insensitivity. Attorneys for Mod tell us they have texts from Drake calling out Southern.
All of this led to Southern terminating its deal with Mod in 2019, but Mod alleges the distributor twisted the knife one last time ... by dumping its remaining Mod supply at Total Wine & More locations for as low as $49-149 per bottle -- when it should be selling for $300-400.
Drake's high-powered attorney, Larry Stein, says he doesn't know if Drake sent angry texts to Mod Selection -- but says he's been involved in all the negotiations and had no idea Mod was even filing this lawsuit.
He adds, Drake is not involved with the suit, and at no point did Drake or his team raise any issue of racial bias.
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Silento Charged with Murdering Cousin ... Manager Claims He's Mentally Ill
8:14 AM PT -- Silento's rep is asking for positive thoughts for the rapper, claiming he's been suffering from a "series of mental health illnesses" for several years.
The rep says she hopes Silento's fans continue to support him and uplift him and his family in prayer.
Silento allegedly gunned down his cousin, and now he's facing a murder charge for it.
The "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" rapper was arrested Monday for allegedly murdering Frederick Rooks after an investigation into the man's death ... according to the DeKalb County Police Department.
Cops say they found Rooks shot to death in the street on Jan. 21 ... and found 8 bullet casings on the scene. Cops say they still don't have a clear motive behind the shooting.
As for how they connected Silento to the crime, we don't know for sure ... but cops say they obtained Ring camera footage from homes in the area which captured at least one gunshot, and several vehicles fleeing the scene.
As we've reported ... Silento had a rough 2020, legally speaking. He was arrested back in October after cops said he was driving 143 MPH ... and in September, he was arrested and charged with 2 felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly threatening people with a hatchet.
He's currently being held in DeKalb County Jail. We've reached out to his camp ... so far, radio silence.
Originally Published -- 2/1 5:45 PM PT
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Lil Wayne Here's My Official Pardon Letter ... Signed by Donald J. Trump
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Lil Wayne can display this next to his platinum albums and Grammy Awards ... his official pardon letter signed by former President Donald Trump.
The rapper's Presidential pardon was filed last week in federal court in South Florida, where Weezy pled guilty in December to a gun charge that could've meant serious time behind bars ... IF Trump hadn't come through for him.
The doc, obtained by TMZ, is embossed with the official seal from the Department of Justice and, of course, Trump's John Hancock.
As you know ... Lil Wayne received the pardon from Trump on his last full day in office. Tunechi was scheduled to be sentenced in March for illegally possessing a loaded weapon on a private jet.
1/25/21
That sentencing's off the books now with the pardon ... which came a few months after Weezy endorsed Trump for Prez.
As we reported, Wayne got back to work -- on a music vid with Tory Lanez -- immediately after getting the pardon news.
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Mariah Carey Sued by Estranged Sister ... Over Abuse Claims in Book
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Mariah Carey's estranged sister says she's suffered emotional distress from the singer's allegations about her ... so she's suing her for at least $1.25 million.
Alison Carey claims in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Mariah presented no evidence to back up the accusations of abuse in her 2020 book, "The Meaning of Mariah."
According to the suit ... Mariah's book alleges Alison "gave her Valium, tried to pimp her out and threw a cup of boiling hot tea on her causing third-degree burns" when Mariah was 12. Alison disputes these allegations and claims Mariah hasn't provided any evidence to support them.
Alison goes on to accuse Mariah of making these outrageous claims despite knowing Alison suffers from trauma herself from the alleged abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of their mother.
Alison claims their mother subjected her to satanic rituals and sexual activity at a young age ... allegations she previously made when she sued their mother for sexual abuse last year.
Mariah's estranged sister also says she suffered a traumatic brain injury during a 2015 home invasion, and suggests Mariah ignored her vulnerabilities and "used her status as a public figure to attack her penniless sister" to promote her book.
Alison's suing for infliction of emotional distress. We reached out to Mariah ... no word back so far.
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'Pocahontas' Star Irene Bedard Screaming and Belligerent ... In 2 Arrest Videos Days Apart
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Irene Bedard, the actor who voiced "Pocahontas" in the classic Disney film, was disturbingly vocal during 2 November arrests cops referred to as wildly drunken incidents.
We broke the story ... Bedard was arrested twice over the Thanksgiving weekend in Beavercreek, OH, and police body cam of the first arrest shows her immediately getting hostile with the officers who showed up to talk to her.
Bedard had a belt in her hand as she repeatedly yelled at the "white man" cops, and then started jumping and screaming, "I'm so crazy" they put her in cuffs.
As we first told you ... the arrest went down at her ex-husband's home, after police responded to a possible domestic violence situation. Cops say she was yelling at her 17-year-old son ... which you can see in the video.
Bedard's second arrest, a couple days later on Nov. 30, was at a hotel where she allegedly harassed an employee. The police footage, once again, shows her get aggressive and refuse to leave.
She got even more out of control ... wildly running around the lobby, and eventually charging at the officer, who managed to take her down and arrest her.
BTW, during both arrests Bedard informed cops she's 53 ... and not in the fun 'SNL' skit way.
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Kevin Nealon L.A. Home Burglarized ... $100k Worth of Stuff Lifted!!!
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Kevin Nealon's a victim in a home burglary that saw crooks get away clean with six figures worth of jewelry and other valuables.
The thieves broke into the "Weeds" and 'SNL' alum's place recently ... according to law enforcement sources, who tell us it looks like Kevin had been away for a few days.
We're told Kevin came home to discover the break-in, and that more than $100,000 worth of bling and handbags were gone.
Our sources say it doesn't appear the burglars specifically targeted Kevin ... and this was more likely a random hit. Cops still don't know exactly how the perpetrators managed to get inside the house.
We reached out to Kevin's camp ... so far, no word back.
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Robinhood Sued You Screwed the Little Guys ... In Bed with Hedge Funds!!!
Robinhood conspired with the big Wall Street hedge funds to screw over the everyday folks who are suddenly striking it rich with investments like GameStop ... according to a new lawsuit.
The free-trading app just got hit with a class action lawsuit filed in federal court ... one day after Robinhood barred retail investors from continuing to buy stock in several companies in the battle between Reddit bros and hedge fund managers.
Melvin Capital and Citadel, 2 massive hedge funds, are also being sued ... as the suit claims they were shorting companies like GameStop and losing a lot of money as the stock prices went up. The allegation is the fund conspired with brokerages like Robinhood to block the purchase of certain stocks in order to stop their financial bleeding.
In the suit, filed by Larry Friedman and obtained by TMZ, a group of retail investors claims Robinhood's move to shut down buyers caused prices to plummet in favor of the big hedge fund investors ... while seriously hurting the finances of the little guys in the process.
The suit claims the problem isn't limited to Robinhood and the hedge funds -- Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade are also being sued.
The little guys are going after the Wall Street fat cats for at least $5 million in damages.
Friedman tells TMZ, "Trading rules must be the same for everyone no matter how big or small your investment is. There is no room for bullying or manipulation in the market. Thankfully, the courts are still the best place to find justice."
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Capitol Riots Video Michigan Man Arrested ... Beat Police with Hockey Stick!!!
A judge is showing no mercy for a Michigan man who appears in new video of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, to strike several cops with a hockey stick.
The federal government released the footage it says shows Michael Foy assaulting the officers -- including a Metro PD cop on the ground -- by violently swinging the stick near their heads.
According to the feds ... Foy was one of the "most violent" rioters, and allegedly hit police officers guarding the doors at least 10 times with the hockey stick, swung at them, hit them in the face and neck, then rallied other rioters before busting into the Capitol.
A federal judge denied Foy bond this week ... so, for now, he'll remain behind bars until trial.
Foy -- a former marine -- was arrested on Jan. 21 at his home, after the FBI reportedly tracked him down through his father's Facebook page. The bond hearing judge said the video strongly suggested Foy brought the hockey stick to use as a weapon.
Foy's lawyer argued the stick was intended to be used as a makeshift flag pole ... but that did not fly with the judge.
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Student Slammed by Cop Headaches, Memory Loss in Aftermath ... Mother Speaks Out
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Taylor Bracey, the FL high school student a deputy hurled onto concrete, is suffering serious medical consequences ... according to her mother and her family's attorney, Ben Crump.
Jamesha Bracey -- mom of 16-year-old Taylor -- and Crump joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and told us Taylor's been suffering severe headaches and memory loss since the violent incident at Liberty High School in Osceola County.
Jamesha explained why she was so shocked to get a phone call Tuesday from the school saying Taylor was getting medical treatment. She says her daughter had told her some girls wanted to fight, but she had advised her to contact the Dean, and thought everything was handled.
1/26/21
As we've reported ... deputy Ethan Fournier is the school resource officer, seen in the video slamming Taylor on her head. The Sheriff's Office claims Fournier was breaking up a fight, but Jamesha says there was no physical fight at all -- and the students were only arguing.
Crump, who's been retained by Taylor's family, says the teen is now dealing with cognitive function issues as a result of the body slam ... and doesn't remember much after the deputy grabbed her from behind.
Crump reasserted ... the family wants the deputy fired, and charged with aggravated assault and battery.
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Breonna Taylor Family Attorney Repping Florida Student Body Slammed by Cop 'Unconscionable What Happened'
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Ben Crump -- the famed civil rights attorney who represents the families of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd -- has been retained to represent the family of the Florida HS teen seen on video being body slammed by a cop.
The family of Taylor Bracey -- the 16-year-old Liberty HS student slammed to the concrete by school resource officer Ethan Fournier -- hired Crump just days after the attorney called out the "brutality" of the Osceola County Sheriff's Deputy, who has since been placed on paid administrative leave while the department investigates.
Crump says Taylor was unarmed and posed no threat to the officer ... adding the officer did not render any aid and instead handcuffed her as she lay unconscious.
He said, "It is unconscionable what happened to this young girl at the hands of someone whose primary duty is to serve and protect our children." He added, "Do we really need to add school resource officers to the list of fears they deal with on a daily basis?"
1/26/21
Crump wants the deputy fired and arrested. As we reported ... the Sheriff's Dept. said it's turning the case over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
As you know by now ... Crump has been at the center of high-profile cases centered around social justice. He's repped the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Jacob Blake and, most recently, the family of the teen wrongfully accused of stealing Miya Ponsetto's cell phone.
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Miya Ponsetto Drunk in Public Charge Dismissed ... For Bev Hills Arrest
Miya Ponsetto, infamously known as "SoHo Karen," is off the hook for one of her arrests last year -- the one at the Peninsula Hotel in Bev Hills ... before she made national headlines.
The 22-year-old caught a break during her hearing Thursday in L.A. County Court, when her case was dismissed. Prosecutors decided to drop the charge against her after Miya's attorney argued it was an isolated incident and claimed she had no criminal history in California at the time of that arrest.
Miya's lawyer also told the judge her client would not go back to the hotel. Now, Miya's mother, Nicole, was also in court for her arrest in the same incident ... but she didn't get off as easy.
Nicole pled no contest to battery on a police officer, and was given 100 hours of community service and entered into a 12-month diversion program. If she puts in her hours and stays out of trouble for a year, her case will also be dismissed.
Remember, long before Miya's SoHo hotel incident ... she and her mom were arrested last February at the Peninsula. They were allegedly drunk and belligerent, refusing to leave when asked by hotel staff. Cops say they both threw tantrums when officers responded.
Earlier, we erroneously reported the judge had given Miya the same 100 hours community service that her mom got.
Of course, Miya's had several other legal issues since then ... in California and New York.
Most recently, the Manhattan D.A. slapped her with a string of charges -- and extradited her -- for the December incident at the Arlo Hotel in SoHo. She tried to snatch a phone from a Black teen she falsely accused of stealing hers.
Before that, she was busted for DUI this past October in Ventura County -- which came 5 months after another DUI in Los Angeles. And you thought you had a bad 2020.
Long story short, Miya's still potentially facing time behind bars depending on how her other cases go -- but as of today, she can rest easy about one of them.
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Robinhood Sued Investor Says He Got Screwed ... By Unfair Trading Halt
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A man with a major investment in BlackBerry options claims his finances are taking a dive due to Robinhood halting trading on his stock ... a move he believes was made to protect Wall Street's hedge fund bros.
Richard Joseph Gatz of Illinois is going after the financial services company, after it stopped allowing individuals to buy stock in companies at the center of the current battle between Reddit investors and hedge fund managers ... including GameStop, AMC, BlackBerry and Nokia.
According to the legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Gatz says he owned 2 option contracts for BB, and when trading was halted Wednesday night he claims the value of those options decreased by nearly 200 percent.
Gatz claims the halt of retail trading for these stocks has caused irreparable harm to his bottom line, and accuses Robinhood of manipulating the market so that he's "unable to get fair market value for his options."
According to the docs, Gatz alleges Robinhood made the move "to protect institutional investment at the detriment of retail customers." He's suing for big damages.
As we reported, Robinhood's trading halt amid the GameStop stock surge has pissed off customers who believe it's siding with the Wall Street establishment -- i.e. hedge fund managers -- and screwing the little guy.
Gatz' lawsuit is likely to fuel that belief, as he claims while Robinhood has halted trading for regular customers ... it has "continued to allow investment in these securities by institutional investors who have benefited from the stoppage of retail investment."
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Osceola Co. Sheriff Deputy On Paid Leave, Being Investigated ... After Student Body Slam
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8:15 AM PT -- The Osceola County Sheriff's Office says their deputy who body slammed the female high school student is now on administrative paid leave pending an investigation, which is being headed up by a separate law enforcement agency.
The Sheriff, Marcos Lopez, says he turned the case over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement ... whom he says are going to get to the bottom of whether the officer did anything wrong here, or if he broke protocol/the law in restraining the teen.
Speaking of her, Lopez said the girl -- whose name or age he didn't mention -- was treated at the scene and later released, going on to say she was "fine."
On the other hand, the officer's name was dropped in the presser ... Ethan Fournier, who's been on the force for 10 years. Lopez didn't reveal his hand on any opinions, but he did say one interesting thing -- condemning death threats he claims have been hurled at Fournier to the utmost degree.
He said while he doesn't condone rogue officers who engage in violent behavior, he equally disavows anyone calling for Fournier's life. Lopez said he's innocent until proven guilty.
Florida cops are feeling the heat over that video of a deputy's assault on a female high school student ... so much so, they're addressing the case in a news conference.
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office will discuss the case Wednesday morning after the horrific incident at Liberty High School Tuesday afternoon. Video showed a resource officer violently restraining a female student, and throwing her onto the ground ... head first.
This is liberty high school in Osceola county and I’ve seen my share of body slams from that school not only by officers but from Deans as well. I’ve seen grown ass man hop on top of girls to hold them down while they are clearly in distress. pic.twitter.com/wyePuKVqqZ
— LouluNev (@LouluNevy) January 26, 2021 @LouluNevy
In the video, you see the teenager hit the concrete hard, and her body goes limp. The officer proceeds to place handcuffs on her as the crowd around screams. Multiple people appeared to be recording, and caught the action from different angles. It looked like the student lost consciousness.
The only thing we've heard from OCSO thus far is that the officer was breaking up a fight, and that an investigation is underway.
Bro this cop at my little brothers high school, slammed & KNOCKED out this little girl, wtf is wrong with these pigs! pic.twitter.com/bfEZkuXkXO
— LeaveIt2TheStreets IG (@rofflekris) January 26, 2021 @rofflekris
Presumably, Sheriff Marcos Lopez -- who'll be at the podium shortly -- will have some sort of update on what they've learned at this point, and whether the officer will face any repercussions. It'll be interesting to hear if he denounces the act, or tries to justify it.
Several people have accused the officer of excessive force, with some supposed eyewitnesses claiming the girl was already under control and separated when the cop did what he did. Unclear how the student is doing, or what her condition is.
Originally Published -- 7:57 AM PT
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Phil Collins' Ex Auctioning Off His Stuff for Cheap .... Gold LPs Starting at $100!!!
Phil Collins and his ex have not had a groovy kind of breakup, and it seems she don't care anymore ... because she's damn near giving away his awards and gold records.
Orianne Cevey has put multiple gold LPs and "Assorted Phil Collins Awards" on the auction block in the latest bitter development in their legal war ... which has already seen Phil evict her from his Miami Beach mansion.
Now that Cevey's moved out, she's unloading items that no longer "spark joy" in a Marie Kondo-esque move ... and those items include a gold record of Robert Plant’s "The Principle of Moments," which Phil got because his label, Es Paranza, released it.
There's another Gold LP Award for the Plant album, "Pictures at Eleven" -- on which Collins played drums -- and all the records have an opening bid price of $100. According to the auction site, Kodner, which was first reported by Page Six, 10 percent of the proceeds will go to the Never Give Up Foundation.
If this seems like a super bitter ex move ... Cevey's rep says it's just downsizing. Orianne's moving to a smaller home, and is also getting rid of some of her clothing and jewelry. Not sure that'll make Phil feel better, but we're pretty sure she's not thinking about that.
As we've told you ... things went south for Phil and Orianne near the end of 2020, when he decided to kick her out of his house after she allegedly secretly remarried another guy in Vegas in August.
She later claimed he promised her 50/50 ownership -- while also accusing him of living like a hermit and having poor hygiene -- but he accused her of lying to try to extort him.
Despite all that, she's moved out now ... with less stuff of his to remind her of their time together.
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Tory Lanez Megan Thee Stallion Can Talk About My Case ... So, Why Can't I?!?!
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Megan Thee Stallion recently sounded off about Tory Lanez allegedly shooting her, and now he wants to level the playing field, and speak his mind.
A judge had ordered Lanez to keep his lips sealed about info he gets from prosecutors in his case, and also barred him from contacting Meg on social media -- but in a new court filing he says that's totally unfair.
In the docs, Lanez says it's unfair Megan is able to say whatever she wants ... while he is basically prevented from defending himself.
Lanez says he is particularly miffed about what went down last week, when erroneous reports began circulating that the charges against Tory were dropped.
Megan responded on social media, saying ... "AT THIS POINT IM GETTING ANNOYED! STOP BELIEVING EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE MF INTERNET. Imagine how I feel waking every day seeing people LIE and turn my trauma into a joke? That whole team figures out ways to create doubt with my story every week and the media eats it up."
According to Lanez ... Megan falsely insinuated he and his legal team had something to do with the bogus reports, therefore maligning their integrity.
Megan also commented, "I can’t wait until the MF FACTS come out! Bitch you shot me AND MY STORY NOT CHANGING AND BITCH YOU GOING TO JAIL."
According to the docs, Lanez claims there's evidence refuting Megan's side of the story -- including "evidence of gunshot residue implicating others" -- but because of the protective order ... he's not able to disclose any of it.
Tory's also worried about optics -- in the docs he worries his silence might make it look like he's conceding what Megan says is true. So, he's asking the judge to modify the gag order against him.
As we've reported ... Megan has remained steadfast that Tory shot her in July after they left a party. Though Lanez initially seemed to issue a public apology in September by saying, "I was too drunk" ... he later denied it.