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Cardi B and her sister say the people suing them over a MAGA dispute on the beach are just looking for an easy payday ... and they want the lawsuit tossed out of court.

The rapper and her sister, Hennessy Carolina, filed a motion to dismiss the defamation suit Peter Caliendo, Pauline Caliendo and Manuel Alarcon filed against them in New York last summer following a squabble in the Hamptons.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Cardi and Hennessy claim their legal foes are only seeking a windfall from them because they are celebrities ... and they're hoping a judge sees it the same way they do.

As we reported ... CB and her sis were sued after allegedly labeling a group of beachgoers as "racist MAGA supporters" while putting them on blast online. But, Cardi and Hennessy say the heated words were just their opinions ... and that doesn't make them liable for defamation.

A woman dressed in a ball gown and heels went off-roading in South Beach, slammed into a store, nearly hit someone ... then casually fled the scene, but cops still nabbed her.

The bizarre hit and run went down shortly after midnight Tuesday, and a witness recorded the aftermath of the crash, where he says a homeless woman on the street was almost run over.

The decked-out driver appears to be unscathed and surprisingly calm ... especially as she gets her gear out of her smashed-up Dodge Charger and orders a ride.

She continues to ignore the incredulous crowd as her Uber shows up and she hops in ... but she doesn't get too far.

Police arrive at the scene and enlist the help of the guy who recorded the incident, and he helps ID her as other officers appear to be arresting her.

There are a lot of questions surrounding why cops didn't take a sample of Tiger Woods' blood after his rollover crash ... but the fact of the matter is, there was simply no reason for them to do so because there was no evidence Tiger was impaired at the time of the crash.

Law enforcement sources tell us there were no drugs or alcohol inside of Tiger's GV80, nor did he show any signs of impairment when he was pulled out of the wreckage. In fact, cops say he was awake and alert on the ambulance ride over to the hospital ... so the guy wasn't totally out of it by any means.

Beyond that, if cops want to draw blood to see if someone's under the influence -- they need a warrant to do it, and for that ... they need probable cause, none of which existed in Tiger's situation. Again, there was no evidence of impairment.

All evidence indicates Tiger was in a rush, was going too fast on a treacherous road and lost control of his vehicle.

TMZ broke the story, Woods was seen driving very fast out of his hotel just minutes before the accident and almost struck a director's car for the show "Grown-ish" which was shooting at the same hotel Tuesday.

L.A. County Sherriff, Alex Villanueva, came out Wednesday and said there were no criminal charges forthcoming for Tiger -- and he seemed pretty emphatic about it ... almost like he wanted to end any speculation to the contrary.

As we reported, Woods was busted for DUI in 2017, where he clearly appeared impaired after failing a number of field sobriety tests, but that wasn't the case this time.

Travis Scott's flash mob-type gathering on the streets of West Hollywood might cost him -- because city officials are taking a closer look to see if he broke pandemic regulations.

L.A.'s Dept. of Public Works tells TMZ ... the city did not issue a permit for Travis' Cactus Jack newsstand Tuesday in WeHo, as we're told the city's been frowning on dishing 'em out lately due to COVID-19 -- especially for non-essential gatherings like this.

In light of that, we're told Public Works plans to consult with the City Attorney's office on any possible actions they might wanna take -- including potential fines. Public Works did note to us that even though they do issue citations for permitting violations ... it wasn't certain that would be done in this case.

As we reported ... Travis assembled dozens of bodies at a newsstand, which he emblazoned with his Cactus Jack signage -- all as a way to announce the 1st issue of his "Utopia Issue" of i-D Magazine. Limited editions were being distributed to the masses.

You'll recall ... Travis got dinged for something very similar not too long ago in the SoCal city of Downey, which only ended up costing a couple hundred bucks -- and McDonald's covered the tab for him.

Bruce Springsteen's criminal record won't show any guilty plea to driving under the influence -- because the Boss just struck a deal with prosecutors.

Springsteen pled guilty to only one misdemeanor count of consuming alcohol in a closed area. He admitted to drinking at the Gateway National Recreational Area -- a federal property, where booze is forbidden.

The other charges he was facing -- DWI and reckless driving -- were dismissed by prosecutors ... who said, in court, his BAC was well below the legal limit at .02, so they felt they couldn't prove their case.

Bruce's penalty was a $500 fine and an extra $40 for court fees -- which he said he could take care of immediately.

His attorney, Mitchell Ansell, says ... "Mr. Springsteen is pleased with the outcome of today’s court appearance." He adds, "Mr. Springsteen, who has no previous criminal record of any kind, voluntarily plead guilty to a violation of consuming an alcoholic beverage in a closed area, agreeing to a fine of $500. We want to thank the Court and will have no further comment at this time."

TMZ broke the story ... the Boss was arrested for DWI back in November at Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, NJ, but it came to light when we reported it earlier this month. He was cited for DWI, reckless driving and consuming alcohol in a closed area.

Dr. Dre and his estranged wife, Nicole, have several areas of conflict in their contentious divorce, but the biggest stumbling block is the validity of their prenup, and Dre wants a trial ... STAT.

Dre's lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, has filed legal docs asking for a 5-day trial over the prenup. As we reported, Nicole signed the prenup before they married but claims Dre came to her shortly after the nuptials, saying he regretted "pressuring" her to sign it and tore up multiple copies right in front of her. Dre denies he pressured her and denies he ever tore it up ... and points to a clause in the document that says altering it must be in writing.

Dre has asked to remove the case from the court system and have a private judge handle the divorce case -- away from the public spotlight -- but Nicole has rejected that, favoring instead a traditional court trial. If it stays in the courts, it may take a very long to for a judge to hear the case ... because the pandemic has caused enormous trial delays.

Elijah McClain was dealt with in a severely uncalled-for manner by Aurora, CO cops and paramedics -- so says an independent panel investigating the 23-year-old Black man's death ... and now his family wants the officers criminally charged.

Elijah's father, Lawayne Mosley, and the family's attorney, Mari Newman, joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to discuss the findings of a commission gathered by the Aurora City Council.

Newman says the commission determined cops did everything wrong during the 2019 incident ... starting with having no legal reason to stop and frisk Elijah, not to mention later detaining him in a chokehold.

As for the paramedics, the commission found they gave Elijah way too much ketamine to sedate him, and ended up putting him in a coma ... before he later died.

Newman says Aurora PD tried covering up their mess after the fact -- another finding she says the panel discovered and made clear in its 157-page report.

Elijah's dad says the commission's findings are just the start, because his family wants justice. They'd like to see the officers criminally charged for Elijah's death -- plus, they've already filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city and the police department.

There's another update for this case ... the fact that the firing of three Aurora PD officers last year was upheld a just couple weeks ago by the city's Civil Service Commission. When the Chief of Police spoke about their actions at a presser, it was clear she was sickened ... they photographed each other mockingly reenacting a chokehold during a memorial for Elijah.

None of the Rochester police officers suspended over the death of Daniel Prude will face criminal charges ... a grand jury just declined to hand up an indictment.

New York Attorney General Letitia James expressed disappointment in the decision, and slammed the system as a whole saying ... "Current laws on deadly force have created a system that utterly and abjectly failed Mr. Prude."

She claims her office presented the most comprehensive case it possibly could and added ... "I know that the Prude family, the Rochester community and communities across the country will rightfully be disappointed by this outcome."

As we reported, 7 Rochester cops were suspended in September after video was released of the 41-year-old Black man being detained on March 23, having a hood placed over his head, and then pressed down on the ground.

Prude was held there for 2 minutes until cops realized he was unconscious. He was taken to the hospital and placed on life support, but died a week later.

The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide, caused by "complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint" and noted "excited delirium" and PCP intoxication as contributing factors.

NY AG James says on that fateful March day, Prude "was in the throes of a mental health crisis and what he needed was compassion, care, and help from trained professionals. Tragically, he received none of those things."

She adds ... "The criminal justice system has frustrated efforts to hold law enforcement officers accountable for the unjustified killing of unarmed African Americans."

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren also expressed outrage, saying the grand jury decision is "hard for many of us to understand." She says the City needs to work on policy reform to "correct the inequities in the system."

Zachery Ty Bryan struck a plea deal in his domestic violence case ... and it looks like he won’t do any time behind bars.

The "Home Improvement" star pled guilty to 2 misdemeanor counts -- menacing and assault in the fourth degree -- for his arrest in Oregon last year after an altercation with his girlfriend.

According to legal docs ... Bryan's 2 felony charges -- strangulation and coercion -- along with several misdemeanor charges have been dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Bryan's sentence includes 3 years probation during which he must complete a batterers intervention program.

Ahmaud Arbery's mother just filed a bombshell federal lawsuit, alleging the men charged in her son's death were in cahoots with local law enforcement.

Wanda Cooper is suing Greg and Travis McMichael and William Bryan -- the 3 who've been charged in connection with Ahmaud's killing one year ago Tuesday  ... as well as a number of police officials in Glynn County, and the county itself ... all of whom she says violated Ahmaud's civil rights.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Wanda recounts the events of Feb. 23, 2020 ... claiming Ahmaud went out for a jog that day, only to be targeted by the McMichaels and Bryan, who she alleges were deputized by Glynn County PD, and says Greg McMichael even had a police-issued revolver.

With those firearms -- including the revolver and a 12-gauge shotgun carried by Travis McMichael -- Wanda claims the men chased Ahmaud down on a "gut feeling" that he might be involved with recent break-ins in their neighborhood ... and then murdered him in cold blood.

Once Travis McMichael shot at Ahmaud point-blank range with his shotgun, Wanda alleges he uttered the words, "f***ing N***er." The aftermath, she alleges, is just as disturbing.

Wanda claims there were efforts by Glynn County and Brunswick County prosecutors -- as well as other officials involved in the initial investigation -- to sweep the incident under the rug, as she says Gregory McMichael had once been employed by the local police force as well as by the D.A.'s office. She says if it wasn't for the video of Ahmuad's death being leaked, it's possible nobody would've ever known or believed what happened to her son.

Ahmaud's mom alleges multiple causes of action ... including excessive force, conspiracy to violate Ahmaud's civil rights, conspiracy to obstruct justice, a failure to properly train officers, and several others.

Bobby Shmurda has reason to bust out the Shmurda Dance ... he's no longer behind bars after getting sprung early.

The rapper was released from New York's infamous Clinton Correctional Facility just before 8:30 Tuesday morning, which is about 10 months earlier than expected.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Shmurda will now be under parole supervision for the next 5 years until Feb. 23, 2026.

As we reported ... Bobby got his conditional release date bumped up by the prison's Time Allowance Committee, which made the call after reviewing his behavior and participation in prison programs. It looks like Shmurda got early release for essentially staying out of trouble in the prison.

Bobby had been in custody since December 2014, and was initially sentenced to 6 to 7 years in prison after copping a plea deal back in September 2016 to conspiracy to possess weapons and possession of a weapon. He got credit for around 2 years of time served before the sentence.

Shmurda had an eventful time in lockup, racking up 11 violations, including allegedly having a shank, drug possession and fighting ... but it looks like he turned things around recently to score his early release.

A man in Oregon might now hold a dubious distinction -- the highest recorded blood alcohol content -- because cops say he was .77 during a DUI arrest.

The incident went down earlier this month a couple hours outside of Portland -- where cops say they were called about a hit-and-run. They tracked down a white Ford Explorer and after pulling it over ... "observed the driver to be HIGHLY intoxicated." The all-caps emphasis was made by the Warm Springs PD.

Cops say Nathan Danzuka fled in the Explorer and a short pursuit began until he crashed into a concrete barrier about half a mile from the initial stop.

When the dust settled ... cops say Danzuka's blood alcohol content was 0.77%, which is more than nine times the legal limit. Goes without saying ... his driver's license was suspended and he was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation and placed into custody. Cops say criminal charges are pending for the 28-year-old motorist.

Martin Gugino, the elderly Buffalo protester who got knocked to the ground and bled out of his ears, is now suing the city over that ordeal.

The 75-year-old man is suing the City of Buffalo, its mayor, several police officers and the Commissioner ... alleging the curfew they imposed last summer amid BLM protests was arbitrarily enforced, and ended up landing him in the hospital with a cracked noggin.

In his docs, Gugino says the 8 PM curfew they enforced at Niagara Square was draconian and frankly unconstitutional, infringing on his right to be there and peacefully protest ... as he claims he was doing that day.

Gugino claims mere minutes after the clock struck 8, officers in riot gear began picking and choosing whom they wanted to accost and arrest arbitrarily. Out of fear for other protesters, Gugino says he tried to talk them down, but alleges they screamed, "Push him" ... which he says 2 officers then did, with excessive force.

Of course, we've all seen what happened next ... he stumbled back, and slammed his head into the sidewalk. Gugino says that upon being transferred to a hospital, he learned he'd suffered a concussion and that his skull had been fractured.

After the fact, Gugino claims Buffalo PD tried brushing off his injury as a trip-and-fall -- but Gugino says that couldn't be further from the truth. He claims he was hospitalized for weeks, and that eventually ... Mayor Byron Brown copped to what had actually happened.

Despite this ... a Grand Jury declined to indict the 2 officers accused of pushing Gugino.

Bobby Shmurda's plans following his prison release Tuesday will be low key -- he'll grub with the fam bam, spend some QT with them and hit the ground running with his music.

Bobby's mom, Leslie Pollard, tells TMZ ... once Bobby's released from prison he'll enjoy an intimate dinner with his family. Leslie says she's counting down the hours until her son's release. Bobby's also excited, to say the least.

After dinner, we're told Bobby -- who's been locked up since 2014 -- wants to keep it chill. Nothing crazy. He wants to get back to his passion, which of course is music. Leslie tells us he'll devote most, if not all, of his time to creating music again.

Bobby will definitely carve out some time for a very important person ... his parole officer. We're told he'll be checking in regularly, because he has to.

As we reported ... the rapper’s conditional release date was bumped up to February 23 ...a full 10 months early. Not bad ... considering he had some problems during his prison stint.

Trick Daddy's taking a plea deal in his Miami bust for cocaine possession and driving under the influence, and now he's finally able to put the case behind him.

The District Attorney's Office tells us Trick cut a deal ... pleading guilty to possession of cocaine and getting credit for time served. In exchange, we're told the DUI charge was dropped.

We broke the story ... police bodycam footage from the rapper's January 2020 arrest showed a white powdery substance tucked away in a dollar bill. Cops also said he also bombed a field sobriety test, and the video shows him slurring his speech while playing the celeb card.

That didn't really help him, however there was only a trace amount of cocaine -- so he got a very low level, third-degree felony. The D.A. tells us he's not on probation, either ... the plea deal closes case.

James Franco's sexual misconduct lawsuit has been settled.

Franco, who taught an acting class at Studio 4 -- the film school he founded -- was accused by students of putting them in gratuitous and exploitive sexual situations.

Students filed a class-action lawsuit, saying Franco pushed the class into performing intimate and explicit sex scenes in an "orgy type setting" ... something that went way beyond the pale of shooting such scenes.

The class in question was called a master class on sex scenes.

Both sides announced the settlement to the trial judge, although the terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Specifically, there's no mention of money.