'General Hospital' Ingo Rademacher Sues ABC Over Vax Mandate Calls it Unconstitutional

Published

"General Hospital" actor Ingo Rademacher -- who got the boot from the show because he refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 -- is suing ABC, calling the vaccine mandate put in place for talent unconstitutional.

Rademacher -- who was a part of 'GH' for 25 years -- filed docs Monday in L.A. claiming he'd asked ABC for a religious exemption from getting the vaccine but was denied. Prior to the denial, Rademacher says he was subjected to a 30-minute interview from the network to prove his religious status ... but clearly, the network didn't buy it.

Rademacher says he was terminated by ABC in early November for refusing to get the shot ... he calls it a violation of his right to privacy under the California Constitution.

In the docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the actor lays out the history of the vaccines, saying they were first developed under the Trump Administration, which caused a lot of Democrats, including now-President Biden to be skeptical at first.

Clearly unhappy with how the last year and a half has been going, Rademacher calls the COVID lockdowns and rules the "most draconian restrictions in modern history."

Rademacher also says ABC's actions are "blatantly unlawful" and believes most large corporations have only forced vaccines on employees to please the Biden Administration.

He's asking the court to declare ABC's vaccine mandate unconstitutional and wants damages.

We've reached out to ABC ... so far, no word back.

Tool Drummer Danny Carey Arrested For Alleged Assault ... After Airport Spat

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UPDATE

2:44 PM PT -- According to a report, obtained by TMZ, Carey got physical with the other person, shoving them in the chest with two fingers and shouting, "You're a f*****g f****t!" multiple times.

UPDATE

2:17 PM PT -- We just got video of Danny's arrest, he's wearing a Chiefs jersey, but unclear if he was at the game before the airport incident. You can hear him at one point tell cops he's the drummer for Tool ... but they clearly don't care, pushing him against the glass and slapping cuffs around his wrists.

UPDATE
UPDATE

1:35 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us Carey was getting into it with an employee working security at the airport. He could be hit with a fine for the incident up to $13,900.

Danny Carey, the drummer for Tool, got busted for assault at the airport in Kansas City ... and cops say it all stems from a fight he got in with someone inside the terminal.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... airport police responded Sunday night to a report of a disturbance between 2 men and when they got to the scene they arrested DC and transported him to a nearby police station for booking.

We're told Danny was booked for misdemeanor assault ... and as you can see, he certainly didn't look happy in his mug shot. He's no longer in custody after being released on bond.

Cops tell us the police report is being forwarded to prosecutors for review, and potential charges will follow.

As for his weekend, Danny performed at the Kansas vs. Mizzou college basketball game with the band. He was clearly good luck, as Kansas won. Too bad things took a turn at the airport.

Danny hails from Kansas, and he's been playing drums for Tool ever since the rock band formed way back in the 1980s in Los Angeles ... with many considering him one of the greatest drummers of all time.

In addition to rocking with Tool, Danny also plays drums for smaller acts like Pigmy Love Circus, Zaum, Legend of the Seagullmen and Volto.

We reached out to Danny's reps ... but they had no comment on his arrest.

Originally Published -- 10:58 AM PT

Kim Kardashian Passes Baby Bar Exam ... One Step Closer to Becoming Attorney

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Kim Kardashian has passed the baby bar exam after two years of attempts, moving her one step closer to becoming a real-deal attorney.

Kim certainly didn't hold back her excitement when she made the announcement Monday,  saying, "OMFGGGG I PASSED THE BABY BAR EXAM!!!!"

Kim had previously failed the exam 3 times, but had COVID during one of those attempts, she joked, " ... on the 3rd try w a 104 fever but I’m not making excuses ;)"

The baby bar is the first of two exams needed to be taken to become an attorney in the state of California, Kim mentioned, "I was told by top lawyers that this was a close to impossible journey and harder than the traditional law school route but it was my only option and it feels so so sooooo good to be here and on my way to achieving my goals."

She also thanked Van Jones in her announcement, saying he was the one who pushed her to go to law school.

Finally, Kim gave a shout-out to her late father, Robert, who was a hugely successful attorney in L.A., saying, "I know my dad would be so proud and he would actually be so shocked to know that this is my path now but he would have been my best study partner. I am told he was notorious for making fun of people who didn’t pass on their first attempt like he did, but he would have been my biggest cheerleader!"

Kim took fans along on her journey, showing late-night study sessions and even sharing her failures.

Congrats!

'Home Alone' Buzz McCallister Cops Called After Nasty Split with GF

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UPDATE

7:25 AM PT -- 12/13 Turns out Ratray's GF decided to make a police report a day after the incident. We've obtained the report in which his girlfriend claims the actor got physical with her during the argument, strangling her and putting his hand over her mouth. She says she bit his hand, he punched her in the face and she escaped to a stairwell. She then got her stuff and left, waiting for the cops to arrive.

"Home Alone" star Devin Ratray -- who played Buzz McCallister in the flick -- had a spat with his girlfriend that got so bad ... someone called the cops to get things under control.

Law enforcement sources tell us they were called to a Hyatt near downtown OKC earlier this week for a domestic dispute between Ratray and his girlfriend.

Ratray's rep says the two got into a verbal argument, nothing physical, and things were so nasty the two broke up. The rep would not say what the argument was about.

Cops tell us things were sorted out once Devin and his gf decided to go their separate ways for the night -- she got a separate room -- and no one was arrested.

Of course, Ratray will live in classic Christmas movie infamy as Buzz, who tormented his little brother Kevin (played by Macaulay Culkin) for years to come. The actor recently revealed to People that there was a possible "Home Alone" reunion in the works ... but unclear if this hiccup will derail that project.

For what it's worth, "Home Alone" fans looking to relive their childhood fantasies can participate in an upcoming raffle to stay a night in the famous McCallister home thanks to Airbnb.

Originally Published -- 12/12 12:50 AM PT

Ye & Drake Concert Push to Free Larry Hoover Shocks Feds ... Call Him 'One of the Worst' Criminals

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While Ye and Drake's historic concert for Larry Hoover is giving their fans all the feels ... the feds are pissed the music icons are pushing to release a guy the government considers the "worst of the worst."

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HITTIN' THE STAGE TOGETHER

One federal law enforcement source -- who is connected to Hoover's case -- tells TMZ ... prosecutors are "surprised" to see Drizzy and Ye throwing so much support behind the #FreeLarryHoover movement, considering the facts of his case.

For those not in the know ... Hoover was convicted and sentenced for an Illinois murder in 1973. He wasn't the triggerman, but prosecutors said he directed the shooting of a man he accused of stealing from his gang. Hoover is credited with founding Chicago's infamous Gangster Disciples.

While he was serving 150-200 years for the murder, the feds stepped in to indict and convict Hoover for drug conspiracy, extortion and engaging in organized crime. In 1997, he started serving 6 life sentences in a federal Supermax prison.

The feds think that's exactly where he belongs ... but Hoover's backers believe the U.S. government outrageously over-sentenced him -- considering his federal crimes were related to drug distribution, and not murders.

Our source says the feds acknowledge there are lots of low-level drug dealers who got draconian prison terms in the '80s and '90s -- think Alice Marie Johnson -- who are worthy of this kind of celeb backing. Remember, Kanye even asked then-President Trump to pardon Hoover back in 2018.

Trump shot that down, and just this past summer a federal judge denied Hoover's request for a compassionate release. The 71-year-old has been in prison for 48 years.

That's just fine with the feds, who tell us Drake, Ye and others would be better served helping scores of other inmates besides Hoover.

Jussie Smollett Osundario Bro Gets a 'W' in The Ring ... After Actor Takes Major 'L' in Courtroom

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Jussie Smollett is a guilty man, but the only thing Bola Osundairo is guilty of is having hot hands ... as he demonstrated in the boxing ring just as the actor's fate was sealed.

Bola's been fighting for well over a year now, and it just so happened he had a match Thursday night in Louisiana while a jury found Jussie guilty on 5 of 6 felony charges for falsely reporting a hate crime.

As you can see from our video, Osundairo was dominant, winning a unanimous decision against his opponent Ezri Turner. The fight was part of the 2021 USA Boxing National Championships ... Bola won his previous contest as well.

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OLA'S SHORT STATEMENT

Minutes after the jury read its verdict, Bola's brother, Ola, shared a few words with reporters outside the courthouse ... but he didn't talk about the case, just shouted out his brother's fight and exclaimed "Nigerian-American lives matter!"

TMZ broke the story, Bola and Jussie were friends -- even hitting clubs together -- in the weeks leading up to the staged attack. Ola and Bola maintained from the beginning that Smollett had paid them for the hoax because he wanted press.

Lucky for Bola, it looks like he's already got a career to fall back on after the drama ... as for Jussie, that remains to be seen.

Kim Kardashian Files to be Legally Single ... Despite Kanye's Pleas

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Kim Kardashian wants to move forward with her life as a legally single woman, and just filed docs to do so in her divorce with Ye ... TMZ has learned.

Kim filed legal docs Friday ... which if signed off by a judge, will make her officially single. She's essentially asking the judge to separate issues of child custody and property from marital status. Kim is also asking that her maiden name be restored ... aka, drop the "West."

It's interesting ... Kim's lawyer is disso queen Laura Wasser, who has frequently made similar moves with other celebrity clients, including Dr. Dre and Kelly Clarkson -- separating marital status from other issues. It allows people to get on with their lives ... settling other issues for a different day.

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"RUN RIGHT BACK, BABY"

What's especially interesting ... just hours before Kim filed for a change in her marital status, Ye went on stage at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, and as he sang "Runaway" he ad-libbed over vocals at the end of the song to say, "Run back to me ... more specifically, Kimberly."

Kim attended the show, bringing the couple's kids North and Saint to watch dad do his thing and give some family support.

TMZ broke the story, Kim's already taken one big step in figuring out the property side of things -- buying Kanye out of their Hidden Hills Estate for $23 million. But, there are still other property issues that are outstanding. We're told there will not be any dispute over custody ... they will get joint custody and are committed to co-parenting.

One thing is for sure, divorce or not ... Kim and Kanye have, for the most part, remained a united front when it comes to their kids and emotional support. Just days ago they attended close friend Virgil Abloh's funeral together.

It wasn't the first time we'd seen Ye make a public play for his estranged wife, either. On Thanksgiving, he released a 5-minute-long video confessing to his issues with alcohol and times when he embarrassed Kim ... including wearing a MAGA hat.

Kanye has maintained Kim was "still" his wife in recent interviews, but this document would change that ... and make them legally separate entities.

Josh Duggar Sister Jana Charged Endangering Welfare of a Minor

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Josh Duggar isn't the only person in the family experiencing legal issues, his sister, Jana, has been charged as well ... TMZ has learned.

Jana's been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, a court clerk confirms to TMZ. The circumstances surrounding the charge are still unknown, but we're told Jana -- the oldest daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle -- was cited on September 9, 2021 ... she'll be back in court next month.

As we reported on Josh, the former "19 Kids and Counting" was charged with one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography ... one of the images was allegedly of a child younger than 12.

Josh was immediately taken into custody, though his legal team says they'll appeal the decision.

Story developing ...

Dr. Dre Deal Struck In Divorce

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Dr. Dre and Nicole Young have reached an agreement in principle to finally put their divorce to bed ... TMZ has learned.

The two had been at war over money for well over a year, Nicole wanted $2 million a month in temporary spousal support, and Dre ended up ponying a one-time check for $2 mil and $500k in attorney fees. A photo showing the producer and businessman with balloons that read "Divorced AF" started to make rounds on social media Friday.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us that no deal has yet been signed, and as one source put it, "This whole thing could blow up again."

Nonetheless, judging from the photo (above), Dre feels like this could be the end to one of the nastiest divorces in Hollywood history ... which even saw the mogul served with docs at the tail end of his grandmother's funeral.

BLM Standing by Jussie Smollett ... Even After Guilty Verdict

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The jury didn't buy Jussie Smollett's claim he was the victim of a racist-homophobic attack, but the leaders of Black Lives Matter certainly do ... and the org. is sticking by the actor.

BLM and BLM LA released a statement before the verdict, in support of the "Empire" actor, saying ... "So let’s be clear: we love everybody in our community ... we can never believe police, especially the CPD over Jussie Smollett, a Black man who has been courageously present, visible, and vocal in the struggle for Black freedom."

Now, after Jussie's been found guilty, BLM LA leader Melina Abdullah tells us that stance hasn't changed -- Jussie has their full support. Abdula says the organization refuses to abandon its people and stands on the principle that the justice system is corrupt.

Smollett's former "Empire" costar, Bryshere Gray, is standing by his friend as well, telling us, "My prayers, love and support is unwavering for my brother Jussie and the Smollet Family."

Smollett was found guilty Thursday on 5 of 6 felony counts of lying to Chicago PD.

From the jump, Jussie denied claims he staged the 2019 attack ... sticking to his story when he reported it to police with the rope still around his neck.

Jussie now faces a possible 3-year prison sentence, but considering he has no prior criminal record ... it's unclear if he'll get any time behind bars.

On the other hand, it's likely he'll have to pay $130k in restitution to Chicago to cover its expenses for investigating the hoax.

Travis Scott Victim's Family Pissed ... No Healing From Interview

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Travis Scott says he broke his silence to start a healing process with his fans, and the families of Astroworld victims -- but an attorney for one of those families says the rapper's words did nothing to ease their pain.

23-year-old Rudy Peña was one of the 10 attendees who lost their lives last month at the festival show, and his family has since declined to accept money from Travis for funeral costs. They've also filed a lawsuit against Scott and others.

We spoke with Valerie Cortinas Fisher, the Peña family's attorney, who says the nearly-hour-long interview was painful for them to watch ... and certainly didn't start any healing for them.

Fisher says Travis' history of inciting crowds to go crazy needs to be taken into consideration when determining how responsible he is for what happened.

During the interview with Charlamagne tha God, Travis was questioned about the "rage" culture at his shows. He explained he's grown over the years, and now urges fans to "rage" by having a good time and letting loose, not by being destructive.

We had Travis' attorney, Ed McPherson, on TMZ Live Thursday ... and he said Travis insisted on speaking to Charalamagne -- despite legal risks -- to show he really cared.

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A LOT TO FIGURE OUT

Still, not everyone's buying that. Fisher says the pain is still very deep for the Peña family.

In particular, she says Rudy's sister watched the interview and believes someone can easily seem sorry on camera -- but she hopes Travis' words were more than an act ... because her family has been impacted forever.

Slim 400 Murder Caught on Video ... Suspect Fired Multiple Rounds in Brazen Attack

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SECURITY FOOTAGE

Slim 400 was the victim of what appears to be an ambush attack as he sat in a driveway ... only to be surprised and shot at multiple times.

Law enforcement sources confirm a video floating around online is the Slim 400 attack. You see the suspect walk up the driveway, gun in hand, and approach the driver's side of the vehicle, where Slim was seated.

It's unclear exactly what happens next, but you see a flash and hear a gun go off and Slim lunge at the suspect. Gunshots continue to go off as the rapper continues to move toward the street with the gunman.

As we reported, Inglewood PD responded to a call of shots fired Wednesday night, and discovered Slim in bad shape in a driveway. We're told he was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

There have not yet been any arrests made in connection to the killing.

Jussie Smollett Guilty of Lying to Cops ... Attack Was All a Hoax

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UPDATE

4:55 PM PT -- Jussie's defense team just spoke, and they made it clear they're going to appeal the case.

UPDATE
UPDATE

3:21 PM PT -- Ola Osundairo just briefly spoke with reporters outside the court house ... wishing his brother good luck at his boxing match tonight and exclaiming "Nigerian lives matter!"

UPDATE
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OLA'S SHORT STATEMENT

Jussie Smollett is guilty of lying to Chicago cops, and the world, about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack, according to the jury -- or said more simply ... it was all a hoax.

Jurors found the "Empire" actor guilty of 5 of the 6 felony counts against him, and he stood stone-faced in court as the verdicts were read. Jussie was facing disorderly conduct charges for allegedly providing a false report to police ... with prosecutors ringing him up for each time he did it.

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BEFORE THE VERDICT

The first 5 counts were for lying on Jan. 29, 2019 to cops -- that's the night of the staged attack. The 6th, of which he was found not guilty, was for a separate interview with Chicago PD on Feb. 14 when he told a detective he was a victim of aggravated burglary.

The verdicts finally put the criminal side of this saga to bed. Jussie had maintained his innocence for years, insisting he did not hire brothers, Abel and Ola Osundairo to stage the racist and homophobic attack in the middle of a bitterly frigid Chicago night.

The brothers watched the guilty verdict announcement from an overflow room in the Chicago courthouse.

Now that Jussie's been found guilty he'll almost certainly have to pay restitution to Chicago in the amount of $130k -- the amount the city says it dropped on investigating the hoax attack.

During the trial, defense attorneys took the calculated risk of having Jussie testify ... something criminal defendants rarely do. While on the stand, he gave his blow-by-blow account of what happened during the attack ... explaining he'd gone out at 2 AM to buy eggs because the Osundairo bros. -- who he'd hired as personal trainers -- told him he needed protein.

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JUSSIE WITH THE BROTHERS

Most importantly, his testimony aimed to poke holes in the Osundairos' credibility. For instance, he detailed sexual encounters he claims to have had with Bola ... even though Bola had stated the exact opposite under oath -- that they had NO sexual relation.

The brothers also testified Jussie paid them to buy supplies and provided instructions on where to meet him to carry out the "attack." In the end, the trial boiled down to a he said/he said, and obviously, the jury wasn't swayed by a celeb on the stand.

You'll recall ... Jussie initially claimed 2 white males jumped him, hurled slurs at him, punched him, threw a noose around his neck ... all while screaming, "This is MAGA country!!!"

He reported the alleged crime to police ... greeting them at his home with the rope still wrapped around his neck. Soon, doubts started to surface about Jussie's story -- and eventually, the police came out and claimed the guy had made the whole thing up.

Jussie denied that, but he was ultimately charged in connection to the alleged lie ... but, stunningly, those whopping 16 charges were dismissed -- with Jussie only having to forfeit his $10k bond as punishment. After much uproar, a special prosecutor was appointed, and he charged Jussie anew ... this time only charging with 6 counts.

There was also the issue of whether the Osundairo brothers were actually Jussie's drug dealers or not -- the bros claimed they weren't (that they were simply suppliers) but Jussie's team argued they were far more than just that ... seemingly trying to ding their credibility.

Despite Jussie testifying there was "no hoax" ... the jury wasn't buying it. He now faces a possible 3-year prison sentence, but it remains to be seen if he'll actually do any time behind bars. Keep in mind, he has no prior criminal record.

He was not taken into custody, and will remain free pending sentencing.

The City of Chicago had sued Jussie over lost resources in investigating his claims, but if he has to pay back that dough as part of his sentence ... that civil suit would be moot.

Originally Published -- 3:21 PM PT

Travis Scott Insisted on Doing Charlamagne Interview ... Wants to Help People Heal

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Travis Scott wanted to be heard -- despite ongoing litigation -- insisting on sitting down with Charlamagne the God to share his message of healing and how to fix concert safety issues moving forward ... so claims Travis' attorney.

We had Ed McPherson on "TMZ Live" Thursday who addressed some of the criticism TS has received from people thinking he shouldn't have done the nearly hour-long chat. McPherson says Travis was adamant, he wanted to talk, to let his fans, family and other concert-goers he was there for them ... and wants to help the healing process moving forward.

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A LOT TO FIGURE OUT

As for the fact Travis never fully took responsibility for the lives lost at the show, Ed echoes what Travis said to Charlamagne ... his responsibility now lies with figuring out what exactly happened, and how to prevent casualties at shows in the future.

Finally, McPherson reiterates what we've been told since the show -- Travis could not see or hear what was happening in the crowd -- and says the spot in the audience where at least 7 of the casualties took place never showed evidence of a problem during the show's live stream.

Of course, Travis is currently locked in a wave of negligence and wrongful death lawsuits stemming from Astroworld. He assumed obvious risk in sitting down with Charlamagne -- as it's always possible his words can be used against him -- but McPherson says Travis just wanted anyone suffering to know he was still there for them.

Josh Duggar Found Guilty In Child Porn Trial

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UPDATE

12:29 PM PT -- We've just obtained Duggar's new mug shot.

UPDATE

11:31 AM PT -- Fox24 obtained footage of Duggar being booked at the Washington County Sheriff's Office. He'll be in custody until his sentencing.

UPDATE

Josh Duggar was just found guilty on both counts by a jury in his child pornography trial ... TMZ has confirmed.

The "19 Kids and Counting" star was charged with one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. Prosecutors claimed some of those images included minors below the age of 12.

Duggar's legal team of Justin Gelfand, Ian Murphy and Travis Story tell us, "We appreciate the jury’s lengthy deliberations, we respect the jury’s verdict, and we intend to appeal.”

Duggar was taken into federal custody, a sentencing date has not yet been set.

On November 19, the feds raided his office at the car dealership where Duggar worked in Arkansas ... DHS agents seized his computer plus his iPhone and a MacBook from inside an RV.

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ARRIVING TO COURT

The two-week-long trial included testimony from digital forensic analysts along with other witnesses. One family friend claimed the former reality star confessed to molesting children in a tearful testimony on the witness stand.

Josh mainly sat with his head down during the trial, and now he will await his sentence.

He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count.

Originally Published -- 8:19 AM PT

Nicki Minaj Fires Back at Hubby's Accuser ... You're a Liar!!!

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Nicki Minaj is calling the woman accusing her and her husband of harassment a bold-faced liar -- claiming there are holes in her story that NM and co. believe totally discredit her.

The rapper's attorney filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, responding to Jennifer Hough's lawsuit from August -- where she claimed Nicki, Kenneth Petty and a gaggle of lawyers were on her case ... trying to get her to recant her attempted rape claim against Ken ... which she made in the '90s and for which KP was convicted.

Long story short ... Nicki's legal team is calling BS on Hough's allegations, going so far as to ask the court to sanction her for what they say are blatant falsehoods, which they think she hurled in an attempt to score a payday from Nicki.

The crux of their argument lies in a couple different inconsistencies they say lie within Hough's account of things -- namely, her claiming she had to change her phone number due to the alleged harassment she was receiving from Nicki, plus the claim Nicki's team had reached out to her brother with a $500k offer if she recanted in a written statement.

On the phone issue ..,. Nicki's attorney says Hough actually texted Nicki after claiming she needed to change her number and move back in June 2020 to block Nicki and her people from contacting her. Nicki says the text read "US Marshalls are asking questions!!!" The lawyer draws a conclusion from this -- Hough wasn't actually trying to hide her number from Nicki at all (contrary to what she alleges). Nicki's team thinks it makes it clear she wasn't scared and is just looking for a payday.

There's also the issue of an interview Hough gave earlier this year, which the attorney says differs from what she alleged in court docs. In the interview, NM's lawyer says Hough noted her brother told her somebody had reached out with a $500k offer if she talked to a lawyer repping Petty. NM's lawyer said the allegation in the lawsuit that Nicki was behind the offer is merely speculation that gave her a reason to try to sue Nicki.

Bottom line ... Nicki's lawyer says this woman was looking to score a quick buck from Minaj, and is now twisting the tale to do so.