TMZ.com

Diddy and his attorneys want one of the sexual assault lawsuits tossed out of court, but if they're successful it could change the game in dozens of the other civil cases he's facing.

Here's the deal ... Diddy's zeroing-in on New York's Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law (GMVA), because that's the statute a Jane Doe used to sue him back in December for a sexual assault she claims happened at a charity basketball game in 1991 at City College.

The date is what's important here, at least according to Diddy's attorney Mark Cuccaro. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, he points out the GMVA was passed on December 19, 2000. Back in 2022, New York made an amendment that extended the statute of limitations for claims under the GMVA, from 7 to 9 years.

Casey Anthony is only embarking on her new career as a legal advocate for two reasons -- money and fame ... so says the judge from her notorious 2011 murder trial.

Retired Judge Belvin Perry Jr., who presided over Casey's child-murder trial, tells TMZ ... Casey, for starters, is craving attention after being out of the spotlight for a while.

Perry also says Casey wants to make some cold hard cash ... that's why she's asking her fans to pay $10 a month or $100 a year to subscribe to her Substack, which offers to help people with legal issues.

Erik and Lyle Menendez will NOT have their day in court this month ... because their upcoming resentencing hearing has been postponed, and it's all because of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

The Menendez Brothers were set to enter a courtroom March 20 and 21 for the first time since their 1990s murder trials ... but now their resentencing hearing is delayed because Newsom ordered an investigation into whether they are fit to return to public life.

Resentencing is now irrelevant for Erik and Lyle, with Newsom short-circuiting the whole process by directing the state's Board of Parole Hearings to conduct a "risk assessment investigation" on the brothers.

The anonymous woman who accused Jay-Z of rape in a since dismissed lawsuit is sticking by her story ... and she says he's intimidating and terrifying her.

The Jane Doe who sued Jay-Z and Diddy for allegedly raping her when she was a 13-year-old girl doubled down on her claims in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... and she says HOV is trying to bully her into saying her accusations are bogus.

In the docs, the woman claims she was recently approached outside her home and cornered by two people who told her they were investigators working for one of Jay's lawyers.

Jay-Z claims the Jane Doe who accused him of rape in an explosive lawsuit knew full well no such thing ever happened ... and now he's dragging her to court over it.

The music and fashion mogul just filed a lawsuit against his anonymous rape accuser and her attorney, Tony Buzbee.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Jay claims his accuser kept pushing her false rape story in the media and in the courts despite allegedly admitting the assault story wasn't true.

Casey Anthony has a new gig -- she’s now a self-proclaimed "legal advocate" and is promoting her role on her brand-new TikTok account.

The formerly acquitted defendant -- who was on trial for murder in 2011 for her daughter Caylee Marie Anthony's death -- explained that after being thrust into the legal spotlight, she’s turned what many saw as a curse into a blessing. She says her new goal is to give people a voice and the right tools when they find themselves in a sticky legal situation.

Casey used the video to reintroduce herself, saying she’d only be posting professionally, limited to legal matters, and that her drive to be a legal warrior really kicked off after seeing people she knows personally who were targeted and attacked recently. She doesn't specify, but she mentions being a proponent for the LGBTQ community and for women's rights.

All the talk of celebrities being caught on video participating in Diddy's "Freak-Offs" is BS -- so says Diddy's lawyer, Teny Geragos, who came out swinging on TMZ's "2 Angry Men" podcast.

Geragos flatly told Harvey and her dad, Mark Geragos, no celebs are on any of the tapes seized by the feds during the raids at Diddy's homes.

Likewise, Teny says none of the criminal charges against Diddy involve minors ... something that has gotten a tremendous amount of play in the media. She says the media has gotten this case utterly wrong.

There have been allegations of Diddy sexually abusing minors in civil cases, and Teny has a lot to say about that ... and to say she has disdain for some of the civil lawyers would be a gross understatement.

Colin Stough, the 20-year-old "American Idol" fan-favorite, has been arrested for alleged drunk driving in Tennessee after a car crash, TMZ has learned.

Authorities tell us ... Colin was taken into custody early Friday after highway patrol responded to a single-vehicle crash on I-840 East near the 37-mile marker in Williamson County, which is just outside of Nashville.

Colin was arrested and charged with DUI, underage consumption of alcohol, and failure to exercise due care, TMZ is told. It was not clear if he suffered any injuries in the crash, but he was taken to the hospital and cleared before he was booked. He has since bailed out.

Jenna Jameson and her wife Jessi Lawless appear to be splitting up ... 'cause Jenna just filed for divorce -- almost a year after Jessi said she was done with the marriage.

The former porn star turned businesswoman filed in a Nevada court Thursday. The documents don't cite a reason ... but, Jenna says the two have been living separately since April.

Jenna's asking the court to let her keep a series of high-priced items ... including multiple luxury handbags, jewelry, clothes and personal painting.

Diddy's ex-"Making The Band" singer Sara Rivers is coming at his neck in a new lawsuit, and the allegations stem from her time on the popular MTV series.

In a sprawling lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Rivers claims the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy subjected her to mistreatment, which wound up becoming content for millions to see on TV.

The suit, filed by attorney Ariel Mitchell on behalf of Rivers, cites the infamous "cheesecake" from 'MTB2' where she and the rest of Da Band had to walk several blocks to get Diddy a sweet treat as one of the numerous incidents of abuse.

Offset is making it crystal clear he wants to end his marriage to Cardi B -- and he wants to make sure they share custody of their kids.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Offset is requesting joint legal custody of the 3 children he shares with Cardi ... although he does say Cardi's place should be the primary residence for the kids.

He's also asking the court to lay out each parent's child support obligations.

Gene Hackman’s New Mexico home is so huge, it took a while to find his body after his wife Betsy’s was found, a local fire official tells TMZ ... giving us a detailed rundown of what went down when they arrived on the scene.

Santa Fe Fire Chief Brian Moya tells TMZ paramedics responded to a "man down" call from Gene's address Wednesday with a fire engine and an ambulance, and rushed in through the unlocked front door -- with sheriff's deputies arriving later.

Moya tells us they found Betsy right away, on the floor of a bathroom near the front door. Their team is trained to spot obvious signs of death, and it was clear Betsy had passed -- so no resuscitation efforts were made.

Mary Kate Cornett and her parents are coming off an emotional 48 hours ... one which her parents said left them feeling helpless -- though a recent development may help the Cornetts take some of their power back.

We spoke with Mary Kate Cornett's mother, Leslie, and her father, Justin ... who tell us all the claims about their daughter floating around on the internet are untrue.

We're told the last couple days have been difficult for the trio, who are all spending time together in Oxford, Mississippi -- the city where the University of Mississippi resides.

The Menendez brothers' family has a lot of hope after Governor Gavin Newsom spoke about the brothers' case ... though they're still disappointed after L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman's recent comments on Erik and Lyle's case.

The Justice for Erik and Lyle Coalition -- a group led by Menendez family members pushing for their release -- held a virtual press conference Thursday where they addressed key facts about Erik and Lyle's case and responded to statements made by L.A.'s top prosecutor.

Anamaria Baralt -- Erik and Lyle's cousin -- kicked off the comments ... saying Governor Newsom calling on the Board of Parole Hearings to conduct a "risk assessment investigation" is a huge sigh of relief for the family, which is excited to hear someone in power is paying attention to Erik and Lyle's plight.

The male sex worker who just sued Diddy for an alleged sexual assault during a "Freak Off" now wants to help federal prosecutors in the criminal case against the disgraced music mogul, TMZ has learned.

The man's attorneys, Eric M. Baum and Adriana Alcalde, tell TMZ ... "Our client is willing to cooperate with federal prosecutors in connection with the Diddy criminal case. It seems like this situation with our client is the pattern known as a 'Freak Off' described by the U.S. Attorney."

According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday by the "John Doe" escort, Diddy contacted the companion service the escort worked for in Florida -- and traveled to NYC to have sex with Diddy and his female companion in a room at the InterContinental Hotel.

Governor Gavin Newsom's decision to ask the California Board of Parole to review the Erik and Lyle Menendez matter could make next month's up-to-now critical resentencing hearing all but irrelevant.

As we reported, Newsom has asked the Parole Board to conduct a "risk assessment investigation" ... this on the heels of TMZ's "2 Angry Men" podcast in which Erik and Lyle appeared by phone to talk about what they've done with their lives behind bars for 35 years.

The Board will effectively conduct a parole hearing, in which they will assess whether the Menendez brothers pose an unreasonable risk to public safety. By doing so, the Board will necessarily review how Erik and Lyle have conducted themselves in prison.