TMZ.com

Erik and Lyle Menendez's last-ditch effort to get a new trial following their parole denials was unsuccessful ... as a Los Angeles judge has shut down their retrial request.

L.A. County Superior Court Judge William Ryan denied the Menendez brothers' legal challenge, explaining his reason in a 17-page response, saying the alleged new evidence -- seemingly proving the murder convictions were unfair -- is not "particularly strong," in documents obtained by TMZ.

He wrote ... "The evidence alleged here is not so compelling that it would have produced a reasonable doubt in the mind of at least one juror or supportive of an imperfect self-defense instruction."

Fans applauded Luigi Mangione's lawyers Karen and Marc Agnifilo as they left court Tuesday morning after a judge threw out 2 state murder charges related to acts of terrorism.

We caught them exiting the New York City courtroom ... they remained nearly tight-lipped about Luigi, though Marc let us know he's feeling "positive" as Sean "Diddy" Combs' sentencing quickly approaches. Remember -- his federal sentencing for his conviction on 2 counts of transportation to engage in prostitution is scheduled for October 3.

Marc was a bit chattier than his better half ... letting TMZ know today's hearing with Luigi is a "big win" and "the first of many."

Luigi Mangione scored a legal victory Tuesday ... 2 New York state charges against him have been dismissed.

The judge tossed out murder in the first degree in furtherance of an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism. In his ruling, the judge cited precedent saying, "The [terrorism] statute cannot be interpreted so broadly so as to cover individuals or groups who are not normally viewed as 'terrorists.'"

The judge went on to distinguish Mangione's case from other cases involving terrorism ... "The defendant's targeted killing of one individual -- although abhorrent and despicable -- is not comparable."

Aaron Phypers says Denise Richards is lying about him being a domestic abuser as a way to stop him from getting spousal support.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Aaron responds to Denise's request for a domestic violence restraining order and says, "I believe this entire domestic violence proceeding is merely a ruse to try to cut me off from being able to obtain spousal support."

Aaron filed for divorce in July and requested spousal support ... and Denise later accused him of domestic abuse, which he's repeatedly denied.

Maurene Comey, the lead prosecutor in the Diddy federal criminal case, is suing the U.S. government -- and specifically President Donald Trump -- to reclaim her position after getting fired by 47's Department of Justice, according to court documents.

Comey claims in the docs she wants her job back because she was canned unlawfully and her firing was a violation of the U.S. Constitution's separation of powers.

In the docs, Comey lists a bunch of high-profile defendants she's suing, including The Office of the President, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the DOJ.

Two people are in police custody after allegedly trying to blow up a local TV news van in Utah.

An explosives device was found under a news van belonging to KSTU FOX13 News Utah and the device "had been lit but failed to function as designed" ... according to KUTV, citing court records.

The explosives device was reportedly found Friday in Salt Lake City ... and the suspects were busted after FBI agents and bomb squads from local law enforcement descended on a residence in Magna, Utah, a city just to the northwest of Salt Lake City.

Tyler Robinson -- the 22-year-old suspected of killing Charlie Kirk -- is currently being evaluated by jailhouse staff in a Special Housing Unit ... TMZ has learned.

Utah County Sheriff's Spokesperson Sergeant Raymond Ormond tells TMZ ... tells us Tyler's in the SHU under "Special Watch" while they work to determine if he's a danger to himself or others -- with mental health pros evaluating whether or not he's suicidal.

We don't know if he's made any comments which could indicate he's considering suicide in jail ... though law enforcement sources told us earlier Friday that Tyler allegedly indicated to his father he'd rather die by suicide than turn himself in to police.

Ellen DeGeneres may no longer live in California, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have some legal issues in the Golden State ... the comedian is facing a new lawsuit involving an alleged car crash in her former town.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ ... a driver claims Ellen ran a stop sign and hit another female driver in a vehicle dust-up that took place in October 2023.

Per the lawsuit, the woman was driving her Tesla in Santa Barbara County when she approached an intersection with stop signs posted in all directions. She says she stopped at her stop sign, and even made sure to check for oncoming traffic.

Kelley Wolf’s in hot water again … this time, authorities say she broke a protective order by reaching out to Scott Wolf and her son.

According to new legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Scott got a temporary protective order back on August 28 … barring Kelley from any direct or indirect contact with him or their three kids.

But just two days later -- after a judge signed off -- Kelley allegedly violated the order by reaching out to Scott with a friend’s phone … and is accused of even trying to contact her 12-year-old son through a friend’s kid.

3:33 PM PT -- An attorney for Devyn LaBella tells TMZ ... "It's disturbing to see the defendants continue to 'mansplain' to Devyn what her own experience was on set. She has sworn under oath to the truth and has produced contemporaneous proof to back it up. Ms. LaBella's claims have never wavered or changed since the day she first reported this terrible incident to production in May 2023, right after it occurred."

Kevin Costner's lawyers want the lawsuit alleging he made a stuntwoman participate in an unscripted rape scene dismissed ... because he says the stuntwoman suing him has changed her story ... essentially admitting she lied in the original complaint.

The actor's lawyers filed more legal docs in the case ... and, now they're pointing out Devyn LaBella -- a stuntwoman on "Horizon 2" -- previously claimed she was thrust into the movie's rape sequence without any discussion beforehand.

However, they point out she now admits another individual -- stunt coordinator Wade Allen -- "met with her in advance and explained the shot to her in advance."

Taylor Swift would very much like to be excluded from this narrative ... she's making it clear she has "no role" in the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni legal battle.

In a letter obtained by TMZ and addressed to the judge overseeing the case ... attorneys for the Grammy winner clarify that Swift has NOT agreed to give a deposition in the "It Ends With Us" lawsuit saga.

Instead, her camp agreed to provide her availability ... only in the case she's forced to give testimony.

Amanda Knox's story has had plenty of twists and turns after she was accused of murdering her former roommate Meredith Kercher back in 2007.

The author was tried and retried for the crime, which took place while she was studying in Italy, and she was eventually able to walk free ... from most of the charges, anyway.

We're going to see what led up to Amanda's legal saga, and check out how the harrowing story's led her to become a successful author.

Knox was born in Seattle, and she was raised in the city alongside her sister and two half-sisters.

She remained in her hometown during her college years, as she attended classes at the University of Washington, where she studied multiple subjects ... taking classes in creative writing, German and Italian.

Knox eventually made the decision to study abroad, and moved to Perugia, Italy in 2007, where she resided in rented accommodations alongside Kercher.

Knox settled into her Italian life quickly, as she took on part-time work at a bar owned by Patrick Lumumba and began a relationship with fellow student Raffaele Sollecito.

Her overseas experience turned chaotic in November 2007, when Kercher was found dead with a slit throat in their shared apartment.

Knox, along with Sollecito and Lumumba, were arrested by Italian authorities, although the bar owner was ultimately released. Knox, Sollecito, and Rudy Guede, an acquaintance of Kercher's boyfriend, were later charged with the student's murder.

Guede had a fast-tracked trial, and he was found guilty of sexual assault and murder in 2008. Knox and Sollecito were both found guilty of the same charges the following year, and the former was also found guilty of slander after implicating Lumumba in the murder, according to The Guardian.

Knox and Sollecito's appeal trial began in November 2010, and they were acquitted the following October after having spent four years behind bars.

However, the pair's acquittal was overturned in March 2013, and a new trial regarding the pair's guilt commenced six months later.

Knox and Sollecito were found guilty of Kercher's murder for the second time in January 2014, and she was sentenced to 28 and a half years.

The pair's second convictions were ultimately overturned in March 2015, and this time ... there was no retrial.

Knox's career as an author began over the course of her legal saga, as she released a memoir, "Waiting to Be Heard," in April 2013.

She went on to marry fellow author Christopher Robinson in 2018, according to People, and they welcomed a daughter, Eureka, in 2021, and a son, Echo, in 2023.

Knox made a bid to overturn her slander conviction from 2009, although the ruling was ultimately upheld in January 2025.

Mary Cosby's son Robert Jr. has found himself in hot water with the law again ... we've learned he's been arrested for a number of alleged crimes, including assault and trespassing.

According to an arrest report, obtained by TMZ ... "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star's only child was arrested just outside Salt Lake City, UT Saturday for failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, criminal trespassing, assault, and 3 alleged violations of a court order.

Per the report, local police responded to a domestic violence call after Robert Jr. allegedly tried to break into his father-in-law's home via a dog door and assaulted someone on the front lawn.

Hulk Hogan granted his daughter Brooke her wish to be removed from his will ... because she isn't gonna receive a penny of his almost $5 million in assets, according to new court documents.

The WWE legend's son Nick filed court documents Tuesday -- first obtained by Us Weekly -- which say Hulk left behind $200,000 in cryptocurrency, $799,000 in personal property and intellectual property, as well as his right to publicity, worth about $4 million.

Nick left blank the monetary amount for a possible medical malpractice lawsuit stemming from Hulk's alleged botched neck surgery in May, months before his death.

The feds are going after the man accused of fatally stabbing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a North Carolina train ... because the suspect has just been charged with a federal crime.

President Trump's Justice Department announced Tuesday the suspect in the fatal Charlotte light rail stabbing, Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., is charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.

Federal prosecutors say the fatal stabbing happened August 22 on the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte ... and video shows a man in a red hoodie unfolding a knife and stabbing a woman who sat down in front of him.

El Paso, Texas police used a suspect as a human punching bag, beating the living daylights out of him over the weekend ... and it was all caught on video.

Check it out ... several officers are seen taking the suspect into custody with one cop kneeing him in the face and then repeatedly punching him in the back while he's kneeling on the ground.

The clip jumps to the same officer hunching over the suspect whose still down on the ground ... the cop slams his fist into the back of the suspect before pulling out a taser and zapping him.