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Tyler Perry's male sexual assault accuser claims the star refuses to sit for a deposition unless there's a guarantee Tyler won't be asked about his sexual orientation ... but Tyler's lawyer is calling BS.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Mario Rodriguez wants the director sanctioned for failing to appear for a depo … which he claims to have been trying to take since April 14.

Mario said Tyler and his lawyer told him Tyler would only appear if they agreed not to ask Tyler whether he is, or has been, sexually attracted to men … a subject they say Tyler insists is "irrelevant and inflammatory."

4:37 PM PT -- Sources with knowledge tell TMZ ... Luigi's lawyers will resurrect the Extreme Emotional Distress defense as they get closer to the trial date. We're told the reason they backed off now is that they are doing more psych evaluations with Luigi and don’t want to turn over the records until they are complete. They also don’t want to play their hand until they get closer to trial.

It's a shocker for sure ... Luigi Mangione has backed off his core defense that was just announced in court yesterday, but there may be more to this story than meets the eye.

As we reported, the judge in his New York State murder trial revealed Wednesday ... Luigi's lawyers were mounting a novel defense called Extreme Emotional Disturbance. Short story -- it essentially means he was out of his head when he shot and killed United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

TMZ has reported extensively on Mangione's obsession with corporate greed ... and the defense planned to argue that obsession created an altered state in which Luigi felt he fired the gun to save humanity. If the jury bought the argument, it would reduce the murder charge to manslaughter.

Chris Brown took the stand in the $90 million battle with his former housekeeper over a vicious dog attack at his L.A. home.

On Thursday, the entertainer testified in court as part of the trial in the lawsuit brought by Maria Avila. In her suit, Maria claims she was attacked by a large dog while taking out the trash. Chris denies wrongdoing.

In court, Chris denied that the dog in question was his and said it belonged to his head of security. Both the dog and the head of security were residents of the property. He added that the dog stayed on the property as a guard dog.

The Massachusetts mom accused of brutally murdering her three young children was back in court again Thursday ... and she held an unsettling look on her face for most of the appearance.

Lindsay Clancy entered the courtroom in a wheelchair for the final pretrial conference hearing .... where her lawyer told the judge the 35-year-old was "a vegetable practically" due to medications ... claiming she struggled with severe mental health problems before the January 2023 triple murders.

During the proceedings ... Clancy stared on with a vacant, grim look on her face.

Carlos Mencia has been hit with 12 tax-related criminal charges ... and he could face more than a decade in prison if convicted on all of them -- according to the L.A. district attorney.

The L.A. County District Attorney's Office is set up at Hall of Justice in downtown ... where D.A. Nathan Hochman spoke to the assembled members of the media.

Mencia has been charged with 12 counts ... six connected to his personal tax returns and six to his business tax returns, Hochman said. Prosecutors allege Mencia failed to report $8.7 million in income -- and owes more than $300K in unpaid state taxes.

Timothy Busfield wants his indictment thrown out ... telling a judge the prosecutors' presentation of evidence to the grand jury failed to tell the whole story.

The actor filed papers asking a judge to toss the grand jury indictment because the state of New Mexico has "abdicated its role in administering justice" and is blindly pursuing an indictment against him.

Busfield says prosecutors are well aware of an independent investigation into the allegations against him conducted by Warner Bros. that he says found nothing to back those allegations, a lie detector test Busfield passed in which he said he never inappropriately touched one of the alleged victims, and multiple witness affidavits defending him ... but has chosen to ignore all of that.

Chris Brown is back in court for his battle with his former housekeeper -- who claims she was viciously mauled by a dog outside his L.A. home -- days after drama erupted in the case.

We got the singer as he walked into the courthouse Thursday for day one of his trial against Maria Avila ... he had few words for our photog, but his expressions when she asked him questions provided all the answers.

As TMZ first reported ... the trial was scheduled to start earlier this week, but a mistrial was called because one of the jurors had researched the case, which is against the rules.

Comedian Carlos Mencia is in some trouble with the law ... the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office says they'll soon be announcing criminal charges against him.

D.A. Nathan J. Hochman says he will announce the charges against Mencia at 2 PM PT in a Thursday press conference outside the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles.

It’s unclear what exactly the charges will be … but the D.A.'s office says they've been filed as the first case by L.A.'s newly created Business Tax Fraud Unit.

The alleged killer of Anna Kepner is exactly where he should be -- behind bars -- so he can't hurt anyone anymore ... this according to Anna's family, who say they are now "at peace."

Anna's loved ones issued a statement to ABC News, saying it was painful to see 16-year-old Timothy Hudson out on bail for as long as he was after being charged with killing Kepner, his 18-year-old stepsister.

Recently, the judge in the case ruled that the evidence against Hudson is overwhelming and revoked his bond, sending him to jail.

Karen Bass isn't letting the LAPD off the hook for killing a cute, fluffy dog last during a Knicks NBA Finals celebration.

The Los Angeles mayor has ordered a probe into the LAPD officers who shot to death Jameson -- a mixed golden retriever, Saint Bernard and poodle -- after police responded to Saturday's distress call of a woman screaming at an apartment complex, the California Post reports. 

In a statement to the outlet, Bass said ... "Every life lost to violence is a tragedy, and we know that the devastating loss of Jameson will be felt by his family forever."

Ms. Juicy was frightened after police told her she was going to be arrested and taken to jail ... and her emotional reaction is all on video.

In the police bodycam footage from the "Little Woman: Atlanta" star's April 18 arrest in Winder, Georgia, she chats with the cops who pulled her over ... and when they tell her she's being placed under arrest, she replies ... "I'm going to jail? Woo."

Ms. Juicy -- whose real name is Shirlene King-Pearson -- was booked on charges of driving on a suspended license and no proof of insurance. 

During her chat with cops, Ms. Juicy told officers she was upset because she believed the issues with her license had been previously resolved in court. 

"90 Day Fiancé" star Thais Ramone's domestic battery arrest is now coming into sharper focus ... because TMZ has obtained police body cam footage from the incident involving her estranged husband, Patrick Mendes.

The police video, obtained by TMZ, captures officers responding to Patrick's Nevada home on May 22 after he reported an alleged domestic violence incident involving Thais.

According to the police report, which TMZ previously obtained, Patrick told officers Thais slapped him in the face during a heated argument just days after he served her with divorce papers. In the footage, Patrick claims he went to Thais' home so their child could say goodbye before Thais departed for Brazil.

Sabrina Carpenter was granted a permanent restraining order against the man who was arrested at her L.A. home … who she claimed returned to her home hours later … TMZ has learned.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ordered 31-year-old William Applegate to stay 100 yards away from the pop star, her sister Sarah and Sarah’s boyfriend, George, for the next 5 years.

William testified at the hearing in opposition to Sabrina’s request for a restraining order, but he apparently failed to sway the judge.

Will Smith's former friend, Bilaal Salaam, is begging a judge not to make him pay 5-figures in attorney's fees he owes to Jada Pinkett Smith ... and he says he's broke and homeless.

In court docs, obtained by TMZ, Bilaal asked the court to reconsider a decision ordering him to pay Jada more than $32K in attorney's fees after she convinced the court to dismiss his claims of emotional distress.

Bilaal claims he is "certified homeless," receives welfare benefits, and cannot pay the judgment. He agrees he owes Jada legal fees, but he asked that the amount be reduced greatly or that some sort of payment plan be arranged due to his situation.

Faizon Love told a judge he's unemployed and can't pay the massive child support bill in the paternity case connected to his recent arrest ... TMZ has learned.

Faizon filed documents earlier this year in his legal dispute with Tiffany Lee, claiming he couldn't scrounge up the $250,000 she claims he owes her. The actor said he's barely made any money recently.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Faizon claimed the highest gross income he earned over the last five years is a paltry $13,000 ... and he said his income for last year was $0.

Chud the Builder was out on bond when he allegedly tried to kill a man outside a Tennessee courthouse ... and that bond has now been revoked.

Here's the deal ... on May 9, Chud -- real name Dalton Eatherly -- was arrested after he allegedly walked out on a restaurant tab of nearly $400. Prosecutors charged him with theft of services, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest -- but he posted bond and was released.

Less than a week later, Chud allegedly shot another man ... and he was hit with an attempted murder charge -- a violation of his bond agreement in the other case, which required Chud to stay out of trouble.

Judge Melissa Blackburn ruled to revoke the bail ... saying it was "Based on what I've seen on social media and Mr. Eatherly's behavior."