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Wendy Williams' home is apparently in the crosshairs of the federal government after it slapped her with a lien over unpaid taxes ... which they say amounts to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the former talk show host got hit with a tax lien by Uncle Sam on her pricey NYC condo -- which records show she bought for $4.5 million in 2021 -- because the feds say Wendy owes them $568,451.57.

This unpaid balance, they claim, is a result of her owing big balances for her federal taxes for the years of 2019 and 2021.

The online records show the lien was generated in January of this year, and was recorded with the New York City Department of Finance in early February.

As of now, there doesn't appear to be any evidence the lien has been dealt with yet, but it's possible Wendy already cleared this up -- we've reached out to the court-appointed guardian of her finances, but no word back yet.

Of course, this is troubling for a number of reasons -- most, notably ... the fact that Wendy's health struggles have recently come to light, including the fact her team says she's been diagnosed with aphasia and dementia.

BTW ... Sabrina Morrissey, the guardian of Wendy's finances, was reportedly appointed sometime in Spring 2022, so she came aboard after the alleged tax violations.

The question ... is the guardian dealing with this now?

A woman is taking Novo Nordisk to court over what she claims were negative side effects she experienced after using Ozempic ... alleging the company knew it could jack up your gut.

Caren Elosua just filed suit against the pharmaceutical giant, claiming weight loss meds like Ozempic and Wegovy have long been suspected of being capable of causing serious harm based on studies and trials ... especially in a person's stomach and gastrointestinal system.

In her docs, obtained by TMZ, Elosua says that even with this alleged history of side effects in mind ... she was still prescribed Ozempic to combat her type-2 diabetes.

Elosua says she started taking a dose of 1ml of Ozempic injections weekly starting in April 2021, and goes on to say her dosage was increased by her doc to 2ml a couple years later.

However, toward the end of 2023 ... Elosua claims she started to suffer from symptoms like headaches, vomiting, cramping and severe stomach pain -- so she says she went to see a specialist ... who she says did a stomach emptying test on her to see what was up.

As it turns out, she claims this gastroenterologist diagnosed her with gastroparesis -- which means your stomach muscles get super weak and aren't able to properly digest food -- and she alleges that a second doctor confirmed this diagnosis.

She says her last Ozempic shot was around late January -- but by then, she claims the damage had been done ... alleging she had to be hospitalized due to the constant pain she was experiencing, which she claims has seriously torn up her abdominal area.

Elosua claims Novo Nordisk -- the company behind Ozempic -- knew this miracle drug could screw people up inside, but they cranked it out anyway and made a fortune ... with her claiming it came at the health expense of her and possibly others.

On this episode of The TMZ podcast ...

Controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate are facing more legal troubles after they were detained in Romania on new sexual offenses after four women claim they were physically and sexually abused.

Kate Middleton was spotted in the back of a car with Prince William while he was out and about for a Commonwealth service amid her Mother's Day photoshop scandal.

Cardi B shocked the crowd at Madonna's concert Monday night with a surprise appearance, and the two got raunchy onstage.

Plus, Jamaican musician and rapper Shaggy stunned fans when he revealed his real voice in a new interview.

Andrew Tate is facing more legal troubles ... the online influencer was busted Monday in Romania for alleged sexual offenses.

Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, were detained last evening for 24 hours after UK authorities issued arrest warrants accusing them of sexual aggression and exploiting people in Great Britain from 2012 to 2015.

Their spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, categorically denied the accusations to the Associated Press, saying the Tate's "express profound disappointment that such serious allegations are being resurrected without substantial new evidence."

Four women complained to UK authorities, claiming the Tates physically and sexually abused them. But prosecutors declined to move forward with the cases, prompting the accusers to pursue civil litigation against the brothers as a last resort to hold them accountable.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal is expected to make a decision Tuesday on whether to execute the arrest warrants, carrying out the orders issued by the UK's Westminster Magistrates Court in London while the brothers are detained.

In a separate case, the Tates were indicted in Romania last year for rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

A year earlier, the Tates were originally arrested with two women in that case, but they were released from jail after 3 months and put on house arrest. The brothers have denied any wrongdoing.

The father of Christmas Abbott's kid is off the hook in his revenge porn case ... as prosecutors in North Carolina have dropped all the charges against him.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors dismissed the case against Benjamin Bunn -- who shares a 5-year-old son with the 'Big Brother' alum -- due to insufficient evidence.

We broke the story ... Bunn was arrested back in October, and hit with 3 counts of disclosure of private images after Christmas told cops Bunn was behind a fake online profile pretending to be her, and posting her adult content she published behind a paywall.

Police investigated and got a warrant to arrest Bunn, but now prosecutors say there just isn't enough evidence to bring this case before a jury.

Meanwhile, Christmas has also made domestic violence claims against her estranged husband Memphis Garrett, and even got a temporary restraining order against him before he filed for divorce.

The Vermont man who crashed into Treat Williams -- resulting in the beloved actor's death -- is pleading guilty to a reduced charge, and, as a result, he will not go to prison.

Ryan Koss pled guilty on Friday to negligent driving with death resulting. Koss was turning into a parking lot last June when he collided with Treat, who was riding his motorcycle. Although he was wearing a helmet, and was airlifted to a hospital for treatment, Treat did not survive his injuries.

In exchange for his plea, Koss is getting a one-year deferred sentence, probation and his license is revoked for a year. In addition, he'll have to complete a community restorative justice program for the misdemeanor charge.

Prosecutors say Koss has fully cooperated, and been accountable for the tragedy from the start, and even called Treat's wife from the scene of the accident to tell her what had happened.

During Friday's hearing, he said, “I’m here to apologize and take responsibility for this tragic accident.” Interestingly, Treat's family was not interested in pressing charges or seeing Koss do time.

Treat's son, Gill, was in court and told Koss, “I do forgive you, and I hope that you forgive yourself." Treat's wife, Pam, expressed a similar sentiment in a statement that was read in court ... but she added, “Our lives will never be the same, our family has been torn apart and there is a huge hole that can’t possibly be filled."

Koss had originally been facing up to 15 years in prison ... as he'd been charged with gross negligent operation with death resulting, a felony. He pled not guilty to that charge, before copping a plea for the reduced misdemeanor charge.

Jail is hell for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed ... the "Rust" armorer is having a tough time behind bars as she awaits sentencing for her manslaughter conviction.

Hannah's lawyer, Jason Bowles, tells TMZ ... she is having a really ​difficult time in her new digs, a New Mexico detention center.

We're told Hannah's family is already setting up a time to visit her ... and her loved ones have been devastated by her guilty verdict for involuntary manslaughter in the accidental shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

Hannah was found guilty Wednesday and was quickly booked into the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility, posing for a mug shot.

As you know ... Hannah was the armorer on the "Rust" movie set when Alec Baldwin shot Halyna with a prop gun loaded with live ammunition during a scene.

Hannah's lawyer says they will be appealing her conviction, seeking to overturn the verdict and judgment.

While Hannah was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, she was found not guilty of evidence tampering.

Remember, Hannah's defense blamed the accident on her being overworked by the production, and her legal team insisted Halyna's fatal shooting wasn't on Hannah at all.

Hannah's attorney says the courtroom was shocked when the guilty verdict was returned ... and it sounds like she's dealing with shock of her own as she tries to adjust to life behind bars.

Bad Bunny is mad at a fan whom he claims posted unauthorized concert footage on a YouTube account ... and now he's suing the dude.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Bad Bunny claims a man named Eric Guillermo Madronal Garrone posted full song performances on the YouTube channel he runs, MADforliveMUSIC.

Bad Bunny claims Garrone went to his Feb. 21 concert in Salt Lake City, Utah and recorded multiple videos of his live performance ... uploading the footage to Garrone's YouTube channel.

Problem is ... Bad Bunny says he owns the rights to the live performance music and Garrone did not have his authorization or consent to record and post them online for people to watch for free.

Bad Bunny says Garrone is using the famous singer’s name and music to draw eyeballs to the YouTube channel ... thus taking views and ad revenue away from Bad Bunny's own official YouTube page.

In the docs, Bad Bunny says he tried to issue standard takedown notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act -- also known as DMCA -- demanding YouTube remove Garrone's videos.

Bad Bunny claims YouTube took down the videos but Garrone filed a counterclaim to get them back up … leaving BB no choice but to file the lawsuit.

TMZ did some digging and found the YouTube channel Bad Bunny has beef with ... and it seems all the videos of his song performances are deleted for now ... except for this video of the concert orchestra that opened for Bunny that night there in SLC.

Clearly, Garrone had a great view at the show and some high-quality camera equipment ... and this orchestra footage runs 9 minutes in the YouTube upload.

If Garrone was shooting/posting similar videos for the rest of Bad Bunny's concert -- as Bunny claims -- it seems a lot different than just uploading a cell phone video of the show to social media .... as millions of people do. In fact, lots of shorter clips of his concert from that evening are up on TikTok -- but none of them are all that lengthy.

Erik Huffman -- famous from 'Survivor' -- has been busted for domestic violence, with cops claiming he roughed up his costar-turned-wife, Jaime Dugan.

According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, cops responded to a disturbance call at a convenience store out in Spartanburg, SC way back in late January ... where they say they ran into Erik -- who told them he was trying to locate his spouse, Jaime.

The police say Erik relayed he was worried about Jaime after she'd taken off in their car following a spat over accusations of cheating -- namely, her accusing him of having an affair. In the report, the cops say Erik admitted they got into a grabbing match over his phone.

Cops say Jaime told them he just wanted to make sure she was safe and medically OK ... claiming she was saying she wanted to harm herself.

However, when cops finally caught up with Jaime sometime later ... they claim she was singing a different tune -- and telling a completely different story, one that alleged Erik was getting physical with her.

Police say Jamie blasted Erik for telling them she wanted to hurt herself -- and went on to say it was a blatant lie.

She proceeded to tell cops she had actually found his burner phone while they were in the car, but she alleges he twisted it out of her hand ... claiming he'd broken her middle fingernail and left her with a few small cuts on her hand as well.

Cops say she told them she drove off while he went into the store 'cause she didn't feel safe ... so quite the opposite of what Erik was saying.

Ultimately, cops determined Erik was the primary aggressor and they arrested him later that day on a third-degree domestic violence charge -- with him posing for this mug shot as he was being booked into the jail there.

An L.A. jury says Ricky Garcia, from the boy band Forever in Your Mind, was indeed sexually abused by his former manager back when the singer was a teenager ... TMZ has learned.

The jury returned the verdict Friday, finding Joby Harte liable for childhood sexual abuse, gender violence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The jury also hit Harte with an 7-figure judgment -- awarding Ricky $5.5 million in compensatory damages, and another $1 mil in punitive damages.

The verdict brings an end to a lengthy case for Ricky, who was 20 years old back in 2019 when he filed the lawsuit against Harte ... alleging he had groomed and assaulted him for several years, starting when Ricky was just 12.

Ricky joined Forever in Your Mind after auditioning for season 3 of "The X Factor" -- he impressed Simon Cowell enough to get an invitation to join the group. He was also a child actor, co-starring in more than 30 episodes of the Disney Channel show, "Best Friends Whenever."

But, in his lawsuit, Ricky said show biz took a dark turn for him when Harte took the band on trips he described as songwriting sessions. The singer says Harte got him drunk and he woke up naked on Harte's bed.

On other occasions, Ricky says Harte forced him to perform sex acts while he was under the age of 18. He said he was afraid he'd lose his career, so he remained silent for years ... until he and his mother confronted Harte, and then filed the lawsuit against him.

Matt Rife seems ready to take a "comedian" to court who accused him of performing a sex act to gain success -- as Matt feels his rep's been harmed ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Matt and his team have been reaching out to various litigators to see what his best option might be to deal with the salacious claim made by entrepreneur Nima Yamini this week -- including potentially filing a lawsuit against him.

ICYMI ... Nima -- a self-described comedian -- alleged he and Matt were once both brought into a room with two Hollywood execs and promised fame and fortune if they'd perform fellatio on them ... which Nima said he refused, but alleged Matt stayed behind and did the deed.

Matt's name started to trend as a result of this allegation -- and now, we're hearing he feels he's been defamed ... and appears inclined on taking some form of legal action here.

We're told Matt's sick of people using his name to gain clout -- which is obviously how he feels about Nima here, who appears to have no serious track record in comedy -- and our sources say Matt wants to stand up for himself ... especially against something as outlandish as this. BTW, this isn't the first time someone's name-dropped him to spark controversy.

Remember, TikToker Bunny Hedaya had her 6-year-old son blast Rife, saying he was "mean to girls" in response to his standup special ... and Rife clapped back with, "your mom buys you presents with the money she makes on OnlyFans."

He caught some flak for that ... and in the end, dropped the back and forth. Here, though, our sources say he wants to regain control of the narrative -- because this claim of Nima's is categorically false ... and he doesn't wanna let this guy get away with floating it unchecked.

Nima, FWIW, did not name the two supposed execs that were allegedly in the mix of the scenario he describes -- which is why a lot of people have been calling BS on his story.

Andy Cohen is firing back at Leah McSweeney's claims about him -- but one specific allegation has got him and his lawyers fired up ... and they're threatening a lawsuit.

The Bravo honcho -- who was, along with the network, sued by McSweeney in an explosive lawsuit last week -- fired off a letter to Leah through his attorneys ... and they make it crystal clear that they believe her allegation of cocaine use against Andy is false and defamatory.

His lawyers don't mince words, saying virtually everything she said about Cohen in the lawsuit is baseless and false, but on the cocaine claim specifically they write ... "[W]e demand that you immediately retract and withdraw all allegations relating to Mr. Cohen’s purported 'cocaine use.'" If she doesn't, they say they're taking her to court.

Andy's legal team continues ... "To be clear: these allegations are categorically false. Mr. Cohen never used cocaine with any cast member on any Real Housewives show or with any other Bravo employee. The absence of any reasonable basis to make such allegations is confirmed by your pleading itself."

They point out there are no details included in her allegation here, which they think points to her not knowing anything concrete ... because it's simply not true. Her attorneys say they believe Leah levied this salacious claim against Andy recklessly just to get headlines and potentially a quick payday.

Andy's lawyers end by saying ... "The truth matters. Litigation cannot be used to create fake news. And it cannot be used as a vehicle to spread false and malicious lies, in furtherance of a shakedown. We demand that you issue an immediate public retraction and apologize to Mr. Cohen. Every day you fail to do so only increases the damages suffered by Mr. Cohen."

McSweeney’s attorney, Sarah M. Matz tells TMZ ... "That Andy Cohen had his counsel and PR agents write a threatening letter to give to the press is hardly surprising.  Mr. Cohen is accustomed to using his power in the media to scare and intimidate people like Ms. McSweeney so that they will not speak out. Mr. Cohen’s attempt to discredit and intimidate Ms. McSweeney to deter her from engaging in legally protected activity in Court is exactly the type of retaliation that this lawsuit was brought to address and only is further evidence for Ms. McSweeney. We do not intend to litigate this matter in the press, and if Mr. Cohen wants to address Ms. McSweeney’s claims, we suggest he do so in Court, not in a letter for the press."

A source close to Leah tells TMZ that she's flabbergasted that he wants to keep bringing attention to this in the press, rather than just letting it play out in court.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is already behind bars as she awaits sentencing after being convicted in the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins -- and her mug shot's already out.

The former armorer -- who was working on the set of "Rust" when the tragedy occurred in 2021 -- was booked into the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility Wednesday and did what every inmate has to do when they're processed ... take a photo for the record.

As you can see, Gutierrez-Reed didn't flash any smiles ... and her info is right there on the slate she's holding up. It's interesting, her mug is kinda old-timey, right down to the color grading.

As we reported, Hannah was remanded to custody immediately after the verdict was read aloud in court, where a jury returned a split verdict on two charges she was facing. She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, and not guilty of evidence tampering.

Hannah remained stoic throughout the proceeding, but her family was emotional behind her.

The trial lasted about 2 weeks, and prosecutors trotted out multiple witnesses who took the stand and testified against Hannah -- including producers who said, under oath, that she never requested additional armorer time on set (as she'd claimed), and she brushed off a logging system to make sure the weapons were being attended to properly during filming.

Hannah's attorney argued the production itself was already an unsafe environment because of its shoestring budget, and she was overwhelmed with her duties ... but the jury didn't buy it.

Halyna's family released a statement in the aftermath, and they're happy with the result ... while also foreshadowing more justice might be coming when Alec Baldwin's trial begins.

7:34 PM PT -- Halyna Hutchins' parents and sister just reacted to the news of Hannah's conviction. Their attorneys, Gloria Allred and John Carpenter, say ... "Halyna’s parents and her sister have always wanted everyone who is responsible for Halyna’s death to be held accountable.Today was the first trial and conviction in the criminal justice process."

They add, "We are satisfied that the jury, based on the evidence, found Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty beyond a reasonable doubt for her part in the taking of Halyna’s life.We look forward to the justice system continuing to make sure that everyone else who is responsible for Halyna's death is required to face the legal consequences for their actions."

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- the armorer on "Rust" who was charged in connection to the death of Halyna Hutchins -- just lost her criminal trial ... 'cause a jury says she's guilty of a crime.

A verdict was just read in court Wednesday out in New Mexico, where Gutierrez-Reed has been on trial since the end of last month ... with prosecutors going after her on two different charges -- namely, involuntary manslaughter and evidence tampering.

She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, but not guilty of the alleged tampering.

A slew of witnesses were trotted out by the prosecution ... including the first assistant director, a producer on the film, and a line producer as well -- all of whom testified against HGR.

The prosecution's case basically amounted to Hannah being careless on the set -- to the point that it amounted to negligence, they claimed -- and it sounds like the jurors agreed after about a 2 week-long trial.

Hannah was remanded to custody ... meaning she was taken to jail right there in the courthouse -- this despite the fact that her attorneys asked she remain free until sentencing. The judge denied that ... noting a death had occurred, and that she'd been found guilty.

Hannah's family was sitting behind her during all this, and once the decision was reached that she'd be going behind bars immediately ... her loved ones started to break down.

Hannah herself remained stoic throughout the proceeding, and she didn't put up a fight as deputies led her away. A sentencing date will be set later down the line. She was facing up to 3 years in prison if convicted on both counts ... now, it'll be a fraction of that -- just up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. Unclear how much time she'll end up serving.

As we reported ... some key people testified against Hannah -- with Ryan Winterstern (a producer) going under oath to refute Hannah's claim that she'd asked for more armorer time while they were shooting the flick, specifically as it related to Alec Baldwin's cross draw.

Another producer, Gabrielle Pickle, testified that Hannah had ignored her complaints about weapons being left unattended on the set ... and that she allegedly shot down a logging system to see who was handling the guns and when. That was just some of the evidence.

Hannah's defense ended up basically boiling down to her being overworked by the production ... with her attorneys insisting Halyna being shot and killed wasn't on her whatsoever.

Clearly, a jury disagreed on that front ... but they didn't see enough evidence to convince them that Hannah had tampered with anything. No word on whether she'll appeal.

Of course, Alec himself still has a looming trial that'll kick off later this summer. He's facing manslaughter charges as well ... which he's pled not guilty to.

It's an all-out war between Paula Abdul and former "American Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe ... and now she's producing alleged texts from him, which she says show some of the ways he sexually harassed her.

Paula's attorney, Melissa Eubanks, tells TMZ ... Nigel is victim-shaming Paula and is cherry-picking from years of communications between them as he tries to discredit the allegations she brought against him in her sexual assault lawsuit in December.

As we first told you, Nigel's legal response to Paula's suit included alleged emails she sent him ... with Nigel claiming the emails gave off a friendly and loving vibe between them ... after the time Paula alleged he sexually assaulted her

Now, Paula's firing back ... as her attorney says Nigel's response fails to appreciate the power dynamic in their relationship, where Lythgoe was a powerful exec/her boss and Paula worked under him as a judge on the reality competition shows he executive produced.

Abdul's attorney says ... "He held the cards to her career in his hand and he knew it." The lawyer also goes on to call Nigel's tactic classic victim shaming.

What's more, Paula's legal team says those emails Nigel referenced in his docs were just Paula placating his ego with "positive messaging and seeming adoration ... defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power."

Paula claims to have some receipts from Nigel too ... saying she has text messages from him showing numerous instances of overt sexual harassment.

Abdul's camp claims Nigel texted her on March 8, 2014, writing ... "When you get back to LA will you please make love to me! Slowly and lovingly!" Paula says she didn't respond and Nigel double texted, "I'll take that as a YES then!"

Another alleged text, from April, 10, 2014, is a response to a message Paula sent Nigel about "So You Think You Can Dance" auditions in Las Vegas ... to which Nigel allegedly responded, "I'll come if you promise a big wet kiss! With tongues! Is a small grope of the ass asking too much?"

A few months later, in July 2014, Paula claims Nigel acknowledged he was being inappropriate when he allegedly texted her ... "You love me like a relation I love you like a girlfriend. I could easily be your f****** cousin? Ha Ha."

Remember ... Paula claims Nigel sexually assaulted her twice -- the first time during "one of Idol's initial sessions" in the early 2000s, and again at some point during her 2 seasons on 'SYTYCD' ... a gig she started in 2015.

Paula's attorney also claims Nigel verbally assaulted Adbul on multiple occasions as well ... which she says "are evidence of the frequent abusive behavior that Ms. Abdul was subjected to during her time on American Idol and SYTYCD."

3/6 -- 2:45 PM PT -- Paula Abdul responded to Nigel Lythgoe's latest barb, with her attorney telling Deadline ... "Mr. Lythgoe's answer to Ms. Abdul's complaint is classic victim shaming. These are the defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power."

Nigel Lythgoe is producing a slew of emails and posts from Paula Abdul which he says show they had a very friendly and loving relationship for years after she alleges he sexually assaulted her.

In the legal docs filed Tuesday, it's immediately clear Nigel's taking the gloves off with his former friend and coworker at "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" ... calling her a "well-documented fabulist, with a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality and are primarily designed to attract attention and make Abdul appear to be the victim of dreadful misfortune."

The scathing response includes several private emails Lythgoe says Abdul sent him, filled with flowery, kind and "adoring" language. For instance, a Sept. 12, 2014 email reads in part, "Hi sweetheart -- thank you for this lovely 'gift.' Please forgive me for not calling yesterday. Forever grateful to have you in my life! Love, love LOVE YOU! XO P."

Another, dated June 20, 2014, says, "Thank you for the beautiful flowers -- they were exquisite! But, I have to say the kicker was the birthday card last night. I am still howling! I truly appreciate our friendship and am looking forward to launching our project."

Lythgoe's filing also includes pages of Paula's public tweets at his @dizzyfeet handle, starting in 2009 and continuing through 2015 when they were both working on 'SYTYCD.' Many of them include photos of them together and captions like, "You know the crew loves you, too!! :)) xoxoP" -- and, in a Thanksgiving tweet, she wrote, "I'm grateful that I met you too, Nigel! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! xoxoP."

TMZ broke the story ... Abdul filed a lawsuit against Nigel and FremantleMedia North America (producers of 'Idol' and 'SYTYCD') in December, alleging he'd sexually assaulted her twice -- the first time in "one of Idol's initial seasons" ... which would be the early 2000s, and the second at some unspecified point during her 2 seasons as a 'SYTYCD' judge. She started that gig in 2015.

According to the new docs, the pages of emails, messages and tweets "show how Abdul really felt about Lythgoe during and after the time she now alleges abuse occurred."

Lythgoe further attempts to impugn Abdul's character, claiming he championed her to be hired on 'Idol' and 'SYTYCD' ... "despite the opposition from other executives due to Abdul's already well-known erratic behavior."

He also claims her substance abuse issues were a frequent topic for 'Idol' execs, claiming ... "At her worst, Abdul was slurring her speech, unintelligible, drooling and passing out in audition rooms, having to be carried out on two separate occasions."

And, Lythgoe takes one other major swipe at Paula, saying her "credibility has been called into question on a serious issue" ... namely, the plane crash she says she survived in 1992.

In the docs, Lythgoe says, "There are no records whatsoever of the supposed plane crash. In one interview Abdul explained that she was able to keep the story under wraps with NDAs and because 'there was no internet at the time.' In another interview, she explained that at the time of the crash, there were 'no computers.'"

As we reported, Nigel dismissed her allegations against him as "false and deeply offensive" the day after she filed her lawsuit ... and he's, again, flatly denying the allegations in the docs.

He's asking the court to dismiss Paula's lawsuit, and he wants her to cover his attorney fees.

We've reached out to Paula's reps ... so far, no word back yet.