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Blake Lively has just filed a lawsuit making a formal demand for money, suing Justin Baldoni and others for mental pain and anguish, severe emotional distress, and lost wages.

The lawsuit mirrors the complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Commission -- but this action has been filed in federal court in New York.

In addition to Baldoni, Blake is suing Baldoni's crisis managers, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, along with Wayfarer Studios, which produced the movie "It Ends with Us."

Simu Liu's 2024 is ending on a not-so-Marvel-ous note ... 'cause his house was broken into last week -- though we're told there may be a silver lining for the actor.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Simu's Los Angeles-area home was broken into Friday when someone smashed a glass door around 11 PM.

Security was alerted to the break-in at Liu's home and called police ... who searched the house for any suspects, but no one was inside.

Jennifer Lopez's ex-boyfriend Casper Smart had some unexpected visitors at his home two days before Christmas ... 'cause TMZ has learned cops showed up and searched the property.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops received a tip that Smart had a cannabis grow operation at his L.A. home. They obtained a search warrant and served it just before 9 AM on December 23. We're told Casper and a woman were home at the time.

While searching the property, our sources say officers found a small- to medium-size grow operation at the home.

Donald Trump is not getting off the hook for the $5 million a jury awarded E. Jean Carroll in 2023 after they found Trump liable for sexual abuse ... 'cause a federal court just upheld the judgment.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit made their decision Monday ... explaining the judge did not abuse his discretion when ruling on the evidence of the case.

The court has also denied Trump's request for a new trial. According to CNN, the court also ruled that even if the judge had made mistakes, it's unlikely to have swayed the case enough to warrant a new trial because of the strength of Carroll's evidence.

A Texas teenager has been charged with animal cruelty  ... this after cops say she poisoned another student's show goat.

Aubrey Vanlandingham was arrested late last month and charged with cruelty to livestock animals ... after police say they saw security footage of her giving toxic pesticide to a classmate's goat using a drench gun -- a tool generally used to administer medicine to goats and other farm animals.

Prosecutors say the goat -- named Willie -- died about a day after he was allegedly given the toxic pesticide ... experiencing symptoms like convulsions and respiratory distress before ultimately passing away. They allege Vanlandingham did "intentionally and knowingly torture a livestock animal."

12/30 12:24 PM PT -- James Miller, rep for NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association tells TMZ ... "NYSCOPBA’s Executive Board has reviewed the video footage released by the Attorney General regarding the death of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility.  What we have witnessed is reprehensible. It is clear to all of us that these actions are a disgrace to our profession and have put everyone inside our facilities at risk. As correction officers and sergeants, we have a duty to protect every person inside a correctional facility. At all times, we must be ready to stop those seeking to do harm, and that includes fellow staff. We, as an organization, stand in complete defiance of the callous disregard for the suffering that we have all witnessed on this video. NYSCOPBA will continue to fulfill its legal obligation to defend all members from all administrative charges, regardless of severity or public outcry. However, as more information becomes readily available, NYSCOPBA must continue to focus its efforts on advocating on behalf of those members who dutifully come to work every day and act with the professionalism and selflessness demanded of them."

Body cam footage of corrections officers brutally beating a restrained inmate -- who died hours later -- has been released by the New York State Attorney General ... showing officers hitting the bloodied man repeatedly.

The video shows Robert Brooks -- an inmate serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault -- repeatedly being punched and kicked ... and, one man appears to gag him with a towel.

Videos released by the attorney general's office show one officer repeatedly striking Brooks in his midsection with a shoe as other officers hold him down with his arms behind him. At one point, the officers lift Brooks up by his neck ... he's got blood all over his face and he can't even hold up his own weight.

New technology could transform the way our legal system works ... because a judge in Florida put on a virtual reality headset to get a better sense of a defendant's testimony.

Attorney Ken Padowitz is using VR to defend his client in a criminal case, and he joined us on "TMZ Live" to explain how the fancy tech is being introduced to the legal system.

Ken's client is Miguel Albisu ... the guy owns a wedding venue in Florida and is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Albisu brandished a gun at a wedding reception, but says he was acting in self-defense after some of the attendees started getting rowdy.

Whitney Cummings may not know Justin Baldoni personally ... but that sure didn't stop her from opining that she knows his type -- and she thinks there were clearly warning signs that align with allegations in Blake Lively's recently filed complaint.

Here's the deal ... Blake sued costar Baldoni for sexual harassment and alleged he took part in a coordinated effort to destroy her reputation ... all stemming from their work together on "It Ends with Us."

Since news of the shocking complaint broke ... Justin has been dropped by his talent agency ... and a number of stars -- including SAG and Sony Pictures -- have expressed strong support for BL.

Luigi Mangione is locked up in a notorious NYC federal detention center known for its horrible conditions -- and TMZ has been given the lowdown on his life behind bars.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Mangione is tucked away in "administrative segregation" at MDC Brooklyn -- with a group of inmates separated from the general population because they require heightened security.

In the case of Mangione, he became infamous after being arrested for the high-profile murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson -- so he could be a target for other inmates. Hence, the extra security.

Our sources say Mangione's locked up in a single cell -- nobody's rooming with him. But, the cells are close together and inmates frequently talk to one another.

Luigi Mangione is not hanging out with Diddy at one of America's most notorious jails ... because they're being held in totally different cell blocks.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Luigi and Diddy are not in the same jail unit at MDC Brooklyn.

Reports surfaced last week speculating Luigi and Diddy would soon be held in the same protective jail unit, but we've learned that's not the case.

Actress Betsy Brandt has filed for divorce from her husband of more than two decades ... finally taking the step after apparently separating more than a year ago.

The "Breaking Bad" star filed to divorce her husband Grady Olsen pro per -- without a lawyer like Jennifer Lopez did back in August -- earlier today ... citing the boilerplate "irreconcilable differences."

Brandt says the two married back in September 1998 ... and lists the date of separation as August 2023 -- almost 25 years of marriage.

Jamie Foxx isn't turning the other cheek when it comes to the alleged assault where he took a glass to the face ... TMZ has learned he wants the perpetrator prosecuted.

A source with direct knowledge tells us the actor -- who is fully cooperating with the investigation -- wants to press charges so this type of incident does not happen to others.

No arrests have been made yet. While not named a suspect or person of interest in the investigation, we're told cops want to speak with Jasper Dolphin -- a "Jackass" stuntman who was apparently at Mr. Chow's on the night in question ... in connection to the alleged assault.

The woman accusing Jay-Z of allegedly raping her as a teenager just got the green light from a New York judge to keep her identity under wraps ... at least for now.

In legal docs filed Thursday, Judge Analisa Torres ruled the "Jane Doe" accuser can remain anonymous at this point in the case. In the ruling, the judge also called out Jay-Z’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, saying he was being combative and trying to "fast-track" the case.

While Judge Torres did grant the plaintiff’s request to proceed anonymously for now, she noted that things could change as the case moves forward and made it clear that she intends to revisit the issue if and when the case progresses.

Florida authorities have arrested a woman for allegedly stabbing another woman more than a dozen times ... and cops think the stabbing could be over the tip the victim gave to the delivery person on her pizza and wings order.

Police arrested Brianna Alvelo on charges including attempted murder and kidnapping -- after they say they were called to a motel Sunday and came upon Melinda Irizarry, who was suffering from 14 stab wounds.

After getting out of surgery, Melinda told officers a woman came by about an hour before the stabbing to drop off a delivery order from a pizza shop.

Justin Baldoni's ex-publicist wants it known she was not part of the alleged plot to smear Blake Lively -- and, in fact, she's now suing the women Blake accused ... claiming they tried to destroy her reputation, too.

Here's the deal ... Stephanie Jones is a big deal celeb publicist, who reps folks like Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Venus Williams and Baldoni ... up until this year, anyway. In the lawsuit she just filed, Jones says her ex-employee Jennifer Abel was assigned to handle Baldoni's publicity, and it was Abel's decision to hire Melissa Nathan, a crisis PR specialist, when the "It Ends With Us" feud was starting to erupt.

Remember, as TMZ first reported, Jennifer and Melissa are the 2 publicists Blake is accusing of launching the smear campaign.

Amber Heard is publicly voicing support for Blake Lively and her sexual harassment case against her "It Ends with Us" costar Justin Baldoni ... saying she's been in Blake's shoes.

Heard says, "Social media is the absolute personification of the classic saying ‘A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.’ I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive."

She released that statement Monday to NBC News, because Amber's ex-husband, Johnny Depp, used the same crisis PR team as Baldoni during his 2022 defamation battle with Amber.