Posted Nov 23rd 2009 2:00PM by TMZ Staff
Chris Brown's denial tour 2009 continues ... he just filed legal papers claiming he's not to blame for a nasty accident at a sports club in Los Angeles.
Brown was sued by a paparazzo (not ours) back in May. Robert Rosen claimed he fell down a stairwell at an LA Fitness club after being chased by Brown's bodyguards and was then allegedly assaulted.
Brown has just filed legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- claiming he's not responsible for the injuries because LA Fitness didn't properly maintain and supervise its operation -- we're assuming that means keeping photogs out of the joint.
The incident occurred a month after Brown assaulted Rihanna.
Brown claims ... if Rosen gets a judgment, the cost shouldn't be on his shoulders.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Chris Brown
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 1:50PM by TMZ Staff
John Kerry's daughter is free and clear this morning... because the L.A. City Attorney has decided not to prosecute her for DUI -- that's what law enforcement sources tell TMZ.
TMZ broke the story Alexandra Forbes Kerry was busted by the LAPD early Thursday morning, but her blood alcohol level was .06 ... under the legal limit of .08.
The City Attorney typically doesn't prosecute cases with a .06 ... so the decision to reject the case is pretty routine.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Tags: alexandra forbes kerry, AlexandraForbesKerry, drunk driving, DrunkDriving, dui, john kerry, JohnKerry, l.a. city attorney, L.a.CityAttorney, lapd, los angeles city attorney, LosAngelesCityAttorney, prosecute
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 12:42PM by TMZ Staff
Dr. Conrad Murray's Houston, TX patients may be interested .... the Texas Medical Board is investigating the good doc.
DEA sources tell TMZ its investigation into Dr. Murray's prescribing practices in connection with Michael Jackson is still active. When the DEA investigates a TX doctor ... the DEA contacts the Texas Medical Board and that routinely triggers a Texas Medical Board investigation.
And law enforcement sources tell us the Texas Medical Board has been working with the DEA on the Conrad Murray probe.
Dr. Murray's rep could not be reached for comment.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Tags: dea, dr conrad murray, dr. conrad murray, Dr.ConradMurray, DrConradMurray, medical, medical board investigation, MedicalBoardInvestigation, michael jackson, MichaelJackson
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 10:41AM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has learned San Diego Chargers star Antonio Cromartie is being investigated for assault with a deadly weapon over a bruising incident in a San Diego bar last night.
According to law enforcement sources, Cromartie -- a Pro-Bowl defensive back -- was out celebrating the Chargers win at a local San Diego bar when somebody threw a champagne bottle which hit a bystander in the head.
Witnesses claim there was champagne being sprayed back and forth between Cromartie's party and other bar patrons -- until the mood changed and someone threw a bottle.
We're told the bystander had a cut on his head -- but no ambulance was called to the scene.
Law enforcement sources tell us 25-year-old Cromartie was identified as the bottle-thrower by at least one person -- but there are conflicting stories from other witnesses.
Cromartie was essential in the Chargers' 32-3 win over the Denver Broncos yesterday, raking in a key interception in the second half.
UPDATE: Cromartie's agent, Gary Wichard, seems to be throwing Antonio's teammates under the bus, telling TMZ, "This is absolutely not a story. Antonio didn't throw the bottle. There were actually three other players involved. Antonio is at a complex working out. Again, this is not a story."
UPDATE #2: After we posted Wichard's statement, his story changed. Here is what he's telling us now: "he was there with 2 other players ... no one was involved in the fight."
Story developing...
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Talk Sports, Exclusives
Tags: antonio cromartie, AntonioCromartie, bottle, denver broncos, DenverBroncos, nfl star, NflStar, san diego, san diego chargers, SanDiego, SanDiegoChargers
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 8:00AM by TMZ Staff
Former NBA star Reggie Miller must have had a change of heart about that restraining order he wanted because he didn't show up in court today, so the case was dismissed.
Sources tell TMZ the dispute has been settled.
Miller was trying to get a restraining order against Alex Von Furstenberg. Miller claimed Alex threatened him over his alleged interactions with Alex's fianceé, Ali Kay.
Miller got a TRO against Von Furstenberg last month and was supposed to be in court today to make it permanent. No one for Miller or Von Furstenberg showed when the case was called.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Talk Sports, Exclusives
Tags: alex von furstenberg, AlexVonFurstenberg, reggie miller, ReggieMiller, restraining order, RestrainingOrder, tro
Posted Nov 22nd 2009 5:00PM by TMZ Staff
Adnan Ghalib, Britney Spears' ex-boyfriend/paparazzo, was booked into jail on Friday -- and here's the mug shot. Soul patches are all the rage in prison.
He'll be doing 45 days in the pokey and was also on formal probation for 36 months and has to complete 52 weeks of anger management classes and 45 days of Caltrans (hard labor).
Back in October, Ghalib pled no contest to leaving the scene of an accident after he allegedly ran over a process server in February.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Exclusives
Tags: adnan ghalib, AdnanGhalib, britney spears, BritneySpears, jail, mug shot, MugShot, paparazzo, prison
Posted Nov 22nd 2009 6:55AM by TMZ Staff
Jon Bon Jovi and Gwen Stefani are following in Taylor Swift's sports-bar-crushing footsteps -- because the two pop stars are also suing a hometown drinking establishment for allegedly jacking their music.
According to a lawsuit filed in Minnesota last month, several of Gwen and Bon Jovi's compositions were publicly performed at Sally's Saloon & Eatery -- and they claim the bar never got the licensing it needed. Now Bon Jovi, Gwen, and all the other people who own copyrights to their music want the bar to pay damages ... and stop playing their songs.
This could be a crushing blow to the local watering hole -- because as we all know, a bar without Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" is like a bird without wings.
Calls to Universal Music Group weren't returned. A rep at Sally's wasn't even aware of the lawsuit.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Music, Gwen Stefani, Exclusives, Taylor Swift
Tags: bon jovi, BonJovi, gwen stefani, GwenStefani, jon bon jovi, JonBonJovi, livin on a prayer, LivinOnAPrayer, sallys saloon and eatery, SallysSaloonAndEatery, universal music group, UniversalMusicGroup
Posted Nov 21st 2009 11:09AM by TMZ Staff
Howard K. Stern has settled his $60 million defamation suit against Rita Cosby ... TMZ has learned.
A dismissal was filed late yesterday. We know the case settled and the terms of settlement are confidential.
Cosby -- in her book "Blonde Ambition" -- said, among many other things, Stern and Larry Birkhead had a sexual encounter that was caught on video. Both Birkhead and Stern said Cosby made it up.
Birkhead did not file suit.
Thus another chapter in the Anna Nicole Smith saga comes to an end.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Anna Nicole Smith, Exclusives
Tags: anna nicole smith, anna nicole smith settlement, AnnaNicoleSmith, AnnaNicoleSmithSettlement, court, defamation suit, DefamationSuit, howard k. stern, HowardK.Stern, larry birkhead, LarryBirkhead, lawsuit, rita cosby, RitaCosby, settlement
Posted Nov 21st 2009 2:15AM by TMZ Staff
It doesn't get much dumber than this -- one of the chicks arrested in the Burglar Bunch case rolled into court Friday wearing one of the very necklaces the gang is suspected of stealing from Lindsay Lohan.
Didn't take Sherlock Holmes to notice -- investigators immediately confiscated the necklace from Courtney Ames' neck because it looked just like the one stolen from Lindsay Lohan's home ... in fact, we already did a story about Courtney wearing the same exact necklace last week.
Ames had already told TMZ that she bought the rosary beads for five bucks at some shop, but today she told authorities the charm on the necklace was given to her by another member of the bunch -- i.e. it may have been stolen from someone at some point.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Burglar Bunch
Tags: burglar bunch, BurglarBunch, court, courtney ames, CourtneyAmes, lindsay lohan, LindsayLohan
Posted Nov 21st 2009 12:50AM by TMZ Staff
DMX may have wanted to fix his fight to avoid an ass-beating, but now he's really cruisin' for a bruisin' -- legally -- because the promoters that hired X are suing him for chickening out last minute.
According to docs filed Friday in Birmingham, Alabama -- Thunder Promotions wants $1,000,000 from the rapper, claiming he's a fraud and led them on ... because as soon as they refused to fix his fight, he backed out.
The company says DMX's jitters really put them under the wire and cost them a ton of moolah because they had to switch gears late in the game and find a celebrity replacement.
But if you want our opinion -- DMX isn't half the man who's fighting in his place on December 12 ... because that man is Coolio!!!
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, DMX, Exclusives
Tags: boxing, coolio, dmx, lawsuit, thunder productions, ThunderProductions
Posted Nov 20th 2009 6:25PM by TMZ Staff
The man accused of using a spy cam to film Erin Andrews naked in her hotel room has been ordered to surrender his passport and his bail was jacked through the roof because the judge fears he could be a flight risk.
Michael David Barrett's bail was raised from $20,000 to $100,000 after Andrews' lawyer argued that Barrett had probably spent $20k following Erin around the country.
A judge also ruled that Barrett can only use his cell phone to talk -- no texting -- and he's only allowed to call immediate family members. He's also been put on house arrest and electronic monitoring.
Barrett posted the bail and is about to walk out of court.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Erin Andrews
Tags: allleged stalker, AlllegedStalker, arrested, court, erin andrews, ErinAndrews, espn, hotel, michael barrett, MichaelBarrett, nude, peeping tom, PeepingTom, reporter, video
Posted Nov 20th 2009 6:00PM by TMZ Staff
A.J. Jewell's family is now demanding a second autopsy be performed on him -- so now Jewell's body is going to be exhumed in order for that to happen.
The first autopsy showed Jewell -- the former fiance of a "Real Housewives of Atlanta" cast member -- died after a fistfight last month due to complications related to sickle cell.
Jewell's family isn't satisfied with this explanation -- even though his death was still ruled a homicide -- and now the Fulton County District Attorney has "tentatively" agreed to let his body be exhumed so the second autopsy can happen.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Real Housewives
Tags: a.j. jewell, A.j.Jewell, body, exhumed, real housewives of atlanta, RealHousewivesOfAtlanta
Posted Nov 20th 2009 5:16PM by TMZ Staff
We just got this shot of Erin Andrews' alleged Peeping Tom, Michael Barrett, heading into court -- where he's facing one count of interstate stalking.
Barrett will be in court for the first time -- charges will be read and conditions of his release could be discussed. He is free on $4,500 bond and scheduled to be arraigned Monday.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Talk Sports, Erin Andrews
Tags: erin andrews, ErinAndrews, michael barrett, MichaelBarrett, peeping, peeping tom, PeepingTom, stalking
