Posted May 15th 2008 8:45PM by TMZ Staff
The L.A. County city attorney has charged bad boy baller Dennis Rodman with domestic violence after he allegedly hit his gf last month at a Los Angeles hotel.
Prosecutors nailed Rodman with several misdemeanor counts of spousal battery, brandishing a deadly weapon and one count of dissuading a witness.
Cops say Gina Peterson called hotel security on the evening of April 30 after she claims The Worm grabbed her arm after they had some sort of fight, causing a bruise. After the incident Rodman's rep told us that he had "had too much to drink" that night.
Dennis is currently at a rehab facility in Florida where two days ago he told us "I've never hit anyone."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Talk Sports
Posted May 15th 2008 5:38PM by TMZ Staff
DMX arrived one hour late to the Maricopa County Superior Court today -- a bad start to the first of many court appearances he'll be making in the future.
DMX pleaded not guilty on three felony drug charges, including two counts of marijuana possession and one for drug paraphernalia -- stemming from last week's raid of his Arizona home by authorities investigating alleged animal cruelty.
He still faces one count of misdemeanor animal cruelty -- along with that other pesky arrest from earlier this month.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Posted May 15th 2008 5:15PM by TMZ Staff
You'd think that after being convicted by a jury and being sentenced to eight years in state prison, Remy Ma might be a tiny bit repentant about shooting her ex-friend Makeda Barnes-Joseph.
But oh no she isn't: Yesterday, on New York's Hot 97 with Miss Jones, Remy called in to blast her accuser after Barnes herself called in to set the record straight. Four priceless words: "My stomach is crazy!"
If you thought Remy was out of control before, you're not going to believe this s**t!
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Music
Posted May 15th 2008 5:04PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has obtained the extensive trove of letters and testimonials filed by the Hogan family to try to get Nick a soft sentence.
In his appeal, Nick's dad -- Hulk Hogan -- claims reality show "Hogan Knows Best" is "scripted" and that Nick isn't the wild kid people see on TV. He barely addresses Nick's insane driving and insists the whole thing was an "accident."
Nick writes that the ordeal since August 26 has been difficult and that he's a changed man -- but he still doesn't know how to spell. ("Diffiucult" and "chanegd," for the record.)
Also Included were letters from victim John Graziano to the Hogans -- written before the accident -- while he was serving in Iraq.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Posted May 15th 2008 3:31PM by TMZ Staff
A jury in Los Angeles has convicted P.I. to the stars Anthony Pellicano 76 of 77 counts federal racketeering and conspiracy charges for wiretapping the enemies of his high-powered Hollywood clients.
Sitting in court, the P.I. had no reaction when the verdict was read.
Stay tuned ...
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Posted May 15th 2008 3:00PM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has learned that Rob Lowe just threw ex-nanny Jessica Gibson's complaint back in her face -- and is telling her to shove it.
Just yesterday, a notice of demurrer -- aka a motion to dismiss -- was filed by the Lowes in Santa Barbara Superior Court. The Lowes are directly attacking nine of Jessica's claims -- all related to her claims of unpaid wages and retaliation. The biggest point being that Gibson herself even admitted to receiving a check from the Lowes last month for "owed wages and overtime."
The Lowes attorney, Larry Stein, tells TMZ, "We clearly stated our position in the demurrer."
We have yet to hear back from Jessica's legal flamethrower, Gloria Allred.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Rob Lowe
Posted May 15th 2008 1:05PM by TMZ Staff
The Wynn Las Vegas has filed suit against former NBA star Charles Barkley, claiming he owes the casino $400,000 in gambling markers. Heck, he spends that at the buffet alone!
And to make matters worse, the Wynn is getting the Clark County district attorney's bad check unit to investigate, which also looks into gambling debts. Clark County DA David Roger says if Barkley doesn't pay up, he could be charged with a felony!
According to court docs, the casino fronted the NBA star four different $100,000 markers -- two each on October 18 and 19.
UPDATE: While playing in a golf tourney in Alabama, Barkley told the AP "My mistake. I'm not broke, and I'm going to take care of it."
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Talk Sports
Posted May 15th 2008 10:00AM by TMZ Staff
Rapper Uncle Murda ("Your Mother's Brother That Murdas" - according to his MySpace page) was arrested at LAX last night - for having a fake I.D. Since when does anyone over 21 run around with a fake I.D.?
Airport security pulled the bad Uncle out of line for having a suspicious looking I.D. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that the rapper paid $500 for the phony card. He could have saved around $450 with a quick trip to Downtown LA. We're just sayin'.
The rapper was taken to the police station where he was cited and released. His court date has been set for June 4.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Music
Posted May 14th 2008 7:45PM by TMZ Staff
Anne Heche got a break from the judge in her custody war today after appearing in court, claiming she doesn't have a pot to pee in ... even less than her deader-beat ex-husband.
An L.A. County Superior Court judge has suspended Heche's obligation to pay child support for July. Heche has been forking over $14,798 in monthly support.
In her declaration, Heche noted that her TV show, "Men In Trees," had gotten the ax. She says since January, "I have been unemployed and had no income....except for one very short term contract for a movie role for which I received a total of $65,000."
Heche says she has a grand total of $34,840.93 in her accounts. She claims she can't continue paying for Homer's private school tuition, her Canadian mortgage, L.A. rent, auto and other expenses. She says she's $364,000 in the hole.
BTW, Anne was spotted at the Malibu Beach Inn over the weekend. She blew $30 on appetizers, not including tip.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, TV
Posted May 14th 2008 7:06PM by TMZ Staff
They just keep piling it up on Michael Vick. Now he's been ordered to fork over more than a million bucks for a failed wine bar he tried to open.
Court docs allege Vick and buddy Gerald Jenkins borrowed more than $1.1 million in May of 2006 from Wachovia Bank to open a joint called Atlantic Wine & Spirits. In August of '07, Vick and his cohort failed to make the $8,000 monthly interest payment. Wachovia then declared the loan was in default because "the prospect for repayment was substantially impaired."
A 23-month sentence definitely puts a cork in Vick's ability to pay those bills.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Talk Sports
Posted May 14th 2008 6:24PM by TMZ Staff
The El Dorado, CA County DA has officially charged former "Baywatch" babe Jose Solano with four misdemeanor counts, including petty theft, driving without valid license and hit and run after he allegedly swiped a book of tattoo art from a tattoo shop and took off in his car.
Cops say Solano -- who played someone named Manny Gutierrez on the show -- walked into the parlor last week, grabbed a book of art and ran out of the store. When confronted, he claimed to be a cop and then bolted, but not before hitting a light pole.
His next court date has not been set.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Wacky and Weird
Posted May 14th 2008 5:26PM by TMZ Staff
Did DreamWorks rip off someone else's idea and turn it into mega money maker "Madagascar"?
In a lawsuit filed yesterday in Federal court, Joseph Davis claims DreamWorks straight-up pilfered his ideas from a script he sent them in 1999. In the docs, Davis lists similarities between his "Animal's Night Out" script and "Madagascar" -- namely that both works were about animals busting out of a NYC zoo. In one example, Davis' work featured a baboon having a midlife crisis at mealtime. "Madagascar" featured a zebra also having a midlife crisis during a meal. Was their soup cold?
Davis is suing for damages.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Posted May 14th 2008 12:43PM by TMZ Staff
Hell hath no fury like a father scorned!
After Dennis Quaids' newborn twins were mistakenly given a massive overdose of a blood thinner last November, they sued the drug's manufacturer, Baxter Healthcare Corp., claiming the label on the bottle contributed to the foul-up. Baxter says it's not their problem because the FDA approved it, and they're trying to back out of the lawsuit on a technicality.
Now he's testifying on Capitol Hill today, hoping to prevent other drug companies from weaseling out of similar lawsuits.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Dennis Quaid
Posted May 14th 2008 9:27AM by TMZ Staff
Wolfgang Puck is filing a lawsuit, claiming another Wolfgang has screwed him over.
According to the suit, which will be filed today in L.A. County Superior Court, Puck claims a guy named Wolfgang Zwiener opened a rival restaurant, Wolfgang's Steakhouse, just blocks from Spago in Bev Hills. According to the suit, one of the owner's of Wolfgang Steakhouse had a license to use the Spago trademark, but that expired last year.
Puck says the other Wolfgang is riding his lobster tails, confusing potential customers into thinking the Steakhouse is one of Puck's places.
A frustrated Puck says, "The most common reaction is, 'It says Wolfgang's Steakhouse and you are Wolfgang." We're thinking Mozart might have one up on him. Dude, you make pizzas.
The lawsuit claims trademark infringement and unfair competition. Wolfie wants an injunction.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice
Posted May 13th 2008 8:12PM by TMZ Staff
Two members of the 60's group, The Turtles (you know, "Happy Together'), have sued Capitol Records over an Ice Cube song -- bitches!
According to the suit, filed today in L.A. County Superior Court, Flo & Eddie recorded a song in 1972 for The Turtles called "Buzzsaw." The suit claims the song was sampled in a rap song by Ice Cube called "Jackin' for Beats." Flo & Eddie allege Capital signed a deal for the derivative song but went beyond the agreement to make even more money.
Flo & Eddie want minimum $25,000 but not more than $70,000. We know, it's weird to set a limit when you sue.
Capital, Eddie & Flo -- not happy together.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Music
