CELEBRITY JUSTICE ™

Kanye West is launching a legal offensive against an IG page that he claims has been leaking his music ... a tactic that may eventually lead to learning the identity of the person behind alleged leaks.

According to new court docs, Kanye is suing the unknown individuals behind the Instagram account for @DaUnreleasedGod claiming they misappropriated his trade secrets ... in this case, by posting a bunch of Ye's unreleased music!!!

The complaint specifies Ye has no clue who's behind the IG page but believes whoever is behind the account worked with him in the past and signed a confidentiality agreement before being given access to the tracks ... and he believes the leaks violated those agreements.

He plans to amend the filing with the names of the people behind the account once he learns their identity.

Since March 2023, Ye claims he's seen 21 leaks of his music on @DaUnreleasedGod's IG and another 11 via the same Twitter handle ... with songs ranging from potential blockbusters with DJ Khaled and DaBaby to unreleased tracks from the "Donda" and "Jesus Is King" albums to reference tracks for Rihanna and will.I.am.

Last week, Ye was out in Ireland when he played Steve Lacy some new tunes but that was clearly on his own terms.

Eminem is not a fan of Vivek Ramaswamy rapping one of his biggest hits on the campaign trail -- he wants the Republican presidential candidate to lose his music.

The "Lose Yourself" rapper made his feelings known to music licenser BMI after Vivek went viral for rapping some of Em's Oscar-winning track on stage at the Iowa State Fair earlier this month.

In the letter, Marshall Mathers asks BMI to yank his songs from their agreement to stop Vivek from using his tracks.

As a result, BMI fired off a cease and desist letter to Vivek's campaign lawyer last week ... telling them Eminem's objecting to the use of his songs.

Translation: Go ahead and lose yourself, just not in MY music!!!

In the letter, first obtained by Daily Mail, BMI threatens legal consequences should Vivek's campaign keep Eminem's songs in its rotation.

Vivek's fresh off a well-received performance at the first GOP presidential debate and is currently in the middle of a media blitz, including a stop on "TMZ Live," but Eminem's not feeling his vibe.

Donald Trump's now the first former U.S. President to get his mug shot taken ... as he's been booked for the 13 counts he's facing in Georgia for allegedly interfering in 2020 election results in that state.

Trump had a defiant look on his face, with his chin down for the historic photo.

The former prez surrendered Thursday evening at Fulton County Jail, where he was processed like any other alleged criminal -- fingerprints, mug shot -- and then promptly released after posting a $200k bond.

The whole process took less than 20 minutes, and according to Trump's booking info ... he stands 6'3" and is currently tipping the scales at 215 lbs. 🤔

He drew quite the spectacle -- TV cameras followed his motorcade from helicopters in the air and vehicles training on the ground as he made his way to and from his private jet at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Before taking off, Trump briefly spoke to reporters on the tarmac and derided not just the indictment, but the fact he had to go through the whole booking process. Although he's facing several other criminal cases, this is the first time he's been forced to take a mug shot.

Trump stands accused of engaging in organized crime activity for the purpose of overturning the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.

The indictment also charged 18 alleged co-conspirators -- including Rudy Giuliani and Trump's former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows -- both of whom have already surrendered and had their mug shots taken.

Trump's surrender comes about 24 hours after the first debate for GOP presidential candidates, which Trump did not attend.

As we reported ... a Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump on 13 counts earlier this month, including RICO (Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization) charges.

In addition to the Georgia case, Trump has 3 other criminal cases currently pending -- one in New York state for an alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, a federal case tied to his classified documents scandal after leaving office, and another federal case pertaining to his alleged efforts to undermine the 2020 election with his actions on, before and after Jan. 6.

Lizzo looks and sounds unbothered by the lawsuit hanging over her head ... possibly using all the controversy as inspiration to create new art.

The "Truth Hurts" singer was spotted Monday for the first time since being sued by three of her former backup dancers who claim she sexually harassed them. Photogs asked her how she's been holding up in the face of the lawsuit.

Lizzo says she's doing good, and she was all smiles as she strolled into a recording studio in Hollywood. Her only other message ... new music is coming.

It's the first time we've heard Lizzo on camera since being sued ... she previously blasted the lawsuit in a statement, chalking it up to "sensationalized stories."

Lizzo said the days following the suit were "gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing" ... but now she seems at ease, at least publicly.

Remember ... Lizzo is being sued by a trio of former backup dancers, who claim she subjected them to nude entertainment shows in Amsterdam and Paris on tour earlier this year, claiming Lizzo pressured them to interact with the nude dancers despite their discomfort.

Two of Lizzo's accusers, Arianna Davis and Crystal Williams, previously joined us on "TMZ Live" and told us what it was like for them working under Lizzo ... alleging all of her backup dancers work in fear of losing their jobs if they don't go along with her demands.

The lawyers going after NBCUniversal and Bravo with both barrels over alleged mistreatment of their reality stars have turned up the heat even higher ... demanding the companies release these stars from what the lawyers call a draconian confidentiality agreement.

Attorney Bryan Freedman fired off another letter to the companies, claiming the NDAs violate California law, which prohibits companies from forcing employees to sign NDAs prohibiting them from disclosing unlawful conduct.

As for the unlawful conduct Freedman alleges ... racism, sexism, sexual violence, revenge porn, child labor violations, forced intoxication, and psychological, emotional and physical abuse.

Freedman wants NBCUniversal and Bravo to fully release their reality stars from their NDAs, but at a minimum acknowledge they can discuss alleged illegal conduct during production.

The attorney, along with co-counsel Mark Geragos, has been blasting NBC claiming the networks are manufacturing mental instability by plying cast members with alcohol while depriving them of food and sleep. Freedman also says they have deprived cast members of mental health treatment even when they display alarming signs of mental deterioration.

We reached out to NBCUniversal ... so far, no word back. NBC issued a statement previously, saying they're “committed to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace for cast and crew on our reality shows.”

Michael Jackson's two sexual molestation accusers will have their days in court after all ... a California court just cleared the way for their lawsuits to move ahead.

In a Friday ruling, the California Court of Appeal revived two lawsuits against the King of Pop's production company ... one from James Safechuck, and the other from Wade Robson, who both accuse Michael of molesting them for many years when they were kids.

Remember ... Safechuck and Robson were suing Michael's corporation, MJJ Productions, but their suits were dismissed in 2021 by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge, who found the company had no legal duty to protect Safechuck, Robson or anyone else from MJ because it had no ability to control him.

Now, a higher court begs to differ ... meaning Safechuck and Robson's cases will be sent back down to the trial court.

TMZ broke the story, the same appeals court issued the tentative ruling for Robson's case back in June ... now, that ruling is final and Safechuck is in the same boat.

Robson's case alleges MJ molested him at the Neverland Ranch when Robson was between the ages of 7 and 14.

Safechuck, meanwhile, alleges he was only 10 years old when he met Michael on the set of a Pepsi commercial .... and he claims MJ eventually started bringing him to the bedroom for sexual encounters that continued for over four years.

Michael's accusers, who both appeared in the 2019 HBO film "Leaving Neverland," argued MJ’s corporations failed to protect them from MJ's alleged abuse.

Tyrese Gibson says he's all torn up inside about the $1 million lawsuit he filed against Home Depot ... because the home improvement store is his happy place.

The 'Fast & Furious' actor was at LAX when a photog asked him how he's holding up after suing Home Depot ... and Tyrese explained why it was hard for him to pull the trigger.

As crazy as it sounds, Tyrese says Home Depot was "like my Disneyland" ... estimating he's spent close to $10 million there over the last 2 decades, which made suing the corporation all the more difficult.

Remember, Tyrese is going after Home Depot in court because he believes a cashier racially profiled him and his Latino crew members because she wouldn't allow them to use his credit card to buy supplies.

Tyrese says he hasn't heard a peep from Home Depot since he posted video of the store interaction and filed the suit ... and he says it's just one of the reasons he's thinking of taking his business over to Home Depot's biggest competitor, Lowe's.

It's interesting ... during the Home Depot incident, Tyrese name-dropped the company's CEO, threatening to have him call the cashier because they're neighbors in Atlanta. But, Tyrese says the CEO has clammed up, too, despite their supposed friendship.

Tyrese says despite his reservations, he's going through with the lawsuit on behalf of all the people who claim they've been racially profiled in Home Depot stores across the country ... and he says the lawsuit is not a money grab, but a tool to make a statement.

For Tyrese, it sounds like the defining moment of the whole fiasco was when his crew member was brought to tears by the treatment in Home Depot. Tyrese says he's standing up for minorities everywhere with his suit.

Tyrese wants $1 million from Home Depot because he believes a cashier racially profiled him, and his whole exchange with her -- including a FaceTime call -- was captured on video.

The 'Fast & Furious' actor just filed the lawsuit on Thursday, but the incident went down back in February at a Home Depot in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley. In videos shot by Tyrese's team, the actor/singer explains to the cashier that he had authorized his team members to use his credit card to complete a purchase, but the cashier wouldn't let them.

Tyrese was not physically in the store at the time ... he says he left because too many customers were recognizing him, so he left his team with his credit card. The problem for the cashier -- as she repeatedly explained to Tyrese, who had FaceTime'd her -- is that she needed photo I.D. to go with his credit card.

He told the cashier he was just in the store 5 minutes earlier, and seems to be insinuating ... 'You can see my face, you know it's me, Tyrese.'

When the cashier insisted she needed his I.D., Tyrese did a little name-dropping as he threatened, "Should I have the CEO of Home Depot call you tomorrow? Because he's my neighbor in Atlanta."

The cashier never backed down, and Tyrese ended up going back to the store to complete the purchase, but not before having a lengthy standoff with the cashier and her manager.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Tyrese he and his 2 team members -- Eric Mora and Manuel Hernandez -- have been in that Home Depot on "many occasions" over the years.

Tyrese says he's seeking $1 million, because that's how much he estimates he's spent at Home Depot over his lifetime. If that sounds like a lot, keep in mind ... he made some huge home improvements at the pad he sold last year -- dude built his own Benihana-style grill in the backyard!!!

He also wants punitive damages on top of the $1 mil.

For its part, Home Depot says, "Diversity and respect for all people are core to who we are, and we do not tolerate discrimination in any form. We value Mr. Gibson as a customer, and in the months since this happened, we've reached out to him and his attorneys several times to try to resolve his concerns. We will continue to do so."

It's unclear if Tyrese has discussed his grievances with his Atlanta neighbor.

Iggy Azalea's letter of support for Tory Lanez -- ahead of his sentencing for shooting Megan Thee Stallion -- is triggering an avalanche of backlash, but the "Fancy" rapper says it's totally unfair.

For starters, she didn't know her passionate plea would be for public eyes, but she's doubling down on feeling Tory doesn't deserve more than 5 years for the shooting.

Iggy barked back at her haters after it came out in court that she asked the judge to give Tory a "transformational, not life-destroying" sentence -- a point with which she says many people agree.

Iggy's sliver of mercy for Tory was met with disrespect ... especially when it was revealed Megan herself felt the complete opposite, as she felt her attacker's shown a blatant lack of remorse since the July 2020 shooting.

Before the trial, Iggy and Tory were working on music together -- a project he was greatly excited about when we spoke to him about it, but it never happened.

Iggy says she and Tory haven't been in contact for months, but she still fully supports prisoners, in general, being rehabilitated.

Megan Thee Stallion is still reeling from the Tory Lanez shooting incident ... she says she can't bring herself to be in the same room as him and hasn't found peace.

The "Savage" rapper was NOT in court Monday for Tory's sentencing, despite prosecutors hinting otherwise, but she did provide a statement that was read in court ... and it was emotional.

Meg says she struggled with showing up to court because she couldn't bring herself to be anywhere near Tory, who is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of shooting her.

What's more, Megan says she hasn't had a moment of peace since the July 2020 shooting ... and she ripped Tory, accusing him of making a mockery of her emotional trauma, treating it like a joke and refusing to take accountability.

Megan says Tory's blaming everyone but himself ... she says he first tried to blame the system but is now blaming his childhood trauma ... and she says if he had ever shown contrition she may have been able to heal her emotional wounds sooner.

Tory was expected to be sentenced Monday, but the hearing ran over time and will pick back up Tuesday.

Prosecutors want a judge to sentence Tory to at least 13 years behind bars, though he's seeking a shorter sentence.

Kim Kardashian used her voice to try to spring Master P's incarcerated brother C-Murder from prison, but the gesture was a slap in the face to his alleged victim's family.

George Thomas, brother of the slain Steve Thomas, tells TMZ Hip Hop ... whenever a celebrity such as Kim Kardashian advocates for C-Murder, it's like reopening the same wound that cut the family so deep years ago.

He says the advocacy from Kim K and other celebs has made it impossible to properly mourn Steve, who was only 16 at the time of his death, adding the family is constantly reliving the pain.

George says there's a mountain of evidence pointing to C-Murder as the killer, and thinks it's just celebs -- not the common man -- who want the ex-No Limit rapper freed from prison.

Kim jumped on a new Louisiana law Thursday that allows the incarcerated to prove their innocence, and seems to think it could be C-Murder's ticket out. She noted C's conviction is based on the testimony of two men -- both of whom have now recanted their testimony.

George says he's all for Kim using her voice to help innocent people, C-Murder is not that guy -- his conviction was upheld in 2011 and he even appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case.

C-Murder was found guilty of second-degree murder for the beating and shooting death of Steve. He was sentenced to mandatory life in prison.

Boxing star Devin Haney can breathe a sigh of relief -- his felony gun charge has been dropped, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

The L.A. District Attorney says Haney's case was declined last week due to insufficient evidence ... but it was not announced until his court appearance on Thursday.

We broke the story ... Haney was out in Hollywood on July 12th when the vehicle he was riding in was pulled over for an unsafe lane change and failure to use a turn signal.

Police said Haney -- who wasn't driving -- and his security got out of the car ... and during their search, they found a semi-automatic handgun under the driver's seat.

No one claimed the gun, but the car was in Haney's name ... leading to his arrest for felony possession of a concealed weapon. He was booked and released on July 13th on a $35k bail.

Kim Kardashian is back to campaigning for Master P's brother's release from prison ... citing a new law in the state of Louisiana that could possibly land the incarcerated rapper a new trial.

Corey Miller, the former No Limit rapper, has been locked up in the Bayou State since 2002 where he's serving a life sentence for second-degree murder ... an alleged miscarriage of justice, according to Kim.

On Thursday, she dropped several statements on social media breaking down Louisiana's new law Section 926.2 ... which allows people to submit new factual evidence to prove their innocence.

Kim thinks Corey isn't being given his fair rights, as he's never been given an evidentiary hearing to explain his side, and several witnesses have since recanted statements.

"Louisiana recently enacted a new law that provides innocent people with the ability to raise a post-conviction claim of factual innocence. Mr. Miller has raised such a claim and, like all of his prior post-conviction filings, has been denied relief without even so much as an evidentiary hearing. In light of the fact that the only witnesses have completely recanted their testimony, there is absolutely no remaining evidence against Mr. Miller."

The 52-year-old, who rapped under the name C-Murder, has been getting public support from Master P, his family, his ex-GF Monica Brown, and Kim for years ... but the state hasn't shared their sentiments.

The Church of Scientology is clapping back at former member Leah Remini, dragging her for a lawsuit against them -- something the Church claims is total BS.

In an intense statement issued to TMZ from the church Thursday, they call the actress an "anti-free speech bigot." The church says Leah's "a horrible person and toxic to so many who have the misfortune to come in contact with her."

The church even compares her to "an anti-Semite complaining about the Jewish Anti-Defamation League for exposing the anti-Semite's bigotry and propaganda."

It claims Leah's been making a fortune on her "obsession" to take Scientology down since publicly leaving the religion in 2013 ... pointing towards her recent lawsuit by adding, "If Remini can no longer get a job, she has nobody to blame but herself."

The church says it's "not intimidated by Remini's latest act of blatant harassment and attempt to prevent truthful free speech. If Remini does not believe in free speech, then she should consider emigrating to Russia."

Joseline Hernandez just got slapped with two more felony charges from her backstage brawl at a Floyd Mayweather fight ... so she had to go through the booking process again at a Florida jail.

The "Love & Hip Hop" alum was in court Thursday for her arraignment when the judge dropped the bad news ... prosecutors are charging her with two felony counts of battery on a law enforcement officer.

Joseline stood before the judge stone-faced as he explained why she needed to be taken into custody again and booked on the new felony charges ... check out the video, it sounds like she won't be spending much of her day in jail.

TMZ broke the story ... police body camera footage from the aftermath of Joseline's epic beatdown of Big Lex captured her violent, profanity-laced rage from start to finish ... and the video shows her shoving cops.

Joseline had initially been charged with a felony charge of resisting officers with violence, plus a slew of misdemeanor charges ... and she previously went through the booking process for those charges.

But, as the judge explained, two new felony charges being tacked on meant Joseline needed to be taken into custody and booked a second time ... in part to prevent her legal team from finding some potential legal loopholes.

Lizzo is speaking out for the first time since being sued by three of her former backup dancers who claim she sexually harassed them.

The singer posted a statement Thursday, just days after she was sued. The singer says, "These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelmingly disappointing. My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed."

She continues, "These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional."

She went on, "As an artist I have always been very passionate about what I do. I take my music and my performances seriously because at the end of the day I only want to put out the best art that represents me and my fans. With passion comes hard work and high standards. Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it's never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren't valued as an important part of the team."

She adds, "I am not here to be looked at as a victim, but I also know that I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days. I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not. There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight."

She concludes her statement, "I'm hurt but I will not let the good work I've done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this time."

As we reported ... three of Lizzo's former backup dancers -- Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez -- claim she subjected them to nude entertainment shows in Amsterdam and Paris on tour earlier this year, to what they say was the clear discomfort of her employees.

In the docs, the women say Lizzo pressured dancers to interact with sex performers at Bananenbar in Amsterdam, where patrons are known to eat bananas out of the performer's vaginas.

Two of Lizzo's accusers, Davis and Williams, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us what their experiences were working for Lizzo ... alleging all of her dancers operate in fear of losing their jobs if they don't bend to her demands and get rewarded for playing ball.

Beyoncé seemingly caught wind of the lawsuit too ... Bey noticeably failed to mention Lizzo by name in the lyrics for one of her songs during a concert in Boston as part of her "Renaissance" tour.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.