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2:59 PM PT -- Eddie Hearn's attorney, Frank Salzano, released a statement to TMZ Sports ... saying Jake's claim that his comments were protected under New York's Anti-SLAPP laws -- which shield defendants from lawsuits meant to hinder their freedom of speech -- "fails for several reasons."

"The most glaring reason is that Anti-SLAPP laws were primarily enacted to protect against plaintiffs who filed claims seeking to suppress freedom of speech, these statutes were not enacted to protect maliciously false or defamatory statements – which Paul’s remarks clearly constitute," the statement read.

Salzano said the plan is to dismiss the "meritless" claim and continue with Hearn's defamation case.

Jake Paul isn't taking his fight with Eddie Hearn laying down ... 'cause two years after the British promoter filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against the Problem Child, the 27-year-old is firing back with his own legal action against Hearn.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Jake argues Eddie's suit is nothing more than an attempt to silence his right to free speech using intimidation tactics to shut Paul up.

Jake says Eddie's lawsuit is straight BS, and he shouldn't owe the Matchroom Boxing promoter a red cent. Instead, Paul claims he's the one who's deserving of a fat payment ... arguing in the docs he should be entitled to compensatory and punitive damages, in addition to the cost of legal fees.

Clint Eastwood's daughter Francesca is out on bail after getting busted for felony domestic violence for allegedly getting physical with her boyfriend.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Francesca was driving around Beverly Hills with her boyfriend Saturday night when they got into a verbal argument, which escalated when Francesca allegedly got physical.

Our sources say Francesca's BF called the cops and police advised him to drive to the Safety Zone at the Beverly Hills Police Department to meet with officers.

Village People frontman Victor Willis is no longer speaking out against Donald Trump using the song "Y.M.C.A." at DT's rallies ... admitting he's benefiting greatly from the publicity.

After the former prez danced for 40 minutes to a variety of songs, including the Village People's anthem, during his Pennsylvania town hall Monday evening, Victor issued a formal response ... in which he lamented 45's frequent use of the song ... but confessed there's not much he can do about it.

As he put it ... Trump is legally allowed to play "Y.M.C.A" at his events, since he previously applied for a political use license from Victor's performing-rights organization, BMI.

"Love Island USA" star Hannah Smith was spewing racially charged remarks at a police officer during her recent arrest in Atlanta ... TMZ has learned.

A source close to the investigation tells TMZ ... Hannah not only threatened the female Cobb County officer, but also dragged race into her rant. We're told she yelled, "Bitch. I can't wait to kill you, you dumbass, ugly bitch 'cause you're f****** fat, and they love us skinny bitches 'cause you're f****** Black, and I hate Black bitches so I can't wait to kill you and your sister, you dumbass bitch."

We're told she also told the officer something to the effect of "You hate white bitches."

Martin Lawrence is all about spreading the love where it counts, making it clear he’s not losing sleep over the wave of critics coming for "Bad Boys 4."

We caught up with the movie star at LAX Monday, and he had some sage words for the critics of his latest action flick installment, telling us they’re entitled to their opinions, but at the end of the day, it’s the fans who loved the movie that matter most -- after all, they’re the ones keeping the lights on.

He also spilled the beans on whether he’d be up for a fifth 'Bad Boys' movie with his buddy Will Smith, and you’ll want to check out the video to catch his thoughts.

50 Cent is officially heading to Sin City for his first-ever residency, and he’s cashing in big time for the gig ... TMZ has learned.

Vegas sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the rap mogul has locked down a massive $15 million deal for a series of 6 shows at PH Live inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

We're told the residency, which will be one of the largest hip hop residency's ever, will kick off in December, with one of the performances being an exclusive New Year’s Eve celebration presented by 50 Cent’s own Sire Spirits brand.

Lou Williams is revisiting his infamous strip club visit with Jack Harlow during the COVID-19 pandemic ... saying he would do it all over again -- 'cause it actually ended up in his favor!!

Williams -- who was playing for the Los Angeles Clippers at the time -- was caught at the legendary Magic City in ATL in July 2020 ... while on an approved leave from the NBA bubble to attend a memorial service.

At one point in his absence, he decided to pick up some wings from the strip club's kitchen ... where he ran into the "Lovin On Me" MC, who accidentally blew his cover.

Lisa Marie Presley's life and legacy were celebrated at Graceland ... to honor the arrival of the late singer's memoir.

Fans of Elvis Presley's daughter were invited into the King of Rock 'n' Roll's famous home for an exclusive experience, which included a rare glimpse of some of the estate's more intimate artifacts.

The celebration came days ahead of the release of "From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir," Lisa Marie's book that daughter Riley Keough completed in the wake of her mother's passing in 2023.

Lisa Vanderpump has expanded her real estate portfolio to include a new multi-million-dollar home in Sin City ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... LVP dropped around $5 million on the new pad in the Vegas area last week. We're told she toured the property just days after returning from filming Season 2 of Hulu's "Vanderpump Villa" in Europe, and closed on the house 3 days later.

The luxurious new pad sits on a golf course and features a massive pool with breathtaking desert views. Our sources tell us Lisa’s already settled in and has the place decorated to her taste.

Diddy's legal team is pushing back on the Texas attorney who hit Diddy with a slew of lawsuits Monday ... slamming Tony Buzbee as a lawyer craving attention.

The Bad Boy Records founder's attorneys tell TMZ ... "The press conference and 1-800 number that preceded today's barrage of filings were clear attempts to garner publicity" ... a reference to Buzbee, who says he's representing 120 alleged Diddy victims.

Diddy's legal team adds ... "In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone -- adult or minor, man or woman."

The armed suspect who was arrested on gun charges outside Donald Trump's Coachella rally in California was happy to talk to the sheriff's deputies who busted him, but he wasn't so chatty with federal agents ... because they made him wait too long for an interview ... and now the feds don't have a motive.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco tells TMZ ... the suspect, 49-year-old Vem Miller, had a cordial interaction Saturday with the deputies who interviewed him, and he was cooperative.

The Sheriff says deputies specifically talked to Miller about the guns he allegedly possessed, because the weapons were the reason he was arrested ... but protocol calls for federal agents to figure out the motive.

Employees from the luxury building where Pete Rose lived attempted to do a welfare check on the MLB legend just hours before he was found dead by his son, but received no response from the hit king ... a 911 call obtained by TMZ Sports reveals.

The emergency call to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department was initiated by workers at the Panorama Towers in Sin City at 2:54 PM. They told dispatch they attempted to check on Rose about two hours earlier, but despite banging on his door, received no answer.

The staff told the operator they could hear a television playing loudly inside Rose's unit.

Mustard's divorce is in the books ... because he's come to a settlement with his ex-wife Chanel Thierry ... and he's walking away with a ton of luxury cars and real estate.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Mustard's divorce attorney Samantha Spector helped with the deal in which it looks like Mustard is walking away with a bunch of pricey assets.

The settlement calls for Mustard to hang on to a fleet of luxury whips, including a 2022 Maybach Benz, a 2018 Lamborghini Aventador, a 2022 Cadillac Escalade, a 2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan and a 2019 Lamborghini Urus ... plus more.

Brantley Gilbert's wife Amber understands the show must go on ... as she made a tremendous sacrifice after giving birth in a tour bus.

We caught up with the couple on "TMZ Live" Monday, where Brantley and Amber shared the surprising specifics surrounding their 3rd child's arrival into the world.

As we previously reported, Amber found herself giving birth in Brantley's tour bus last Friday, as her country star hubby was performing a show in Tupelo, Mississippi.

4:32 PM PT -- Diddy's legal team is denying the allegations, telling TMZ ... "In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone -- adult or minor, man or woman."

The floodgates are open and Diddy is being sued left and right by people who claim he sexually assaulted them ... including a handful of men.

Diddy has now been named in 6 separate lawsuits filed by Tony Buzbee, the Texas attorney who says he's representing up to 120 alleged Diddy victims ... and 4 of the 6 filed so far feature male accusers.

In one suit, a man says he was working for Ecko Clothing back in 2008 and knew Diddy through his work ... as Diddy was developing and marketing Sean John, a competing brand. He says he ran into Diddy and Diddy's 3 bodyguards in the stockroom of Macy's flagship store in NYC in May 2008, and he claims someone pistol-whipped the back of his neck and caused him to fall to his hands and knees. He claims Diddy approached him and said "Suck my d***, Ecko" and brutally, orally raped him.

"The Apprentice" director Ali Abbasi isn't sweating Donald Trump's harsh criticism of his flick ... in fact, he's encouraging 45 to keep posting about the biopic.

We caught up with the filmmaker on "TMZ Live" Monday, where we got Abbasi's honest reaction to Trump blasting "The Apprentice" on his social media platform, Truth Social.

As Abbasi puts it ... he has no problem with the former prez taking to social media to air his grievances, as the reaction only brings more eyeballs to the controversial movie.