Fairly Legal

The judge who closed out Tekashi69's child sex case now admits there was a major screwup with his original sentence, but she also suggests it's a moot point now that he's locked up.

A spokesperson for Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Felicia Mennin -- who sentenced Tekashi in October for his 2015 child sex case -- tells TMZ the error was in the plea deal prosecutors struck with 6ix9ine's attorneys.

According to the spokesperson, "The original sentence was the result of a negotiated plea. All parties involved, the prosecution, defense and the [trial] judge (not Mennin) signed off on it." Now, here comes the big BUT ... "As an error was made, the case was placed back on the calendar and the sentence corrected."

Translation: Judge Mennin dropped Tekashi's probation Tuesday, and gave him credit for time served to correct an oversight -- namely, that the terms of the plea deal were unlawful.

Remember, Judge Mennin handed down a light sentence of 4 years probation as opposed to jail time. Sentencing guidelines for a class C sex assault felony -- for which 6ix9ine was convicted -- call for a minimum of 10 years probation, and a max of 5-15 years in prison.

What's unclear is how Tekashi's time served -- less than 3 weeks in jail -- equals that minimum of 10 years probation. We asked Menin's spokesperson what the judge's sentence would have been had she initially noticed the plea deal screwup.

Michael Avenatti and his estranged wife have an agreement in place for him to pay her child and spousal support, and it requires him to fork over a ton of his assets ... TMZ has learned.

According to docs filed in Orange County, a judge ordered Avenatti to pay Lisa Storie-Avenatti $37,897 per month in child support, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2018. We'll do the math for ya ... it's $454,764. The order also requires Avenatti to pay her spousal support of $124,398 per month, retroactive to Jan. 2018. That's roughly $1.5 million.

Now, cut to Dec. 4, when both parties filed docs stipulating Avenatti write child support checks for $40k now, and another in January.

As for the balance ... according to the docs, Avenatti agrees to hand over a bunch of his assets for Lisa to liquidate. The loot includes 5 luxury wristwatches -- some worth more than $50k -- a Frank Gehry sculpture, and several other expensive works of art.

Additionally, he has to hand over the keys to a 2017 Ferarri 488 GT Spider he was leasing. By the way, those go for about $300k.

There's no reason Kareem Hunt shouldn't be arrested and charged with battery for attacking that woman back in February ... so says famed prosecutor Christopher Darden.

"I would have filed battery charges against him," Darden tells TMZ Sports ... saying the video evidence would essentially make it an "open-and-shut case."

Darden is most famous for his work in the O.J. Simpson trial, but also prosecuted tons of cases during his 15-year run as a part of the L.A. County District Attorney's office.

In fact, Darden tells us exactly what he would do to get the conviction -- even if the victim refuses to cooperate.

Darden also says prosecutors in Ohio still have time to make things right and arrest Hunt -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks the NFL star would benefit from a court-ordered sentence like a diversion program, therapy or anger management.

Worth noting ... the victim has 18 months from the day of the incident (Feb. 10, 2018) to go to prosecutors and seek criminal charges before the statute of limitations expires.

10:14 AM PT -- Trump just addressed the situation, and he issues a stern warning to reporters like Acosta ... follow the rules or end up back in court.

9:49 AM PT -- Acosta hit the ground running, and is already back at the White House just hours after his victory.

9:20 AM PT -- Sounds like the White House fully intends to challenge the judge's ruling. Sarah Sanders said, "In response to the court, we will temporarily reinstate the reporter's hard pass."

"Temporarily" being the keyword there.

Sanders added, "We will also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future. There must be decorum at the White House."

Translation: They're not done battling Acosta.

President Trump had it out for CNN White House Correspondent Jim Acosta ... so says a federal judge who has just ordered The White House to give Acosta his press credentials back.

The judge didn't buy the White House party line, because it shifted from Acosta making contact with a W.H. intern as the basis for its decision, to Acosta's "general conduct."

The judge did not base his core ruling off the First Amendment but rather the Due Process clause of the 5th Amendment. The judge said the decision to revoke the pass was "so shrouded in mystery that the government could not tell me ... who made the decision."

The judge went on to say Trump has no obligation to call on Acosta during White House news conferences but Acosta has a right to due process before his hard pass can be revoked.

CNN and its chief White House reporter, Jim Acosta, sued Trump Tuesday after Acosta's hard pass was yanked following aggressive questioning last week during a press conference ... Trump and Co. pulled his pass after he made contact with a White House intern, who was trying to take the mic away from him.

CNN argued in court Trump was infringing on Acosta's 1st and 5th Amendment rights by pulling his press pass, adding the real reason behind the move is his extreme hatred for CNN.

For his part, Trump's White House lawyers responded by saying the Prez can pick and choose who gets on White House grounds to cover his administration.

Originally Published -- 7:28 AM PT

Disney took "A Bug's Life" from the big screen and into the bedroom ... according to a new lawsuit filed by a woman claiming the Disneyland Hotel is infested by bed bugs.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ivy Lizette Ewell Eldridge says she developed a severe skin rash over her entire body after an April stay in the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, and the hotel failed to tell her about a bed bug infestation.

In the suit, she says bed bugs latched onto her body while she slept and "sucked her blood until they were gorged." She claims the rash was so bad, she needed medical treatment.

We've obtained photos of her alleged injuries and, yeah ... they're gross.

The Weeknd's superhero alter ego, "Starboy," was an idea stolen from another comic book creator ... according to the lawsuit the author's filed against the singer.

Eymun Talasazan, the comic book writer, says he created a comic book universe in 2014 that revolved around R&B and rap stars. According to the suit, Talasazan had convos with The Weeknd's people in 2017 about folding "Starboy" into his comic book universe.

Remember, by that time Weeknd already had the hit song and album with the same name.

Talasazan -- who is repped by entertainment attorney Kirk Schenck -- says they never ended up working together. However, he says he did file for a trademark on "Starboy" -- as a comic book hero -- right around the time of his discussions with Weeknd's peeps. The singer was aware of that, and as we reported ... filed an opposition to the trademark.

Cut to 2018, when The Weeknd debuted his own comic book, "Starboy" ... in connection with Marvel. Talasazan says the Marvel comic had a "near identical premise" as the one he pitched to Weeknd's people the year before.

The Marvel connection is interesting because Talasazan says he began collaborating with Stan Lee in 2016 on a story arc and additional characters for his Starboy universe.

Schenck tells us, “This is not a case about who created or first used the term 'Starboy.' This case will decide if a songwriter automatically (without filing a trademark application) obtains trademark protection for all later uses of a word, even if those later uses have nothing to do with albums, song titles, music or lyrics.”

Jim Obergefell -- the gay man who took his fight to marry the person he loves to the United States Supreme Court and won -- is scared to death gay marriage could be a thing of the past.

We got the plaintiff in the landmark 2015 case, Obergefell vs. Hodges, Tuesday at LAX, and laid it out in clear terms ... Donald Trump has already fundamentally altered the federal court system and there's a chance the declaration that there's a Constitutional right to marry the person of your choice may be overturned.

His fear has some basis in fact. Trump's 2 additions to the U.S. Supreme Court swing the balance of the court to the right. It's especially important because the gay marriage decision was decided by a 5-4 vote.

A guy who claims he got beat up during a brawl at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club is now looking at the dust-up with 20/20 vision ... and his sights are set on suing.

Jose Irizarry just filed suit against Hov's New York-based sports bar and lounge, alleging the venue's lack of adequate security combined with insufficient crowd control led to him getting seriously f***ed up during a melee that broke out this past March. For the record ... Jay isn't named in the lawsuit.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Irizarry claims he was minding his business at 40/40 when all of a sudden a huge fight broke out between some attendants and security ... and he became collateral damage.

Irizarry says he was struck in the head and body during the brawl, and endured pain and suffering, lost wages and medical expenses that he wants the club to cover.

Harvey Weinstein's legal team is going for the kill amid a crumbling criminal case against their client -- now asking a judge to toss the remaining charges against HW.

Weinstein's lawyer, Ben Brafman, filed a new motion Monday in Weinstein's case asking a judge to dismiss all charges.

The linchpin ... calling into question the credibility of one of Weinstein's accusers, who alleges he forced her into oral sex.

Weinstein's lawyers argue that the woman in question, who's been ID'd as Mimi Haleyi, stayed in contact with Harvey 7 months after the alleged assault. In Weinstein's filing, obtained by TMZ, the lawyers say she sent texts to his phone -- one of which allegedly read ... "Hi! Just wondering if u have any news on whether harvey will have time to see me before he leaves? xMiriam."

As we reported ... Mimi claims that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her while she was on her period and, at one point, she says he took out her tampon. Mimi also claims that Weinstein said, "Don't you feel we are so much closer to each other now?"

Billy Idol doesn't know how to be a lover ... this according to a woman suing him for allegedly inviting her to his concert and a hotel rendezvous afterward, but instead just ditching her.

Juliana Berg claims Billy invited her to a meet-and-greet and concert in Vegas back in October 2016, with plans to take things back to a hotel after the show. But, in docs obtained by TMZ, Berg claims she was there at the meet-and-greet but he disappeared afterward.

She doesn't say if the two had any interaction during the meet-and-greet.

She says she had no money, expecting she'd be staying with Billy in his hotel room. When that didn't happen, she couldn't afford a hotel room of her own.

Berg's now going after Idol for travel expenses, plus reimbursement for the concert ticket. She also wants money for extreme emotional distress.

Balenciaga's dive into the key rings business reeks of a total rip-off ... so claims the company behind Little Trees air fresheners, which is suing the luxury brand for straight-up jacking its product.

Car-Freshner Corporation -- which owns the rights to Little Trees Air Fresheners -- claims Balenciaga is selling leather key rings that look almost identical to its signature product.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Little Trees claims it snagged the trademark back in 1952 and its Little Trees are so famous and popular big companies have licensed them ... including Buffalo Wild Wings, Discover Financial Services, Kia Motors and Capital One.

But, Little Trees says Balenciaga never asked for permission and started selling copycats last month at its NYC store and at Neiman Marcus. Little Trees says Balenciaga was so brazen it went as far as copying the specific colors associated with the most popular scents.

Little Trees believes unsuspecting customers will confuse the 2 brands ... and that crosses the legal line. Little Trees wants Balenciaga to fork over the profits from its tree products. BTW ... a 1-pack of Little Trees will set you back around $3 ... whereas Balenciaga's key ring goes for around $275. Hard to imagine anyone mixing up the two.

Teresa Giudice seems to have broken her silence in the wake of her husband being ordered to be deported after prison ... and it looks like she (and Lady Liberty) are heartbroken.

The 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star shared a photo on Instagram Sunday depicting the Statue of Liberty holding its face and apparently crying. She captioned the pic with a ton of praying hand emojis -- so it's pretty clear she's referencing Joe.

This is the first post she's added to her IG since a judge ordered that Joe be deported back to Italy once he's finished with his stint behind bars. He's more than halfway done serving his 41-month prison sentence for conspiracy to commit wire and bankruptcy fraud.

As we reported ... Teresa has no plans as of now to relocate her family to Italy once Joe is deported, fearing the culture shock of an international move would do more harm than good to their 4 kids.

While some of Teresa's 'RHONJ' costars feel like she might be shedding crocodile tears over Joe's inevitable fate ... her own words (or pictures, more like) speak for themselves here.

Floyd Mayweather Sr. beat the criminal charge ... but now he's being sued by the woman who accused him of punching her after the 1st Canelo-GGG fight last year.

In the lawsuit obtained by TMZ Sports, Marsha Byrd claims she got into a verbal altercation with Mayweather Sr. on September 17, 2017 outside T-Mobile Arena in Vegas ... which she says turned physical.

Byrd says Floyd Sr. dragged her out of his car and repeatedly punched her with a closed fist ... 'causing her serious injuries.

Mayweather Sr. was actually charged with assault back in January ... but he fought the case and was found NOT GUILTY in June.

But, just 'cause he was found not guilty criminally ... doesn't mean he'll automatically win this civil case (see O.J. Simpson).

The stars of the VH1 reality show "Black Ink Atlanta" are posers and nymphos who had no business doing biz in a rental house ... so claims the landlord, who is now suing.

Hussein Abdelhadi is suing Jakeita Days -- aka "Sky" and manager of the Atlanta tattoo shop featured on the show -- along with Ceaser Emanuel -- who owns the joint -- claiming Sky broke her lease by filming scenes at the ATL crib.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Abdelhadi claims his lease specifically says his rental house is for residential purposes only. He also says Sky was the only one allowed to stay there under the terms of the lease and screwed up letting Emanuel also live there.

What's got Abdelhadi even more pissed off is Sky essentially allowed Emanuel to use the crib as a motel to not only stay there but also bang chicks. Abdelhadi says he's haunted "by images of the property being used as a house of ill repute" after the show aired.

What's more ... on numerous occasions Sky falsely represented on the show she owned the house. Abdelhadi says he used to live there with his family and planned on moving back in after Sky left, but is embarrassed after "Black Ink Atlanta" depicted the property in such an immoral manner.

He's suing Sky, Emanuel and Viacom -- which owns VH1 -- for unspecified damages. We've reached out to the defendants, so far no word back.

Natalie Pack -- who appeared on "America's Next Top Model" and went on to become Miss California -- claims she wasn't paid on time while working for Guess ... so now she wants BIG money.

According to a new suit obtained by TMZ ... Pack was booked by Guess for several short modeling gigs starting in October 2015 -- most of them being one-day shoots with her daily rate ranging from $600/day to $2,000 for the day.

Pack claims from when she started in 2015 to May 2018, she worked 48 jobs for Guess, but she was not paid within 30 days ... as is required by state labor laws.

According to the docs ... that triggers HUGE penalties for Guess -- totaling $1.265 MILLION -- and the model wants the company to fork it all over.

We reached out to Guess ... so far, no word back.

10/2 -- We've obtained docs that show Horne was more than "merely a vendor" in the company. Horne actually filed a trademark for Beverly Beach back in 2017.

'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star Dorit Kemsley says the guy claiming she and her husband screwed him over when they launched her swimwear brand is full of it, and in fact ... it's quite the opposite.

We broke the story ... Ryan Horne sued Dorit and her husband, Paul Kemsley, last month, claiming he struck a deal with them in 2017 to make bathing suits and own a third of the biz. He also claimed he got stiffed out of huge profits.

Dorit's company, Beverly Beach, fired back at Horne with a lawsuit of its own last week. According to the docs ... Dorit is the company's sole owner, and there was never a deal made with Horne for ownership.

BB also claims Horne was "merely a vendor" for the swimwear brand ... but failed to provide the goods and services he promised in a timely or competent manner. The company alleges it was screwed out of hundreds of thousands in lost sales as a result.