Fairly Legal

Jenelle Evans' husband, David Eason, won't be charged for the killing of their family dog ... and investigators say halfway through their findings, Evans switched up her story and said the whole thing was a PR stunt. 

The Columbus County Sheriff's Office says when deputies first responded to Evans' home, she stated David took the dog outside and she heard a gunshot ... though she never saw the dog get shot. Investigators say several weeks later, during a follow-up interview, Jenelle walked her story back, saying she never even heard a gunshot and didn't know what happened to the dog.  

According to investigators, Evans claimed the whole thing was simply for publicity. However, cops say Jenelle disclosed she just wanted the whole thing to go away ... so it's possible the publicity stunt excuse was just to end the investigation and protect her family.

Cops claim they did a thorough search of the property and never found a weapon nor any blood or evidence of an animal killing. Combine that with Evans saying she made the whole thing up ... and investigation wrapped. 

As we reported ... the saga began May 1 when Jenelle claimed on social media she was heartbroken and distraught over the loss of her French bulldog, Nugget. Her husband, David, said he killed the dog because it bit the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Ensley.

The alleged dog killing had serious implications for Jenelle's family ... she temporarily lost custody of her three children in the fallout.

The Columbus County Sheriff's Office says it's closing the investigation and will not file charges against Jenelle for filing a false police report.

Pablo Escobar's brother says Elon Musk ripped off the "not-a-flamethrower" idea and beat him to the punch -- but now he's got his own (hot) take on the gizmo ... and a possible legal fireball for Elon.  

The Colombian kingpin's bro, Roberto, just launched his own flamethrower -- which is basically a glorified propane torch -- and it is eerily similar to Elon's product from early 2018. There's a reason for that, according to Escobar's camp ... he claims Elon and co. jacked the idea after one of his engineers paid a visit to the family compound in mid-2017.

We're told while Elon's guy was out in Medellin that summer, he and Robeto allegedly got to talkin' about a toy flamethrower that could "burn money." Burning cash -- literally -- is apparently a favorite pastime of the Escobars ... ya know, 'cause of how rich they were from all drug smuggling and whatnot in Pablo's heyday. Torching dinero ... the new wealth brag.

Anyway, Roberto's camp claims nothing ever came of that convo -- until, suddenly, in January of 2018 ... Elon announced his 'The Boring Company Not a Flamethrower,' which raked in millions in the first few days on digital shelves. We're told the Escobars were pissed.

Now, they've got their own version out in the marketplace -- which retails for $500 -- but more importantly, our Escobar sources say Roberto and la familia are weighing their options on potential legal action against Musk and TBC for alleged intellectual property theft.

Might be an uphill battle for the fellas down in Colombia -- it's likely Elon got his own flamethrower patented from the jump ... so proving anything they're claiming could be difficult in court, if not impossible.

But hey, crazier things have happened ... like a Colombian drug lord running the international narcotics game for over two decades, or a fart app. Light it up, Escobars. 

Oh, and we've reached out to The Boring Company for comment ... so far, no word back.

Ja Rule remains on the hook for allegedly defrauding thousands of Fyre Fest ticket buyers after shooting his shot with the judge ... and coming up short.

Ja had filed a motion to dismiss the class action lawsuit filed by Fyre ticketholders and attendees in which they claim he lied through his teeth with social media posts promoting the legendarily doomed music fest.

The good news for Ja is the judge agreed with him that several of the allegedly fraudulent social media posts either could not be attributed to him, or don't constitute fraud. 

However, the judge did rule the case can go forward based on one of Ja's tweets. On April 27, 2017 -- the day before Fyre was supposed to begin -- he tweeted, "The stage is set!!! In less than 24 hours, the first annual Fyre Festival begins. #festivallife."

Of course, that is not what happened. Not even close. Unless you're a lover of cheese sandwiches.

In docs, the judge notes the plaintiffs claim several performers had been told by Ja and other Fyre organizers not to attend by the time of Ja's tweet. The plaintiffs also claim Ja knew by then Frye did not have promised amenities in place. 

Amber Portwood's boyfriend and baby daddy wants an emergency hearing to get sole custody of their child ... according to new legal docs.

Andrew Glennon filed docs Tuesday seeking custody of their 1-year-old son, James, following Amber's arrest last weekend for domestic battery. 

We broke the story ... Portwood was arrested Friday in Indianapolis just before 6 AM. According to police, Andrew claimed she assaulted him around 2 AM during a heated argument, but more importantly, while he was holding James. 

Dispatch audio of the incident reveals Andrew claimed his and little James' lives were in danger. According to the police report we obtained, he texted an officer that very thing and added, "I need help."

The report says Andrew told cops Portwood hit him with her shoe on the right side of his neck, causing pain and abrasions. An officer saw the marks on his neck and took photos for evidence. Andrew said James was unharmed.

According to the report, Andrew told officers this was not the first time she had struck him, and added Amber threatened to physically harm him countless times.

Portwood allegedly admitted hitting her baby daddy, but said it was lightly on his shoulder -- and also claimed she only did it because he was recording her.

Amber and Andrew just had a pregnancy scare on "Teen Mom OG," and she also hinted they might soon get married.

Offset will NOT be prosecuted by Georgia for gun possession -- the charges have been dropped, but they were only dropped so the feds could continue an even bigger investigation.

The Clayton County D.A.'s office tells TMZ ... prosecutors dismissed all charges on July 1 against the Migos rapper. However, according to docs, the D.A. decided to stand down at the request of the U.S. Attorney's Office. Turns out the feds are in the middle of an investigation ... and that's the only reason Offset was pulled over in the first place.

In docs, county prosecutors say the feds were concerned if they took Offset to trial for gun possession they'd have to tip their hand about information related to a larger investigation. Prosecutors aren't disclosing what that investigation is about, but say pursuing Offset's case "would alert other potential future parties to the investigation and evidence that may support federal charges against said parties."

TMZ broke the story ... Offset was slapped with a felony gun possession charge back in April. It had been the latest fallout stemming from his arrest last summer in Atlanta. He was also facing 2 separate charges -- possession of weed and making an illegal lane change, both misdemeanors.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say ATF agents contacted officers in Clayton County, asking them to pull over Offset's vehicle, if there was probable cause, and identify all passengers.

Prosecutors say the probable cause was failing to maintain his lane and tinted windows. ATF merely wanted to know who was in the vehicle -- but when Clayton Co. officers smelled weed, they decided to search the car ... leading to Offset's arrest for gun possession.  

As we told you first ... Offset's lawyer said he believes the rapper was targeted because he's rich, successful and black. Based on these new docs, though, Offset might have an even bigger problem ... with the federal government.

You pay for my son's college education ... and I'll drop my lawsuit against you.

That's how Antonio Brown's legal war ended after he was sued over a 2018 furniture-tossing rampage at his exclusive Florida apartment complex.

Remember, back in April, Brown struck a settlement with Ophir Sternberg -- who accused the Raiders star WR of nearly crushing his 22-month-old son with furniture that Brown allegedly tossed off his balcony.

AB had adamantly denied being the one who threw the objects -- but reached an agreement with Sternberg a few months ago to close the case.

Now, new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, show part of the settlement includes Brown making a contribution to Ophir's son's college fund. 

"The net proceeds to the minor will be invested into Florida Prepaid College for the minor's sole benefit," the docs read.

The docs do not say how much cash Brown will contribute to the fund -- but we're told both sides are happy with the agreement. 

The docs also show Brown is making a contribution to an unspecified charity as another part of the settlement.

For his part, Brown released a statement on social media (that's now deleted), saying, "The legal dispute between Ophir Sternberg and me has been resolved with a confidential sum of funds being donated to charity."

"I am sorry that an incident occurred. I apologize for any statements we made in court filings or otherwise to Mr. Sternberg and family."

Cardi B's sworn legal enemy is turning up the pressure by claiming the rapper assaulted her -- even though they were never in the same room -- and by dragging the FBI into their battle.

Latasha K is the blogger Cardi sued earlier this year for accusing Cardi of being a drug abusing prostitute with an STD. Tasha countersued Cardi for slander, but now she just amended that lawsuit to claim Cardi caused harm to her unborn child.

Tasha's new claim of assault centers on alleged threats made by Cardi and Skeemo ... Cardi's former roommate and BFF. In the suit, Tasha says Skeemo posted "violent messages" about her on social media. 

As for Cardi ... Tasha claims the MC encouraged gang members to "handle" her ... which Tasha took as a violent threat. If that wasn't enough, in the suit, Tasha says Cardi referred to her as a "dumb ass b*tch" and a "hoe" multiple times on IG.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Tasha was in the first trimester of a "high-risk pregnancy" at the time of the alleged threats, and she says doctors put her on mandatory bed rest.

Although she's not suing Skeemo, Tasha says his alleged violent threats scared her enough to call in the FBI ... but according to her, the agency simply told her to move if she was so concerned.

Tasha says she took their advice and moved -- which is why she's suing Cardi for moving expenses as part of her $3 million lawsuit.

We've reached out to Cardi's camp for their response to the new allegations ... no word back yet.

Ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach is chiming in on Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun's beef and he's got some advice for her ... grow up, then you'll realize you didn't get screwed. 

We got Sebastian and his wife, Hawaiian Tropic model Suzanne Le, out at LAX and got his take on Taylor blasting Scooter for scooping up her early music catalog at Big Machine Records.

Sebastian says Taylor's NOT being bullied, she's just too young to understand this is how the music biz works. The 51-year-old rocker adds the very contract she claims screwed her over is the the same one that helped her become a household name. 

SB says very few artists own their early music, and admits he's gone through the same thing. One thing's helped him come out the other end, though, and he thinks it'll work for T-Swift too.

Channing Tatum had to step up and get the law involved in a squatting situation -- taking out a restraining order against a woman who's made herself very much at home ... in his home. 

A judge granted the actor protection from a woman who Channing says broke into his Hollywood home (which was vacant at the time) at some point in June, and stayed there for 10 days, even bringing her personal belongings with her.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the woman was eventually discovered by one of CT's assistants ... and was held under citizen's arrest until cops arrived and took her into custody. She claims Channing invited her to stay, but he says that's BS. 

Channing does say that the woman has tried contacting him in the recent past, and he was aware of her existence prior to her squatting. He believes she's not in her right mind.

As part of his restraining order request, he also asked the court for protection for his ex, Jenna Dewan, whom he still lists as his spouse -- their divorce isn't finalized yet -- as well as his daughter, Everly, and his 2 assistants. He didn't include his GF, Jessie J, though.

Well, a judge partially granted Channing's request -- giving him the court-ordered force field he wanted, but only for himself, Jenna and Everly. The assistants are on their own -- at least until a court hearing to hash out the facts.

R. Kelly says his ex has been running her mouth for far too long ... and he now wants a judge to shut her up.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Kelly's legal team filed a motion alleging the singer's ex, Drea Kelly, has breached a marital settlement agreement they signed back in January 2009. In it, Drea agreed she would not say a peep about the time they were married.

In docs, Kelly's team says he wants a judge to order her to not speak about anything related to their marriage. Kelly says they agreed neither would divulge "any account of their private lives, business activities, relationship with each other, marriage or circumstances surrounding the dissolution." 

Kelly's attorney, Steven Greenberg, tells TMZ ... Drea's interview on "TMZ Live" last month is one of the reasons for the motion. You'll recall she said if he can't pony up the child support dough, he should look into a job at Del Taco. Greenberg says, "Kelly has not made one disparaging remark about Drea publicly -- and there's plenty he could say."

Greenberg added, "Drea has two strands of income -- child support from R. Kelly and blasting R. Kelly publicly."

Greenberg, according to docs, also says Drea violated the agreement talking about the marriage on the reality show 'Growing Up Hip Hop.' Kelly also wants her to stop running to the media and dragging him through the mud. 

As you know by now ... Kelly and Drea have been at war over child support in the midst of Kelly's other criminal cases. Kelly's team told us he's paid Drea every cent he owes her. 

A former assistant coach for the USC Trojans football team is suing the school -- claiming he was fired and humiliated after reporting multiple violations to school officials ... and now he wants at least $2 MIL to make things right. 

The man behind the lawsuit is Rick Courtright -- who was hired as a senior defensive analyst in early 2016, after coaching at various levels (including the NFL) for nearly 33 years. 

During his time with USC, Courtright claims he witnessed some violations and felt obligated to report them to the USC compliance office so they could address the matter in-house. 

Among the allegations, Courtright claims he learned 2 USC graduate assistants working for the football were paying other students to take their classes for them -- with the blessing and funding coming from USC defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. 

In his lawsuit, Courtright says he also reported safety violations -- including an incident where 2 football players were injured in an unsupervised pre-game warmup, where they were not wearing proper protective gear. Courtright says the players suffered concussions as a result. 

After he blew the whistle, Courtright says people at USC retaliated against him -- from gluing his computer mouse to his desk ... to leaving nasty sticky notes at his work-station calling him a "d*ckhead" and an "a**hole."

He also claims various clothing items were stolen, people stopped talking to him and eventually USC head football coach Clay Helton placed him on administrative leave before forcing him to resign in May 2018. 

Courtright adamantly believes the treatment was a direct result of his whistleblowing -- and he's demanding more than $2 MILLION. 

We reached out to USC -- so far, no official comment. 

Jenelle Evans believes her kids are at great risk while under the care of her mother, Barbara, and it's all because of Evans' erratic brother, Colin, who has a lengthy history with the cops.

Police records -- obtained by TMZ -- show police have had at least 8 interactions with Colin since February. Colin has called to report stalkers at his home, possible break-ins, trespassers and made claims someone was putting chemicals in his water. He has even listed David as a possible suspect in the reports ... though no evidence seemed to support David's involvement.

There's also a report of a woman who claims Colin approached her and claimed she was taking photos of him and his house ... the woman was only taking photos in the woods. Police advised Colin to leave people alone.

Police have also responded to Barbara's home several times over the last few months ... including a disturbance call where a family member had thrown items in the home and issued threats.

Our sources say David and Jenelle will stop at nothing to get their kids back, and believe the dangers of being with Barbara and possibly around Colin are much greater than anything they'd face at home.

Lil Durk is desperate to get out of Atlanta for a slew of performances ... he says he's gonna get sued by festival owners if his court-ordered restrictions keep him from taking the stage.

The rapper is out on bond in his attempted murder case, but he's not allowed to be in public from 11 PM to 7 AM ... and he says that's a huge problem for his scheduled summer gigs, arguing his curfew makes traveling outside ATL nearly impossible.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Lil Durk is asking the judge to allow him to fly to Philadelphia next weekend so he can headline the Dope Shows Festival, claiming he's risking a lawsuit against him if he doesn't show up.

Durk wants the judge to change the terms of his release to allow him to travel to performances and scrap his curfew when he's on the road.

As we first reported ... Durk says his court-ordered bedtime is killing his wallet, because he's already been forced to cancel 6 shows, costing him a huge chunk of cash and making it difficult to provide for his 6 kids and other family members.

Durk's legal issues stem from a February shooting in Atlanta. Prosecutors say he was directly involved, a claim Durk vehemently denies.

DaBaby got some good news, bad news to start his weekend -- he will NOT serve any jail time in his North Carolina gun case ... but there are strings attached.

According to the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office ... the rapper was convicted Thursday of carrying a concealed gun, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation and 30 days in jail -- however, the jail sentence is suspended.

If DaBaby stays outta datrouble during probation, he'll dodge jail altogether.

The case dates back to November ... when the rapper got into a fight with a man inside a Walmart, and the altercation resulted in the other guy getting shot and killed. DaBaby initially claimed he was threatened and was protecting himself and his kids. He never copped to pulling the trigger.

DaBaby was ultimately arrested in connection with the fatal shooting but he was NOT charged with killing the man -- instead, he was charged with misdemeanor carrying a concealed gun.

Question remains ... who shot the man in Walmart? The DA's office tells TMZ ... investigators are still investigating that aspect of the case. There have been no other arrests or charges in connection with the shooting.

Chaka Khan's scorned ex-manager wants the singer to tell her something good ... by cutting a fat check for the money her manager claims she's owed. 

According to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ ... Olasumbo Kuti claims she was hired to be Chaka's manager in 2013, and she says when she was fired in 2017 Chaka owed her a huge sum of money that has never been paid out. 

In the docs, Kuti claims Chaka owes her a cool $236,600 for her business and personal management services. That's not all, Kuti claims she owns 5 percent of 3 of Chaka's businesses, and Kuti is also asking the court to award her that small slice of ownership. 

Kuti says she did wonders for Chaka's bottom line during her time as her manager ... but Kuti says when Chaka cleaned house a few years ago, she was screwed out of a huge chunk of change. 

We reached out to Chaka's team ... so far, radio silence.

Tyra Banks wants to make dairy her cash cow ... and it looks like she has plans to turn a sweet profit off of her favorite cheat meal, with the help of her famous catchphrase.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the supermodel applied for the trademark "Smize Cream," which she wants to slap on a new brand of ice cream.

The docs don't lay out the specifics of Tyra's dip into the world of delicious desserts, other than the name ... but it sounds tasty.

Tyra's own ice cream actually makes sense ... she coined the term "smize" -- as in, smile with your eyes -- and the 45-year-old has been candid about body image in connection with her recent Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition cover, saying people shouldn't feel guilty about occasionally indulging in ice cream.

No word if Tyra plans to fire up a "Smize Cream" truck this summer, but we can dream.