Fairly Legal

Michael Madsen just cut a deal in his DUI case ... and he'll spend a few days in jail.

Michael pled no contest Thursday to one misdemeanor count of driving with a .10% blood alcohol content and was sentenced to 4 days in jail and 5 years probation. He's also been ordered to complete community service in the hospital morgue program.

TMZ broke the story ... the veteran actor was busted for DUI back in March, after cops say he crashed his Land Rover into a pole in Malibu. Police say Michael reeked of booze, and he was arrested after bombing a field sobriety test.

The "Reservoir Dogs" star was eventually hit with misdemeanor DUI charges ... and it even cost him a movie gig.

Michael's been down this road before ... he was also busted for DUI in Malibu way back in 2012, when his BAC was twice the legal limit. He entered a 30-day rehab after that bust, and the judge also ordered him to get outpatient treatment.

Danny Masterson is being sued by 4 women who accused him of rape ... who claim they've been mercilessly stalked by the Church of Scientology in an effort to silence them.

In a lawsuit, the women claim the "That 70's Show" star is involved in an unrelenting Church conspiracy to cover up their allegations. The stalking claims are pretty brutal. For instance, Chrissie Bixler says in the suit ... her dog mysteriously died after she came forward with the rape claims -- and she says an autopsy revealed it died from unexplained traumatic injuries to its trachea and esophagus.

According to the docs, Bixler adds she's been run off the road by a vehicle that had been following her back in June -- and that same month a friend of Masterson's allegedly threatened to release nude photos of her when she was underage.

Bobette Riales publicly accused Danny of sexual assault back in 2017, claiming he drugged and sexually assaulted her while they dated from 2002 to 2004. She says she's since been surveilled and followed. In one instance, she says neighbors observed a man snapping pictures from her driveway, and then later that night someone broke a window at her home.

The 2 other alleged victims, who are suing as Jane Does, make very similar claims about being mysteriously menaced.

For her part, Bixler says the attempts to silence her started even before she went public with the allegations. In the suit, she says she first disclosed the alleged rape to a Scientology employee ... who told her, "You can't be raped by someone you are in a consensual relationship with." She claims the employee also told her the Church considers it a "High Crime" to report Masterson to cops -- and she would be labeled an SP (suppressive person).

The women are suing Masterson, the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige.

We've reached out reps for Danny and the Church of Scientology for their response to the lawsuit.

Equal pay mediation between the U.S. Women's national team and the U.S. Soccer Federation has gotten UGLY ... and now the dispute is likely heading to court.

Remember, the USWNT sued the Federation back in March for gender discrimination -- claiming,  "The female players have been consistently paid less money than their male counterparts."

The USWNT had agreed to meet with the USSF in New York City this week to discuss the heated issue ... but according to team spokesperson Molly Levinson, both sides remain far apart.

"We entered this week’s mediation with representatives of USSF full of hope," Levinson says. "Today we must conclude these meetings sorely disappointed in the Federation’s determination to perpetuate fundamentally discriminatory workplace conditions and behavior."

"It is clear that USSF, including its Board of Directors and President Carlos Cordeiro, fully intend to continue to compensate women players less than men. They will not succeed."

Of course ... Cordeiro made his stance very clear last month ... saying the women's team actually makes MORE than the men's team, despite bringing in a lot less.

He even provided a fact sheet to back up his claim.

Levinson continued ... "We want all of our fans, sponsors, peers around the world, and women everywhere to know we are undaunted and will eagerly look forward to a jury trial."

A singer has just filed a lawsuit claiming she was sexually molested when she was just 14 by her producer/agent/mentor.

The lawsuit does not mention the name of the girl or the alleged perpetrator. It claims she recorded an album in 2005 when she was 14, and she was signed to a 7-album deal. The lawsuit claims the entertainment company she worked with is "one of the most beloved, best-known and most valuable companies in the history of the world."

She says she was introduced to a man who was assigned to be her day-to-day producer/mentor/agent.

She says he became very controlling and the relationship changed. She claims in the lawsuit he began telling her he loved her and they were soulmates. She says he also made negative comments about her looks and weight.

She says he would rub and fondle her genitals and her body, digitally penetrate her and he would orally copulate her and forced her to do the same to him. She also claims they had intercourse, both vaginally and anally. On one occasion she claims she was drugged before anal intercourse.

She claims the man spent a significant amount of time with her mom to "groom" her.

The girl says the sexual abuse continued for 2 years ... on occasion at Staples Center, a music video set on the Warner Bros. lot, hotels, cars on public streets and other places.

Jeffrey Epstein's death last Saturday has rocked the facility where he hanged himself, but it has also raised the ire of the judge in his criminal case.

Federal Judge Richard Berman sent a letter to the warden of the Metropolitan Correctional Center -- obtained by TMZ -- in which he says ... "Thank you for your letter of August 10, 2019 regarding the death of Jeffrey Epstein. Mr. Epstein's death is a tragedy to everyone involved in his case."

The Judge then goes on to challenge the Warden ... "One open question, among others, is whether the investigations referenced in your letter will include the incident at MCC involving Mr. Epstein on or about July 23, 2019. To my knowledge, it has never been definitively explained what the BOP concluded about that incident."

You knew it was coming ... the University of Michigan is hilariously roasting the hell outta its big-time rival, Ohio State ... mocking the school's recent application to trademark the word "THE."

News of the weird trademark attempt broke yesterday ... when attorney Josh Gerben noticed OSU -- which always likes to refer to itself as THE Ohio State University -- filed with the intent to make merch with the distinction.

The school's been getting made fun of ever since ... and now the Buckeyes' archnemesis is getting in on the fun.

Boom. Roasted.

Of course, if you're not familiar with the rivalry, these schools absolutely HATE each other ... and have crazy traditions, like OSU crossing out all "M"s on campus during Michigan week in the football season.

R. Kelly wants to change up his legal team ... by bringing on one of the most powerful, successful criminal defense lawyers in the country ... Tom Mesereau.

Sources familiar with the case tell TMZ ... Mesereau is in Chicago right now, meeting with Kelly, who is charged with various sex crimes in 4 different jurisdictions -- Illinois State, Illinois Federal, New York Federal and Minnesota State. Raed Shalabi -- one of R. Kelly's current attorneys -- accompanied Mesereau into the jail to meet with Kelly behind bars.

In case you don't know ... Mesereau has worked miracles in the courtroom. He got Michael Jackson acquitted of child molestation in 2005, and got Robert Blake acquitted of murdering his wife, also back in 2005.

We're told Mesereau has not officially signed on, but that's the plan. If he does, he will be the lead attorney and possibly the sole attorney representing Kelly.

The big question ... how's Kelly paying his legal and other bills? As you know, he's struggled to pay child support and was even jailed for a time before someone footed the bill.

A$AP Rocky did not beat the rap in Sweden, because the judges in his assault case have found him guilty ... but he will NOT have to go to prison.

The 4 judges in the case issued their written ruling Wednesday ... concluding A$AP was guilty of assaulting a man during a street fight in Stockholm. The judges said Rocky, and his 2 friends who were also standing trial, "were not in a situation where they were entitled to self-defense."

The case hinged on whether A$AP threw a bottle at the victim during the all-out brawl in late June. Prosecutors argued Rocky hurled the bottle and badly cut the guy, but they couldn't produce a single witness who saw a bottle fly during the melee. Rocky conceded he was holding a bottle for protection, but put it down and it never made contact with the guy.

The judges said prosecutors did not prove the bottle was used to hit the victim. As a result, the judges said the crime did not warrant any further time served, and added Rocky will NOT have to do community service.

Rocky got a suspended sentence ... meaning he'll have to pay various fees and fines, and if he does he's in the clear. The judges felt Rocky and his co-defendants got ample punishment already with time served -- 1 month in a Swedish jail.

The upshot ... the court found hitting and kicking the victim while he was on the ground was a crime -- namely, assault -- because A$AP and his crew were not in danger of imminent harm, but prosecutors failed to prove the biggest issue ... that A$AP struck the victim with a bottle, and that's why he got no jail time.

A$AP and the co-defendants will, however, have to pay restitution to the victim, and also cover Sweden's court expenses.

As we reported, the alleged victim was the initial aggressor, harassing Rocky and his crew despite pleas from the rapper to leave them alone. The guy also attacked Rocky's bodyguard before A$AP took care of business.

A$AP was jailed for a month, and 3/4 of that time spent behind bars was before he was even charged. A$AP never claimed his arrest was racially motivated ... but his mom and G-Eazy had a different view.

The case became an international incident -- claims of racism and inhumane conditions in the jail. President Trump intervened ... but that didn't sit well with the Swedish Prime Minister who told him to butt out.

After a month in jail and a 3-day trial, the judges allowed Rocky to fly home to the states while they decided his fate. Prosecutors wanted Rocky to remain in jail pending the verdict, because they said he was a flight risk.

A$AP blew out of Sweden on a private jet, and was gleeful when he touched down at LAX.

As we reported ... Rocky performed last weekend at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA for the first time since his arrest and told his fans, "Hopefully I'm not guilty and hopefully we ain't gotta go back to jail or nothing like that."

Rocky seemed to indicate he would have returned to Sweden to do the time if found guilty -- however, that won't be an issue.

Robi Draco Rosa -- once a member of the super famous Latin boy band, "Menudo" -- wants out of his marriage ... he's filed for divorce.

Robi filed docs in L.A. to divorce his wife, Angela Lizette Alvarado, of nearly 30 years. They got married in 1991 and list June 22 as their date of separation. They have no minor children and he went with the ol' "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split.

As for spousal support, he wants the court to sort that out later.

Rosa, of course, was famously a member of "Menudo" -- arguably one of the biggest Latin boy bands in history -- around the same time when Ricky Martin joined as a 12-year-old in 1984.

They became lifelong friends and Rosa played a key role in Ricky's solo success. Rosa was a producer and songwriter for Ricky's "Livin' la Vida Loca" which was nominated for 2 Grammys (Record of the Year and Song of the Year) in 2000.

'Bachelor' creator Mike Fleiss THOUGHT he settled his divorce case with wife Laura Kaeppeler, but turns out it's still raging, because Mike paid her $10 mil, she took the kid out of state and she's not communicating with him.

TMZ broke the story ... Mike and Laura settled their divorce case late last month ... he agreed to pay her $10 million, they agreed to 50/50 joint legal and physical custody of their 4-year-old son, Ben, and she agreed to drop her domestic violence restraining request against him.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Mike paid her the cash, and on August 4 she left for Hawaii and went radio silent. He has tried to communicate with her, to no avail. He has not been able to see or speak with Ben since she left.

According to the agreement, Laura is allowed to live in Hawaii, but she has certain obligations. She's supposed to meet with renowned psychologist Stan Katz to figure out effective co-parenting, but according to the legal docs she has not set up an appointment to meet with him.

Fleiss planned to fly to Hawaii August 13, which is when he's entitled to get Ben for custodial time, but he's now in the dark because she won't communicate with him.

Fleiss' lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser, has filed papers to get some action from the judge, but the hearing was set for late September. We're told they're hopeful they can work things out with Kaeppeler -- especially a co-parenting plan -- but it seems that may not happen easily.

Sources close to Kaeppeler say Fleiss went to court for an emergency order Monday but the judge denied it because it was not an emergency ... in part because the child lives in Hawaii. The sources say they're already working with Stan Katz.

Candytopia's marshmallow pit is shallower than the social media posts -- for which it's popular -- according to a visitor who says he learned the hard way ... DON'T JUMP IN!!!

The interactive candy museum is being sued by a guy who claims he jumped into the marshmallow pit exhibit -- which he says looks deceivingly like a deep swimming pool -- and SHATTERED HIS FOOT.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ ... the man claims he went to Candytopia in San Francisco earlier this year with his fiance, and museum employees actively encouraged him to hop into the marshmallow pit.

Problem is ... the guy says the pit has the look and feel of a swimming pool, complete with a familiar style in-ground swimming pool ladder, but no one told him there wasn't a deep end. The only warning he says he got was to hold on to his cell phone -- which he claims made it sound like the pit was at least waist-deep.

In the docs, the dude says as a result of his injuries he had to wear a walking boot ... and he claims his broken foot ruined his wedding and his doctor told him he'll likely suffer foot pain for the rest of his life!!!

Now, he's going after Candytopia for damages and looking for a sweet payday. If he's awarded a pool of money ... we're guessing he won't dive in.

Djimon Hounsou and Kimora Lee Simmons are now locked in a bitter custody fight, and he's made the latest move by asking a judge for joint custody, and her side says he's threatened to move their 10-year-old to Africa.

It's been a bitter fight that has now bubbled over. As we reported, Djimon complained bitterly on Father's Day Kimora wouldn't let him see their 10-year-old son, Kenzo. He strongly insinuated she was regularly keeping the child away from him, but she maintained he was an absent father who rarely wanted to see the boy.

Our Kimora sources claim Djimon has threatened to take Kenzo to Africa and never bring him back. Russell Simmons, who was once married to Kimora and is still close to her, tells TMZ a few days ago he told Djimon he could take the boy for a visit if he would sign a document promising not to take Kenzo to Africa, but Djimon refused to sign.

Kimora got served Friday with Djimon's joint custody petition.

Russell tells TMZ Djimon now is asking not just for joint custody, but child support, yet Russell claims Djimon hasn't paid her support. We don't know, however, if a court ordered him to do so.

In-N-Out burgers might be delicious, but they're burning the hell outta their employees ... according to one worker who's pissed about his uniform -- 'cause he had to pay for it.

Tom Piplack toiled at an In-N-Out branch in Southern California between February 2016 and November 2018, and like all employees at the burger joint ... had to rock the all white pants and black shoes. He's not complaining about the fashion, it's the cost that's got him fired up.

In a lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Piplack says most In-N-Out workers are paid "near minimum wage" and forcing them to buy their uniform "pushes their wages below the legal minimum."

He isn't disclosing how much he paid ... it's more about the principal of the matter for him.

Piplack wants the court to make In-N-Out pay fines for violating Cali labor laws -- and then he wants that money to be distributed to all employees as reimbursement for the uniform expenses.

You could say Piplack is pulling a Robin Hood, but he also wants the burger giant to cover his attorneys fees. Robin Hood didn't have no stinkin' lawyers.

Cristiano Ronaldo wants his rape case to be taken out of the public eye ... the soccer superstar is asking a judge to force the civil case against him to go to a private forum.

It's all in new court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports ... which show Ronaldo wants his lawsuit with his rape accuser to move from federal court to a private, independent arbitrator.

Ronaldo says because Kathryn Mayorga agreed to a settlement and a non-disclosure agreement in 2010, after accusing him of rape in 2009 ... she should be compelled to at least try to litigate the dispute in arbitration -- not court.

Ronaldo is asking a judge to to put a hold on all proceedings in the case in the meantime.

As we previously reported, Mayorga says she met CR7 at Rain Nightclub in the Palms hotel in June 2009, and after he invited her up to his penthouse suite to party, she claims he raped her.

She reached a settlement with Ronaldo shortly after, accepting $375,000 in exchange for her silence -- but, last year, she announced she wanted that agreement voided, claiming she was in no mental state to make that deal.

Ronaldo is calling BS on that claim in his new court filings, saying she WAS in the proper state ... adding that her family accompanied her to mediation meetings, and saying she "undoubtedly understood she was free to leave at any time and settlement was optional."

Unclear when a judge will rule on Ronaldo's motion to move the case ... but it shouldn't be long.

For his part, Ronaldo has denied ever raping Mayorga, saying in a statement last year, "Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in."

No ifs, ands or buts about it ... a judge has ruled Ron White and Margo Rey are officially married.

The ruling came down Tuesday in L.A. Superior Court where a judge sided with Margo and declared the couple was in a common-law marriage under Texas law. The judge just wasn't buying Ron's assertion that the October 2013 wedding in Texas is invalid because Margo refused to sign a prenup.

The judge made it crystal clear ... Ron shelled out $100k for the extravagant wedding, wanted money to be donated to a specific charity in lieu of gifts and the couple was pronounced husband and wife by an officiant under the powers granted to him by the state of Texas.

What's more ... Ron moved forward with the wedding despite Margo never signing the prenup. The judge says it's significant that, despite having 2 separate attorneys, Ron took no steps to halt the 300-person wedding.

In short ... the judge said if it looked like a marriage and acted like a marriage, they're married.

As we reported ... a family friend said Ron professed his love for Margo and referred to Margo as "my wife." Now that this is settled ... the case can move forward. As you might know by now ... she demanded $81k per month in spousal support claiming Ron left her high and dry.

Jussie Smollett says the City of Chicago is simply trying to exact a pound of flesh from him after his criminal case was dismissed -- a move he calls unprecedented and unfair.

Jussie filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Chi-Town filed against him to recoup the cost of the investigation into the alleged racist and homophobic attack. In the docs, Jussie says the City has no business suing him because even IF you assume he did lie about the attack -- although he's not admitting that -- there's no way he could have foreseen the enormous amount of money Chicago PD spent on the case.

Jussie also says the city's argument that he's responsible for the investigation costs falls flat because Chicago hasn't shown "a direct link between [Jussie's] statements and the costs the City incurred."

Chicago claims the investigation cost Chicago PD at least $130,000 just in overtime. As we reported, the City also wants Jussie to cover its attorneys fees, and wants punitive damages. In all, it's seeking nearly half a million bucks from Jussie.