Fairly Legal

Michael Strahan is going to war with one of his ex-wives over child support -- and the ex-NFL superstar just arrived to court in Manhattan for a hearing on the issue.

Our sources connected to Michael say he is NOT behind on his child support payments to his ex-wife, Jean Muggli Strahan. However, she is presumably seeking to increase his monthly payments.

The standoff is between Michael and Jean -- his second ex-wife -- who have twin daughters together, Sophia and Isabella, who are now almost 15 years old. Jean and her attorney Shannon Simpson, from the law firm Cohen Clair, was also present for Monday's hearing.

Michael is obviously doing very well for himself -- following his lucrative Hall of Fame career in the NFL, he's now hosting "Good Morning America" and 2 other shows on ABC. It seems likely Jean is seeking an increase based on his increased income.

Michael and Jean married way back in 1999, but they split in 2006, and the divorce was nasty. Their divorce proceedings dragged on for months, and the judge eventually awarded Jean $15.3 million and set Michael's child support for their daughters at $18,000 per month.

Kevin Hart's sex tape partner claims Hart conspired with a friend to secretly record their encounter, and now she's suing him for $60 million.

Montia Sabbag claims in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, her 2017 encounter with Hart in a Vegas hotel room was all planned by Hart and J.T. Jackson -- his friend who later was arrested for extortion. She says Hart was motivated by publicity ... the need to get more -- especially with an upcoming comedy tour -- and that's why he and JT allegedly hid the camera.

The suit claims Hart allowed Jackson into the Cosmopolitan Hotel suite so he could set up hidden video recording devices to capture the liaison. Jackson was later charged with 2 counts of extortion relating to alleged efforts to get money out of Hart to keep the tape under wraps. Jackson denied ever extorting the comedian.

Hart has repeatedly denied having any knowledge of the recording ... claiming he, too, was a victim of Jackson's extortion attempts. You'll recall Hart later apologized for his infidelity and was adamant nobody should profit off his mistake.

TMZ broke the story ... Kevin and Sabbag got up close and personal while partying at Marquee nightclub in Vegas. Sabbag, who back in September 2017 said she's a crime victim herself, is suing for intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy.

John Legend had an interesting take on Felicity Huffman's 14-day sentence in her college bribery scandal case ... people are angry at the wrong thing.

John just said, "I get why everyone gets mad when rich person X gets a short sentence and poor person of color Y gets a long one. The answer isn't for X to get more; it's for both of them to get less (or even none!!!). We should level down not up."

Okay ... time for a few opinions. First, John's right, especially when you're talking about equivalent crimes. But, in some cases, long sentences are appropriate. They need to be handed down fairly, with equality for all.

Now the bigger issue ... a lot of people think prosecutors won the Felicity case. That's just ridiculous. Prosecutors suffered a blistering loss. When they announced they were filing 50 cases, they talked about how other prospective students were being denied admission because of bribery by rich parents. There was talk of years in prison ... even decades for wrongdoers.

The prosecution got shut down by both the probation dept. and the judge. As the probation dept. said in its sentencing recommendation, there was no "intended loss." Translation ... the law doesn't consider the possibility some other student was denied admission because Felicity had her daughter's SAT test rigged. You may not like that, but that's what the judge said.

The key is "loss," and the judge said there was none, and it undercuts the core of the prosecution's case. Prosecutors drastically lowered their sentencing recommendation to 1 month, and they didn't even get that.

Fact is ... 14 days behind bars is what someone gets for stealing a bottle of wine from a liquor store. Prosecutors in the college admissions scandal spent millions and now say the point is not the amount of time, but the fact the wrongdoers got some time. You will never hear those words uttered privately among prosecutors, because the amount of time DOES matter.

Felicity Huffman won't be doing hard time when she spends 2 weeks behind bars, but it ain't Hollywood glamour either ... she can do some sunbathing, but only after she makes her bed.

The actress has requested that she spend her time in prison at FCI Dublin, in Dublin, CA -- just East of San Francisco -- starting on Oct. 25. If granted by the Bureau of Prisons, she will serve her 14 days for her role in the college bribery scandal at the low-security facility ... and we've got an inside look at what Felicity's life will be like.

Upon entry, Felicity will be stripped searched and then she'll get a jumpsuit, with 3 pairs of underwear. She'll get a hygiene kit with a comb, deodorant, toothbrush and some crappy toothpaste, plus a roll of toilet paper. She better conserve her squares -- Felicity gets one roll of TP every other week, which in her case means the roll needs to last her entire stay.

Felicity will be required to make her bed by 6:30 AM every weekday morning. On the weekends, she'll have to straighten up her prison cot by 10 AM. No maids, of course.

Most of her time will be spent inside, but Felicity can still catch some rays. Sunbathing is allowed at FCI Dublin, but only on the sun decks from 4 PM Friday until 8:30 PM Sunday. BTW ... inmates get at least 1 hour of recreation time each day.

As we reported ... Felicity was sentenced Friday, in what is clearly a spectacular loss for prosecutors.

Prison food generally sucks -- just ask Bill Cosby -- and Felicity will sit down for lunch from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM every day, but she can't leave the mess hall with anything more than a piece of fruit.

Felicity will mix with the rest of the prison pop ... the inmates have a common area complete with TVs, cards and board games. Fair to guess ... she'll be Mrs. Popular.

Hear that??? It's Lori Loughlin breathing a huge sigh of relief.

The Village People don't want a group of Missouri farmers who spoofed their famous song to feel down anymore ... so they're going to let them put their viral vid back up.

We broke the story ... the group's frontman, Victor Willis, was super pissed off at the Missouri Farm Bureau for creating a parody of "YMCA" called "USMCA" ... urging Congress to pass the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

The Village People took action and got the video removed from YouTube, but it was also tweeted out by the official White House account to its 19 MILLION followers ... and it's still there.

A rep for the group tells TMZ it's all good now ... at least they hope it will be. They're working with the Missouri farmers to grant a limited-use license for a year to allow the spoof back on the market.

We're told the Village People pondered the issue and decided the farmers made the vid for a good cause -- to bring attention to a bill that may benefit millions of Americans -- and they don't want to be the party poopers. Besides ... it only brings attention to the iconic song.

BUT ... Victor and company still want The White House to take down the vid on Twitter until they hammer out a deal with the Missouri FB, and they sent a cease and desist letter to that effect.

Tekashi 6ix9ine has an even bigger target on his head than ever, now that the U.S. Attorney has just made public exactly how the rapper will help them bring alleged violent gang members down ... yet we've learned his security behind bars isn't being amped up.

Fact is ... the feds believe Tekashi is already safe and secure in the facility he's called home for nearly a year. The joint houses other snitches, all of whom have the same problem ... certain people want to kill many of them and are willing to pay a hefty price to get the job done.

The facility has a unit where a bunch of the snitches live. They spend all of their time with each other ... no other inmates allowed. They have a common area where tables are set up for meals. It's strictly a catering-in unit. Food carts come and go all day.

They have exercise equipments and a TV in the common area and they sleep in a dormitory setting.

According to the new legal docs, Tekashi's testimony will be devastating. He'll name names in various alleged crimes, including the July 2018 robbery and kidnapping of Tekashi himself.

He's going to identify which Nine Trey Blood members are attached to various aliases used in incriminating texts. Mind you, prosecutors can't figure this out themselves, so Tekashi's testimony is critical.

The rapper faced 47 years in prison for his alleged crimes, but he cut a deal in return for his cooperation. Short story, the people he's testifying against would be more than happy if he somehow doesn't make it to testify next week.

We're told when it comes time to go to court, U.S. Marshals will take Tekashi through a secure tunnel to the courthouse ... he'll be under super heavy guard.

Jeremy Renner is now in an all-out custody war with his ex-wife ... claiming that if anyone should be stripped of custody of their daughter ... it's her!!!

The actor filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, requesting sole legal and physical custody of their 6-year-old daughter, Ava. He also wants his ex-wife, Sonni Pacheco, to be limited to only monitored visitation rights.

TMZ broke the story ... Sonni recently filed nearly identical legal docs, claiming that she should be the one to get custody. Both Sonni and Jeremy are asking the court to change their previous agreement, which gave them joint custody. It's unclear what triggered her to make that move, but Sonni and Jeremy have had a tumultuous history.

You'll recall, in the past Sonni claimed Jeremy's gun collection put Ava at risk ... particularly because one of the weapons was out in the open, behind a bar. Jeremy called BS ... claiming his guns were always under lock and key.

This ongoing feud sounds like it could be going on a for a while.

LEBRON JAMES BLOCKED!!!!! By ... the United States Patent And Trademark Office!!?!?!

Yep, The King's quest to trademark the phrase "Taco Tuesday" was REJECTED by the USPTO on Wednesday ... with the org saying the phrase is just too damn common for LBJ to own.

Bron's "Taco Tuesday" celebrations became a worldwide hit this summer due to hilarious videos of him screaming at the top of his lungs every Tuesday over his delicious meals.

The trend has caught on so much, LeBron -- who even made T-Shirts for the occasion -- tried to trademark the saying back in August to use as a marketing tool online.

But, in docs filed by the USPTO late Tuesday night, they shot down James' request ... citing it as a "commonplace message."

Essentially, the org says too many people use the phrase "Taco Tuesday" to describe their weekly Mexican meal ... and denied Bron's quest to own the saying.

Also, the USPTO says a "Taco Tuesday" trademark would infringe on a separate trademark that's already been registered, "Techno Taco Tuesday."

For real.

Doesn't seem LeBron will mind too much ... his "Taco Tuesday" game appears to be still going strong.

Which means ... MORE TIME FOR ANTHONY DAVIS TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!

Nipsey Hussle's estate might need to cough up some cheddar to a songwriter who claims he collaborated with Nip on his last album ... but never got paid.

Bradley Davis filed a claim Tuesday against the estate claiming he, along with 2 others, teamed up in 2013 to write the music that would eventually be used in "Rap Ni**as." The track is featured on Nipsey's major label debut album, "Victory Lap," which dropped in February 2018.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Davis says he copyrighted his work in December 2017. Fast-forward to when the album dropped ... Davis claims Nipsey never got permission to use his work. Davis also claims no royalties were ever paid to him or the other 2 composers.

Davis doesn't say how much he's owed but it's clear he thinks the estate owes him something. For what it's worth ... creditors claims against the estate must be filed within 4 months of an executor being named.

Ricky Garcia -- an ex-member of the boy band "Forever In Your Mind" -- claims his former manager is a pedophile who groomed and seduced him before raping him ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Garcia is suing Joby Harte and his company, Hot Rock Media, claiming Harte raped and sexually assaulted him dozens of times throughout his teenage years ... beginning when he was just 12.

The singer, now 20, claims Harte used the "well-worn pedophile playbook of grooming and seduction." Garcia claims it started with Harte promising him the world ... before showing him porn and then allegedly sexually assaulting him.

In the docs, filed by attorney Ben Meiselas of Geragos and Geragos, Garcia -- who auditioned for season 3 of "The X Factor" and joined the boy band at Simon Cowell's invitation -- claims on multiple occasions Harte got him blackout drunk. Garcia claims he'd wake up naked the following mornings next to Harte.

Specifically, Garcia alleges Harte organized a 2-night "songwriting session" back in 2014 for the band without parents at Catalina Island. Garcia says Harte got him drunk on tequila and vodka before he blacked out. Again, Garcia says he woke up naked on Harte's bed.

When Garcia asked what happened, he says Harte told him he undressed him and bathed him because he was covered in vomit after blacking out.

For his 17th birthday, Garcia claims Harte got in his shower stall at a hotel resort and forced him to masturbate Harte until he ejaculated. Garcia says he never told anyone about the alleged sexual assaults because he was afraid of losing his career.

Garcia is also suing two other men, claiming one former agent sucked his toes after a 2014 hangout with Harte ... and accuses a manager/producer of grabbing his penis during a 2016 concert in WeHo.

Garcia -- who also costarred in over 30 episodes on Disney Channel's "Best Friends Whenever" -- says he and his mother finally confronted Harte ... claiming the ex-manager had no visible reaction but did not deny it. Garcia claims Harte admitted he "did not behave like an adult."

It's been widely, widely reported Jamie Spears is temporarily out as Britney's conservator, but we've learned that's not entirely true.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Jamie is still ensconced as the conservator of Britney's estate, meaning he has total control over her investments, business deals, check-writing, etc, etc ... all things money.

What Jamie temporarily relinquished -- the conservatorship over Britney's "person." Yep, there are actually 2 conservatorships -- one for the estate and one for the person. The latter is taking care of Britney, making sure she gets proper medical care and on and on.

Jamie said he was relinquishing temporary control because of a medical condition. We've learned he's having ankle surgery that will bench him for 10 weeks. It's undeniable, however, that there was a big problem ... Jamie is prohibited from having any contact with Britney's kids after he allegedly put his hands on 13-year-old Sean.

The company that owns Comedy Central, which produces David Spade's new late-night show, is being sued after one of the staffers allegedly left the launch party drunk, and killed a pedestrian.

Here's what happened, according to a new lawsuit. Viacom was hosting the party at Nightingale Plaza nightclub in WeHo back in August, celebrating the premiere of "Lights out with David Spade."

The suit claims Jacob Gralitzer, who worked on the show, got drunk at the party and no one stopped him from driving. The suit characterizes Gralitzer as "severely intoxicated." It says he got drunk "with the permission and knowledge of one or more of his supervisors at Viacom."

According to the lawsuit, Gralitzer went to the valet, provided by Viacom, and the valet gave him the keys and he drove away.

The suit claims Gralitzer was driving on Melrose at excessive speeds and ran into another car which careened onto the sidewalk, striking and killing 24-year-old Noah Benardout.

Gralitzer was arrested and booked for gross vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence.

According to the lawsuit filed by Benardout's estate, Viacom is responsible because it had authority over Gralitzer and could have stopped him from excessively drinking and driving. The suit claims by providing valet service the company was encouraging employees to drive to and from the party.

David Spade is NOT being sued.

MC Lyte hired an artist to work with her on a project, but never paid him for his contributions ... this according to a lawsuit.

In legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Christopher Smith claims he was hired as an artist, animator and writer on a project for MC Lyte's entertainment management and production firm, Sunni Gyrl, but he says he was never paid for his 1,228 hours on the job. He claims he's owed a total of $38,375.

In the docs, Christopher claims after he was let go from the project, MC Lyte and her biz partner Lynn Richardson sent him a check for $11,250 ... but he says it bounced.

Now, Christopher is suing MC Lyte, Richardson and Sunni Gyrl ... and he wants the cash he claims he's owed.

We reached out to MC Lyte for comment ... no word back, so far.

Britney Spears now has a new temporary conservator ... and, as expected, it's Jodi Montgomery.

The appointment was made official Monday in an L.A. courtroom where a judge appointed Jodi after Britney's father, Jamie Spears, formally requested to relinquish his powers of conservatorship due to personal health reasons. As we first reported ... Jamie filed the docs last week to step down at least through January 20, 2020 -- and handpicked Jodi, Brit's care manager, to be his replacement, temporarily.

We know no one involved opposed Jodi's appointment, but the bigger issue will come within the next week ... once a court appointed evaluator files a report about Britney's care and medications she was given. TMZ broke the story ... Dr. Timothy Benson -- who was responsible for her treatment -- died from an aneurysm.

The evaluation could be critical of Jamie's stewardship and, if so, could open the door for Kevin Federline and/or Lynne Spears to launch a challenge to Jamie returning to the conservatorship.

As you know, Jamie is currently under criminal investigation for allegedly getting physical with Britney's 13-year-old son, Sean.

Jamie's asking the judge to give Montgomery the same powers he has, including:

1. The power to restrict or limit visitors by any means.
2. The power to retain caretakers and security for Britney on a 24-hour basis.
3. The power to prosecute civil harassment restraining orders.
4. The power to communicate with expert medical personnel regarding Britney and to have full access to her medical and psychiatric records.

Jamie Spears wants a judge to let him take a breather for a few months as Britney's conservator and put one of his people in his place -- temporarily -- but we've learned Britney's mom appears to have different ideas ... TMZ has learned.

Lynne's lawyer, Gladstone Jones, tells us he and Lynne will be in court next week for Jamie's hearing. Gladstone will not say if they will challenge Jamie, but it's not hard to read the tea leaves.

Lynne was on board with the "Free Britney" social media campaign against Jamie earlier this year -- that escalated into real-life protests, and even celeb shout-outs onstage. Some people online accused Jamie of forcing Britney into a mental health facility against her will. BTW ... that didn't happen -- it would be a crime for a facility to allow that, and Britney was coming and going as she wished during her stay.

Nevertheless ... as we reported, Lynne asked the judge in the conservatorship case to involve her in the process -- especially with respect to medical issues. She also reconnected with Britney and stayed at her home during the whole social media campaign.

Jones would not say if Lynne will challenge Jamie's latest move, and even ask the judge to appoint her conservator. If that were to happen, Lynne would almost certainly have to move from her home in Louisiana to SoCal. It's a 24/7 job.

Bruce Dickinson was so pissed off after a fan got the crap kicked out of him at an Iron Maiden show, he stopped the concert to rip into the venue and its security force ... and the video is wild!

The Iron Maiden frontman passionately addressed the crowd over the bloody incident Thursday night at the Tacoma Dome ... saying, "I hope that kid is getting hospital treatment now because he's bleeding from head wounds. I hope that kid takes this building to the f***ing cleaners!!!"

Bruce says the band has been playing to hundreds of thousands of people on tour, and they've never seen anything like the beatdown this guy received. He wondered out loud to the crowd if this kinda thing happens frequently at the venue. Either way, Bruce says it's "f***ing madness!!"

The singer asks the crowd if they have any video of the beating, saying the band would be happy to help find the "bullies and the f***ing criminals who are responsible."

Then in a perfect segue, the band starts playing, "The Evil That Men Do."

It's unclear if the injured fan is still receiving medical treatment, or if he's planning to press charges.

Story developing ...