Fairly Legal

Jon Taffer says there's some guy prowling around Florida bars and restaurants pretending to be him ... and pulling some sketchy moves with women while he does it ... according to the federal lawsuit Jon just filed.

The "Bar Rescue" star says Vic Caroleo's been passing himself off as Jon Taffer in and around Naples, FL for more than 3 years -- and even brags openly all over social media about their resemblance.

He even boldly commented on one of Jon's posts about his new book, writing "My Twin ... so they say."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Caroleo's primary gig is as a television preacher ... and in parts of NY, his sermons air just a few hours after "Bar Rescue" on the same channel. Taffer says that's no coincidence, accusing Caroleo of trying to bolster his ruse ... that HE is actually Taffer.

Jon says Caroleo has even gotten credit cards with the name "Jon Taffer" ... and he allegedly used one of them during a dinner date in Naples back in January -- a move the woman he was out with found fishy enough to rat him out.

In the docs, filed by Jon's attorneys Bradford Cohen and Michael McMullen, they say the woman contacted Taffer's office, texting that "Caroleo, while acting as Mr. Taffer, 'was extremely touchy and inappropriate.'"

And, there was another similar incident ... when a different, anonymous, woman claimed she'd been sexually assaulted by Taffer in Naples. Jon says he was actually filming in San Diego at that time, but the woman lawyered up and sent a letter describing the alleged sexual assault -- claiming the guy reached under her skirt, and also tried to force her to perform oral sex on him.

These 2 very serious allegations were apparently the final straws for Taffer, whose lawyers Bradford M. Cohen and Michael J. McMullen say, "It has become all too common now for Mr. Taffer to be blamed for or associated with various acts committed by Caroleo as he continues to impersonate Mr. Taffer in Florida, unchecked."

Taffer also claims Caroleo's freeloading off his name ... attempting to secure free products and discounted services in various establishments.

Larry H. Parker -- the famous auto accident and personal injury attorney known for his iconic commercials in the '80s and '90s -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The famed attorney's longtime law firm partner, Ron Beck, confirmed to us Friday that Larry had passed away ... but wouldn't elaborate on details -- including where, when or under what circumstances.

Larry's daughter-in-law, Alissa, also told us the sad news was true -- but she wouldn't reveal more either ... telling us the family is considering their next steps.

We're hearing he may have died as recently as this week, although it's not 100% clear. In any case, it's a huge blow to the legal community ... as LHP was a titan in the industry.

People in and around Los Angeles -- and even in the greater Southern California area -- know Parker well ... if not for his TV ads, then for his many billboards all over the region. If you've been on the 405 in L.A., you've very likely passed by and seen Larry's face.

He's the founder of the Law Offices of Larry H. Parker -- which mostly specializes in taking cases for people who've been in car accidents, but which takes a variety of injury-related cases. His firm has been up and running for at least 50 years ... so he's an L.A. staple.

Larry opened his law office in the '70s, and it's gone on to become one of the biggest in America -- which now employs over 150 lawyers, all of whom work under Larry's brand.

His approach to promoting his services pierced pop culture and arguably served as the blueprint for many other attorneys (and spoofs) seeking to reach an audience. You could say that the spirit of his straightforward legal ads has gone on to inspire several iterations ... both fictional and real. The 'SNL' Green & Fazio sketch seems to have been inspired by Larry's work, and ditto for 'Better Call Saul.'

Of course, there are countless other real-life lawyers who've followed in his footprints all over the country ... buying up billboards, ad space and airtime to let people know they're ready to take a case and go to court for the public.

His slogan was "We'll Fight for You!" ... and safe to say, it's burned into the American psyche.

Larry was 75.

3/15 6:35 AM -- Dak Prescott's attorney, Levi McCathern, released a statement on the new investigation ... claiming the accuser and her legal team only filed a police report (in a different jurisdiction) after learning their "extortion plot" failed.

"Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what is going on," McCathern said. "Clearly they think that this will somehow mitigate their criminal responsibility for attempting this illegal shakedown."

"It won’t, and it is a true disservice to the real survivors of sexual abuse."

There are now dueling criminal investigations surrounding Dak Prescott and a Texas woman ... with Dallas police launching a probe into sexual assault allegations made against the Cowboys quarterback.

As we previously reported, Dak filed a lawsuit on Monday ... claiming Victoria Shores tried to extort $100 million out of him to not go to police over an alleged encounter that occurred on Feb. 2, 2017.

Prescott and his team have maintained Prescott has never engaged in any nonconsensual acts with anyone in his life ... adding they went to authorities to report Shores' "criminal actions."

TMZ Sports has confirmed the Dallas Police Department received a report on Tuesday of an alleged sexual assault outside the XTC Cabaret strip club on Feb. 2, 2017 ... and the investigation remains ongoing.

Meanwhile, Prosper, Texas officials are investigating Precott's claims ... and the whole back-and-forth will now play out both criminally and civilly.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones briefly addressed Prescott's status with the team on Thursday ... saying the ongoing situation would not impact his current contract negotiations, but had no further comment considering it is a legal matter.

Prescott is suing Shores and her attorneys for defamation, slander, civil extortion/duress and more.

Alec Baldwin quiere quedar libre de cargos en el caso de homicidio involuntario de "Rust", porque afirma que los fiscales manipularon la baraja en su contra con el Gran Jurado que lo acusó.

El actor y su abogado, Alex Spiro, presentaron nuevos documentos legales -obtenidos por TMZ- donde se busca argumentar que el proceso del gran jurado fue completamente manipulado por la oficina del Condado de Santa Fe, alegando que los 7 testigos estaban increíblemente manipulados.

En concreto, Alec dice que tres de los testigos estaban en la "nómina" del fiscal, dos de ellos eran de la Oficina del Sheriff de Santa Fe, uno ya lo estaba demandando en un caso civil separado, y otro públicamente culpó a Baldwin por la muerte de Halyna Hutchins días después... a pesar de que Alec dice que esta persona no estaba trabajando en la producción en ese momento.

Otra alegación en los documentos se refiere a las pruebas del FBI de la pistola utilizada en la escena. Alec afirma que el fiscal no presentó todas las pruebas y que, según alega, demostró que el revólver se disparó sin apretar el gatillo cuando los 6 cartuchos estaban cargados, igual que el día de la tragedia.

Recordemos que hasta ahora habíamos oído lo contrario. Básicamente que las pruebas del FBI demostraron que sin lugar a dudas el arma solo se podía disparar si se aprieta el gatillo. Esto es crucial, porque Alec siempre ha mantenido que no apretó el gatillo.

Por todas estas razones, Alec le está pidiendo al juez que retire el cargo de homicidio involuntario. Como informamos, él ya se declaró inocente... esto después de que el D.A. desestimó sus cargos la primera vez.

The father of Michigan high school shooter Ethan Crumbley, has been found guilty on all 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter ... just weeks after his wife Jennifer saw the same verdict.

The jury reached the decision for James Crumbley Thursday after 1 day of deliberations. His sentencing is scheduled for April 9, the same date as his wife.

With this verdict, Crumbley was found to be negligent for disregarding warning signs exhibited by his son that could have potentially prevented the devastating event. Prosecutors said he even purchased a gun for his son just days before he used it to open fire at Oxford High School in the Detroit suburb of Oxford Township, MI, in November 2021, killing 4 students.

The verdict comes a few weeks after his wife Jennifer's conviction -- which marked an historic moment, as it's unprecedented for a parent to be criminally charged in connection with their child's involvement in a mass shooting.

Jennifer's testimony during her trial had shed light on the role she says her husband, James, played in the tragic events ... saying he had purchased the gun their son used in the shooting and was the one responsible for hiding it.

She also testified she was aware her son was struggling but had no inkling he was capable of carrying out a mass shooting ... saying if she had known, she'd done the whole thing differently.

17-year-old Ethan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole back in December.

6:35 PM PT -- A rep for A+E tells TMZ ... "We look forward to the unsealing of our papers as well, as they tell a very different story."

Wendy Williams' guardian sued unsuccessfully to block the release of the new documentary following her struggles ... and now the lawsuit's unsealed -- and it gives an inside look at Williams' day-to-day.

Here's the deal ... the former talk show host's temporary guardian Sabrina Morrissey sued back in February to stop the “Where is Wendy Williams?" doc from coming out -- an attempt that ultimately failed, as we now know.

Those legal docs were originally sealed ... but now, they are available for anyone to peruse -- and they provide a look into both Morrissey's argument and her description of Williams' recent condition.

In the paperwork, obtained by TMZ, Morrissey argued Williams was incapable of handling her own business affairs when she signed the documentary contract. Same goes for her executive producer role -- Morrissey says Williams wasn't able to handle such a job effectively ... including not being able to properly shape how she was portrayed.

SM said WW's ability to care for herself has deteriorated since beginning the guardianship too ... and she says now Wendy needs constant daily supervision to "ensure her safety, well-being, and comfort, and to preserve her dignity."

Morrissey claimed she was originally told the doc would present Williams' comeback story, ultimately showing Wendy in a positive light -- and Morrissey said she was under the impression she would get to see the finished product before it was released.

Sabrina added she was totally blindsided when the trailer came out ... because she said she never saw a final cut of the doc.

Of course ... days before the doc came out, Wendy's team revealed she was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia last year, and she entered a treatment center to deal with her health issues as well.

The creative team behind the documentary said they never would've made it had they known about the diagnosis ... though it seems hard to believe they had no indication of her health struggles given the kind of care Morrissey detailed in her suit.

Bottom line ... the story behind "Where is Wendy Williams?" just got a whole lot murkier.

Alec Baldwin wants to be let off the hook in the "Rust" manslaughter case, because he claims prosecutors stacked the deck against him with the Grand Jury that indicted him.

The actor and his attorney Alex Spiro filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, where he seeks to have his criminal case completely tossed ... arguing the grand jury process was completely rigged by the Santa Fe County D.A.'s office -- alleging they trotted out 7 witnesses who were incredibly biased.

Specifically, Alec says 3 of the witnesses were on the D.A.'s "payroll," 2 of them were from the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office, one was already suing him in a separate civil case -- and yet another publicly blamed Baldwin for Halyna Hutchins' death days afterward ... even though Alec says this person wasn't working on the production at the time.

Another eye-popping allegation in the docs involves the FBI testing of the pistol used in the scene. Alec claims the D.A. failed to present all the evidence from that testing ... which he alleges showed the revolver did, in fact, fire without the trigger being pulled when all 6 rounds were loaded, just as they were on the day of the tragedy.

Remember, up until now ... we'd heard the opposite -- that the FBI testing proved without a doubt the gun could only fire if the trigger was pulled. This is crucial, because Alec has always maintained he did not pull the trigger.

For all these reasons, Alec's asking a judge to drop the involuntary manslaughter charge. As we reported, he already pled not guilty in this second go-around ... this after the D.A. dismissed their charges the first time.

Meghan Markle está lanzando una nueva marca de estilo de vida, y parece que tiene algunas ideas sobre lo que quiere hacer con ella, lo que podría incluir vender una gran variedad de productos.

La compañía de la duquesa de Sussex aplicó para bloquear los derechos de la marca American Riviera Orchard a principios de febrero, que fue anunciada oficialmente el jueves en las redes, y que implicó solicitudes de marca en un montón de diferentes categorías.

Entre los artículos que podría terminar vendiendo bajo la nueva empresa, suponiendo que las marcas sean aprobadas, estarían libros de cocina, vajilla, servicios de café y té, jaleas, mermeladas, manteles, libros de cocina, cubiertos, untables de todo tipo y mucho más.

Y parece que espera que las cosas se muevan sin problemas porque, como hemos dicho, ya lanzó el sitio web y una cuenta de Instagram dedicada a la nueva empresa.

Hasta el momento, la página de IG solo muestra el logotipo de la empresa, pero un clip corto en la historia de la página muestra a Markle horneando mientras escucha "I Wish You Love" de Nancy Wilson. La página ya tiene 199k seguidores, por cierto, por lo que es seguro decir que la gente está muy emocionada con lo que Markle está preparando.

Aunque no está claro exactamente lo que Meghan planea hacer con el nuevo sitio, un montón de fans en línea están especulando que será una versión actualizada de The Tig, un blog de estilo de vida que Markle tenía desde antes de casarse con el príncipe Harry.

The Tig también incluía recetas, ensayos personales y consejos de Markle, todo lo que podría estar incluido en American Riviera Orchard. Tendremos que esperar y ver, suponemos. Meg no ha anunciado cuándo va a correr la cortina, pero hay una lista de espera abierta.

Después del turbulento 2023 de la pareja real, que incluyó un acuerdo junto a Spotify que se vino abajo y una rumoreada asociación con Dior que nunca llegó a buen puerto, esto parece como si Meg quisiera volver a sus raíces de estilo de vida.

Meghan Markle's kicking off her new lifestyle brand, and it looks like she's got a few ideas about what she wants to do with it ... including potentially selling a variety of products.

The Duchess of Sussex's company applied to lock up the rights to something called American Riviera Orchard in early February -- which she officially announced Thursday online -- submitting trademark applications in a bunch of different categories.

Among the items she might end up selling under the new venture -- assuming the trademarks get approved, that is -- are cookbooks, tableware, coffee and tea services, jellies, jams, tablecloths, cookbooks, servingware, cutlery, spreads of all kinds ... and lots more.

It seems she's expecting things to move smoothly in that direction ... 'cause, like we said, she just launched both the ARO website and an Instagram page dedicated to the new venture.

So far, the IG page only shows the company's logo ... but a short clip on the page's story shows Markle baking while Nancy Wilson's "I Wish You Love" plays over it. The page already has 199k followers BTW -- safe to say, people are very excited for whatever Markle's got cookin'.

While it's unclear exactly what MM plans to do with the new site, tons of fans online are speculating it'll be an updated version of The Tig -- Markle's lifestyle blog from before she married Prince Harry.

The Tig also featured recipes, personal essays and advice from Markle, all of which could factor into American Riviera Orchard's offerings. We'll just have to wait and see, we suppose -- Meg hasn't announced when she's gonna pull back the curtain, but there's a waitlist open.

After the royal couple's somewhat turbulent 2023 -- including a Spotify deal that fell through and a rumored Dior partnership that never came to fruition -- this seems like Meg going back to basics, and to her lifestyle roots.

Time will tell if this Orchard bears fruit.

El abusador de Drake Bell -Brian Peck- tuvo un ejército de apoyo de parte de las celebridades durante su sentencia de 2004, y tenemos un montón de cartas que todos escribieron, incluyendo las de James Marsden, Taran Killam y Alan Thicke, quien habló elogiosamente sobre el tipo.

TMZ ha obtenido un total de 41 cartas escritas al juez en el caso penal de Peck, y mientras había decenas de tipos de Hollywood prestando sus voces en apoyo del pederasta condenado -todos defendiendo su carácter y pidiendo clemencia- estos tres son los nombres más grandes.

La carta de Marsden es la más larga, y detalla su extensa historia personal y amistad con Peck, diciendo que lo conocía desde hace 14 años (ten en cuenta que escribió esto en 2004, por lo que aparentemente se remontan a mucho tiempo atrás) y en general respondiendo por su carácter.

Escribe: "Me llamo James Marsden, y estoy muy orgulloso de decir que soy amigo íntimo de Brian Peck desde hace unos 14 años. Soy originario de Oklahoma y conocí a Brian a través de un amigo actor. Brian creyó en mi talento como actor y alentó mi decisión de mudarme a Los Ángeles y perseguir este sueño que tenía".

Marsden continúa diciendo que él y Brian se mantuvieron cerca los últimos años, diciendo que Brian fue un mentor y lo entrenó -todo de forma gratuita- y que formaron un vínculo muy estrecho, con Brian sirviendo como un modelo a seguir y la inculcación de rasgos de carácter íntegro.

Marsden dice que "no podía respirar" cuando los cargos cayeron. Él dice que vivió en su casa durante meses y compartieron habitaciones de hotel, y dice que nunca se sintió incómodo o comprometido estando cerca.

Y termina escribiendo: "Brian es una buena persona con un miedo y un respeto muy sanos por la ley, y les aseguro que lo que Brian ha pasado en el último año es el sufrimiento de cien hombres. No quiero victimizar a Brian, ni él lo desearía nunca, pero sí me siento obligado a arrojar luz sobre el hecho de que él ha aprendido la lección".

Taran -que trabajó en "The Amanda Show" y que también conocía muy bien a Brian- fue igualmente elogioso en su propia carta de apoyo al juez que preside el caso, llamándolo su "compañero de trabajo y amigo" y diciendo que no es alguien que deba estar en la cárcel.

Escribe: "Cuando me enteré de la detención de Brian me sorprendí mucho. Brian es la última persona que esperaría que fuera acusada de actividades delictivas. Lo primero que pensé fue 'esto es un error'. Sé que muchos de nuestros amigos comunes tuvieron pensamientos similares. Está demasiado fuera de lugar".

Por último, está el difunto Thicke, cuya carta era mucho más corta, y apoya a Brian comentando sus días juntos en "Growing Pains", un período en el que Alan dice que Brian era un "mentor altamente profesional y nutritivo de los jóvenes en nuestro set de televisión". Thicke dice que Brian nunca fue inapropiado.

Hay docenas de otras cartas de personas que fueron a batear a favor de Brian, incluyendo a las estrellas de "Boy Meets World" -Will Friedle y Rider Strong-, la estrella de "Growing Pains" -Joanna Kerns-, y los directores de "Suite Life" -Rich y Beth Correll-, show en el que Brian trabajó brevemente después de la condena.

Usted puede ver sus cartas aquí en su totalidad también ... pero hay aún más, presentada por actores como Ron Meléndez, James Marshall, Kimmy Robertson y otros actores del mundo del espectáculo.

Como hemos informado, Drake se establece para detallar exactamente lo que dice Brian le hizo antes de que él tuviera su propio show en Nickelodeon en el nuevo documental "Quiet on Set". "Quiet on Set" se estrena durante 2 noches en ID, a partir de las 9 PM el 17 y 18 de marzo.

Drake Bell's abuser, Brian Peck, had an army of A-list support behind him during his 2004 sentencing -- and we got a hold of the letters they all wrote, including ones from James Marsden, Taran Killam and Alan Thicke ... who spoke glowingly about the guy.

TMZ has obtained a total of 41 letters written to the judge in Peck's criminal case, and while there were scores of Hollywood types lending their voices in support of the convicted child molester -- all defending his character and asking for leniency -- these 3 are the biggest names.

Marsden's letter is the longest, and he details his extensive personal history and friendship with Peck, saying he'd known him for 14 years (mind you, he wrote this in '04, so they go way back apparently) and generally vouching for his character.

JM writes, "My name is James Marsden and i am very proud to say that i've been a close friend of Brian Peck's for about 14 years now. I am from Oklahoma originally and i met Brian through an actor friend ... Brian believed in my talent as an actor and encouraged my decision to move to Los Angeles and pursue this dream i had."

Marsden goes on to say he and Brian remained close over the years, saying BP mentored and coached him -- all free of charge -- and that they formed a very close bond, with Brian serving as a role model and instilling upstanding character traits.

Marsden says based on what he knows about Brian, he "couldn't breathe" when the charges came down. He says he had lived at his house for months and had shared hotel rooms with Brian -- and he says he never felt uncomfortable or compromised being around him.

He finishes by writing, "Brian is a good person with a very healthy fear and respect for the law and, i assure you, what Brian has been through in the last year is the suffering of a hundred men. I don't want to victimize Brian, nor would he ever wish that, but i do feel compelled to shed light on the fact that (he) has learned his lesson."

Taran -- who worked on the "The Amanda Show" and who also knew Brian very well -- was equally praising in his own letter of support to the judge presiding over the case, calling him his "co-worker, my friend" and saying he's not someone who belongs in jail.

TK writes, "When I found out about Brian being arrested I was shocked. Brian is the last person I would expect to be charged of criminal activities. My first thought was 'this is a mistake.' I know many of our mutual friends had similar thoughts. It is too out of character."

Finally, there's the late Thicke ... whose letter was much shorter but just as supportive of Brian, commenting on their days together on 'Growing Pains,' a period in which Alan says Brian was a "highly professional and nurturing mentor of the young people on our television set." Thicke says BP was never inappropriate.

There are dozens of other letters by people who went to bat for Brian -- including "Boy Meets World" stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong, "Growing Pains" star Joanna Kerns and 'Suite Life' directors Rich and Beth Correll ... whose show Brian worked on briefly, post-conviction.

You can see their letters here in full too ... but there are even more, filed by actors like Ron Melendez, James Marshall, Kimmy Robertson and other showbiz players.

As we reported ... Drake is set to detail exactly what he says Brian did to him before he got his own show on Nickelodeon on the new documentary 'Quiet on Set.' "Quiet on Set' premieres across 2 nights on ID, starting at 9 PM on March 17 and 18.

Pierce Brosnan acaba de declararse culpable en el caso de senderismo ilegal en Idaho, después de haber ingresado una declaración de no culpabilidad hace apenas dos meses.

De acuerdo con documentos judiciales obtenidos por TMZ, Pierce se declaró culpable de uno de los dos cargos de senderismo ilegales presentados en su contra después de que supuestamente se metiera en una delicada fuente termal en el Parque Nacional de Yellowstone en noviembre de 2023.

A cambio, el otro cargo fue desestimado. La declaración de culpabilidad de Brosnan le costará alrededor de $1,540 en multas y otros costos de la corte.

Recuerden, el agente 007 publicó un par de fotos en una zona que parecía estar fuera de los límites del parque, áreas que están cerradas a los turistas, tanto por la seguridad de los manantiales como de los excursionistas.

Esas fotos fueron recogidas por TouronsOfYellowstone, una página de IG que señala a los turistas/ atorrantes que rompen las reglas de senderismo en el hermoso parque nacional.

Pierce Brosnan just took a plea deal in his hot springs hiking case out in Idaho ... this after initially entering a not-guilty plea just two months ago.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ ... Pierce pled guilty to one of two charges brought against him -- namely, one count of foot travel in all thermal areas and within Yellowstone Canyon confined to trails -- after he allegedly wandered into a delicate hot spring at Yellowstone National Park in November 2023.

In exchange, the other charge was dismissed. Brosnan's guilty plea lands him with about $1,540 in fines and other court costs.

Remember ... 007 appeared to post a couple pics from an off-limits area in the park -- areas that are closed to tourists for both the safety of the springs and the safety of hikers.

Those pics got picked up by TouronsOfYellowstone -- an IG page that highlights the tourists/morons who break hiking rules in the gorgeous national park.

The Missouri teen who got her head slammed into the ground during a fight has suffered severe brain damage -- and now, her family is asking for help.

The 15-year-old's loved ones have started a GoFundMe for her, and they've revealed her name as Kaylee ... with them noting that she's battling for her life as she remains hospitalized in critical condition following last week's incident.

According to the GFM -- which is aiming to raise $120,000 to help cover her mounting medical costs -- the brawl left Kaylee with major brain bleeding and swelling.

They also say she suffered a skull fracture and frontal lobe damage as well -- noting she's just at the start of what they consider to be an uphill battle of recovery.

Her family doesn't explicitly say it ... but it sounds like she might not be conscious.

Remember, Kaylee was seen alone and convulsing on the ground as the scuffle continued to play out around her -- which included several other teens throwing punches at one another. According to her family ... EMTs eventually arrived on the scene and rushed Kaylee to a local hospital in St. Louis, but it seems like the damage might've already been done by then.

As we reported ... the teen girl who assaulted Kaylee was arrested on a first-degree felony charge -- but the case is currently being handled by the juvenile court system due to the perpetrator's age.

However, we've learned she could be tried as an adult ... depending on how a court hearing plays out in a couple weeks. If Kaylee's condition worsens, it could spell bad news for the culprit in question too.

Michael Jackson's biopic is already causing controversy ... with the film's creators promising the uncensored truth and the "Leaving Neverland" director calling BS.

Here's the deal ... the new MJ film's reportedly been touted in multiple press releases as an honest portrayal of Michael Jackson's life with a focus on both his talent and his very human struggles.

Variety checked in with producer Graham King and screenwriter John Logan, who do put the abuse allegations into the film -- after all, Michael went through a very public criminal trial over them, so it would be hard not to -- but ultimately portray him through a lens of innocence since he wasn't convicted back then.

In a separate statement, Graham King said he didn't sanitize Michael's life one bit ... instead working hard to present an unbiased picture of the King of Pop.

Well, "Leaving Neverland" director Dan Reed's not buying that ... telling the outlet he's read a copy of the "Michael" screenplay -- and it's basically an ode to MJ.

Remember ... "Leaving Neverland" featured allegations of child sex abuse against Jackson by Wade Robson and James Safechuck -- their court case against Jackson's estate is still awaiting trial.

Reed says the movie goes out of its way to show Michael interacting with kids in a positive way ... and he even goes as far as to say it seems like Michael's former attorney John Branca -- an executive producer on the film -- sat the creative team down and straight up told them what to write.

We've shown you quite a few behind-the-scenes looks at the movie being made over the months -- catching Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, Nia Long and more stars all dressed up and ready for the camera to roll.

UFC star Marlon "Chito" Vera says his personal belongings were jacked from his home while he was in Miami for his title fight against Sean O'Malley ... and now he's on the hunt for the people responsible.

The Ecuadorian fighter went all five rounds with Suga at the Keseya Center on Saturday ... ultimately losing via unanimous decision.

But, it isn't the L in the Octagon that's got him pissed now ... 'cause he shared an image of his home forcefully broken into -- and he's vowing to find the culprits.

Vera provided more information on the matter on Wednesday ... saying he's working with authorities in hopes of getting to the bottom of it.

"Came back home to fill police reports and try to get all my legal documents & watches inside the safe that some piece of s*** stole from my house," Vera said. "First stop Italian consulate thanks for take care of us."

Despite the crappy situation, Vera added he knows everything will be okay ... and proceeded to send a message to his opponent.

"Who braid your hair @SugaSeanMMA you where grease to the bone I wonder how much gel they use ?" ... to which Sean replied, "Send pic of your face."

Sean did feel bad for Vera's home situation, though ... commenting his disapproval after the news broke.