Fairly Legal

Linkin Park's new lead singer is responding to fan backlash about her connection to actor Danny Masterson ... apologizing for her association and saying she misjudged the guy.

Here's the deal ... LP announced Emily Armstrong -- cofounder of the group Dead Sara -- as their new lead singer, about seven years after beloved vocalist Chester Bennington's death.

Within hours of the announcement, fans started pointing out Emily attended a 2020 preliminary hearing in support of Masterson -- who last year was convicted on two counts of forcible rape -- especially upsetting to them since Chester talked openly about surviving sexual abuse.

Chrisean Rock says she's a free woman ... writing a message to her son, Chrisean Jr., all about how grateful she is to be back with him after her arrest in a drug case.

The rapper shared the tribute Friday ... saying she's feeling blessed to be with her son just days after his birthday -- though she admits she regrets missing the first birthday of his life.

She says milestones are big markers of achievement when it comes to kids ... but, people should also focus on the love and care they provide for their kids every day.

Blueface’s 4-year prison sentence is underway now that he's been transferred from the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles to North Kern State Prison in central California.

TMZ’s obtained Blueface’s new mugshot, snapped Thursday as he entered general population at his medium custody facility ... where he'll have a lineup of potential jobs and classes ahead, all aimed at prepping him for life after prison.

Blueface's already a successful rapper, so getting back into the swing of things after lock-up shouldn't be too rough.

Kendra Sunderland may want to tell her friends to slow down ... cops in Texas say a speeding car led to her arrest ... after an officer says he saw a THC vape in her lap when the car was pulled over.

TMZ's obtained legal documents detailing the lead-up to the porn star's arrest ... with an officer saying a white 4-door Lexus came to his attention when he spotted it driving over the speed limit.

He claims he checked the license plate and discovered the car had expired tags, at which point he pulled the vehicle over. The officer says that's when he noticed a THC vape pen on Kendra's lap -- she was sitting in the passenger seat -- and asked for her ID.

The man who attacked a judge during an attempted battery conviction has pled guilty after he was seen on video leaping over the bench at her ... but there's a pretty major caveat.

Deobra Redden pled guilty but mentally ill, his lawyers at CEGA Law Group explained in a statement released Friday ... saying their client understands the seriousness of his actions -- and wants help with his mental health issues.

His attorneys say they're asking that mental health treatment be a key part of his sentencing ... and they're hoping his case might bring about more mental health reform.

Jack Doherty doesn't know jack about insurance, at least according to State Farm ... they say his policy doesn't cover him for the lawsuit he's facing over a Halloween fight.

Here's the deal ... Jack is being sued for assault and battery by a man who claims the YouTuber and his bodyguard beat him up at a party a few days before Halloween last year.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, State Farm says Jack is trying to use his renters insurance policy to force the company to defend him in the litigation and possibly cough up any damages that may be owed.

Donald Trump's sentencing has been delayed once again ... with a New York judge ruling the Republican nominee won't be sentenced until after this year's election.

The 45th POTUS' sentencing trial is now scheduled for November 26 -- three weeks after voters will cast their ballots -- changed from the original September 18 date.

Judge Juan Merchan made the decision Friday, granting DJT's request for a delayed sentence after originally pushing the decision from July to September in order to consider whether a Supreme Court ruling gives Trump broad immunity in this case.

Colt Gray, the suspected shooter accused of gunning down 4 people at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, appeared in court this morning ... and it was a shocking sight to see a 14-year-old accused of such heinous crimes.

The alleged shooter arrived in an olive green jumpsuit at the Barrow County Courthouse in the rural Georgia town on Friday morning alongside his lawyer ... 2 days after authorities say he opened fire at the school, killing students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, and teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie. Nine others were injured.

The judge read off the 4 felony murder charges against Gray, and then asked if he could read and write in English -- which he answered in the affirmative.

Karen Read's breaking her silence ... admitting she was angry with Boston cop John O'Keefe the night he died -- but, says that doesn't mean she ran him over with her SUV.

Read -- who is scheduled to be retried for O'Keefe's death in January 2025 -- sat down for an interview with ABC News ... saying John really upset her after a night of drinking in 2022, and she angrily left him at a friend's house.

Asked if a combination of anger and alcohol could've led her to try to "tap" O'Keefe with her SUV, Read shows her frustration ... denying she did and emphasizing she would never do that.

Prosecutors in New Mexico want another bite at the apple when it comes to Alec Baldwin, Jamie Foxx is going to address his health scare for the first time, and Ludacris is breaking out the big guns ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Charles and Babcock explain why prosecutors are trying to get another trial in the "Rust" shooting case.

Jeannie Mai claims Jeezy is not complying with the terms of their divorce settlement ... she says he owes her a ton of money and paperwork for two sets of wheels.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the talk show host says her rapper ex-husband is not following through with a bunch of things they agreed to when they finalized their split.

Jeannie says their divorce settlement calls for Jeezy to pay her for daycare costs and school tuition for their child, deposit at least $500,000 in an interest-bearing account for the kid, transfer the title for two cars, and cover four months of her rent.

9/6 8:43 AM PT -- Hunter Biden followed through with his plans to switch up and plead guilty in his tax evasion trial. The judge ticked off each of the 9 charges against Hunter in court, with President Joe Biden's son repeatedly saying "guilty" to each one.

The judge scheduled sentencing for December 16 ... and in the meantime, Hunter will remain free on bond.

Hunter Biden is planning to enter a guilty plea in his controversial tax evasion trial ... the first son's attorneys have revealed.

President Joe Biden's son arrived at a Los Angeles courthouse alongside his wife, Melissa Cohen Biden, on Thursday ... but Hunter's trial is unlikely to last long given his decision to change his plea.

His attorney, Abbe Lowell, shared Hunter's decision to plead guilty in the federal courtroom, noting ... "Mr. Biden intends to change his plea this morning."

A French woman who was allegedly raped by more than 50 strangers in multiple incidents over the course of a decade ... while she was allegedly drugged by her husband, who is accused of participating in the rapes and filming them ... testified for the first time Thursday.

72-year-old Gisèle Pélicot took the stand in Avignon Thursday for the first time ... saying she was left in "heaps of ruins" after finding out her spouse of 50 years, Dominique Pélicot, allegedly filmed more than 70 men assaulting her over a 10-year span ... without her knowledge.

Gisèle said she's seen all the recordings.

"Rust" prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey wants another shot at trying Alec Baldwin ... and has asked the judge to reconsider the decision to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge against the actor.

In new court documents filed Wednesday ... Morrissey went after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer's grounds for dismissing the case -- in which she ruled Baldwin had been prejudiced by the prosecution's suppression of evidence.

This meant Baldwin could not be charged with involuntary manslaughter in the case again ... but prosecutors are now asking the judge to reconsider her ruling.

Harvey Weinstein's legal issues may get a whole lot worse ... the former Hollywood producer is facing another possible criminal indictment.

According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Weinstein's attorney, Arthur Aidala, testified at a hearing Tuesday in a Manhattan courthouse and acknowledged that a grand jury has been empaneled to look into fresh allegations of criminal wrongdoing by HW.

During the hearing, Aidala told the court he is aware of 3 witnesses who testified before the grand jury in support of the prosecutor's request for a new indictment against his client.

Sean Higgins -- the man accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his little brother in a drunk driving crash last week -- just faced a judge again ... and his appearance this time around looked a bit different.

The 43-year-old, who popped up in a New Jersey courtroom on Thursday morning virtually, notably was no longer in an anti-suicide smock ... instead, he was seen in a simple orange jumpsuit. He also had a different facial hair style ... sporting a thick goatee.

The judge had been expected to make a ruling on Higgins' pretrial conditions at the hearing ... but the proceedings were postponed after just a few seconds.