Fairly Legal

The man found guilty of murdering rapper PnB Rock learned his fate in court today ... and it will be a long time before he has any chance of getting out of prison.

Freddie Trone, who was convicted on one count of murder, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and two counts of second-degree robbery, was in a Los Angeles courtroom on Monday where a judge sentenced him to 31 years to life in prison.

Another man, Tremont Jones, was found guilty of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy and sentenced to 12 years behind bars. Trone was painted as the murder mastermind by prosecutors ... prosecutors said he sent his teenage son inside the Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles restaurant to rob PnB Rock and drove the getaway car after the deadly burglary.

The trial of Young Dolph's alleged murderers is off to a bombshell start, as one of the accused shooters confessed on the stand, and even implicated his co-defendant.

While testifying Monday, Cornelius Smith admitted he was indeed the man seen firing the semi-automatic weapon in the November 2021 surveillance footage that captured the Memphis rap superstar's murder.

According to Smith, he had no emotions at the time he took Dolph's life, he was simply attempting to line his pockets with cash -- $100,000 to be exact, paid by Yo Gotti's now deceased brother Big Jook, who, himself was murdered in January.

Reggie Bush got his Heisman trophy back earlier this year, but now he's looking for something else -- as he filed a lawsuit on Monday against his alma mater, the Pac-12 and the NCAA, seeking lost name, image and likeness compensation.

Bush's legal team said in a statement to multiple media outlets that all three institutions benefited from the work he put in on the field during his time as a Trojan in the early 2000s. They identified television contracts, merchandise sales and media rights agreements that they said coincided with the Heisman Trophy winner's legendary career.

"This case is not just about seeking justice for Reggie Bush," attorney Evan Selik said. "It's about setting a precedent for the fair treatment of all college athletes. Our goal is to rectify this injustice and pave the way for a system where athletes are rightfully recognized, compensated and treated fairly for their contributions."

Jay-Z and Damon Dash's tug-o-war over rights to the "Reasonable Doubt" album is getting more complicated -- New York City's now entered the chat, accusing Jay of intentionally sabotaging the auction of the album's rights.

Over the weekend, Dame took to social media to read docs filed by NYC lambasting Jay-Z for deflating enthusiasm for the auction ... which will sell off Dame's one-third share of the album.

In new docs, the NYC Department of Social Services straight up claimed Jay-Z was "poisoning" the auction through public statements indicating Dame's piece of "Reasonable Doubt" would revert back to Jay in 2031. The City claims that's not how it'll work per the recording deal Jay-Z signed, and insists rights for 'Reasonable' will remain with Roc-A-Fella until 2098.

Music journalist Touré says he's uncovered new context to Diddy's downfall ... claiming the rap mogul's drug use fueled him to throw X-rated "Freak Off" parties.

We caught up with the writer Monday on "TMZ Live," where he reflected on his connection with the Bad Boy Records founder, and how he believes drugs changed Diddy's mindset over the years.

As Touré put it ... Diddy was a different person decades ago, describing the rapper as "extremely sharp, motivational, [and] very strategic" in the early days of his career. While Touré didn't get into specifics, he did say he thought Diddy's mind had been "clouded" for the last 15 years.

Diddy seemed to predict his own downfall 25 years ago, talking openly about the wild parties he loved to throw -- long before his recent arrest and indictment last week.

In a resurfaced 1999 interview, Diddy made it clear the whole point of his parties was just to have a good time, and he was determined to keep them rolling -- permits or not -- despite authorities trying to shut him down or even arrest him.

Diddy told ET, "They're going to be shutting them down. They're going to probably be arresting me, doing all types of crazy things just because we want to have a good time."

Bam Margera's sobriety journey is set to get back on track after authorities say he violated his probation last week ... he's still locked up and has been ordered to undergo a drug and alcohol evaluation.

Prosecutors tell TMZ ... the "Jackass" star appeared in a Chester County court on Monday, where he faced the music over an alleged probation violation. We're told his wife, Dannii Marie, was in the the courtroom ... though, no other family members were present.

Bam's lawyer Michael T. Van Der Veen tells us Margera is still incarcerated following his arrest and has been ordered to receive an addiction evaluation tomorrow before returning to the Justice Center Wednesday for a follow-up hearing.

The 3 men charged with murdering Young Dolph are now on trial, and it kicked off with a bombshell allegation about who was behind the 2021 shooting.

During the opening statements, Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Paul Hagerman accused the late Big Jook -- brother of Young Dolph's rival, Yo Gotti -- of being responsible after he offered $100,000 to anyone who would kill Dolph to end their ongoing rap feud.

Hernandez Govan, Justin Johnson, and Cornelius Smith are all charged with first-degree murder where they plead not guilty.

Diddy's arrest and subsequent indictment have not deterred his fans from listening to his music ... in fact, he's seen a spike in streams in the wake of the controversy.

Luminate, a data and analytics company, claims the rap mogul's expansive music catalog has seen an over 18% increase in streams in the week since he was put in handcuffs at the Park Hyatt in midtown Manhattan.

TMZ broke the story ... the Bad Boy Records founder was arrested last Monday, 6 months after his Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided in connection with a sex trafficking investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Usher's hitting back hard, saying "No, No, No!" to those speculating he’s hiding something in the wake of his former mentor Diddy's arrest ... especially after his X posts mysteriously vanished over the weekend.

The singer had an explanation for the social media wipeout ... writing on the platform Sunday evening, "Account got hacked and damn y'all ran with it! 😂😂😂."

Usher sidestepped the Diddy drama but seemed to make it clear he’s got nothing to hide. He wrapped up the post by promoting his next show, saying, "See you tonight at Intuit Dome✌🏽👀✌🏽."

Mama June just scored a legal win -- a court ordered that she'll retain custody of her late daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell's daughter, Kaitlyn.

TMZ got their hands on the court docs ... a Georgia judge ruled legal and physical custody of Kaitlyn will stay with Mama June ... this after Michael Caldwell -- Anna's ex who was not Kaitlyn's biological father -- tried to obtain custody rights.

As InTouch first reported ... the court ruled that Michael won’t have any visitation rights unless Mama June and Kaitlyn agree otherwise. The legal order mentioned Kaitlyn expressed her wish to keep living with her grandmother during her testimony at a July hearing.

Tyreek Hill has just hired a slew of new attorneys -- including one who helped represent George Floyd's family following his death in 2020 -- in an effort to try to ignite national police reform following his now-infamous run-in with cops in Miami earlier this month.

Hill's original lawyer in the case, Julius B. Collins, announced the hirings on Monday morning ... some two weeks after the NFL superstar was pulled out of his sports car and thrown onto the ground by Miami-Dade Police officers during a routine traffic stop.

Collins revealed he'll now be joined by Jeffrey A. Neiman, Stephen B. Kelly, Jr. and Devon M. Jacob -- who worked alongside Ben Crump in Floyd's family's 2020 civil case -- as Hill pushes for change in police departments across the nation.

12:03 PM PT -- During his federal court appearance Monday, Judge Ryon McCabe ordered that Ryan Wesley Routh be held without bond until his trial.

Ryan Wesley Routh, the alleged would-be Trump assassin, revealed his lethal intentions in a letter he wrote prior to getting arrested ... according to the Justice Department.

Federal prosecutors released the troubling note Monday, saying Routh wrote about his plans to assassinate former President Donald Trump, and in it, he also calls on others to make attempts on the Republican nominee's life.

The note even promised a hefty monetary reward to whomever finished "the job."

A resurfaced clip from "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" is raising eyebrows ... with Khloe Kardashian spilling the tea about attending one of Diddy’s notorious parties, casually name-dropping that Justin Bieber was also in the mix.

In the clip from 2014, Khloe told sister Kourtney, "I got on a plane at 5:30 AM. Well, this party ... I think half the people there were butt-naked ... You would have loved it!"

When Kourtney asked who was with her, Khloe casually rattled off the guest list ... mentioning she was with a bunch of pals -- Diddy, Quincy, and Bieber, who was 20 at the time.

Warren Moon believes Deshaun Watson's legal woes are contributing to his recent stretch of poor play ... telling TMZ Sports, "I think a lot of his problems are mental."

The Cleveland Browns star, of course, has battled double-digit cases in courtrooms throughout the past few years ... and, just recently, he was sued once more by another woman accusing him of sexual assault.

The quarterback hasn't ever said publicly if it's all affected him on the field ... but when we talked this week to Moon -- who developed a friendship with the 29-year-old signal-caller during his time in Houston, Texas (where Warren's a legend) -- he told us it's hard to believe it's not impacting him on the field.

Kim Kardashian's meeting with some notorious inmates ... chatting prison reform with Erik and Lyle Menéndez, among others -- right after Erik blasted her colleague Ryan Murphy's show, which is all about their lives.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kim just stopped by Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego to speak to a group of around 40 inmates -- including the Menendez brothers.

She was joined by her sister Khloe Kardashian and mom Kris Jenner ... as well as film producer Scott Budnick -- and, shockingly, actor Cooper Koch who plays Erik in the new Netflix biopic series, "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."