Fairly Legal

Laken Riley -- the nursing student prosecutors claim was killed by an undocumented immigrant back in February -- may have used her phone to call 911 before she died ... and, the audio is harrowing.

Special Prosecutor Sheila Ross played the call in court in Athens, Georgia Friday ... saying it came in about 8 minutes after Riley began her morning run -- and, captures the sound of her final moments.

There's not much to hear in the actual audio ... just what sounds like heavy breathing and the sound of nature, then some thumping -- before prosecutors say someone on the other end hung up.

Artem Chigvintsev made the "Dancing with the Stars" guest list earlier this week ... but he’s got his sights set on a full-on return to the dance floor!

The dancer's attorney, Ilona Antonyan, tells TMZ ... 'DWTS' producers haven’t reached out to him about joining the line-up for next season, but he’d love to return if they’re open to it.

As we know, Artem didn’t return as a pro for Season 33, but Ilona says it’s all good -- he’s still on great terms with the show’s producers.

One of Kanye West's ex-employees is lashing out at his former boss, accusing him in a new lawsuit of antisemitism and lewd conduct with Bianca Censori ... during what were supposed to be work meetings.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Murphy Aficionado says he worked for Ye as a project manager, and claims Kanye was a nightmare boss. According to the suit, Kanye summoned him to a Beverly Hills hotel room in November 2022, and when he entered, Ye was shirtless and out of breath with his pants unbuttoned and his then-girlfriend Bianca was topless with her hands barely covering her breasts. He says it was obvious they had just had sex.

During the encounter, Ye referred to Candace Owens' former lawyer as a "Jewish spy." Then, Aficionado says, Kanye abruptly dashed toward the room where Bianca was and said, "Wait right here. Do NOT leave." He says within seconds he could hear "loud moaning and clapping" and it was apparent they were having sex again.

Four people got mauled by the criminal justice system ... after they dressed up in a bear costume and allegedly damaged several cars as part of a bizarre insurance fraud scheme in Southern California, authorities said.

Ruben Tamrazian, Ararat Chirkinian, Vahe Muradkhanyan and Alfiya Zuckerman were arrested Wednesday on charges of insurance fraud and conspiracy, but investigators didn't know which one sported the furry animal attire, according to the California Department of Insurance.

The L.A. area suspects are accused of scratching and tearing up 3 of their vehicles -- and filing bogus claims to insurance companies to collect a total of $141,839 in damages.

A filmmaker has just sued Netflix, LeBron James, the NBA star's production company and a host of others ... claiming they stole one of his scripts -- and then used it as the basis for one of their recent hit basketball movies.

Rob Grabow -- a screenwriter who directed the 2023 drama "The Year of the Dog" -- spelled out the allegations in a 25-page lawsuit ... that was filed on Thursday in a California federal court.

Grabow states he had written a script for "The Gift of the Game" -- and it was all about a Native American high schooler and his efforts to lead his basketball team to a state title.

The attorney who is representing more than 120 alleged victims against Diddy says he's setting his sights on other high-profile people who attended "Freak-Offs" -- even if they did nothing illegal.

Attorney Tony Buzbee appears in our new Tubi documentary, "TMZ Presents The Downfall of Diddy: Inside the Freak-Offs" ... and he is going full bore. Buzbee says if there were people at the freak-offs who watched people who were sexually abused after being drugged and they did nothing to stop it, they're just as guilty as the perpetrators.

That said, Buzbee tells us there are other celebrities, politicians and businesspeople in his crosshairs.

Erik and Lyle Menendez and their legal team are making a full court press for freedom at next month's hearing ... and we've learned their star witnesses are people inside the prison.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the Menendez Brothers lawyer, Mark Geragos, will call six key witnesses to the stand at their Dec. 11 resentencing hearing ... and they all work for the California Department of Corrections.

The witnesses are two correctional officers, one education officer, a prison guard, a correctional lieutenant and another employee from the Dept. of Corrections ... all of whom have crossed paths with Erik and Lyle during their three-plus decades behind bars.

Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign maybe got snubbed for a Best Rap Album Grammy for their "Vultures 1" ... but one group of Memphis rappers is claiming the dynamic duo snubbed them on credit that helped the finished product!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained legal docs Wednesday filed by Vanda Watkins, AKA Criminal Manne, Hayward Ivy, AKA producer DJ Squeeky, and the estate of late rapper Kilo G for copyright infringement regarding the "Vultures 1" track "Fuk Sumn."

The song was officially released back in March as part of Ye's comeback atop the Billboard Charts and opens up with a country rap tuned sample before the beat drops -- and the plaintiffs are alleging that's their voices Ye and his Yeezy record label team stole.

Peanut The Squirrel was marked for death even before the government raided his owner's home ... and this whole case seems even more fishy.

We tackled the subject on "TMZ Live," with Harvey and Charles explaining why some of the conspiracy theories around this case aren't as crazy as they sound.

Frankly, we don't think it makes a whole lot of sense for authorities to say they ordered a fatal rabies test for Peanut because an officer got bit by the animal during the raid ... because now we know state officials advised the county to euthanize the animals a week before the raid was launched.

Some in the office think owner Mark Longo put these animals in danger by trying to make them social media stars ... but not everyone is buying it ... and the need for a search warrant here is definitely up for debate.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

David Eason has been arrested after allegedly violating a domestic violence restraining order and trespassing on public land in North Carolina last week.

TMZ has obtained Eason’s mug shot ... showing the reality TV star unsmiling, black T-shirt on and hands held in front of him.

Eason was held on $1,000 bond ... but, it appears he's paid it and has since been released.

10:30 AM PT -- Just like we predicted, Diddy's kids got wind of Meek Mill's deflection and let's just say Justin Combs is severely disappointed in the Dreamchaser!!!

Meek Mill has officially ended an era -- by distancing himself from all things Diddy-related, and he did it with nothing but disgust in his voice!!!

Meek was out in the streets Wednesday and Hood Report gave him the open floor ... where he pounced on the opportunity to slander Diddy's name in the wake of the allegations that got him locked up!!!

"No Diddy Gang, Meek Milly in real life -- don't ever disrespect me, ya heard?" Meek growled for the cameras ... a moment that's sure to go viral.

Ray J says he's been contacted by multiple celebs who are so scared about their affiliation with Diddy ... they're going to some of the alleged victims and paying them to keep quiet.

Ray appears in TMZ's new TUBI documentary, "The Downfall of Diddy: Inside the Freak-Offs" ... and says some high-profile people are trying to cut alleged victims off at the pass, even before they make money demands.

Attorney Tony Buzbee also appears in the doc and reveals he has sent a demand letter out to various high-profile people with an ultimatum ... pay up, or face a lawsuit.

Tekashi 6ix9ine may be holed up in the same MDC tombs as Diddy but that doesn't mean they're dishing the latest music industry gossip -- we're told they're in totally separate areas!!!

Lance Lazzaro, 6ix9ine's attorney, tells TMZ Hip Hop the rumors of Diddy and 6ix9ine hanging together in prison are totally false ... we're told 6ix9ine's currently in isolation because of his notoriety, and that includes being separated from other famous people!!!

Despite the confinement, Lance assures us 6ix9ine is not happy being locked up ... but he is happy about being one step closer to going home.

Two people directly connected to Jessica Simpson have spoken with 2 divorce lawyers in the last 2 months ... specifically about Jessica's marriage to Eric Johnson ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... late last month someone close to Jessica went to a Los Angeles divorce attorney and said Jessica was unhappy in her marriage and wanted to arrange a meeting with the attorney and Simpson. We do not know if this was done at Jessica's behest, but we're told the message to the lawyer was clear. We're also told up to this point Jessica has not made contact with the lawyer.

And, we've learned someone on Jessica's team made contact with another Los Angeles divorce lawyer regarding matters that were divorce-related. Again, so far we're told there has been no follow-through.

Kristin Chenoweth is standing by her prayers for Diddy ... even though the rapper is currently in federal detention, awaiting trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

We caught up with the Broadway legend in New York City and asked her if she is still keeping Diddy in her thoughts ... given the gravity of the charges brought against him in September.

Per Kristin, she's "still praying" for Diddy ... but acknowledged the case against the Bad Boy Records founder is "really bad."

Issa Rae’s getting her fandom to hit the books -- especially since Georgia State University College of Law is now offering a whole course breaking down the business and legal side of her life.

The actress gave TMZ the scoop on "The Legal Life of Issa Rae" course, a deep dive into the behind-the-scenes magic that’s fueled her entertainment success -- and she tells us if you're curious about any part of the biz, that’s the class to sign up for.

The course also breaks down Issa’s real-world contracts, giving students a chance to study how those deals go down and what an entertainment lawyer really does -- all thanks to the institution's law professor Moraima "Mo" Ivory, who created the course.