Paparazzi

Kanye West is getting sued over a heated encounter he had with a photographer -- the one where he pulled over to snatch her phone and throw it into the street.

TMZ broke the story back in January ... as he was driving away from one of North West's basketball games with his wife, Bianca Censori, Ye stopped because he noticed several paparazzi on his tail.

According to one of the photogs, Nichol Lechmanik, Ye was angrily confronting a different paparazzo, going through the man's pockets ... and she claims she feared the rapper might have had a weapon on him.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lechmanik says she was terrified he would come after her next ... and he did. Video shows Ye approaching her as she sat in the driver's seat of her car, recording him with her phone and yelling, "You all ain't gonna run up on me like that!"

Ye told her, "If I say stop, stop with your cameras." Then he ripped her phone out of her hands and tossed it -- she says it landed in oncoming traffic.

All of this was captured on video by Lechmanik's business partner who was recording from her passenger seat ... and she says Ye walked over to that side of the car and flashed a "death stare" at them. That same day she went to the Sheriff's Department to file a report about the incident.

As we first reported, law enforcement named Ye a suspect in their battery investigation, but ultimately he was not charged.

That being said, Lechmanik says she was traumatized and humiliated ... and lost earnings because she wasn't able to go back to her J-O-B ... snapping photos of celebs.

In the weeks after their encounter, Ye started going straight to law enforcement -- as he did on Valentine's Day -- whenever photogs approached him.

Lechmanik is suing Ye for assault, battery and negligence.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are trying to put the squeeze on a photo agency that claimed their freelance paparazzi who followed the couple Tuesday night were not, as M&H claimed, "highly aggressive" and didn't cause a near-collision.

Harry and Meghan's legal team fired off a letter to the Backgrid photo agency, claiming in part they need the agency's footage of the "chase" to shore up their own security, adding ... "We hereby demand that Backgrid immediately provide us with copies of all photos, videos, and/or films taken last night by the freelance photographers after the couple left their event and over the next several hours."

Backgrid's lawyer has rejected the Sussex's demand, saying in a letter ... "In America, as I'm sure you know, property belongs to the owner of it: Third parties cannot just demand it be given to them, as perhaps Kings can do. Perhaps you should sit down with your client and advise them that his English rules of royal prerogative to demand that the citizenry hand over their property to the Crown were rejected by this country long ago. We stand by our founding fathers."

Backgrid says they had 4 photogs, 3 in cars and one on a bike, adding they "had no intention of causing any distress or harm, as their only tool was their cameras."

There's no legal basis for Backgrid to turn over its footage -- no lawsuit has been filed that would require the agency to turn over documents. Nevertheless, the demand was made.

As we reported, Harry and Meghan's team called their encounter with paps "near catastrophic," but NYPD sources say that's way overblown.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is calling out the paparazzi for tailing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in a "near catastrophic" high-speed chase ... saying the whole thing is irresponsible and dangerous.

Mayor Adams weighed in on the incident Wednesday morning during a public safety announcement about retail theft ... calling the whole thing especially reckless in NYC because of the dense population and traffic. Adams was especially pissed that two NYPD officers could have been injured -- not to mention Harry, Meghan, and innocent bystanders.

The mayor added, "It's clear that the press, paparazzi, they want to get the right shot, they want to get the right story, but public safety must always be at the forefront."

As we reported, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were involved in a dangerous high-speed chase Tuesday night. The chase lasted about two hours and, according to H&M's reps, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians, and officers. Markle's mom was also in the SUV with them before they all jumped into a taxi to get away.

Adams emphasized, "I don't think there's many of us who don't recall how his mom died" -- obviously referring to Harry's mom Princess Diana, who was killed in a '97 crash after paps chased her car in Paris.

The mayor noted that it's hard to believe paps were chasing them around at full speed for the full two hours, but regardless he says even 10 minutes is too long.

Prince Harry must have had a bone-chilling case of deja vu Tuesday night after he and Meghan Markle were followed by paparazzi in what his people are calling a "near catastrophic" car chase.

As we reported, Meghan received an award at a ceremony earlier in the evening that Harry and Meghan's mom attended, after which they left and got into an SUV followed by police. Apparently, that's when the chase was on.

A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said, "This relentless pursuit, lasting over 2 hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and 2 NYPD officers."

At some point during the chase, the SUV pulled over and the trio jumped in a New York taxi and beat a hasty retreat. It looks like the cops tried to outwit the paps by driving in a different direction than the cab.

Sources say the paparazzi were in a half-dozen blacked-out vehicles, claiming the traffic violations included driving on the sidewalk, running red lights and driving the wrong way on a one-way street.

This obviously brings back tragic memories of Harry's mom, Princess Diana, who was killed in a 1997 crash where paparazzi chased her car in Paris.

One of the searing images from the tragedy ... 12-year-old Harry and his brother, 15-year-old Prince William silently walking behind her casket.

Originally Published -- 7:37 AM PT

Sydney Sweeney seems to want to put out the fire over the Glen Powell speculation-- so, after a lot of time apart from her fiancé ... they're finally in the same frame again.

The actress stepped out with Jonathan Davino in NYC Friday night, strolling down the street side by side after she attended an Armani Beauty event earlier that day ... giving each other knowing looks here and there, but mostly remaining stoic as paps fired away.

The photos mark the first time we've seen Sydney and Jonathan together in public for a minute -- over the past several days, we've either seen one or the other ... but not the two of them in one picture. Now, they appear to be trying to send a clear message.

Here's the thing ... while they, perhaps, think this should shut down any further rumors that there's trouble in paradise -- they didn't really do a good job at looking like a happy couple.

No PDA here from what we can see ... and, more importantly, still no engagement ring on Sydney's finger -- which is a look she's been sporting a lot lately -- aka, a bare digit. However, considering Jon's still walking her longtime pet on the regular ... it's hard to make sense of what the hell is going on. Like we told you, sources say they're still engaged.

Sydney and Jonathan being together doesn't translate for Glen's sitch ... whose girlfriend dumped him last week on the heels of a lot of flirtatious behavior between the two costars.

Not only were SS and GP looking hot and compatible on set for their "hard-R" rom-com, as Glen put it, but they sure seemed simpatico off-set as well ... whether it was him dipping Syd on the couch and catching her, or on the red carpet -- where they couldn't stop smiling.

At first, it honestly felt like nothing but conjecture from fans and media alike -- but after the Glen split ... some suggested there may, in fact, be flames under all this smoke.

If Sydney wants to extinguish all this full-stop ... she may have to pucker up and plant one on Johnny there. 'Cause a non-touchy-feely date in New York probably won't cut it.

Nick Lachey has been ordered to attend anger management and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after going off on a paparazzo in Los Angeles ... TMZ has confirmed.

Nick flew off the handle last year after spotting a woman who was filming his wife and himself after a night out a Mastro's in Bev Hills. Nick was enraged and caught on camera reaching for the woman's phone.

The L.A. County D.A. tells TMZ ... Lachey was never charged with a crime ... instead, the D.A. has a diversion program where someone can avoid prosecution ... in Nick's case, he won't be charged with assault and battery if he attends AA and anger management.

The woman, Jody Santos, spoke to Daily Mail about the incident, saying, "He's had plenty of time to apologize, but instead he just figured I would go away. What he did was wrong. Attempting to bust his fist through my car window when all I was doing was taking photographs of him. He should have been thanking me for the free publicity. I mean, really. Talk about an oversized ego."

Kanye West is choosing a different, and more peaceful, way to deal with photographers ... instead of grabbing and throwing their cameras, he's taking his beef straight to law enforcement.

TMZ obtained these photos of Ye strolling into the L.A. County Sheriff's West Hollywood Station Tuesday afternoon ... and our law enforcement sources tell us he was there informing deputies he'd gotten into an argument with paparazzi.

We're told his story is ... he'd asked paps to stop recording him and his family at some point on Tuesday ... and the interaction almost turned physical, but he says it did not escalate to violence.

Ye left the station after filing the report, and we're told the Sheriff's Dept. is now looking into the matter to see if there's anything more to the alleged argument.

Johnny Depp is a man about town -- perhaps even more so now that the Amber Heard drama seems to finally be in his rear-view ... and on the horizon, maybe a new flame!

JD was seen stepping out in Italy Sunday, where he's in town to perform for the Umbria Jazz Festival alongside fellow rocker Jeff Beck. As you know ... the duo are kind of a two-man band right now -- and they've been ensconced in performance for a month-plus.

Here, we see Johnny getting out of a van on his way to rehearsals, ahead of his set -- and would you looky here ... he's got an attractive female companion tagging along for the ride.

Indeed, this mystery gal seemed to be the only one cruising with Johnny here ... handing him a bag at one point. Could just be a staffer/roadie who's working with him on tour -- or, of course, it could be a love interest ... although there isn't too much evidence to prove that.

There's no clear PDA we can see, but this woman does look to be happy to be in Johnny's presence. Everyone seems to be fascinated by who Johnny may or may not be dating these days -- first it was the Camille Vasquez speculation, which was BS, and now ... this.

In any case, it's great to see Mr. Depp is still in good spirits -- frankly, he has every reason to be. Amber's plea to have the verdict set aside was just shot down by a judge ... so if she wants one last chance to fight this thing, she'll have to appeal -- which will cost her money.

Britney Spears and Sam Asghari's honeymoon looks like more of a staycation -- at least for now -- as they spent day one of their married lives tooling around Los Angeles.

The newlyweds looked like anyone else running a bunch of errands Friday -- well, except they were doing it in a Rolls-Royce covered in flowers and a "just married" sign.

Anywho ... the couple is staying at a hotel in the L.A. area, and spent the day hitting up a grocery store and grabbing food at a burger stand in Calabasas.

The blushing bride is still doing everything she can to keep a low profile. Once she left the wedding Thursday night -- Britney's been keeping out of view, and they're even using the loading dock area at their hotel to avoid crowds.

Of course, they were aware paparazzi were around, and that's when Sam and bodyguards deployed an umbrella to shield Brit's face.

One funny moment during the day, Sam -- who's still wearing his black "Britney & Sam" tee from the wedding night -- came out of a store and decided he'd had enough of the "just married" sign. He yanked it off the Rolls and handed it to a photog.

This should erase any doubts Johnny Depp's lawyer Camille Vasquez is now a legal rock star -- after the big victory, she and her BF are getting selfie and interview requests just like the celebs she represents.

Camille and her beau Edward Owen were heading to the airport Thursday from their hotel in Virginia, and before getting into their car, she stopped to take a couple of snaps with one of her fans. Paparazzi were also firing off some questions, trying to get a response from her -- emphasis on "trying."

Mums the word on what's next for her ... same goes for her thoughts on Amber Heard's possible appeal.

Seems like she's more focused on finally getting home after a 6-week trial, and rightfully so -- she and her team won the public over throughout the long legal battle.

Of course, being out with her BF further disproves the online theory that JD and CV are an item. As we reported, sources connected to Camille told us it's nothing more than fan fiction from social media.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's extravagant wedding was definitely a picture-worthy event -- but, there's one dude who was NOT down with photo ops -- Kourt's son, Reign Disick.

Walking alongside Kim Kardashian and North West ... Kourt's 7-year-old son gave paps the ol' "no pictures" on his way to see his mom exchange vows. Evidently, the photographers didn't scatter fast enough, because Reign loudly added ... "Give us a break!"

It's hilarious ... while he's the youngest of the 3 walking to the wedding, he's the one to speak up and give the paparazzi a piece of his mind.

As you know, Sunday marked Kourtney and Travis' 3rd time tying the knot.

They went all out ... exchanging vows in front of family and friends at the seaside compound of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Portofino, Italy.

Of course, this wouldn't be the first time a little member of the Kardashian clan fired off at photogs. It's almost like Reign took a page out of his big cousin's book.

Remember ... North told off paparazzi a few years ago, while leaving the extremely popular Museum of Ice Cream.

Paparazzo Tony Vera thinks Mike Tyson isn't someone to mess with, and he'd know -- he was left a bloody mess by him back in the 2000s.

We talked to Tony at LAX Friday, the very same place he was punched by Mike all those years back ... he thinks the man that harassed Mike Wednesday got off easy in the punching power department.

Take a listen ... the guy makes some great points, wondering where the crew was when the passenger started bugging the former champ.

He tells us the memories started flooding back when he heard about what happened. As we reported back in 2009 ... Tony got hit by the boxer after getting too close to him near the ticket counter at LAX.

Police told us both parties made citizen arrests on each other, and Mike was taken away in a squad car while Tony was taken to a hospital. BTW ... Tyson was not charged with a crime but settled with Tony for an undisclosed amount.

Nick Lachey got violent toward a photographer during his night out ... reaching in her car and trying to rip the phone out of her hands.

Nick and his wife, Vanessa, went out to eat at Mastro's in Beverly Hills Sunday night ... after seeing a photog taking pics of him from her car, he made his way across the street, allegedly punching her window and calling her a "p**** mother f*****." Vanessa was yelling for her to open her car door.

After he walked away, the photographer puts her window down and asks him what's his problem, making him dart back to the car. After noticing her filming him, he quickly reaches into the car and tries to pry the phone from her hands.

Later in the night, Nick was with Vanessa and another woman, walking back to a hotel ... Nick was yelling and sticking his middle finger up to photogs as they walked by.

The photographer claimed she could smell alcohol on his breath ... a possible factor in his erratic behavior.

Sunday night showed a similar situation with celebrity violence ... as you recall, Will Smith walked on stage at the Oscars, slapping Chris Rock across the face after a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith set him off.

We reached out to Nick's rep ... so far, no word back.

Kanye West doesn't wanna argue with paparazzi anymore -- he just wants to share the wealth ... especially if they're planning on filming him in public.

Ye had a bit of a tense convo Saturday while leaving Miami after chillin' with DJ Khaled and friends -- coming face to face with a pap at the airport who tried asking him a few simple questions. Right off the bat, KW tells him he's not in the mood to be photographed.

The pap plays it cool and calm, and eventually ... Kanye tells him how he really feels about the fact that they guy's making money off the interview. And that feeling is ... fine, but let me get in on it too!!!

Check out Kanye's rationale here -- he basically says he thinks he should be able to control how his image is used, including MOTS run-ins like this. He notes that's not how the law works -- which is correct -- but insists ... he's gonna work to turn that around for celebs.

In the end, Kanye and the paps following him actually end on good terms -- with Ye meeting up GF Julia Fox ... and them going through a bit of logistical juggling on how the heck they were gonna get out of there (who's got Ye's ticket???).

Pretty interesting insight from Ye -- especially since he alludes to his alleged not-so-nice face-off with an autograph hound in L.A. -- and it's good to see he's found a more constructive way to deal with the media.

Matthew Stafford got one of his first tastes of the L.A. nightlife scene this weekend -- and there were paps, autograph seekers ... and even a fun answer about a silly tiff with his old pal, Clayton Kershaw!

It all went down Saturday night at Craig's ... where Matt -- who was just traded from Detroit to L.A. in March -- got in a night out on the town with his wife and friends.

You can see in the clip, the new Rams QB is clearly going to be VERY popular in his new city ... dude didn't even step 3 feet out of the restaurant before people wanted his John Hancock!

Of course, we were also there ... and we had to get his take on his old high school teammate, Kershaw, saying he would NOT wear Stafford's new jersey around L.A.

If you missed it, just a few weeks ago Kershaw went on the 'Dan Patrick Show' and said he's excited for Stafford's L.A. stay, but added he wouldn't be wearing Matt's Rams uni anytime soon.

But, Matt laughed that all off Saturday ... telling us he's got no beef with his friend -- explaining, "That's alright!"

Kim Kardashian says she totally understands what it's like to be Britney Spears after watching the new documentary about the singer's life ... because she went through the same intense media scrutiny when she was pregnant.

Kim just opened up on her own experience with media shaming, saying she totally empathizes with Britney after watching the "Framing Britney Spears" documentary.

For Kim, she says the hardest part was when she was pregnant with North, she recalls the media giving her a hard time over her weight gain ... and says the constant magazine covers, like the one comparing her to a whale, made her cry.

She shared a bunch of the covers, with headlines like ... "Dumped at 200 Lbs," "I'll Never Be Sexy Again," "I Can't Stop Eating," "Paid To Get Fat," "Don't Call Me Fat," "I'll Eat As Much As I Want," "Alone & Binge Eating," "Yes, I'm Fat," "Kim's Body Struggle," "You Call This Fat" and "My Butt Won't Stop Growing."

Kim says she was shamed on a weekly basis just like Britney and it really broke her spirit ... and she says no one deserves to be treated with cruelty or judgment, no matter how famous they are or how public their life is.

While KK says she eventually turned the media scrutiny into motivation, she says it still took a toll on her mental health.