TMZ.com

The 3 men found guilty of Ahmaud Arbery's murder are getting rejected by a federal judge ... who's affirmed their convictions for federal hate crimes.

Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddy" Bryan had filed motions to set aside the jury's guilty verdict, but on Thursday a federal judge told them there was "more than sufficient evidence" to nail them for the 2020 murder of Ahmaud.

Their federal convictions -- which came down in February -- were for killing Ahmaud based on his race and kidnapping. In denying their motion the judge relied on social media posts from the defendants that negatively compared Black people to white people, generally.

Specifically, the judge pointed out Gregory McMichael had posted, "all these blacks are nothing but trouble; I wish they would all die."  ... and made disparaging comments about a Black tenant.

The U.S. Department of Justice just made a significant move in the investigation into the police raid that resulted in the killing of Breonna Taylor ... charging several officers involved that day and in the events leading up.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced charges Thursday against four former and current Lousiville cops. Charges include unconstitutional use of force, unlawful conspiracies, civil rights offenses and others.

Brett Hankison, a former detective is said to have "willfully used unconstitutionally excessive force ... when he fired his service weapon into Taylor's apartment through a covered window and covered glass door."

Ex-Detective Joshua Jaynes, and Detective Kelly Goodlett and Sergeant Kyle Meany were charged with submitting a false affidavit to search Breonna's apartment and then allegedly put together a "false cover story in an attempt to escape responsibility for their roles in preparing the warrant affidavit that contained false information."

It was back in March 2020 when officers stormed Breonna's apartment in a forced-entry, shooting and killing the emergency room technician.

Chuck E. Cheese has a hot mess on its hands -- and no, we're not talking about its pizza ... it's a possible lawsuit from the mom of the child who was snubbed by their mascot.

Naney D. Muhammad is the mother of the young Black girl who recently got the cold shoulder at a CEC in New Jersey -- and she tells TMZ ... yes, she's preparing to take legal action against the pizza chain for what she considers overt and blatant racist behavior.

Nancy says she's noticed a pattern of this sort of thing at amusement parks and indoor play areas for children -- and finds it heartbreaking she and her daughter were on the receiving end of it at Chuck E. Cheese.

She tells us CEC corporate fired off a standard statement she feels is empty and void of an apology ... and, as a result, says she's consulting with her lawyer for next steps so justice can be achieved. In her eyes, no kid should be made to feel how hers did that day.

Of course, this might just be the latest in what could become several lawsuits -- we've already seen things like this happen at Sesame Place. One class action lawsuit's already been filed against that Pennsylvania theme park.

"Selling Sunset" star Heather Rae Young is going after a strip club she says used her image to promote NFL viewing parties ... and now, she wants them to pay.

Heather and two other women just filed legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- claiming Platinum West and Platinum Plus Gentlemen's clubs in SC and PA, respectively, plastered their images on promo posters to get patrons into the club.

In the docs, Heather includes the flyer she says Platinum West used with her image for Sunday and Monday night football events ... with the phrase, "Cheerleaders for Every Fan."

Heather says she never had any sort of agreement, or communications at all with Platinum ... and to use her image to allure guests is plain old false advertising. Not only that, Heather claims the club is defaming her by making it appear she works there as a stripper.

As for the two other women -- Amber Lancaster and Jaime Edmondson Longoria -- suing the club ... Lancaster works on "The Price is Right" and was previously crowned Miss Washington Teen USA, Longoria has worked for Playboy and as a Dolphins cheerleader ... and is married to SF Giants All-Star Evan Longoria.

Jerry Harris, star of Netflix's "Cheer," is getting a new routine ... and TMZ has a glimpse into his life in federal lockdown.

Jerry is about a month into his 12-year prison sentence in his child pornography case. He was recently transferred to a federal prison in Oklahoma City, where his daily life will be a huge culture shock.

Jerry's going to need to find a new way to stay active, because the only fitness opportunities are basketball, handball, walking and lifting weights.

Other ways to pass the time include hobby craft programs, board and card games, group discussion, letter writing and TV viewing ... but the inmates don't get to pick what's on the tube.

Jerry's got a new bedtime too ... lights go out at 11:30 PM on weekdays and 1 AM on weekends ... but there's no sleeping in ... he's gotta be dressed and out of his cell by 6 AM.

It's unlikely Jerry will make many friends on the inside ... guys who plead guilty to child porn aren't exactly welcomed by other inmates ... but he can see visitors on weekends and federal holidays.

Jerry's also hanging up the cheer uniform for standard prison garb, which he's got to wear from 6 AM to 4 PM during the week.

Outside those hours, he can wear clothes purchased through approved channels. Oh and he's getting a new barber too, one of his fellow inmates.

Alex Jones is having a rough go as he sits through a defamation trial brought by Sandy Hook parents -- including this cringe-worthy moment ... where he was caught in a lie.

The InfoWars founder/host was on the stand Wednesday getting grilled, where an attorney repping the parents who are suing Jones confronted him with his own text messages pertaining to the case -- of which he'd previously denied having.

You gotta watch this play out ... because it's pretty embarrassing for AJ. The Sandy Hook lawyer says Jones' legal team actually sent the stuff over to him ... seemingly by mistake.

Jones makes a wisecrack, saying the Sandy Hook attorney was having a "Perry Mason moment" ... but was then asked if he knew what perjury was, because the SH lawyer thought he was venturing into consequential waters with his testimony and prior statements.

There's been a lot of other standout moments in the trial thus far, including the judge chastising Jones for a number of things, like lying ... and even chewing gum. Safe to say, it's not looking great for him right now.

As for why he's being sued ... Jones is accused of spreading conspiracy theories about the 2012 massacre -- suggesting it was all a hoax, and that there were "crisis actors" playing the parts of parents -- even going so far as to say that the bodies of the children were staged.

The driver who killed Nicki Minaj's father, Robert Maraj, in a hit-and-run was just sentenced to time behind bars.

Charles Polevich was ordered to serve 1 year in jail Wednesday after pleading guilty to two felony charges -- leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and tampering with physical evidence. On top of that, his driver's license will be suspended for 6 months and he'll pay a $5,000 fine.

Polevich was facing up to 7 years behind bars, but Judge Howard Sturim followed through with a commitment to sentence him to no more than one year in jail.

TMZ broke the story ... Nicki's dad died at the age of 64 after being struck in a hit-and-run accident back in February 2021 while he was walking on Long Island.

At the time, cops said the driver fled the scene and tried to hide the car in a detached garage at his place. Robert was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and died from his injuries.

Actress Edie McClurg has been victimized by a self-described longtime friend, who attempted to take her out of state and marry her, despite the fact that she suffers from dementia ... this according to new legal docs.

The docs, obtained by TMZ, state a man named Michael L. Ramos has been living at Edie's L.A. home as the 76-year-old actress battles dementia. According to the docs, Ramos, who is unemployed, has 'finagled' his way into Edie's life and attempted to move her out of California in order to marry her, despite knowing she lacked mental capacity.

Edie, who is under a conservatorship, got protection from a judge -- according to the new docs -- who ordered Ramos to stand down on his alleged marriage plan.

The docs go on to say, Ramos allegedly sexually assaulted Edie's caregiver, and a police report has already been filed with the LAPD.

The docs note Edie and Ramos have never been romantically involved, but the caregiver is fearful he may have been sexually assaulting Edie and -- given her condition -- she may not even realize what was happening.

The judge in the conservatorship case had allowed Ramos to live in Edie's home to provide her with companionship, but the lawyer for the conservatorship is now asking for an order to remove him.

TMZ broke the story ... Edie's family went to court back in 2019 to ask for the conservatorship, claiming she'd been living with a male companion who was verbally abusive and tried to influence the handling of her estate by getting her to sign documents.

Edie has been a staple in Hollywood, appearing in show like "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," and has done voiceover work in movies like "The Little Mermaid," "A Bug's Life," "Cars" and "The Rugrats Movie."

Thomas Markle is out for revenge -- vowing he'd kill a tabloid owner who he feels wronged him -- and now the man wants a court to step in and force protection.

Jeff Rayner -- co-owner of tabloid and news agency Coleman-Rayner -- says he's scared of what Markle might do ... this after Meghan's father allegedly threatened Rayner in a recent book.

According to the restraining order, obtained by TMZ, Markle is quoted as saying, "I got screwed by Rayner and I'm going to find a way to screw him over before I die. I want to tear him down. If they tell me I've got terminal cancer, then I'll kill him because I have nothing to lose."

The book in question is Tom Boyer's "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between The Windsors."

In the docs, Rayner says, "Since he is 78 years old I anticipate he will use a gun or other weapon" to carry out a possible attack. The tabloid honcho says the thought of Markle getting revenge has caused him anxiety and stress during his daily life.

"Twilight" star Cam Gigandet is in the twilight of his relationship ... because his wife just filed for divorce.

Cam's wife, Dominique Nicole Geisendorff, beelined it to court Monday and filed divorce docs after 13 years of marriage.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Dominique lists the date of separation as May 1 and she's citing the usual irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

Cam and Dominique got married back in November 2008 and they have 3 minor children together ... 13-year-old Everleigh, 9-year-old Rekker and 6-year-old Armie. Dominique is seeking joint legal and physical custody of the kids.

Dev Patel sprung into action when cameras weren't rolling -- stopping a knife fight between a man and woman down in Australia ... but apparently not wanting credit for his heroic deed.

The English actor -- famous for roles in 'Slumdog Millionaire,' 'Lion,' 'The Green Knight,' etc. -- was involved in a skirmish Monday in the city of Adelaide, where he currently resides. According to 7News, DP threw himself between a couple who were going at it.

Witnesses say this guy and gal had been arguing at a service station/convenience store, and were getting so heated that others tried stepping in to break them apart -- but they kept at it.

The woman allegedly then stabbed the man in the chest with a knife, and it's at this point that Dev was reportedly in the mix. It seems whatever he did to separate them helped keep a bad situation from getting worse -- and he stayed on the scene afterward to talk to cops.

The man was taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, so it seems he's okay. The woman, meanwhile, was arrested. Now, Dev should be taking all the pats on the back he can get right now, he doesn't seem to want much acknowledgment for what he did here.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard each wanted to seriously paint the other in a bad light -- worse even than we saw at trial ... with even more damning claims surfacing post-verdict.

A treasure trove of court docs has been unsealed, and according to multiple outlets ... they contain mountains of unheard evidence that ultimately didn't make it in front of the jury -- forming salacious allegations about each party that hadn't been known until now.

Some of the more noteworthy ones include a claim from Team Johnny that Amber allegedly worked as a stripper and escort at some point early in her career -- something his lawyers apparently wanted to present at trial, but were shot down in the end by Judge Azcarate.

There's also reportedly mention of a reality show Amber's sister, Whitney, shot once upon a time which contained what Team Johnny seems to have thought was some harmful info about Amber -- also having to do with her past -- but the judge wouldn't let that in either.

As for Team Amber ... her lawyers wanted to enter Marilyn Manson texts between Johnny and him that they felt showed him giving pointers to his pal about how to deal with an "amber type scenario" of his own ...  and even seeking refuge with Johnny in 2016 amid relationship problems he was dealing with that seemed to be teetering into legal territory.

One text from MM to JD around that time reportedly read, "I got a serious police amber type scenarios with L’s family. I’m f**king stressing. I don’t know if you are back but I need asylum somewhere because I think the cops might be headed my way." This is in reference to someone named Lindsay, whom Manson said had pulled something similar to Amber and who he called "amber 2.0" ... to which Johnny responded with acknowledgment and support.

There's more evidence AH wanted entered about how Johnny's 'Pirates 5' days were worse than previously thought -- and how Disney was supposedly fuming about his behavior throughout production. She also wanted to mention other cases he was dealing with -- including his assault lawsuit, which he recently settled ... all of which were omitted.

As we all know, the evidence presented was pretty focused and specific to Johnny's specific defamation claims, and Amber's own as well. We got an earful from just that alone, but if any of this other stuff had been permitted ... the case probably would've lasted way longer.

Amber Heard is leaving the desert -- at least the Southern California part of it, anyway -- as she just offloaded her secluded home for quite a bundle ... TMZ has learned.

The Yucca Valley home that was long rumored to belong to AH since the trial earlier this year was recently sold for $1,050,000, with a closing date of July 18 ... this according to Zillow property records. The crib had been purchased in 2019 through an anonymous trust that reportedly has ties to Amber ... getting quietly snapped at the time for just over $570k.

Well, the speculation is over ... TMZ got a hold of the new owner of this pad, and he tells us yes -- he'd, in fact, been dealing with Amber's people on this deal, but never Amber herself.

With the parcel having changed hands, Amber walks away here with almost double what she paid for it 3 years ago ... a rough profit of about $480k, which is nothing to sneeze at. She'd bought it pre-pandemic, and since then -- property values have mostly gone up.

Of course, things are supposedly tight for her ... especially with this $8.3M judgment to benefit Johnny looming, even though she's trying to appeal it, officially. Her attorneys said she can't afford to pay it ... but, frankly, her financial sitch is ill-defined these days.

Shakira will do more than 8 years in a Spanish prison ... if prosecutors get their way.

Prosecutors in Spain said Friday ... if a jury convicts the "Hips Don't Lie" singer for bilking the government out of $15 million in taxes, they'll ask the judge to throw the book at her -- 8 years and 2 months behind bars.

Shakira is being prosecuted for tax fraud ... accused of paying zippo in taxes between 2012 - 2014, during which she allegedly spent more than half the year in the country.

A rep for the singer told People, “Shakira has always cooperated and abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer, and faithfully following the counsel of PriceWaterhouse Coopers, a prestigious and globally recognized tax firm.”

They continue, “Unfortunately, the Spanish Tax Office, which loses one out of every two lawsuits with its taxpayers, continues to violate her rights and pursue yet another baseless case. Shakira is confident that her innocence will be proven by the end of the judicial process.”

Authorities are out for blood ... in addition to prison time, they want her to cough up $15 mil in unpaid taxes, plus a whopping $24 mil in fines.

Shakira's reps say this is just pure vindictiveness ... a violation of her basic rights. They say the singer has already paid what she owes in taxes, plus $3 million in interest. The way her reps see it, Shakira has fully "abided by the law, demonstrating impeccable conduct as an individual and a taxpayer."

She apparently was offered a settlement from prosecutors this week but turned it down. It's unclear the terms of the proposed settlement. Instead, Shakira elected to take her chances at trial.

"Bridgerton" is once again a smash hit, but this time Netflix is pissed ... because it says two musicians ripped off their TV series, turned it into a stage production and turned a huge profit.

The streaming giant is going after the duo Barlow & Bear for  "The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album Live in Concert" -- a musical production they performed to a sold-out Kennedy Center earlier this week.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Netflix says the production's opening number, "Tis the Season" is nearly identical to the one they used to introduce the show's main characters and setting. Netflix says Barlow & Bear even ripped off "substantial dialogue verbatim" from the TV show.

According to Netflix, the musicians didn't just steal its intellectual property ... but they also lied about getting permission. In the suit, Netflix includes an advertisement that was posted for the stage production and it includes the text, "BRIDGERTON is a trademark of Netflix used with permission."

Nope. Not according to Netflix, which says it actually "vigorously objected" to Barlow & Bear's use of the show's name, characters and dialogue.

Netflix says the duo has plans to take the musical on the road with a performance in London's iconic Royal Albert Hall -- and they're also selling "Bridgerton" themed merch.

Besides ripping off its TV show, Netflix says Barlow & Bear's pirate operation is competing with its "Bridgerton Experience" ... a 6-city event where fans pay to enjoy an "immersive" night in a ballroom with actors and music inspired by their show.

Bob Dylan's sex abuse accuser is now singing a different tune -- she's dropped the lawsuit in which she claimed he had molested her back in 1965 when she was only 12.

As we reported back in August, the woman, identified only as J.C., filed a federal suit in Manhattan alleging Dylan plied her with drugs and alcohol, then escorted her to his Chelsea Hotel apartment and had sex with her while she was underage. She also accused Dylan of a pattern of abuse ... saying he used threats of violence to get what he wanted.

But, her allegations went out the window Thursday when she abruptly withdrew the suit after recently firing her lawyers.

Dylan's attorney, Orin Snyder, took a victory lap, telling TMZ ... "This case is over. It is outrageous that it was ever brought in the first place. We are pleased that the plaintiff has dropped this lawyer-driven sham and that the case has been dismissed with prejudice."

In a letter filed with the court Wednesday, Snyder attacked the accuser's credibility ... highlighting that she erased key text messages.