'Smallville' Star Erica Durance Separates From Actor Husband
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"Smallville" star Erica Durance is leaving her Clark Kent ... because she and her husband, actor David Palffy, have split.
A rep for Erica, who played Lois Lane on the superhero TV show, tells TMZ ... "David and Erica have decided to amicably separate."
The date of separation is unclear ... ditto for the reason behind the split ... but it doesn't appear Erica or David have filed divorce docs, at least not yet.
In a joint statement, Erica and David say ... "Out of respect for our children that's all that will be conveyed at this time. Thank you in advance for your understanding as we navigate the next chapter in our lives."
The relationship has been the subject of fan speculation recently ... it's been a while since Erica's posted with David on social media, and she was spotted not wearing her wedding ring last week at the Canadian Screen Awards, all while making cryptic posts online.
Erica and David started dating way back in 2001, and in 2005 they tied the knot. They have two sons together, an 8-year-old and a 6-year-old.
Before, Erica was married to Wesley Parker from 1996 to 1999 ... but it ended in divorce.
Besides "Smallville," Erica played Dr. Alex Reid in "Saving Hope" from 2012-2017 and Alura Zor-El in "Supergirl."
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Imagine Dragons Dan Reynolds' Wife Files For Divorce
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The wife of Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds is officially divorcing him ... after the estranged couple announced their separation last year.
According to court records, Dan's wife Aja Volkman filed Tuesday in L.A., pulling the plug on a marriage that lasted over a decade. They have four kids together.
As we reported, the soon-to-be exes called it quits in September, and a couple months later Dan was linked to his new GF Minka Kelly.
We've seen them on a handful of dates since then -- from grabbing dinner to holding hands on a walk to some lunchtime PDA.
Dan's been in pretty good spirits since his split from Aja ... and not only because of Minka. We recently saw him dancing up a storm on a cruise to Mexico last month.
FYI ... Aja and Dan initially announced a split way back in 2018 but, appeared to be rekindling their relationship -- that is, until last year.
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Fox News v. Dominion Defamation Suit Settled ... Network to Pay $787 MILLION
6:13 AM PT -- A spokesperson for Fox News tells us, "We are pleased to have reached a settlement of our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems. We acknowledge the Court’s rulings finding certain claims about Dominion to be false. This settlement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, instead of the acrimony of a divisive trial, allows the country to move forward from these issues."
Fox News is cutting a nine-figure check to avoid going to trial in one of the highest-profile defamation cases in American history -- the network struck a last-minute deal with Dominion Voting Systems to settle the case.
The trial was scheduled to start Tuesday in Delaware Superior Court ... 12 jurors had been selected in the morning, but before opening statements, the judge announced the settlement from the bench.
According to Dominion lawyers, Fox will fork over $787.5 million to settle the suit.
Remember ... Dominion, a voting machine maker, was seeking $1.6 billion in damages after accusing Fox News of sullying its reputation in the wake of the 2020 election with claims of votes being taken from Donald Trump and given to Joe Biden.
The massive settlement means Fox News on-air personalities like Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Maria Bartiromo won't be called to the witness stand. Jurors would have been tasked with determining if Fox News acted maliciously in airing false statements about Dominion's voting machines.
Worth noting, Dominion is a small privately owned company that's reportedly worth less than $100 million, but it's about to be pretty flush.
Other terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
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Ralph Yarl Family Says Life in Prison Fitting For 84-Year-Old Shooter
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The family of Ralph Yarl says justice can be served by locking up the 84-year-old shooter for the rest of his days ... and forcing him to financially support the Kansas City teen's future.
Ralph's attorney Lee Merritt tells TMZ ... the Yarl family sees life in prison as the appropriate punishment for Andrew Lester, the man charged with shooting Ralph after he mistakenly rang Lester's doorbell. He also says all of Lester's assets should go into a college fund for Ralph.
On top of that, the family's calling on Missouri to implement more robust hate crime laws that could be applied in situations like Ralph's. They also want the DOJ to perform a review of the KC Police Department's to assess any possible internal racial biases in its practices, noting they don't think the department took the incident seriously enough at first.
As you know, Ralph was shot twice by Lester last week, including once in the head -- and police say Lester claims he thought Ralph was trying to break into his home. Lester surrendered to cops Tuesday, the day after he was charged with 2 felonies -- assault in the first degree and armed criminal action.
Merritt says Ralph's head injury damaged the part of his brain that handles emotions, so he's been struggling with controlling them since the ordeal.
We're also told the family's looking at the possibility of a lawsuit against Lester as well as the city ... because they had to fight so hard just to get Lester charged and arrested.
BTW -- we spoke to attorney Ben Crump, who's representing Ralph's family, about how the teenager narrowly avoided death ... and he echoed the notion that Lester's been undercharged.
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Pras Testifies For His Freedom In Federal Conspiracy Case
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Pras isn't going down without a fight in his political conspiracy case -- he took the stand Tuesday to testify in his own defense.
According to sources with direct knowledge, the former Fugees rapper's attorney called him as a witness this morning. His testimony covered several topics ... such as his background, upbringing, education history and, of course, his career as a platinum-selling musician.
Pras will likely be on the stand for the rest of day and perhaps again tomorrow as he faces 22 years behind bars for allegedly accepting around $88 million from Malaysian refugee Jho Low between 2012 and 2017.
We caught up with Pras earlier this month when the trial was heating up ... but it was unclear whether he'd actually take the stand in the case.
According to Politico, former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also took the stand Tuesday, but it doesn't sound like he shed much light on Pras' alleged activities.
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Ben Crump Ralph Yarl Surviving Shooting Is a Miracle ... Now, Can He Get Justice???
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Attorney Ben Crump says it's a true miracle Ralph Yarl is alive after the Black 16-year-old was shot in Kansas City after ringing the wrong doorbell -- but he adds, the charges against the shooter point to a larger problem in America.
Crump joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to talk all about the aftermath of 84-year-old Andrew Lester shooting Yarl in the head and near the chest-area ... after he had accidentally gone to the wrong house to pick up his younger siblings.
Ben tells us, it is a blessing Yarl survived and is in stable condition and recovering at home with his family. He adds, he hopes Ralph has a full recovery -- mentally and physically -- from all the trauma he's endured.
However, Crump was less hopeful about the shooter being held accountable. FYI, Lester was charged with 2 felonies on Monday - assault in the 1st degree and armed criminal action but he was NOT charged with attempted murder.
Crump tells us prosecutors say they charged Lester with the most they believe would result in a conviction ... meanwhile, he says Black folks are charged to the max and it's not a question about whether they would get convicted.
He also notes police questioned Lester for 20 minutes and let him go to sleep the same night -- something he calls "unbelievable". BC says we never see this happen when races are reversed.
Celebs and folks all over have rallied behind Ralph and his family ... donating to his GoFundMe and showing their support. However Ben says America has a long way to go.
Here's #Chiefs Patrick Mahomes on Ralph Yarl. pic.twitter.com/hI4VP7ME4P
— PJ Green (@PJGreenTV) April 17, 2023 @PJGreenTV
In his eyes, the country has a larger issue with using guns to handle differences. He says we shoot first and ask questions later ... whether it's police or citizens.
Tune into TMZ Live for full interview.
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Wedding Planner Mindy Weiss Sued Over Alleged Wedding Fiasco The Hora Was Hora-ble!!!
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9:36 AM PT -- Sources close to the bride and groom tell TMZ ... the couple has already filed for divorce.
Mindy Weiss, the most famous celebrity wedding planner in America, is being sued over a hoity-toity reception ... and the parents of the bride blame Mindy for botching a key Jewish tradition.
Barbara and Craig Spencer bankrolled a $2 million Aspen wedding in March 2022, for their daughter. They dropped $100k on Mindy, who's done weddings for Justin and Hailey Bieber, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Patrick and Brittany Mahomes, Russell and Nina Westbrook, Paris Hilton and Carter Reum, as well as lots of Kardashian shindigs.
They say Mindy was overbooked and ill-prepared to pull off their lavish affair. They're also upset that the wedding was originally budgeted for $1 million, but Mindy ended up telling them shortly before the event that the cost had ballooned to double that. They hired a 12-piece band but the sound system sucked, and the father-daughter dance was barely audible. They tick off a number of problems that ticked them off ... notably, the ceremony started so late, the gondola that took guests to the venue only ran up to a certain hour and not everyone made it.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
They hired Nelly to perform at the reception, but due to the delays, his performance had to be cut short.
But it seems the biggest thing that rankled them involved a tradition at most Jewish weddings -- a dance called the Hora. It's when the guests at the wedding hoist up the bride, groom and parents who are sitting in chairs and bob them around to traditional Jewish music.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
According to the lawsuit, Mindy was warned the chairs in the reception room were much too heavy and that she should go with lighter chairs. Apparently, that didn't happen and as a result, the Hora dance was very brief and the father of the bride didn't get a ride!
Mindy's being sued for more than a million bucks. We reached out to Mindy ... she had no comment.
Mazel Tov to the bride and groom?
Originally Published -- 8:00 AM PT
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Shanquella Robinson's Family Shocked No Charges in Cabo Death ... Lawsuit Not Off the Table
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U.S. law enforcement's decision not to charge anyone in the death of Shanquella Robinson has her family outraged -- but they're not ruling out a lawsuit to seek justice in civil court.
TMZ spoke to the late North Carolinian's mother and sister -- Sallamondra and Quella, respectively -- who told us how they're feeling in the wake of last week's news that U.S. officials are closing the book on this case without holding anyone accountable.
As you can imagine, they're devastated, but, more than anything, they're confused ... as results of different investigations -- both here and in Mexico -- are vastly different.
As you might have heard ... there were 2 autopsies done after Shanquella died this past fall near Cabo San Lucas. The initial one was conducted by Mexican officials almost immediately after she was pronounced dead and, reportedly, her cause of death was "severe spinal cord injury" and instability of her vertebrae ... suggesting she'd suffered trauma.
Considering there's a widely-circulated video showing Shanquella taking a beating from a woman she was vacationing with at the time. Her family thinks it's a no-brainer to connect the dots and assume one thing might've caused the other -- namely, that the attack might've played a part in their loved one's death. Apparently, U.S. investigators felt differently.
Shanquella's family says the feds did their own autopsy -- once her body was embalmed and shipped -- and conceded there was swelling in her brain, but ultimately determined an official cause of death was inconclusive.
The fact the feds seem to be relying on their autopsy findings -- which are undoubtedly less accurate than the more timely Mexican one -- is a discrepancy that has yet to be properly explained ... according to the family's attorney, Sue-Ann Robinson (no relation).
Sue-Ann tells us justice wasn't done, because, she believes, U.S. prosecutors punted. She also says the family isn't giving up and will continue to seek ways to pursue criminal charges.
Sue-Ann says the family will keep pressuring elected officials -- including President Biden -- to do the right thing and force the U.S. Attorney's Office's hand in taking action ... as that appears to be the only thing they can do to reopen Shanquella's case, criminally. We're told the family was offered the option to exhume her body for a third opinion, which is still an option.
Of course, there's also the possibility of civil legal action ... something the family tells us they are absolutely considering. Fact is, they personally know the friends who vacationed with Shanquella, and they believe some of them know more than they've revealed.
In other words, they might not be out of the woods just yet.
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Young Thug Attorney Calls 🧢 On Judge In Court ... 'Had to Let 'Em Know!!!'
Justin Hill, an attorney for Young Thug's YSL camp, has some serious cojones -- not only did he disagree with the judge in their RICO case, but he blatantly called "cap" on him in open court!!!
Hill was in court Monday when he was accused by Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville of not making a formal assertion before court started.
The lawyer during the YSL trial said, "cap". 😕😂pic.twitter.com/L4q2nNreqe
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) April 17, 2023 @GAFollowers
Although it was deemed a moot point, Hill stood his ground and basically told the judge he's an honorable fibber as the case proceeded.
Outside the courtroom, Hill, who represents YSL member Damone Blalock aka Bali, doubled down on his choice of words. He told reporter George Chidi he felt misrepresented during the proceedings, and using the word "cap" perfectly defined the moment.
A short conversation about Young Thug and attorney Justin Hill, and calling cap on the DA in court. pic.twitter.com/5xUfZgjTrI
— George Chidi (find me on Mastodon) (@neonflag) April 17, 2023 @neonflag
Thugger's RICO case has been filled with unpredictable hijinks -- back in January, one of his codefendants attempted to pass him drugs as court was ongoing and several others, including Gunna, have since taken plea deals.
On Monday, Judge Glanville had to scold another attorney on Thug's side ... after he failed to buy lunch for his colleagues as ordered back in March.
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Joan Cusack Ticketed After Chicago Car Wreck ... Allegedly Going Too Fast
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Joan Cusack got written up by cops in Chicago this weekend after she slammed into another car ... this after allegedly peeling out of her place of business.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that the actress -- who's John Cusack's older sister, and who runs a tchotchke shop there in Chi-Town -- was issued a citation Saturday after an accident unfolded that police apparently felt Joan had caused.
We're told the ticket was for driving too fast for the conditions -- although it's unclear exactly what that means. What we do know is that the aftermath was caught on camera.
Based on this video, obtained by TMZ, you can see four young women being attended to by first responders alongside their Honda -- which definitely looks dinged up -- and Joan standing by next to her pickup truck ... looking pretty annoyed by the whole thing.
The people who shot this seem to think they know what happened ... essentially, it looks like a T-bone collision -- but, again, we don't know for certain how this went down. The cops are saying that Joan was simply trying to enter a parking space when she struck a sedan.
Chicago PD doesn't offer much more of a description beyond that. The only other observation was that there weren't any serious injuries, and that Joan was the one who got dinged, legally.
We've reached out to her camp for comment ... so far, no word back.
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Nashville Walgreens Worker Shoots Pregnant Woman ... Claims She Was Shoplifting
A pregnant woman was shot at a Walgreens after one of the workers claims to have chased her into the lot following alleged shoplifting ... which then spurred a premature delivery.
Per local reports, cops say 21-year-old Mitarius Boyd -- who's reported to have been working as the team lead on Wednesday when this horrific incident unfolded -- shot 34-year-old Travonsha Ferguson while trying to stop what he says was an active theft in progress.
Pregnant woman shot by Walgreens employee in East Nashville https://t.co/d6Vm60O55I
— WKRN News 2 (@WKRN) April 13, 2023 @WKRN
Boyd reportedly told investigators that he fired his weapon at both Ferguson and another woman she was with after pursuing them to their car ... where he claims they were trying to unload a bunch of stuff they'd allegedly just jacked from inside the Walgreens.
According to him, he felt his life was in danger when one of the women started to spray him with mace -- as he says he didn't know if they had a dangerous weapon on them. In other words, he's claiming self-defense here ... and has not been arrested at this point.
A woman who was shot during the altercation was pregnant and had to have an emergency C-Section operation.
— NewsChannel 5 (@NC5) April 14, 2023 @NC5
The District Attorney's office will determine if the store employee will face charges after MNPD investigates the incident.https://t.co/OzQ32WtSS8
Cops say Ferguson -- who's reported to have been 7 months pregnant -- was hit 8 times ... twice in each leg and four times in the stomach. She and her friend made it into the car after the gun went off, and the friend is said to have dropped her off at the ER on her own.
Doctors attended to her immediately, and she underwent 3 surgeries. During those procedures, reports say an emergency C-section was done to take out the baby ... who was miraculously not hit during all this. Both she and her child are now in critical condition.
As a store employee he had no right to chase her. pic.twitter.com/gtbOaO3dDW
— Shea (@nichpic) April 15, 2023 @nichpic
The case is under investigation, and the D.A. is reviewing the Walgreens employee's claim -- namely, that he had to shoot in order to protect himself from imminent danger.
As you can imagine, this has gotten a big reaction online -- especially from those citing Walgreens' well-known "no chase" policy ... in which workers aren't supposed to go after suspected shoplifters. Walgreens doesn't appear to have commented on the situation yet.
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'Dallas' Star Victoria Principal Malibu Home Compromised By Trespassers
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Victoria Principal's private home became an unwanted open house this week -- courtesy of a couple of alleged trespassers who claimed they saw the place was for sale online and were told they could take a tour ... this according to law enforcement.
Cops say officers were called to the "Dallas" star's Malibu property Monday after a man and woman were spotted by security on surveillance cameras breaking through a gate and wandering onto the grounds.
Our sources say Principal's security lost sight of the pair, which made them think they might've broken into the home -- so we're told the call was upgraded to a possible burglary.
When cops arrived, they found the couple ... and cops say their explanation to officers was that they thought the crib was for sale -- claiming they'd seen an ad for it online and thought they'd pay the place a visit in person for a closer look.
We're told they even showed cops something they said was proof of a conversation between the couple and an unknown person on Craigslist trying to sell the home ... even giving instructions on how to get in.
Principal -- who wasn't home -- was contacted ... and our sources say she denied the house was for sale and insisted the couple had no business being there. We're told only one of them ended up being cited for vandalism ... and that they were released without incident.
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Cash App Founder Argument About Suspect's Sister Led to Stabbing ... Prosecutors Say
The argument between Cash App founder Bob Lee and the man accused of stabbing him to death allegedly centered around the suspect's sister ... according to prosecutors.
In court docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors say Lee and Tech start-up owner Nima Momeni had a spat before the stabbing ... and a witness says it was about whether Momeni's sister, Khazar, was doing drugs or anything inappropriate.
Prosecutors say the witness claims Lee tried to talk Momeni down and reassure him about Khazar. According to the witness that convo happened at some point in the afternoon or evening of April 3.
From there, investigators have pieced together the events leading up to Bob's death using videos. According to the docs, Bob left his apartment at 12:31 AM on April 4 ... and took an 8-minute walk to Khazar's apartment. Around 2 AM, Nima shows up at Khazar's apartment, and, a few minutes later, he and Bob leave together in Nima's car and drive to a secluded area.
When they get out of the car, Nima allegedly uses a kitchen knife to stab Bob 3 times ... once directly in the heart. Again, prosecutors say they have video of the stabbing. As we've reported, surveillance video -- obtained by Daily Mail -- shows Bob at 2:35 AM, injured and bleeding and desperately looking for help.
The docs say Khazar even texted Lee after the argument, making sure he was ok -- writing "Nima came wayyyyyy down hard on you."
She added, "Thank you for being such a classy man handling it with class Love you Selfish pricks."
As we reported, Momeni was arrested Thursday for the murder of Lee ... and it turns out Momeni has a history of arrests -- including a DUI in 2004 and illegal possession of a switchblade in 2011.
Cops said Thursday they searched Khazar's upscale apartment as part of their investigation -- which was just down the street from a hotel where Lee was staying.
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Cash App Founder Alleged Killer Arrested Before ... For Illegal Knife & More
8:26 AM PT -- According to charging docs, Momeni had a 5 1/4" butterfly knife in the center console of his car. He told cops it belonged to him.
The man charged with fatally stabbing Cash App founder Bob Lee has a history of brushes with the law, and was once arrested for illegal possession of a knife, according to court docs obtained by TMZ.
Nima Momeni was busted Thursday for the April 4 murder of Lee, which cops say happened after they got into a heated argument while driving in Momeni’s car in San Francisco. Cops say the men knew each other, although no motive's been disclosed yet.
Momeni, the owner of a Tech start-up company called ExpandIT, was previously arrested in 2011 for allegedly carrying a switchblade, again while driving in his car.
Momeni ended up pleading no contest to driving on a suspended license in exchange for a dismissal of the knife charge.
In a separate incident from 2004, Momeni was arrested for DUI.
In the less violent/criminal department ... Momeni's also, apparently, a liar.
On his LinkedIn page, he claims he attended UC Berkeley, but a University spokesperson denies that, asserting the alleged killer never attended the prestigious school.
Momeni is scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon for Lee's murder.
Originally Published -- 6:57 AM PT
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Texas Justice Man Gets 70 Years for Spitting at Cops!!!
Everything really is bigger in Texas ... including prison sentences, because a man is potentially going to spend the rest of his life behind bars for spitting at police officers during his arrest.
A Lubbock jury handed down the headline-grabbing punishment Wednesday for 36-year-old Larry Pearson ... who was found guilty of 2 counts of harassment of a public servant.
Prosecutors say Pearson spit at 2 Lubbock PD officers who arrested him in May 2022 on domestic violence charges after a woman told cops Pearson hit her in the face.
According to prosecutors, Pearson was upset the alleged victim was not arrested instead, and started kicking at the doors in the cop car where he was being held ... and he spit at the officers when they opened the car door.
Prosecutors say the spitting didn't end there ... claiming Pearson kept hocking loogies upon arrival at the Lubbock County Detention Center.
During the trial's closing arguments, prosecutor Jessica Gorman asked jurors to consider a sentence that would "send a message" to not only Pearson, but also society ... and he ended up getting 70 years.
Pearson also had prior convictions for family violence and aggravated robbery, and, as a result, the minimum sentence the jury could impose was 25 years.
The guy's no angel, for sure, but there's a huge gap between 25 and 70 years! And, for a crime like spitting ... that seems extreme. Even in Texas.
Meanwhile, Pearson's defense attorney Jim Shaw pushed for a lighter sentence, telling jurors this case was about a "simple misdemeanor" that spiraled "out of control."
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ONLYFANS MODEL COURTNEY CLENNEY SLAIN BF'S FAMILY SUES FOR FUNERAL EXPENSES ... Her Attorney Pushes Back
5:28 PM PT -- Courtney Clenney's lawyer, Frank Prieto, tells TMZ ... "Courtney will defend this civil matter as vigorously as the pending criminal case. It is important to note that the Plaintiff (Estate of Obumseli) filed suit against the security company, building management company, and the owner's of the apartment that Courtney rented."
"The Estate is seeking wrongful death damages in hopes of getting a huge payout because these companies have very high limits on their insurance policies. Courtney has no assets that the Estate can collect on."
Prieto adds ... "Courtney was a victim of domestic violence and her actions the evening of April 3, 2022 were taken to save her life. Once she is vindicated in the criminal matter, the civil case will also fall apart."
Courtney Clenney, the OnlyFans model accused of murdering Christian Obusmeli, is being dragged to court by her slain boyfriend's family ... they want her to pay for his funeral.
According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Christian's estate is suing Courtney and others for negligence related to his brutal stabbing death.
In the docs, the estate says it racked up a ton of expenses for Christian's medical care and funeral arrangements ... and they want Courtney to help foot the bill.
What's more, the estate is demanding damages from Courtney to cover past and future mental pain and suffering for Christian's family ... plus past and future loss of his future support and services to his fam.
Remember ... Courtney is charged with second-degree murder for Christian's April 2022 stabbing death.
She was arrested 4 months after the fatal incident, and while she admits stabbing him ... she claims it was done in self-defense.
All along, Christian's family has believed Courtney killed him in cold blood ... and the family has previously told us they hope she's convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
We reached out to Courtney's camp about the lawsuit ... so far, no word back.
Originally Published -- 10:45 AM PT