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'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed allegedly ditched a bag of cocaine, handing it off to another person in the hours after Halyna Hutchins was killed ... this according to prosecutors.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors claim to have a witness who says Gutierrez-Reed transferred a "small bag of cocaine" to them on October 21, 2021 ... after she sat through an interview with police following Hutchins' on-set death.

They say the alleged handoff demonstrates that Reed was trying to avoid prosecution and hide evidence that would further implicate her involvement in the fatal shooting.

Prosecutors say the witness had concerns about coming forward ... telling them, "I will never be able to work in the film industry again." Prosecutors are now asking for a protective order, keeping the person off any publicly-available witness lists and barring Gutierrez-Reed's camp from releasing the witness' identity.

As we reported, Gutierrez-Reed's been charged with tampering with evidence in relation to the alleged passed-off cocaine.

Kevin Spacey was a 'sexual bully,' according to prosecutors in his sexual assault trial.

Spacey's trial began Wednesday in London, and prosecutors laid out their allegations, including one where a man claims he passed out while drinking and smoking with Spacey, only to wake up hours later with Spacey allegedly on his knees, performing oral sex on him.

They also say one of Spacey's drivers complained about him being very "touchy-feely" while sitting in the passenger seat.

The driver claimed Spacey got more inappropriate over time, touching his leg and rubbing his neck and eventually groping him "in an aggressive way."

The jury was also told Spacey allegedly manhandled a man backstage at the Haymarket Theater in the West End ... adding he was grabbed "with such force it was painful."

Spacey has denied committing any of the 12 sexual assaults with which he's charged involving 4 men.

Kevin Costner's estranged wife is getting out of Dodge amid a swirl of allegations and counter-allegations in her bitter divorce ... and she's taking 2 of their kids with her.

Christine Baumgartner flew out of LAX Thursday, getting dropped off at the airport by a car service and walking into the terminal with a cup of coffee and some luggage.

It looks like the July 4th holiday weekend is coming at the right time for Christine ... the past two months have been rife with divorce drama, and now she's fighting Kevin over money and a place to live, among other things.

This has gotta be a quick trip ... she's got to be back in Santa Barbara Wednesday for a big court hearing, where Christine will contest the prenup.

TMZ broke the story ... Christine wants $248,000 a month in child support, but Kevin's accountant says those expenses include more than $100k for her own plastic surgery, in addition to boutique shopping, ATM withdrawals and more.

Travis Scott is in the crosshairs of a Texas grand jury ... facing possible criminal prosecution for the deadly Astroworld tragedy.

The rapper's lawyer, Kent Schaffer, tells TMZ ... the Harris County Grand Jury is meeting now, to decide whether his client should be prosecuted for continuing to perform at the 2021 festival as thousands of people in the crowd stampeded ... causing 10 people to die and an untold number injured.

Travis' attorney tells us the rapper will NOT be testifying and his team remains hopeful the jurors will agree Travis did not commit any crime.

Travis has maintained from the beginning he had no idea there was a stampede and points to the fact many police officers in the crowd who were responsible for the safety of the fans were clueless as well. In fact, you see in the videos some cops dancing as Travis performs.

The deadly concert sparked a number of civil lawsuits against Travis and the festival's organizers ... but he has never been criminally charged.

We reached out to the Harris County District Attorney's Office ... and they declined to comment.

Kevin Costner's estranged wife says she will pack up and move out of their home under one condition ... he's got to pony up more dough.

According to new legal docs, obtained by RadarOnline.com, Christine Baumgartner says she will move out of the beachfront home in Carpinteria, CA on August 31 ... as long as Kevin provides financial support as determined by the court.

Christine claims Kevin wants her to find a new place to live ASAP without a financial plan in place ... and with three kids, she says it's not in their best interests for her to move into a new place until she knows how much money she's going to be getting from Kevin.

Remember ... Kevin says Christine has so far refused to move out of the home he insists he owns, and he says their prenuptial agreement makes it clear Christine had 30 days to vacate the home when she filed for divorce on May 1, a deadline she's already missed.

Kevin, as we've reported, already says he's shelled out $1 million for Christine to find a new place to live ... and he's been asking the court to get her out of the home, claiming she's using her position as leverage to make him agree to her financial demands.

In docs filed earlier this month, Christine asked a judge to force Kevin to pay $248,000 a month in child support ... a figure Kevin says amounts to highway robbery.

There's a court hearing coming up July 12, and Christine says when she finds out then how much she's getting from Kevin, she'll have a better handle on where she can move and will be out of the home by the end of August.

The first police officer on the scene of the Allen, TX mass shooting last month wasted no time in grabbing his weapon and engaging the gunman ... all captured in dramatic body cam footage.

The footage, released Wednesday, starts with the unnamed Allen PD officer talking to a family in the parking lot of the Allen Premium Outlets in a friendly exchange about the importance of wearing seatbelts ... when all of a sudden, gunshots ring out.

The officer immediately goes from nice guy to action hero -- immediately grabbing his rifle and running toward the gunshots -- all while radioing to his supervisors for assistance.

As the officer gets closer, he sees bodies on the ground, letting his dispatcher know it appears to be a mass-shooter event. Finally, the officer gets eyes on the gunman, and opens fire -- taking him down with multiple shots.

The hero cop is eventually joined by another officer, and they approach the body of the shooter, Mauricio Garcia, sprawled out and bloody.

It's absolutely stunning and admirable how quickly this officer sprung into action ... and he very likely saved numerous lives that day.

As we've reported ... Garcia shot and killed 8 people -- including several minors -- and injured 7 others in his rampage. No motive has been identified for his actions ... but he spewed hate online and even sported swastika tattoos.

Kroy Biermann took out a line of credit for a gambling trip in the Caribbean and never paid the money back ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

The former reality TV star and NFL player is being sued by Sky Warrior, which apparently handles the credit lines at the famous Baha Mar Casino in the Bahamas.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Kroy obtained a $100,000 line of credit for use at Baha Mar Casino in advance of a November 2021 trip, and he ended up using $52,500 to gamble.

Sky Warrior claim Kroy agreed to pay back any money he gambled and promised that he had the money in his SunTrust bank account ... but they say he drew $52,500 in chip markers at the casino and didn't repay the amount before leaving.

The suit alleges Kroy still hasn't settled up ... and Sky Warrior say they have been unable to get the money from Kroy's bank account.

It's more financial trouble for Kroy ... he and estranged wife Kim Zolciak allegedly owe the IRS north of $1 million, he's being sued for allegedly missing lease payments on a Rolls-Royce and he's claimed Kim has a gambling problem in their nasty divorce.

Sky Warrior is going after Kroy for the $52,500 they say he owes ... plus interest and attorney's fees.

Kim Zolciak's family friend, who was accused by Kroy Biermann of kidnapping their son, is speaking out ... claiming Kroy's getting desperate in his attempt to keep custody of his kids.

Elise, who says she's the one who took 12-year-old KJ to the rodeo earlier this month, spoke out on Instagram Wednesday, denying the kidnapping claims from Kroy -- backing up the story Kim initially told the Alpharetta Police dispatcher.

Elise blasts Kroy, saying he's "desperately trying to control every move to ensure he gets full custody and child support so he falsely accused me of kidnapping KJ so he can appear as the only parent who takes the kids out."

She ends her post by asking for people to pray for Kim and her kids -- adding they'll need it to "navigate Kroy's narcissistic, controlling behavior."

As we reported, in the 911 call audio, obtained by TMZ, Kim told the dispatcher she gave  KJ permission to go to the rodeo with his friend, with Elise chaperoning the outing. Sources told us Kroy doesn't trust Elise and had no idea Kim let their kid go with her.

What's more, sources said Kroy asked Elise over the phone to bring KJ back, but she allegedly hung up on him. Kim then told cops Kroy threatened to file kidnapping charges against her friend ... although our sources say he never filed.

Kevin Spacey's sexual assault trial kicked off Wednesday ... but the Oscar-winning actor looked more like he was arriving at an awards show, smiling and waving at the crowd.

Spacey rolled up in a taxi to London's Southwark Crown Court, got out in a navy suit and pink tie and greeted a throng of people assembled outside, cordially saying, "Good morning." He then casually walked inside the courthouse as media from around the world covered his every move.

The four-week trial could have major implications for Spacey given that he faces a maximum punishment of life in prison if convicted.

As we reported, Spacey was accused of committing a dozen sexual offenses against four men from 2001 to 2013 in the capital of England. Prosecutors charged Spacey with 12 counts of sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent. Spacey has pled not guilty.

Diddy's ongoing lawsuit with alcohol dealer Diageo just took a nasty turn, with the booze brand announcing they were cutting ties after he filed suit last month ... but Diddy is firing back.

Diddy's attorney John C. Hueston tells TMZ Hip Hop Diageo's attempts to shut out the Bad Boy mogul is essentially like "firing a whistleblower who calls out racism. It’s a cynical and transparent attempt to distract from multiple allegations of discrimination."

Hueston says Diddy repeatedly raised concerns regarding Diageo's senior execs allegedly using racially insensitive comments prior to filing the lawsuit, which they claim caused biased decision-making on the company's part.

For it's part, a Diageo spokesperson tells us, "We are saddened that Mr. Combs has chosen to recast a business dispute as anything other than that and chosen to damage a productive and valued partnership. Mr. Combs’ bad-faith actions have clearly breached his contracts and left us no choice but to move to dismiss his baseless complaint and end our business relationship. Mr. Combs has repeatedly undermined our partnerships and threatened to publicly defame Diageo if we did not meet his unreasonable financial demands."

They continue, "Diageo believes strongly in the CIRÔC and DeLeón brands and remains committed to their success, which is why we tried for years to salvage the broken relationship with Mr. Combs. We funded the purchase of DeLeón for the joint venture and proceeded to invest more than $100 million to grow the brand. Despite having made nearly a billion dollars over the course of our 15-year relationship, Mr. Combs contributed a total of $1,000 and refused to honor his commitments. We have exhausted every reasonable remedy and see no other path forward."

Diageo is said to have acknowledged the issues by specifying in Diddy's contract that they'd treat his DeLeon tequila the same as other tequila brands, and he only filed the lawsuit in hopes to enforce the contract's fine print.

A convicted double murderer facing the death penalty lost it in a Florida courtroom, attacking his lawyer Monday ... and the violence was all caught on video.

Joseph Zieler was wearing shackles and surrounded by bailiffs in the Lee County courtroom when he turned to his attorney, Kevin Shirley, to whisper something.

When Shirley leaned in to listen, Zieler gave him a sharp elbow to his face, causing all hell to break loose. Check out the video ... two bailiffs immediately jumped on Zieler and wrestled him to the ground.

The judge then asked Shirley if he was ok ... and Shirley gave an amusing response, saying, "I'm fine. I used to box. I've taken a lot better shots than that."

As for Zieler, his life is not going to be so fine. He was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the 1990 slayings of Robin Cornell, 11, and her babysitter, Lisa Story, 32. Zieler was tied to the crimes in 2016 after police matched his DNA to the cold case following his arrest for an unrelated assault.

Michael Jackson will effectively be tried for allegedly molesting choreographer Wade Robson when he was a child ... TMZ has learned.

The California Court of Appeal just cleared the way for Robson to make his case -- alleging MJ molested him at the Neverland Ranch when Robson was between the ages of 7 and 14.

The issue -- Robson is suing Michael Jackson's corporation -- MJJ Productions, Inc. Jackson's company lawyers argued the company had no legal duty to protect Robson or anyone else from MJ because it had no ability to control him.

The trial court bought the Estate's argument, but the Court of Appeal begged to differ, and according to a tentative ruling -- which almost always becomes final -- the case will be sent back down for trial.

Robson claims when he came to the U.S. from Australia as a young boy, Jackson befriended him and sexually abused him.

In 2005, when Jackson was on trial for molesting another boy, Robson testified that he slept in MJ's bed with the singer but nothing happened.  He changed his story in 2013, filing a lawsuit against the company. He said he had testified falsely on behalf of Jackson due to "complete manipulation and brainwashing."

Another man, James Safechuck, filed a similar lawsuit against MJJ Productions and it too is before the Court of Appeal. Given today's tentative ruling, it appears Safechuck will also have his day in court.

Sources close to the MJJ Productions legal team tell TMZ ... the ruling has nothing to do with the merits of the case and they fully expect to prevail at trial.

Kodak Black made a pit stop Monday at a Florida jail for around an hour … but his lawyer says it's actually a good thing for the rapper.

Bradford Cohen, Kodak's lawyer, tells TMZ ... Kodak's been on a tight leash during his pretrial release for his prescription drug case and he's supposed to regularly check in with authorities and take mandatory urine tests, but he failed to check in recently and they went to court Monday over the issue.

Kodak went on Instagram Live Sunday night and complained about his situation ... leading to concern among fans.

Anyways, Kodak's lawyer says he argued in court to get rid of the stringent pretrial supervision ... and the judge agreed but also ended up increasing his bond from $75,000 to $250,000 ... and we’re told this is why Kodak had to go through the booking process again at the jail.

We’re told Kodak ended up posing for a new mugshot at the Broward County jail and posted the new bond before being released from custody. We're told Kodak was in and out of jail in under an hour and he had to pay $175k, the difference between his original bond and his new bond.

Kodak's attorney sees it as a win for Kodak because now the rapper will be able to travel and tour without the headache of checking in with pretrial services.

As we reported ... Kodak was arrested in July 2022 and charged with trafficking oxycodone after police say they found 31 oxycodone pills in his car.

At the time, Kodak posted $75,000 bail and was released with pretrial restrictions in place ... including mandatory drug tests.

A new lawsuit accuses Nicki Minaj of straight-up stealing the beat for her song "I Lied" from another artist ... a scenario sources close to Nicki say is impossible considering she didn't handle the song's production.

The rapper, along with mega-producer Mike Will Made It, is being sued by Julius Johnson, who says the music playing under the vocals on Nicki's track from "The Pinkprint" sounds like a carbon copy of a song he created years before she dropped "I Lied."

However, our Nicki sources tell us she wasn't hands-on with the beat, saying, "Clearly Nicki is a lyricist, so the claim in terms of production will obviously have to be addressed by the applicable parties."

As for those applicable parties, it appears Mike Will was the one who brought Nicki the beat.

As for the history, Johnson claims he published his song, called "onmysleeve," on YouTube in September 2011 ... 3 years before "I Lied" came out.

In the docs, Johnson claims he had the beat on a hard drive when he attended the Art Institute of Atlanta ... and he says in 2013 the hard drive was taken from a studio session without his consent.

Johnson claims associates of Nicki and Mike Will Made It were at the Institute around the same time and believes they somehow got their hands on his missing hard drive.

When Nicki released "I Lied" in December 2014 it obviously gained attention ... and Johnson claims when he finally heard her song in 2022, he immediately recognized the similarity to his beat ... insisting that, aside from the lyrics, Nicki's track has basically the same underlying instrumentation and beat as his track.

He's going after Nicki and Mike Will Made It for the profits they earned off his song ... and wants a judge to order them to stop using it or at least give him credit on "I Lied" for his contribution.

Kim Zolciak called the cops on her estranged husband, Kroy Biermann, earlier this month -- and it was all because he allegedly accused Kim's friend of kidnapping their young son.

TMZ obtained audio from the 911 call Kim placed on June 16 in Alpharetta, GA. In her chat with the dispatcher, Kim says she's stressed out about her husband flipping out ... claiming he accused her friend of trying to kidnap their son.

The backstory is a little murky ... but essentially, KZ explains that she'd signed off on her girlfriend to take her son on a playdate. However, based on Kim's description, it sounds like when Kroy caught wind of this, he lost it and threatened to file a kidnapping report against the woman who was picking up their son.

Kim says this caused not only her friend to freak out, but also left Kim's son in tears ... and Kim tells the dispatcher she's going to pick up her son. It's a strange call -- obviously, it doesn't seem to be an emergency -- something Kim acknowledges herself.

BTW ... Kim also accuses Kroy of stealing her bag, which she says is full of divorce docs.

Based on police records, it appears nothing came of this at the time. Kim ends the call by telling the operator she'd call them back if she needs further assistance -- but, on its face, she seems to have just wanted to put this on the cops' radar ... which is exactly how the police noted it in their write-up. They didn't follow up on this address in the aftermath.

Now, when it comes to Kroy's side of things ... sources tell us this was just a case of bad communication. We're told Kroy had no idea their son, KJ, had gotten the green light to go to a rodeo with his friend/their mom. Our sources tell us Kroy's deeply distrustful of the woman who took KJ -- for reasons unexplained -- which is why he was on edge.

We're told when Kroy learned KJ was under the supervision of this woman -- he called her up, but apparently felt like he wasn't getting his point across. At one point, our sources say Kroy demanded she brings KJ back ... she allegedly hung up on him -- which is what led to him threatening to file kidnapping charges over it. He never did, though.

The document the 4 passengers signed before getting in the ill-fated submersible could prevent their families from filing a wrongful death lawsuit, but there's one big exception.

The relevant jurisdiction according to the contract is the Bahamas. Bahamian law adopts many provisions of United States law, and in most U.S. states a company can absolve itself of liability for injury or death even if it was negligent, provided it fully discloses the risks to the participants.

There are other factors to consider, including lopsided bargaining power and the clarity of the language in the waiver. In this case, the passengers were all well-to-do and sophisticated, with access to counsel.

In short, even if OceanGate negligently constructed or operated the submersible, the families could very well be out of luck if they sue for wrongful death.

Now there's a big exception ... if a court were to determine OceanGate was "grossly negligent," the liability waiver would not be enforceable. Gross negligence is defined "a lack of care that demonstrates reckless disregard for the safety or lives of others." In short, a company cannot enforce a waiver if it engaged in reckless conduct.

That will be for a judge and/or jury to decide -- whether issues of design, materials, and operation crossed that line.