EXCLUSIVE

5:50 PM PT -- Cuba Gooding Jr.'s attorney, Mark Heller, tells us he has viewed surveillance video from the bar and says it shows "absolutely no criminality taking place on the part of my client." 

Heller says he's contacted the Manhattan D.A.'s Office Sex Crimes Unit but has not gotten a return phone call. He is trying to find out if they've seen the surveillance video. Heller says he can't believe they would seek to arrest Cuba ... if they'd seen the video.

He says it's up in the air right now as to whether Cuba will turn himself in Thursday, as they'd planned, now that they've seen the video.

Cuba Gooding Jr. will turn himself into NYPD on Thursday and will be arrested for allegedly groping a woman -- but on camera he insists he did nothing wrong, and there's hard evidence to prove it.

Sources connected to the Oscar winner tell TMZ ... he plans to surrender Thursday and expects to be booked for a misdemeanor charge of forcible touching. Cuba was in L.A. Tuesday night -- about to board a flight to NYC -- when a photog asked him directly about the groping allegation.

Cuba says the claim he grabbed a woman's breast Sunday night at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in Manhattan ... is absolutely untrue. He says he was there partying with friends, and posed for pics with fans, but says no one was touched inappropriately ... not even by accident.

Aside from the video we posted -- showing Cuba partying that night at the bar -- he says there's also surveillance video that will show he's innocent.

He also tipped his hat to Jon Stewart, who hours earlier had blasted Congress over the 9/11 Victims Fund, and said that's what's really important now.

As for his legal trouble ... Cuba didn't seem worried. Our Sources say he'll surrender at the Manhattan Special Victim's Unit -- and will be accompanied by his lawyers, Peter Toumbekis and Mark J. Heller. Cops will fingerprint him, and take a mug shot.

From there, as Cuba says ... he'll trust the system.

Originally Published -- 7:18 AM PT

Breaking News

Kendall Jenner just got a little peace of mind -- her alleged stalker who crawled up onto her property has been kicked out of the country.

John Ford -- the 38-year-old Canadian citizen who twice showed up at Kendall's home last year -- has been deported from the U.S. following his hearing in El Paso, Texas. Good news for Kendall, because authorities feared he could get violent.

We broke the story ... Ford was arrested by ICE in New Mexico in March after the law enforcement agency hunted him down.

Jenner's alleged stalker's had an expired visitor visa and was in the country illegally, and after his arrest an ICE spokesperson told us it "very well have prevented a violent crime," adding ... "Our special agents acted quickly on this tip to ensure that this obsessive behavior didn't escalate to become a tragedy."

As we reported ... Ford scaled a hill at Kendall's home last October and ended up by her swimming pool. He came back again shortly thereafter and ended up on her porch.

The alleged stalker was reportedly escorted by officers from El Paso to the Houston airport and flown out of the U.S. to Ontario, Canada.

Felicity Huffman's fresh off playing a villain on Netflix -- and in federal court -- but in real life, she and William H. Macy are celebrating getting their kid into a cap and gown.

The couple attended daughter Sofia Grace's high school graduation ceremony Monday, as the L.A. High School of the Arts Class of 2019 was honored. The proud parents showed up dressed for the occasion ... for which they've been preparing for a couple weeks.

We've seen Sofia's mom and dad buying graduation balloons and flower arrangements, and now the big day was finally here. It couldn't have come at a better time for Felicity ... who's been going through it professionally and personally.

She officially entered her guilty plea last month in the college admissions scandal, and is now looking at the possibility of up to 4 months in prison when she's sentenced in September.

And, then there's all the buzz around Felicity's role as Linda Fairstein in the Netflix limited series, "When They See Us." 

The series paints the former Manhattan prosecutor as the mastermind behind the false convictions of the Central Park 5 -- and Fairstein's been publicly lambasted since the series debuted.

Felicity plays her pretty brilliantly, but PR-wise -- on the heels of her federal case -- a Disney fairy godmother role might have been better. Timing. 

Like we said, at least she's got something to celebrate now.

EXCLUSIVE

Boosie labeled American Airlines racist as hell for refusing to let him board his flight ... but the airline says the rapper's got it twisted.

ICYMI ... the rapper went on a homophobic, profanity-laced rant Sunday ... calling AA as a bunch of racist punks for refusing to let him and his kids board a flight from Charlotte to Grand Rapids, Michigan. It appears Boosie confirms he showed up late to the gate because he wrote, "The captain told you that we could be let on but you did not want us on because of your jealousy towards me."

A spokesperson for American Airlines tells TMZ ... "[Boosie's] inbound flight from Jackson, Miss., to Charlotte, NC., was delayed, and he arrived at the gate for his connecting flight to Grand Rapids, Mich., after the airplane door had been closed."

The spokesperson added, "While we understand misconnections are frustrating, [Boosie] was not denied boarding for any other reason other than he arrived after the door had already closed for departure."

The airline booked Boosie and his family another flight later that night but that didn't stop the rapper from wishing death on AA's employee and hoping for a plane crash. #RealMature.

Sounds like Boosie's jeopardized his status with AA ... the airline tells us it's reviewing Boosie's interactions with employees as well as his rant to determine his status moving forward. 

So ... what was so important in Grand Rapids that had Boosie burning up after missing his flight?

A pool party.

Breaking News

Linda Fairstein's world continues to crumble ... her book publisher has just kicked her to the curb as the fallout continues, following her portrayal in Netflix's miniseries, "When They See Us."

The Central Park 5 prosecutor will no longer have a relationship with Dutton, which confirmed it had "terminated its relationship" with the best-selling crime novelist. The move comes on the heels of an online push to boycott her publishers and distributors ... after the Netflix series dramatized her role that led to the wrongful conviction of 5 teens for the 1989 rape and beating of a female jogger.

Earlier this week, TMZ reached out to multiple people at both Penguin Random House and its subsidiary, Dutton -- the two publishing companies that peddled her 14 novels -- but they went radio silent. As did Linda's literary agency, ICM Partners. Not a peep.

Fairstein's latest book with Dutton had been "Blood Oath" back in March. Dutton dropping Fairstein's just the latest in a string of moves that led to Fairstein resigning from at least 2 nonprofits as well as from Vassar College.

Glamour Magazine also said it was a mistake to give her the Woman of the Year Award in '93 ... adding they wouldn't do it again. The backlash also included #CancelLindaFairstein all over social media.

AP first reported her termination.

7:42 AM PT -- The hearing is over. Kelly entered a not guilty plea on the new charges and will be back in court at the end of the month. 

7:13 AM PT -- Kelly has just arrived, flanked by his usual crew as he strutted into the Chi-town courthouse.

R. Kelly is back in a Chicago courthouse for a hearing on the new round of sexual assault and abuse charges he's facing ... and TMZ is streaming live. 

The embattled musician will be present Thursday, along with his attorney, Steven Greenberg, for his arraignment. Greenberg, tells us his client plans to plead not guilty to all 11 charges.

As we reported ... Kelly was hit last week with 11 felonies related to sexual assault and various abuse in Illinois. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office charged him with 5 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, 4 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and 2 counts of criminal sexual assault. 

In legal docs, Kelly is accused of forcing contact between his penis and the alleged victim's mouth and committing an act of sexual penetration on a victim listed only as "J.P." The alleged incident occurred in January 2010, when the victim was under the age of 18.

Kelly's crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, had already told us his client denies all accusations and maintains his innocence. Hence, the not guilty plea today.

Thursday's hearing, which is set to begin around 7:30 AM PT, is separate from the 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse Kelly is already facing in Cook County. There are also 3 federal probes underway -- 2 in New York's Eastern and Southern Districts and another in the Northern District of Illinois. 

Originally Published -- 6:44 AM PT

EXCLUSIVE

The saying "silence speaks volumes" couldn't be more true for Linda Fairstein and her book publishers, who've signaled where they stand on the uproar against her ... by remaining silent and doing nothing.

Despite a massive amount of backlash and scrutiny that's forced the D.A.'s former lead investigator on the Central Park Five case to resign from boards of directors -- there have been no consequences for her in the publishing world, where she's made a killing.

TMZ has reached out to multiple people at both Penguin Random House and its subsidiary, Dutton -- two publishing companies that have peddled her 14 novels -- but we haven't heard a peep.

An online push to boycott her publishers and distributors erupted when the Netflix series, "When They See Us" -- about the CP5 case -- premiered last Friday.

We've reached out to 6 different people at both PRH and Dutton, including reps from Linda's literary agency, ICM Partners -- but still ... radio silence.

It's interesting ... Fairstein resigned from her leadership positions at nonprofit Safe Horizon as well as from Vassar College after immense outrage over her role in wrongfully prosecuting and securing convictions against the then-teenagers ... which is captured in Netflix's new "When They See Us."

She was even publicly rebuked by Glamour Magazine, which said it was a mistake to give her the Woman of the Year Award in '93 ... adding they wouldn't do it again.

Still, despite all that ... nothing seems to have changed on the book front, which is where the initial outcry began this weekend. You'll recall ... many, many people called for retailers to yank Fairstein's novels from their shelves, which CP5 exoneree Raymond Santana was down with.

Not only is Fairstein still listed as a featured author on the publishers' websites, her books are still for sale at pretty much all of the places that have been selling 'em. Hmmm ...

Breaking News

The criminal investigation into Cristiano Ronaldo's rape allegation is still active, the Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. says. 

Kathryn Mayorga, the woman behind the allegations, had dropped her civil case filed in state court in Nevada earlier this month -- making some people wonder if the two sides had reached a settlement. 

But, Mayorga's attorney, Larissa Drohobyczer, says Kathryn is NOT backing down -- they're simply moving the lawsuit from state court to federal court, where it's easier to sue someone who lives abroad. 

"We basically just switched venues but the claims and lawsuit still remains," Drohobyczer tells TMZ Sports.

In other words, Mayorga's team was having trouble serving Ronaldo with the court papers -- but the laws in federal court are more favorable for a person suing someone who lives out of the country.

Per Drohobyczer, they are still waiting for confirmation from the Italian government that Ronaldo has been served with the lawsuit.

As we previously reported, Mayorga claims Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room back in 2009.

She had initially filed a police report describing the alleged crime -- but didn't identify Ronaldo by name.

In her original lawsuit, Mayorga says she later accepted a $375,000 payment in exchange for her silence -- but now, she wants that agreement voided.

The Las Vegas Metro Police Dept. reopened the case -- but so far, no charges have been brought against the soccer star.

12:50 PM PT -- The Broward Sheriff's Office has also fired Peterson for neglecting his duties at the high school on the day of the shooting after an internal investigation.The Broward County Sheriff's Deputy who fled at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a mass shooting broke out has been arrested for failing to do his job and help limit the carnage ... and he's facing up to 96 years in prison.

Scot Peterson has been arrested and charged in Florida and has been hit with 11 criminal charges stemming from the Parkland shooting on February 14, 2018.

The charges include 7 counts of child neglect, 3 counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury. This comes after a 14-month investigation where law enforcement interviewed 184 witnesses and reviewed countless hours of surveillance footage.

Peterson's bond has been set at $102k ... but if he posts it he'll be required to wear a GPS monitor, turn in his passport and forfeit any firearms he has.

As we reported ... Peterson was tasked to guard the school, but video shows him running away from danger when 19-year-old gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire on the school.

He's also been sued by families of the victims.

Originally Published -- 12:36 PM PT

EXCLUSIVE

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she's thrilled the Central Park 5 is getting a renewed spotlight, because it's starting a much-needed convo about injustice ... especially for young people of color.

We got the New York congresswoman Tuesday on Capitol Hill, where we asked about the controversial case that played out in her own backyard in 1989, and the fact it's being depicted in Netflix's new show, "When They See Us," all these years later. 

AOC -- who, btw, wasn't born until 6 months after the Central Park attack -- said she's ecstatic the wrongfully convicted men are having their story told in a thoughtful and captivating way.

She added it's one of many cases that illustrate how the criminal justice system all too often fails black and brown youths.

She took a swipe at President Trump too, who infamously took out a giant newspaper ad days after Trisha Meili, the Central Park jogger, was attacked. The ad called for the death penalty to be reinstated in New York, and publicly convicted the 5 boys before their trial even began.

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez also weighs in on the campaign to #CancelLindaFairstein -- one of the investigators on the case at the time. As AOC puts it ... it's reckoning time.

EXCLUSIVE

Former NFL WR Jabar Gaffney just cut a deal with prosecutors after his ex-teammate, Lito Sheppard, accused him of wrecking his car ... and he'll avoid jail time if he keeps his nose clean for the next few months.

For the record, Jabar still DENIES the allegations ... saying prosecutors had the wrong guy all along.

Here's the backstory -- Lito says last year, on June 17 ... his 2013 BMW suddenly stopped working in the middle of the road when he was on his way home from a restaurant in Jacksonville.

Sheppard says when he viewed surveillance footage of his car in the restaurant's parking lot ... he claims he saw Gaffney and Gaffney's GF pouring sugar into his gas tank and slashing his tires.

Cops arrested Jabar a few weeks later ... charging him with felony criminal mischief -- and he was facing up to 5 YEARS behind bars for the offense.

But, Gaffney -- who was teammates with Lito in Philadelphia in 2006 -- just cut a deal with prosecutors last month ... agreeing to enter into a pretrial intervention program -- this according to court records and a rep for the state attorney's office. 

Gaffney's attorney, Seth Schwartz, tells TMZ Sports the ex-WR will have to pay around $840 in restitution to Sheppard as part of the deal ... but if he keeps his nose clean for the next 6 months -- the charge will be dropped.

As for Jabar, he adamantly denies he was the man seen on video destroying Lito's car ... saying the guy looks nothing like him.

In fact, Jabar's attorney says in surveillance photos prosecutors relied on to build their case ... there don't appear to be tattoos on the alleged suspect's left neck ... but Jabar is covered in ink.

So, why did Jabar take the deal? Schwartz tells us it would have cost Gaffney thousands of dollars to take the case to trial and fight the charge.

"The cost of trying the case was extreme," Schwartz says ... "But this was a not guilty all day."

Jabar played 11 years in the NFL ... piling up 5,690 receiving yards and 447 career catches. He retired after the 2012 season.

EXCLUSIVE

The actress whose arrest prompted T.I. to boycott Houston's restaurants will NOT face criminal charges ... but TMZ's learned she's gonna sue.

Prosecutors in Fulton County, GA say they will not pursue a criminal case against Brittany Marie Lucio because she's completed all requirements of a pretrial intervention program. We're told the program included taking a class about civics and citizen's rights.

Brittany had initially been charged with 1 count of misdemeanor criminal trespass and 1 count of misdemeanor willful obstruction of a law enforcement officer when she was busted in Atlanta a year ago.

Cops said she and her friends ignored multiple requests to leave a Houston's restroom. One of Brittany's friends, Asia'h Epperson, refuted that account ... saying Houston's staffer gladly let them use the restroom and never asked them to leave prior to things turning violent.

Asia'h recorded the incident, which shows a security guard -- an off-duty ATL police officer -- dragging Brittany and her friends outta the joint. When the video surfaced, T.I. got involved and called for a Houston's boycott. He also posted pics showing Brittany's alleged injuries.

Brittany said the off-duty cop used excessive force and said there's zero doubt her skin color played a role in the aggressive way she was taken down. Brittany's attorney, Gerald Griggs, tells TMZ she now plans to sue.

Griggs says, "Ms. Lucio’s name has been cleared and she looks forward to pursuing a civil action against law enforcement for the damage and injuries she sustained. She would like to thank all of her supporters in this matter including [T.I.] and others that stood up for her."

EXCLUSIVE

YNW Melly thinks it's unfair he's stuck in a jail cell awaiting trial for double murder, because he voluntarily turned himself in ... and he insists he's not going to run from the law.

According to new legal docs ... the rapper wants to be able to post bond and walk free until his trial -- despite the fact he's facing 2 counts of first-degree murder in South Florida. Melly says if he was going to go on the lam, he would have done so when he first got word he was facing capital murder charges.

Instead, the rapper says he chose to surrender ... so there's no reason for the court to think he's a flight risk. On top of that, YNW points out he was born and raised in the area and his entire family lives there -- which he says is even more proof he isn't going anywhere.

As for his actual case -- in which the rapper's accused of killing his friends and staging a fake drive-by shooting -- Melly seems to like his chances in court. In the docs, he says there's no murder weapon, no witnesses tying him to the shooting, no DNA evidence implicating him and no motive.

We broke the story ... the State of Florida disagrees with Melly, and is seeking the death penalty.

The State says it has proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Melly and Cortlen Henry shot and killed Anthony Williams and Christopher Thomas Jr. ... shot up their own car to make it look like a drive-by, then left the victims at the ER -- even though cops believe they were already dead.

Ellen DeGeneres' mom is responding to her daughter speaking out about being sexually assaulted by her stepfather as a teen ... saying she feels great sorrow.

As we reported ... Ellen revealed on David Letterman's Netflix show she was molested when she was 15 or 16 by a "very bad man" her mother, Betty DeGeneres, had married.

Betty's now revealing her own misgivings about the devastating incident. She told NBC's "Today" ... "I love my daughter, and I wish I had the capacity to listen to her when she told me what happened."

She added ... "I live with that regret, and I wouldn't want that for any other parent. If someone in your life has the courage to speak out, please believe them."

Like Ellen, Betty says she's aware of how hard it is to speak up after being sexually abused. The famed talk show host said that was the main reason she decided to tell her story ... to give courage to other victims to use their voice.

Exclusive Details

Jenelle Evans and David Eason suffered a major court defeat Tuesday, when a judge ruled they will not regain custody of their 3 children ... and they will have virtually no face-to-face contact for the time being.

After 4 days of explosive testimony, in which Jenelle, David, Kaiser's dad Nathan Griffith and others testified about problems in the home, the judge decided there were serious issues with Jenelle and David that put the children at risk.

The trigger for the hearing was David killing the family dog earlier this month. As we reported, Child Protective Services ordered 4-year-old Kaiser to stay with Nathan, 9-year-old Jace with his grandma, Barbara, and 2-year-old Ensley also with Barbara.

Sources connected to the case tell TMZ, for the time being, Jenelle and David can see their kids only once a week for an hour with supervision.

As one source put it, "It's all David's fault."  

Another source says the judge laid out a number of steps Jenelle and David must take in order to regain custody, including parenting classes, counseling and weekly drug testing.  

And yet, another source told us Kaiser was "extremely fearful" of going back to the family house and claimed he was mistreated by David. His concerns were brought up in court and we're told affected the judge's decision. 

As for Jenelle, one source says she was "stunned" by the ruling and believed she would walk out of court Tuesday with her kids. Instead, she walked out with David. 

Ellen DeGeneres revealed she's a victim of sexual assault ... and hopes her story helps other victims who are afraid to come forward.

The famed talk show host opened up on season 2 of David Letterman's Netflix show, 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction' ... about her mother, Betty DeGeneres, marrying a "very bad man" who took advantage of Ellen when she a teenager.

She claims her stepfather waited until her mom was out of town and told her he needed to feel her breasts because he'd found a lump in her mom's breast and needed to check hers.

Ellen says she was 15 or 16 when it happened, and she's still angry at herself because she was too weak to stand up to him. She says ... "It's a really horrible, horrible story and the only reason I'm actually going to go into detail about it is because I want other girls to not ever let someone do that."

Ellen adds ... "We [women] just don't feel like we're worthy, or we're scared to have a voice, and we're scared to say no ... That's the only reason I think it's important to talk about it because there's so many young girls and it doesn't matter how old you are."

She says she's angered when victims do come forward and aren't believed, because women don't just make stuff up ... but feels it's time for women to have a voice, and have power.

Madison Beer cut her mid-day concert short after a gun scare erupted in the crowd beneath her -- which ended with the removal of a guy who's now banned from the premises.

It all went down Saturday evening at the BottleRock festival in Napa, CA -- where Madison was in  the middle of performing Radiohead's "Creep," when she abruptly stopped her crooning and ran over to the side stage in a panic after seeing something in the crowd.

In video of the incident, you can hear Madison frantically talking to her stage handlers, saying ... "What is going on? Yo, yo, everyone pay attention. What's going on?!" She then turns to the audience and tells them to back up, seemingly warning them of something happening on the ground.

While Madison Beer was performing, a man was thought to have pointed a gun at Madison after shouts of 'GUN!' was heard. Police reports confirm that there was no actual weapon involved. 🙏

Noone was injured and the man was permanently ejected from the festival. pic.twitter.com/mcs5ZQqDuS

— Music News Facts (@musicfactnews) May 26, 2019

The video then starts to shake, but it briefly captures what appears to be an older gentleman in a green coat wandering about in an area that seems to be closed off near the front of the stage, with no one else around him. People start to freak out and flee the scene ... reacting to what many perceived as a possible shooter situation. 

Further video shows police offers escorting the same guy away in handcuffs. 

arrest at madison beer concert pic.twitter.com/gtvNEMGwCM

— reaction vids (@reactchun) May 26, 2019

Napa Police later clarified what exactly had happened, saying cops responded to a disturbance and booted the guy they identified as the responsible party. NPD says no weapons were actually involved, and that there was no active threat to the community.  

It's unclear what the guy might've done to scare Madison like that, but whatever it was ... it clearly rattled her and her fans. Madison's mom later posted about it, saying it's sad we live in a world where concert-goers can't enjoy themselves without looking over their shoulder.

Ditto that.

EXCLUSIVE

Dennis Rodman says he doesn't hit people -- and never has in his life -- so the latest claim that he randomly smacked a guy at a bar is total BS.

TMZ Sports got Rodman in Orange County, CA Friday and asked about what allegedly went down last week in Delray Beach, Florida ... he didn't want to divulge much, but he clearly denies any sort of assault.

We broke the story ... 30-year-old Jeff Soulouque claims the former NBA rebound king slapped him at the Buddha Sky Bar on May 17 "unprovokedly," which injured his eye. He filed a police report the next day.

Cops investigated, and found a witness named David Lee Roth -- but not THE David Lee Roth -- who corroborated Soulouque's story.

Rodman's been listed as an official suspect in an alleged battery as police continue their investigation, but he doesn't seem too worried about it. He insists "nothing happened" ... and his lawyers are dealing with it.

Rodman's attorney, Lorne Berkeley, already told us Dennis denies the allegations and adds that he was sober the entire night in question and nobody he was with saw a slapping incident.

Of course, this comes on the heels of a bizarre alleged clothing heist in Newport Beach, CA the Basketball Hall of Famer was involved in. He's currently being investigated for that too.

5/24 9:30 AM PT -- Batali appeared in court and pled not guilty. He was released on his own recognizance but ordered to stay away from and have no contact with the alleged victim. His next court date's in July, but he does not have to be there.

Mario Batali allegedly forced himself on a woman in a Boston restaurant -- kissing and groping her without consent -- and now prosecutors are charging him.

The disgraced chef and restaurateur was hit with indecent assault and battery charges for the alleged incident in March 2017. He's expected to be arraigned in a Boston courthouse Friday.

As we've reported ... several women came forward last year and accused Batali of sexual harassment and other misconduct. He's already had three other cases dropped in NYC due to insufficient evidence.

Batali's denied claims of sexual assault, but the series of allegations led to him getting cut from his business group and surrendering all of his restaurants. He was also axed from the show "The Chew."

Along with the new criminal charge, he's facing a sexual assault lawsuit from a woman named Natali Tene who claims Batali kissed and groped her against her will in a Boston bar.

It's unclear if Tene is also the alleged victim in the criminal case -- the name has been redacted in court docs. However, there are reports she is. 

Originally published -- 5/23 10:00 AM PT