10:30 AM PT -- Los Angeles D.A. Nathan Hochman addressed the media after the hearing ... saying the death penalty remains on the table, but prosecutors have not decided whether they will explore that route.
TMZ also asked Hochman about D4vd substituting his legal counsel ... and he said he expects the public defender will give the singer "zealous" representation as the case proceeds.
9:12 AM PT -- D4vd pleaded not guilty and is expected back in court on October 19.
D4vd has just suffered a big blow in his murder case ... his lawyers told the judge they can't rep him anymore, a public defender has stepped in, and it's apparent the singer has run out of cash.
Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter told the judge they are unable to continue representing D4vd. Although they did not give a reason, everything screams ... D4vd is broke.
Berk, Bednarski and Peter tell TMZ ... "This morning the court granted our request to withdraw as counsel and appointed the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office, after it was determined David qualified for appointed counsel."
The lawyers go on ... "We continue to support David and his defense against these serious charges. We are grateful that the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office has taken over the representation and that David has a highly capable and committed team of attorneys and investigators behind him."
A public defender has stepped in, citing the fact D4vd is indigent.
Aaliyah's uncle claims his son is partly to blame for the late singer's death ... lobbing the bombshell allegation as the two fight over money in court.
TMZ obtained a lawsuit filed by Jomo Hankerson against Barry Hankerson and his record label Blackground Records. Barry is Aaliyah's uncle and longtime manager. Jomo is Barry's son and Aaliyah's cousin.
In the docs, Barry claims Aaliyah's cousin was paid to coordinate travel for her music video shoot in the Bahamas ... referring to the fateful August 2001 trip where she died in a plane crash.
Aaliyah's uncle says his son "failed in his responsibility" to handle travel plans ... and she instead took a private jet that crashed and killed everyone onboard.
TMZ obtained the trust documents executed by Kirk, who died in 2020 at 103, and his widow, Anne Douglas, who died in 2021 at 102 ... and they lay out which family members inherited the various parts of their massive estate.
Adrien Broner says he wants the arrest warrant tossed in his trespass case after his lawyer showed up to court ... insisting he didn't skip court and just mistakenly believed the case was closed ... TMZ has learned.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the former fighter's attorney entered a written plea of not guilty in the case. Prosecutors charged him over an alleged incident at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Officials claim police responded to the casino in April 2024 because Adrien was allegedly trespassing. Adrien had reportedly been hit with a lifetime ban from the casino the year before but decided to return anyway.
Two scam artists -- one posing as a San Francisco 49ers player -- cheated 26 women out of $1.3 million as part of an investment scheme ... according to federal authorities, who have now arrested and charged them with serious crimes.
Federal prosecutors in Portland, Oregon, charged Daejon Labrayae Love, 35, and Taylor Jamie Chan, 18, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. The FBI arrested Love and Chan at Boise Airport in Idaho on August 24 after prosecutors said the suspects flew in to "meet new victims."
According to the feds, Love and Chan kicked off their scam in February 2022, creating fake investments to steal money from women in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and California.
Love allegedly connected with the women over the Internet and on dating apps, passing himself off as a wealthy investor and NFL player, and introduced them to Chan. Authorities say Love told the victims Chan was his financial adviser to gain their trust and show that he was a serious businessman -- part of a scam that saw him empty their bank accounts.
Chris Brown was shut down in his attempt to get some extra time before turning over info his ex-housekeeper needs to collect on the $13 million judgment she won against him ... TMZ has learned.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, a L.A. judge denied Chris' request for an extra month to turn over a list of his sources of income to Maria Avila, who was awarded $13 million over an alleged 2020 dog attack at his home.
Daveigh Chase's friend and business manager rushed to court to object to the late actress' mom taking over control of her estate ... and he's raising serious concerns ... TMZ has learned.
John Ryan, who says he was Daveigh's business manager and friend, filed a declaration opposing her mom Cathy Chase's bid to be appointed as the administrator of her daughter's $400,000 estate.
As TMZ first reported, Daveigh's dad, John Schwallier, asked the judge to appoint a third party to take over … claiming his daughter and his ex-wife were estranged for years.
Justin Baldoni's attorney seems to have mixed feelings about the $400K attorneys' fees judgment award to Blake Lively ... because while it's a win for his client, he's still not happy with the way the law was applied to his case ... and he's taking a shot at Blake.
Bryan Freedman -- Baldoni's lawyer -- tells TMZ ... the California law used in this case, Section 47.1, is "not a perfect law, but it is an important one designed to protect real survivors, who deserve to see this law tested and perfected in the court of law."
Section 47.1 is designed to protect people who report sexual harassment from retaliatory defamation suits by opening up those who file them to awards for damages or attorneys' fees.
Dorit Kemsley and her estranged husband PK Kemsley are set to unload their longtime Los Angeles home ... after she agreed to unload the home ... and a judge ordered the sale and instructed "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star to be out by November ... TMZ has learned.
A hearing was held Wednesday in Dorit and PK's divorce, where the two have been fighting over money. PK claimed Dorit had not been paying the mortgage on the 6-bedroom, 10-bathroom home worth $7 million.
Dorit, who is represented by powerhouse attorney Samantha Spector, argued PK should be paying the bills ... and claimed he had more than enough to pay the debt owed on the home.
Blake Lively is not getting her enormous wish -- $8 million in attorneys' fees -- because a judge just ruled Justin Baldoni will only have to fork over $400K ... TMZ has learned.
As you know ... a judge dismissedJustin Baldoni's defamation lawsuit against Blake and the New York Times in June, but ruled she was entitled to attorneys' fees for defeating the claim.
Blake asked a judge to award her $8 million -- claiming Justin owed her $7,495,526.87 in fees she incurred in fighting his lawsuit and $539,514.01 in costs and expenses incurred while defending herself.
Meta is facing a crisis ... the company behind Facebook and Instagram just agreed to pay $16.7 BILLION to settle a social media addiction case ... and this might only be the beginning.
The massive settlement resolves claims from a major case alleging Meta designed Facebook and IG to addict children and fueled a mental health crisis that reached all corners of the nation.
In addition to shelling out $16.7 billion to California and 28 other states, Mark Zuckerberg's company agreed to create "daily limits and blocks on nighttime use for teenage users" ... plus "enhanced age assurance measures to prevent children from accessing the platform, or age restricted content available on the platform" ... according to court filings.
Khloe Kardashian's close friend Khadijah Haqq claims she is struggling to make ends meet amid her bitter divorce from her ex, Bobby McCray, and she's relying on her friends for financial help.
TMZ obtained the declaration Khadijah filed as she asks the court to award her child and spousal support. The reality star revealed she was paid $25K per episode for the Hulu reality show "The Girls" for a total of $150K, which was produced by Khloe.
In her filing, Khadijah claims she lived a good life while married to the former NFL player and never worried about bills. She said they often went on family vacations, ate out at restaurants, did not use credit cards, and rented luxury homes.
Mama June's daughter Pumpkinsays the money she's made from OnlyFans and strip-club appearances has officially paid off in a major way ... she just bought her family home outright.
Pumpkin tells TMZ ... last week, she paid the remaining $42,712.12 balance on her 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom central Georgia home in cash.
She says she'd been in a rent-to-own agreement for the property for around six years, paying $646 a month to a local man she knew. But Pumpkin says she never had the money to pay it off during her prior marriage, despite always hustling and carrying the financial load.
Jed York allegedly arranging to pay a prostitute $140 for sex in a trailer park ended up costing him $1,150 in fines after his arrest ... and it looks like the San Francisco 49ers' Chief Security Officer paid his boss' court fees.
According to online records, someone named "D Cory" paid Jed's fees after he pleaded no contest to a couple of misdemeanors in Ohio.
"D Cory" appears to be Dan Cory ... the CEO of Nickel Group, a security and risk management firm that protects San Francisco 49ers executives and team members. Dan's LinkedIn says he's the Chief Security Officer for the 49ers ... and the team announced last August it was hiring his firm.
Kim Richards' recent public outing in Santa Monica may have raised eyebrows ... but TMZ has learned there's no cause for concern about her relationship with her family.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Kim has a great relationship with all four of her kids ... Brooke, Whitney, Chad and Kimberly and talks to them all the time. Our sources say she sees her kids often, and all four still live in Los Angeles.
As we reported, Kim was recently photographed sitting on a park bench near the Santa Monica Pier in California, wearing a cowboy hat and a loose red dress, with one tan boot on and her other foot bare.
The image sparked questions about Kim's living situation, but sources familiar with the situation told us she's not homeless. We're told her sister Kyle Richards helped Kim secure a place in the Santa Monica area near the beach.
Kim has had ups and downs in recent years, including a relapse following a long battle with addiction. Kyle later sued Kim to have her vacate an Encino condo Kyle owned.
Khadijah Haqq McCray is on the hunt for child and spousal support 2 years after her split from husband Bobby McCray ... and says her Hulu salary from her recent reality show isn't cutting it.
The 'Girls' star headed to court in Los Angeles Monday and filed docs -- obtained by TMZ -- requesting her estranged husband help her out with expenses for their 3 kids -- Christian, Celine, and Kapri -- who she says she's been taking care of since their separation.
She laid it all out for the court ... explaining Bobby rakes in roughly $18,600 per month in disability, annuity, and related Social Security payments following his retirement from the NFL. Plus, she claims he has an NFL 401K valued at over $765,000.
Khadijah says her financial situation is not as steady.
