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Meek Mill is tossing The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, under the bus in an effort to get dropped from a wrongful death lawsuit.

Meek filed new docs in the suit brought by the families of 2 men killed last December outside a show he did in Connecticut. As we reported, 4 people were shot ... and the plaintiffs blame Meek and the venue for negligent security -- and also Meek's violent lyrics for inciting the shooting.

In Meek's docs, obtained by TMZ, he says it's ridiculous to blame an artist or an artist's lyrics for random incidents that go down outside their concerts -- and then drags Springsteen into the argument. He theorizes, what if a woman was injured by a drunk driver outside Bruce's show -- "Could she sue Springsteen because his songs contain lyrics like, 'Well, I got some beer and the highway's free'?"

The line is from "Sherry Darling."

Meek also points out he had no control over the security at the venue, and had nothing to do with the fatal incident. He's asking the judge to drop him from the lawsuit.

That being said -- shout-out to "Sherry Darling" ...

Nick Carter is denying he raped former DREAM singer Melissa Schuman, and claims they only had consensual sex.

Nick says, "I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman’s accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally.”

Carter added, "This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm.”

Dr. Larry Nassar just pled guilty to multiple counts of sexually assaulting multiple girls while working as a doctor for Team USA gymnastics and Michigan State University.

Nassar appeared in a Michigan courtroom early Wednesday morning dressed in his jailhouse orange jumpsuit where he entered the plea.

He now faces 25 to 40 years in prison.

Nassar was accused of molesting dozens of high profile athletes -- including Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and McKayla Maroney -- while telling the women he was simply performing routine physical exams.

Aly Raisman was not happy with the proceedings -- tweeting, "Court referring to Larry as DOCTOR Nassar. I AM DISGUSTED. I am very disappointed. He does NOT deserve that. Larry is digusting. Larry is a MONSTER not a doctor."

Never thought we'd say this, but Too Short kinda sounds like a feminist when he's discussing the flood of sexual harassment allegations. Kinda.

We got Short at Mastro's Steakhouse in Bev Hills where we asked him how guys can avoid becoming the target of sexual misconduct allegations.

Surprisingly, the Bay Area rap legend -- whose favorite word, as we all know, is "biiiitch" -- says he's got a simple fix: let women take charge. On every front. Especially in the bedroom.

Sarah Hyland and her bf, Wells Adams, had a busy Tuesday ... a little PDA, a little chit chat, and lots of pizza stuffin.

The "Modern Family" star spent the bulk of her Tuesday all over L.A. with the former 'Bachelor' contestant. They got handsy after a lunch date at Joan's on Third ... then went for a stroll and then shopping in Studio City. But there was more.

Sarah and Wells hit up the Lakers game in the evening and stuffed their faces with pizza. Bonus: the Lakers roared back to beat the Bulls.

All's well that ends ... with Wells.

ONLY IN AMERICA!!!!!!

Donald Trump is CONTINUING his war with LaVar Ball -- this time ripping him as the "poor man's version of Don King, but without the hair."

Trump is clearly still pissed over LaVar's CNN interview -- in which Ball refused to thank POTUS for helping get his son LiAngelo Ball and 2 other UCLA teammates out of China after they shoplifted.

"It wasn’t the White House, it wasn’t the State Department, it wasn’t father LaVar’s so-called people on the ground in China that got his son out of a long term prison sentence - IT WAS ME. Too bad! LaVar is just a poor man’s version of Don King, but without the hair. Just think.."

Trump continued, "LaVar, you could have spent the next 5 to 10 years during Thanksgiving with your son in China, but no NBA contract to support you. But remember LaVar, shoplifting is NOT a little thing. It’s a really big deal, especially in China. Ungrateful fool!"

Trump then switched gears to the NFL -- and suggested the league is considering changing the policy on the national anthem next season.

"The NFL is now thinking about a new idea - keeping teams in the Locker Room during the National Anthem next season. That’s almost as bad as kneeling! When will the highly paid Commissioner finally get tough and smart? This issue is killing your league!"

Netflix will be hosting its own after-party for 2018's Golden Globes Awards -- 'cause they've cut ties with longtime partner and co-host The Weinstein Company ... TMZ has learned.

Our Netflix sources tell us Netflix has opted to take TWC off the billing for their famous party after the awards ceremony in January -- and the allegations against its co-founder, Harvey Weinstein, have everything to do with it.

The Netflix-Weinstein after-party is one of the biggest shindigs during the Golden Globes -- they've been hosting it together for the past 3 years, and even held it at The Beverly Hilton in 2017.

TWC has been a prominent partner with the streaming service for a while now, having produced a handful of movies and shows for them -- including "Marco Polo" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend."

As for the upcoming bash ... we're told Netflix hasn't locked down a location yet for their after-party, but sources say they're eyeing the Waldorf Astoria in Bev Hills.

David Cassidy, the 'Partridge Family' heartthrob who sold millions of records and became the fantasy of millions of girls, is dead.

Cassidy died in a Florida hospital after his organs failed.

Family sources tell TMZ, David had been on life support since Monday. Doctors advised the family Tuesday the only way David could survive was with a liver transplant, but he was not a candidate because he would never survive surgery. The family decided at around noon to remove life support.

A number of family members were present when David died, including his brothers Shaun, Patrick and Ryan, his children Beau and Katie, along with various nephews and his ex-wife, Sue Cassidy.

We're told death came almost immediately after life support was withdrawn.

TMZ broke the story, David was in need of a kidney transplant but ultimately doctors said it was futile. His liver and other organs shut down and early Sunday his son and ex-wife were summoned to the hospital to say goodbye.

Cassidy was a multi-faceted entertainer ... from singing, to acting to Broadway to Vegas. "The Partridge Family" hit like an earthquake and catapulted him to stardom. The show ran from 1970 - 1974 and produced hits like "I Think I Love You," "Come On Get Happy," and "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted."

David reluctantly auditioned for the role of the guitar-playing Keith Partridge and producers cast him not even knowing if he could carry a tune.

After "The Partridge Family" ran its course, David recorded a number of solo hits, including the remakes of "Cherish," "How Can I Be Sure" and "Rock Me Baby."

He took the starring role on Broadway in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" from 1983 to 1984.

David was the son of actor Jack Cassidy and Broadway performer Evelyn Ward.

David guest starred in a number of TV series, including "The F.B.I." "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Ironside," "Bonanza" and "Medical Center."

Cassidy battled alcoholism for most of his adult life.

He's survived by son Beau, daughter Katie -- who stars in "Arrow" -- half-brothers Shaun, Patrick and Ryan, step-mother and co-star Shirley Jones and ex-wife Sue Shifrin-Cassidy.

RIP

Russell Simmons better brace for a storm now that he's been accused of sexual assault ... because the trend, according to Sinbad, is for even more allegations to surface.

The comedian told us in the current environment, none of the claims shock him ... even against the Def Jam honcho. Model Keri Claussen Khalighi claims Simmons assaulted her in 1991, while Brett Ratner watched.

While Simmons insists the encounter was consensual, Sinbad says there's reason for serious concern if any part of Khalighi's story is true.

The bourbon company bearing Ray Lewis' name is accused of putting the "stiff" in stiff drink -- allegedly bailing on a $50k sponsorship deal involving one of the most famous racehorses alive.

The ex-NFL star is being sued -- along with the folks behind Ray's Reserve bourbon -- by Leverage Agency, which sells sponsorships at sports events.

Long story short, the company behind Ray's Reserve allegedly agreed to pay $50k to sponsor California Chrome at the 2017 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Race in Florida back in January.

The deal was that RR would pay $25k in cash and $25k in Ray's Reserve bourbon -- 100 bottles at $250 apiece.

FYI, California Chrome is a legend -- he won the 2014 Kentucky Derby and the 2014 Preakness.

When race day came, California Chrome's famed jockey Victor Espinoza rocked pants with the Ray's Reserve logo on them ... as part of the deal.

But when Legacy sent the bill to the Ray's Reserve people, the company claims they never got the cash or the bourbon -- and now they're suing for the money.

Ray's attorney tells TMZ Sports ... Ray had no involvement in the deal and has no ownership in the Ray's Reserve brand. He licensed his name for the product and nothing more.

"There's no justification for Ray to be named personally in the lawsuit."

Xzibit and his wife are gunning for the guys they hired to build them a luxurious backyard oasis ... claiming they screwed it all up, and didn't even finish the job.

Xzibit says the folks at Edge Water Construction were supposed to install a brand new pool, outdoor spa, fire and water feature wine bar, backyard cabana and a bunch of other sweet items. Total cost was supposed to be $397k.

But according to a lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Edge Water took much longer than initially scheduled to do the job ... and much of what they got done was defective. For instance, X-to-the-Z says the pool had sharp edges which cut his 8-year-old son's feet.

In the suit, he says parts of the pool and spa weren't properly waterproofed -- which seems like job #1 when building a pool.

Xzibit and the missus are suing for $250k. For its part, Edge Water tells us they only stopped working because Xzibit told them he wasn't going to pay them the $178k he still owed. They say he demanded to see their receipts, and when they refused he cut off the funding ... and they walked.

Edge Water says they stand by their work, and say an independent inspector also signed off on it.

Losing streak be damned ... Blake Griffin still had the energy to hit the clubs in NYC with Kendall Jenner on Monday night after getting shellacked by the Knicks.

Blake and Kendall were spotted leaving Up & Down nightclub in Manhattan. The photo agency that has the pics says they were taken at 3AM Tuesday morning.

Earlier that night Kendall was at Madison Square Garden to watch Blake's Clippers lose to the Knicks in a 105-87 beatdown.

It was the 9th loss in a row for the Clips ... but whatever. #HotChicksAndClubbing

Daivd Otunga just won a big legal victory in his custody battle with Jennifer Hudson ... he gets their son for Thanksgiving.

TMZ has learned both sides squared off in court Tuesday and David made his case to spend the holiday with 8-year-old David Jr. TMZ broke the story, cops threw David out of the family home after Jennifer got an order of protection claiming she was afraid David would hurt her and her son. David says she's lying and vengeful because they were at an impasse over custody.

We've learned, according to the new order, David Jr. will be with his dad from Thanksgiving day at 3 PM to 7 PM the following day.

There's a hearing set for Monday where David will ask the judge to vacate the order of protection.

We're told David will also ask the judge on Monday to give him temporary custody of David Jr., claiming he's the primary caregiver. He also wants possession of the residence -- where he pays rent -- during the 2 weeks she'll be traveling for work -- between November 26 and December 8.

Former Dream singer Melissa Schuman claims Nick Carter raped her back in 2002 ... when she was 18 and he was 22.

Melissa says she and the Backstreet Boys singer started talking because their managers suggested they date -- presumably for good PR -- even though she says she already had a boyfriend.

She claims Carter invited her and a friend to his Santa Monica apartment for what she calls a "casual hangout" -- and after some boozing he started making out with her. In a very graphic blog post, Melissa claims he eventually took her into a bathroom, he forcibly performed oral sex on her ... and then forced her to reciprocate.

Melissa says she repeatedly told him she did not want to have sex, and was saving her virginity for her husband. She claims Carter took her to a bedroom, and then forced her to have intercourse.

Schuman says she told her manager about the alleged rape, but was told Carter's legal team was too powerful, and publicly accusing him would hurt her career.