After going to the hospital last week for suffering facial injuries stemming from a fight, Suge Knight pleaded guilty in a Las Vegas court to a misdemeanor battery charge. Details.

 After finding no takers on the $6.2 million price tag he set for his Malibu mansion last year, Marion “Suge” Knight watched it sold at a recent bankruptcy auction. The seven-bedroom, nine-and-a-half-bathroom, ocean-view crib went for a measly $4.5 million in a year of bad news for the ex-Death Row Records president. Knight was publicly knocked unconscious in a street fight this past spring and still faces criminal charges for allegedly attacking his girlfriend in Las Vegas. A judge ordered a bankruptcy takeover of Death Row due to mismanagement after Knight filed for protection over the label two years ago. Global Music Group bought Death Row for $24 million.

Usher’s mom named in police claim. A driver who formerly freelanced for the mom of singer Usher at her transportation company says she never paid him. Georgia detectives are reportedly checking into the matter that allegedly took place during an October BET awards show. The driver claims Jonetta Patton didn’t cut the $1,668 check he’d earned. But a spokesperson for Patton’s company says the allegation is groundless: “The drivers were hired as independent contractors and are paid 30 to 45 days net when working on special events of the magnitude of the BET Hip Hop Awards that took place on Oct. 18. They were hired…and are disgruntled that their services are no longer being used by the company as a result of the unprofessional nature of the fired employee.”

Ex-label head is serious about his ear attire. If you were wondering what to buy former Death Row Records boss Suge Knight for Christmas, wonder no more. Barely a week after word of the burly ex-football player’s lawsuit against rapper Kanye West after Knight lost an earring at West’s 2005 party, he’s got another beef: Cali cops who had him in custody in 2005 allegedly let his diamond stud out of their sight. Knight claims in his U.S. Bankruptcy case, which led to Death Row’s slip from his control, that the cops are responsible. He’s hoping a court will award him $135,000 over the bling he lost at Kanye’s gig, where he was shot in the leg. Apparently, it’s less than gangsta to walk around with bare lobes.

Tyrese says he and Brandy are like siblings. Despite being spotted publicly with the recently reclusive star, actor Tyrese Gibson says he and singer Brandy are just pals. “Brandy and I have been the best of friends since we were 14 years old,” Gibson tells Usmagazine.com. “I would never date her. It would be like dating my sister.” Brandy, who only recently emerged from a low profile after her involvement in a fatal car wreck, reportedly says she hasn’t dated in three years. Police found that she was not at fault for the accident.

Suge Knight charged with drug possession. The alleged victim may have gone away, but charges against Suge Knight, who allegedly jumped his girlfriend, haven’t. A Las Vegas DA says the former head of Death Row Records will face drug possession charges after he was arrested in a public confrontation with his girlfriend several weeks ago. Knight was allegedly seen kicking the nude woman on a Vegas street after she’d reportedly escaped from the car Knight was driving. The pair had argued about Knight’s talking with another woman, it’s reported, before he allegedly hit the woman and she forced the car off the road, then ran for help. Cops said Knight was attacking the woman when they arrived at the scene and that he had the drugs ecstasy and hydrocodone in his possession. The woman has reportedly gone missing from her last known address and can’t be found by investigators. Drug charges were delayed until the substances in Knight’s possession could be tested, the DA says.

Death Row Records founder wants Kanye’s cash. Things must be pretty tight for Suge Knight in the cash department these days. Having lost his rule of the multi-million-dollar Death Row Records to bankruptcy, he’s turned to suing a fellow industry figure. Knight wants Kanye West to pay his medical expenses and damages including the loss of a $135,000 diamond earring after a 2005 shooting. Knight claims he was also forced to take a private jet back home to Cali from West’s Miami after-party where the incident took place. Knight was shot in the leg and accuses Kanye of failing to provide adequate protection. An unusual claim for a man who was once the most feared in rap music. Among other things, Suge’s lawsuit alleges “the loss of use and enjoyment of his earring,” which apparently got lost in the commotion. Talk about hard times, huh?

Star witness against Suge Knight is missing.

Melissa Isaac, the – presumably – ex-girlfriend of Suge Knight has slipped off the radar since her alleged beating at the hands of Knight in Vegas several weeks ago. Isaac was discovered completely nude in the street with the Death Row Records boss still attacking her after allegedly arguing with her as they rode in Knight’s car, police say. Authorities report that this week Isaac, who was to testify against Knight, couldn’t be found at her last known address, and folks at the residence reportedly claim she never lived there. The bad news for Suge, however, is that prosecutors don’t necessarily need Isaac’s testimony to prosecute him for the attack.