Late Rap Artists' Family Awarded Legal Fees
| Late Rap Artists' Family Awarded Legal Fees |
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| Written by Robert ID2296 |
| Saturday, 21 January 2006 23:55 |
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U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper has ruled in favor of the family of the late east coast rap artist Notorious B.I.G. The Family of Christopher Wallace, also known as late hip-hop rap artist Notorious B.I.G., will receive $1.3 Million from the city of Los Angeles. Judge Florence Marie Cooper has ordered that $1.3 Million be paid by the City of Los Angeles to the late rappers family for legal expenses stemming from the family’s civil lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles that ended in a mistrial last July. The mistrial was declared because the judge, at that time, expressed concern that the Los Angeles Police Department had deliberately withheld evidence from the court. The revelation that a police detective may have hid statements linking the killing of Notorious B.I.G. to former LAPD Officers David Mack and Rafael Perez When U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper declared the mistrial in July she wrote "The detective, acting alone or in concert with others, made a decision to conceal from the plaintiffs in this case information which would have supported their contention that David Mack was responsible for the murder.“ The FBI had spent 18 months also investigating the possibility that a rogue Los Angeles police officer working with rap mogul and CEO of Death Row Records, Marion "Suge" Knight had orchestrated Notorious B.I.G.'s killing. They also had closed the case due to a lack of any evidence to support the family’s allegations; allegations fueled by theories based on disgruntled ex-police officer Russell Poole. The late rappers family civil suit did not name Marion ‘Suge’ Knight, Mack, Perez or the alleged shooter, and none of them have ever been formally named suspects in the case or arrested in connection with the crime. Marion ‘Suge’ Knight, whose Death Row Records was the label of late rap icon Tupac Shakur (2Pac), has always denied he had any participation in this matter. Tupac (2Pac) and Biggie were rivals and some say the assassination of Tupac is what is behind the murder of Notorious B.I.G.. The murders of Tupac Shakur (2pac) and Notorious B.I.G. have never been solved. The Family of Christopher Wallace originally sought $2 Million in this matter. The family has re-filed their civil wrongful death suit and it will be heard again later this year. |
