Login



Sign up for TLA newsletter

Fill out your e-mail address
to receive our newsletter!
E-mail :

TLA's FEATURED ARTIST!





Urban Culture News US District Judge Rules Against Snipes
US District Judge Rules Against Snipes PDF Print E-mail
Written by Robert ID777   
Thursday, 27 January 2005 01:26

Actor Wesley Snipes cannot use the federal courts to nullify an arrest warrant and stop state prosecutors from seeking his DNA in a paternity suit brought by a woman he says he never met, a judge ruled Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska dismissed nearly all the claims by Snipes, saying he can pursue relief in state courts even for claims that actions taken against him violated his constitutional rights.

The judge said earlier court rulings make clear that a plaintiff "may not seek a reversal of a state action simply by recasting his complaint in the form of a civil rights action."

Snipes had asked the judge to intervene after a New York family court judge issued an arrest warrant and after Indiana prosecutors sought a sample of his DNA.

The arrest warrant came after a 33-year-old woman filed a paternity suit in 2002 claiming she had sex with Snipes in a Chicago crackhouse and he fathered her 3-year-old son.

Snipes said in his lawsuit that he never met the woman and that she was a "mentally ill former crack addict" who had made wild claims involving celebrities such as Prince, Oprah Winfrey and former President Clinton (news - web sites).

In her ruling, read from the bench after oral arguments Wednesday, the New York judge made no reference to the sensational allegations of the case.

She said Snipes, in effect, was asking the federal court to review decisions made in state judicial proceedings and overrule them.

"This it may not do," she said, particularly when the rulings involve family relations, a subject that is a "traditional area of state concerns."

She said Snipes had failed to show he would suffer irreparable harm, in part because he waited nearly a year and a half after the arrest warrant was issued to challenge it in federal court.

Outside court, Snipes lawyer Robert Bernhoft said he did not know if he would appeal.

"It's troubling that our client has to go through so much difficulty to vindicate his rights," he said.

Bernhoft said Snipes, an Orlando, Fla., resident, was aware it would be far less costly and easier to provide the DNA sample.

"For Wesley Snipes, principles are more important than efficiency, doing the easy thing," he said.

Bernhoft said Snipes believed he was a "stakeholder for other young black American males who don''t have the resources" to fight bogus claims that they fathered children.

Snipes has appeared in blockbuster films such as "Passenger 57," "White Men Can''t Jump," "Wildcats" and the "Blade" trilogy.

Emily Sweet, a lawyer for New York City, said she was pleased with the ruling.

Source

 
Urban Culture News US District Judge Rules Against Snipes

"This site is dedicated to the legacy of Tupac Shakur and all the other souljahs who dare to struggle; alive & dead"

The layout, text and images on this website are protected by (c) Copyright and may not be used or reproduced without written consent of [email protected].
No copyright is implied or expressed towards any of the pictures on the site except site images owned by ThugLifeArmy.com . ‘Hot linking’ of our content (images, text, audio and video) is strictly prohibited by law.
If our news articles are used we expect source credit and a live return link to be given to ThugLifeArmy.com.
The photograph of Tupac used on the home page is owned and copyrighted by Gobi. Photo is used with permission from Gobi to ThugLifeArmy.com. Many more of Gobi's photographs of Tupac can be seen in Gobi's book 'Thru My Eyes'.
Picture graphics and design are by [email protected] and [email protected] (Selphie)

Thug Life Army is a division of Star Sound Music Group®
7336 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 800 Hollywood, California 90046
E-mail: [email protected]
Privacy Policy | Contact Us | About Us | Sourcing Policy | DMCA | RSS Feed feed-image
(c) Copyright 2002-2024 www.thugelifearmy.com. All Rights Reserved