Los Angeles has been ordered to make good on a B.I.G. payout.
A federal judge has ordered the city to reimburse the family of the late Notorious B.I.G. at least $1.1 million in legal fees as a penalty for concealing evidence in a civil suit stemming from the rapper's slaying.
The bill could eventually swell by another $300,000, according to the ruling, which was dated last Thursday and made public late Friday.
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper announced she would consider sanctions last July, following her declaration of a mistrial after it was discovered a Los Angeles police detective hid info linking two disgraced ex-officers, David Mack and Rafael Perez, to Biggie's murder.
Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, was shot and killed on Mar. 9, 1997 following a record industry party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
The crime remains unsolved. Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, and his widow, R&B star Faith Evans, filed a wrongful death suit accusing the LAPD of botching the investigation and violating the rap star's civil rights by failing to protect him despite knowing there were threats against him stemming from the violent East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry.
During the trial, Wallace family attorneys contended that Mack, who's in prison for an unrelated bank robbery conviction, conspired to kill Biggie with a college friend on orders from Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight. They claimed Knight wanted revenge for the 1996 drive-by shooting death of Death Row's biggest star and outspoken Biggie rival, Tupac Shakur, in Las Vegas.
The proceedings took an unexpected turn when plaintiffs' lawyers revealed they had received an anonymous tip from a former officer alleging that a jailhouse informant had once implicated Mack and Perez in the hit but the department either failed to follow up on that lead, or may may have intentionally ignored it.
The city's attorney countered that police had concluded the snitch was probably making up the allegations to obtain special treatment. Then Steven Katz, a homicide detective, admitted to having "overlooked" the comments in a transcript tucked away in his desk drawer.
In declaring a mistrial, an angry Cooper called Katz's explanation "utterly unbelievable," and blasted the city and police department for failing to hand over reams of evidence related to the informant. She also ordered the city to pay the Wallace estate "all fees and costs incurred as the result of defendant's misconduct."
The newly unearthed evidence will enable the Wallaces to expand the scope of their revised suit beyond the city if they so choose. A retrial is expected later this year.
"We were disappointed with the order," Jonathan Diamond, a spokesman for Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, told the Los Angeles Times. "We believe the officer's conduct was inadvertent, and we will prevail at trial on the merits of the case."
It could have been worse. The Wallace family initially asked for $2 million in compensation. While the judge opted for a lower figure, Cooper did include costs for hiring security to safeguard attorneys and witnesses. She won't rule on the additional $300,000 until after the new trial.
"It's pretty clear from the ruling that the judge understands this is a significant and difficult case," family attorney Perry Sanders told the Times. "It seemed like everything she did was measured, and we think what she did was appropriate."
Despite his murder, B.I.G. remains a force in hip-hop. Source recently voted him greatest emcee in rap history and his posthumous release, Duets: The Final Chapter, has ranked in the top five in album sales since its release last month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20060123...hkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--
A federal judge has ordered the city to reimburse the family of the late Notorious B.I.G. at least $1.1 million in legal fees as a penalty for concealing evidence in a civil suit stemming from the rapper's slaying.
The bill could eventually swell by another $300,000, according to the ruling, which was dated last Thursday and made public late Friday.
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper announced she would consider sanctions last July, following her declaration of a mistrial after it was discovered a Los Angeles police detective hid info linking two disgraced ex-officers, David Mack and Rafael Perez, to Biggie's murder.
Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, was shot and killed on Mar. 9, 1997 following a record industry party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
The crime remains unsolved. Biggie's mother, Voletta Wallace, and his widow, R&B star Faith Evans, filed a wrongful death suit accusing the LAPD of botching the investigation and violating the rap star's civil rights by failing to protect him despite knowing there were threats against him stemming from the violent East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry.
During the trial, Wallace family attorneys contended that Mack, who's in prison for an unrelated bank robbery conviction, conspired to kill Biggie with a college friend on orders from Death Row Records founder Marion "Suge" Knight. They claimed Knight wanted revenge for the 1996 drive-by shooting death of Death Row's biggest star and outspoken Biggie rival, Tupac Shakur, in Las Vegas.
The proceedings took an unexpected turn when plaintiffs' lawyers revealed they had received an anonymous tip from a former officer alleging that a jailhouse informant had once implicated Mack and Perez in the hit but the department either failed to follow up on that lead, or may may have intentionally ignored it.
The city's attorney countered that police had concluded the snitch was probably making up the allegations to obtain special treatment. Then Steven Katz, a homicide detective, admitted to having "overlooked" the comments in a transcript tucked away in his desk drawer.
In declaring a mistrial, an angry Cooper called Katz's explanation "utterly unbelievable," and blasted the city and police department for failing to hand over reams of evidence related to the informant. She also ordered the city to pay the Wallace estate "all fees and costs incurred as the result of defendant's misconduct."
The newly unearthed evidence will enable the Wallaces to expand the scope of their revised suit beyond the city if they so choose. A retrial is expected later this year.
"We were disappointed with the order," Jonathan Diamond, a spokesman for Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, told the Los Angeles Times. "We believe the officer's conduct was inadvertent, and we will prevail at trial on the merits of the case."
It could have been worse. The Wallace family initially asked for $2 million in compensation. While the judge opted for a lower figure, Cooper did include costs for hiring security to safeguard attorneys and witnesses. She won't rule on the additional $300,000 until after the new trial.
"It's pretty clear from the ruling that the judge understands this is a significant and difficult case," family attorney Perry Sanders told the Times. "It seemed like everything she did was measured, and we think what she did was appropriate."
Despite his murder, B.I.G. remains a force in hip-hop. Source recently voted him greatest emcee in rap history and his posthumous release, Duets: The Final Chapter, has ranked in the top five in album sales since its release last month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/eo/20060123...hkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--
