The family of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. is being sued by the city of Los Angeles on claims that they lied to the court about the city withholding documents and covering up police misconduct during their wrongful death lawsuit.
According to papers filed in federal court Tuesday, the family is accused of going to "odious" and "absurd" lengths - including lying - to "satisfy their ambition to extract hundreds of millions of dollars" from the city.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper said she believed a lawyer for the rapper's family had "absolutely deceived" the court in claiming the plaintiffs had received an 11th-hour tip regarding alleged city misconduct.
Cooper declared a mistrial last summer, believing a Los Angeles police detective had hidden informant statements linking the killing to LAPD Officers David A. Mack and Rafael Perez. In January, the judge ordered the city to pay $1.1 million in legal fees and other expenses to the rapper's family.
However, a city attorney told Cooper last month that the family lawyers lied during the trial when they said city attorneys had withheld interviews of the informant by LAPD investigators. A private investigator for the city's defense attorneys reported that the plaintiffs had known about the informant's remarks as early as 2002, prompting Cooper’s reprimand.
Family attorney Perry Sanders said that after telling the court he knew nothing about the informant, he realized that his defense team had been "previously contacted" by the informant. He denied deliberately misleading the court, saying he had given the relevant information about the informant's report to attorneys for the city in 2002, and again last summer.
According to papers filed in federal court Tuesday, the family is accused of going to "odious" and "absurd" lengths - including lying - to "satisfy their ambition to extract hundreds of millions of dollars" from the city.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper said she believed a lawyer for the rapper's family had "absolutely deceived" the court in claiming the plaintiffs had received an 11th-hour tip regarding alleged city misconduct.
Cooper declared a mistrial last summer, believing a Los Angeles police detective had hidden informant statements linking the killing to LAPD Officers David A. Mack and Rafael Perez. In January, the judge ordered the city to pay $1.1 million in legal fees and other expenses to the rapper's family.
However, a city attorney told Cooper last month that the family lawyers lied during the trial when they said city attorneys had withheld interviews of the informant by LAPD investigators. A private investigator for the city's defense attorneys reported that the plaintiffs had known about the informant's remarks as early as 2002, prompting Cooper’s reprimand.
Family attorney Perry Sanders said that after telling the court he knew nothing about the informant, he realized that his defense team had been "previously contacted" by the informant. He denied deliberately misleading the court, saying he had given the relevant information about the informant's report to attorneys for the city in 2002, and again last summer.
