Defamation suit tossed: A judge threw out a
defamation lawsuit by a man who claimed Fox
Television and a hip-hop magazine falsely accused
him of involvement in the unsolved murder of
rapper Notorious B.I.G.
A Superior Court judge on Thursday dismissed the
suit by Tyruss Himes against Fox-owned KTTV-TV in
Los Angeles and XXL magazine on grounds that the
stories were constitutionally protected free
speech.
The judge also said Himes had failed to prove that
the media outlets acted with malice and reckless
disregard for the truth, which is the standard of
proof in defamation cases, said Himes' attorney,
Arthur G. Lesmez.
Himes was a friend of Shakur who performed on his
album "Loyal to the Game."
Himes sued Fox and XXL Magazine in July. The suit
claimed that Himes lost a record deal because KTTV-TV
aired a news report implicating him in the Wallace
killing and XXL printed a 2005 article indicating
that he was "involved in assembling the team" to
murder Wallace.
note:
various reports contributed
Biggie Duets Goes
Platinum
Bad Boy Records' THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. DUETS:
THE FINAL CHAPTER has been certified platinum
by the RIAA for U.S. sales of more than one
million units. The most eagerly anticipated
album in hip-hop history, it was released on
December 20th and reigned at #1 on Billboard's
Top Rap Albums chart for seven consecutive
weeks. (Biggie
Duets)
