S. Samuel
Southern rapper Rick Ross must pay DJ Vlad $300,000 over an assault that took place at the Texas Ozone Awards in 2008.
According to reports, the ruling was made on Thursday (April 15).
A Manhattan federal jury found Ross liable for his crew breaking Vlad “DJ Vlad” Lyubovny’s eye socket at the Ozone Awards in Houston, Texas, in 2008. Ross’ crew was furious that Vlad Lyubovny had reported Ross was a correction officer before he became a hard-core rapper. The jury awarded Lyubovny $50,000 in compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages for the assault. (New York Daily News)
Vlad also confirmed the court’s decision and spoke on the event’s aftermath.
“As an individual that covers breaking news in the hip hop world…I am grateful that the jury punished Rick Ross for setting me up, when all I was doing was covering the news and making commentary,” Lyubovny said after the verdict. “There is no place in civilized society for members of the media to have to fear retribution for their news coverage and commentary,” said lawyer Brian Caplan of Caplan & Ross. (New York Daily News)
Last year, Vlad opened up about being assaulted by Ross’ entourage.
“There was a certain degree of [embarrassment]. But at the end of the day we all human, and it could happen to anyone.” Vlad said. “I go harder now…I don’t give a f—, and that’s my word. When you go through something, you’re either gonna run and hide and leave the business altogether, or you go that much harder. And I go that much harder now.” (The Boom Box)
Aside form legal woes, Ross is reportedly now being managed by rap mogul Diddy.
Diddy may be busy trying to get his oft-delayed Dirty Money project, “Last Train To Paris,” off the ground, but that hasn’t stopped the ambitious mogul from making other prominent career moves. A source close to the entrepreneur/rapper has confirmed to Billboard.com that Diddy is not only co-managing Lil Wayne protégé Nicki Minaj but also Rick Ross. The two have been appearing together often lately, including on the remix to Waka Flocka‘s “O Lets Do It” track. Diddy has also praised Ross’ rapping skills in public as of late, comparing him to the late Notorious B.I.G. “Big shout out to my brother Diddy. We have a big announcement to make real soon, so stay tuned for that,” Ross said on the airwaves during an interview with Power 105.1 DJ Envy earlier this week, alluding to an official announcement of the business move coming soon. (Billboard)
Check out DJ Vlad speaking on the assault down below:
