Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Three 6 Mafia Seeks Dismissal Of Lawsuit

Academy Award-winning rap group Three 6 Mafia requested the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against them by man who claimed he was severely beaten at a concert when fans followed lyrics of the song "Let's Start A Riot."
McKeesport, PA resident Ramone Williams, 22, claimed in his July 2005 suit he was beaten during a concert at a now-defunct Pittsburgh nightclub on Aug. 26, 2003.
Williams, who was 19 at the time, said he was admitted into the Rock Jungle night
club in Station Square, despite being underage.
In his July 2005 complaint, Williams said he attended the show on a whim with a friend. He became uneasy during the concert, when fans of Three 6 Mafia started
acting out the lyrics to "Let's Start a Riot."
Williams alleged, he was thrown to the floor, hit with a chair, stomped on and kicked in the face, fracturing his left jaw. He won a default judgment against the club, which later closed.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Williams’ attorney, James E. DePasquale, said the group claims the inciting lyrics were performed that night by Robert "Koopsta Knicca" Cooper and
Darnell "Crunchy Black" Carlton, two associates who are not regular members of the group.
A motion, filed by the group’s lawyer in TN, John E. Hall, challenged Williams’ complaint, saying there is no "genuine issue of material fact" and that Three 6 Mafia’s lyrics are protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution.
In April 2005, Williams voluntarily released two group members from the suit, stating that [
DJ] Paul Beauregard and Jordan "Juicy J" Houston, were not present at the time of the assault, and thus should not be sued.
Both Crunchy Black and Koopsta Knicca remain as defendants in the suit along with Ricky "Scarecrow" Dunigan.
Three 6 Mafia, of Memphis, TN., won an Oscar this year for the
song "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from the film Hustle & Flow.