Thursday, November 02, 2006

North Carolina Police Bring Defamation Suit Against The Game

More than a year after being arrested at a Greensboro, N.C., mall, the Game has been brought into another defamation lawsuit. The Greensboro News and Record reports that five of the police officers involved in the arrest filed the suit at the Guilford County Courthouse against the Compton rapper and his associates. In the suit, Hien Nguyen, Matthew Brown, Ryan Childrey, Romaine Watkins and David Gregory claimed that they were the victims of libel and slander. They also alleged that the images of the men were misappropriated. The suit also noted the claims of one officer, who said he lost $7,500 in off-duty pay because of his fear of returning to work at the mall. The source of the suit springs from comments made by the Game after his arrest during an interview with a television reporter. The rapper compared his treatment by authorities to that of Rodney King, adding that he was arrested for signing autographs at a mall. According to reports, Game was seen wearing a full-face Halloween mask, cursing loudly and refusing to leave at the request of police, who arrested the rapper as he continued to act up. The incident, which also led to members of Game's entourage being sprayed with pepper spray, was ultimately captured on video and later circulated the Internet. In addition to the arrest, the suit also mentioned the distribution of the video. A Web site promoting the DVD claims that it shows Taylor "being wrongfully arrested and brutalized by the police in North Carolina," according to the News and Record. The officers are each seeking more than $10,000 in damages.