Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne just got out of a federal lawsuit, and the judge did not mince words about it. The case accused Cash Money artists of turning secret surveillance of a woman’s life into music, and it got tossed as frivolous. That is about as clean a win as you can get in court.
The Breakdown
U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy issued the dismissal order on November 10 in Michigan’s Eastern District, AllHipHop reported. The ruling came during the court’s required early review of a complaint filed without prepaying fees. Birdman, Slim and the label were also named in the case.
Levy put her reasoning plainly in the order:
“The Court concludes that Plaintiff’s complaint is frivolous because it lacks an arguable basis in fact or law.”
The case was dismissed without prejudice. Even so, Levy concluded that another amendment would be futile, so the door is not exactly wide open.
What the Plaintiff Claimed
The plaintiff is Europe R. Colbert, who represented herself. She accused the defendants of placing surveillance equipment inside her Warren, Michigan home and using private information in recordings. We want to be clear that these were allegations in her complaint, and the judge rejected them. Nothing in the ruling found that any artist engaged in surveillance.
Here is what the paperwork looked like:
- She cited federal racketeering, wiretap and Lanham Act provisions, along with state claims.
- She sought damages and public corrections.
- The amended complaint listed ten causes of action.
- Limp Bizkit was also named among the defendants.
- The first complaint was dated September 28, and the amended version followed in early November.
The Missing Exhibit A
This is the part that really stands out. Colbert pointed to an attached list of allegedly infringing recordings, but the judge could not find it. Levy wrote, “But there is no Exhibit A attached to the amended complaint, original complaint, or anywhere else on the docket as far as the Court can discern.”
So the music side of the claims leaned on a document that was never in the file. Levy reviewed everything under the screening rules for cases brought without upfront court fees. Those rules let a judge throw out frivolous claims without treating every accusation as established fact.
What’s Next
Colbert is not getting an easy path to an appeal either. Levy denied her permission to appeal without prepaying fees, finding that an appeal would not be taken in good faith.
It has also been a good stretch for the label in court. Cash Money and Birdman recently won dismissal from a separate Georgia lawsuit over the shooting of Lil Wayne’s tour bus. That case came from a driver’s claims tied to the 2015 attack, and it has nothing to do with the Michigan complaint. We will be watching to see whether anything else gets filed in either matter.
The Takeaway
Drake, Nicki and Wayne can put this one behind them, and a missing Exhibit A helped sink it. When the paperwork does not back up the headline, the court notices.