Published: Saturday - January 12, 2008
Words by Allen Starbury
DMX (Photo: Columbia Records)
Rapper DMX took a hit in court on Friday (January 11) when a judge awarded the mother of his child a $1.5 million judgment after the rapper failed to show up in court to defend against a defamation of character suit in Maryland.
Judge Thomas Smith gave the ruling after a damages hearing that included testimony from Monique Wayne, the baby's mother, Wayne's sister and the mother's shrink.
Wayne sued DMX (real name: Earl Simmons) after he told Sister2Sister magazine, in a past interview, that he was raped by her as he slept during a 2003 stay in a hotel room in Baltimore.
"She raped me," DMX claimed. "DNA says it is [my child]. I don't know. If I did [have sex with her], I would remember. It ain't like she's a pretty girl."
In October 2006, the 28-year-old woman claimed the statements were lies and filed a lawsuit in Prince George’s County Circuit Court in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, seeking $6 million in damages.
Judge Thomas Smith ordered DMX to pay Wayne $518,400 in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive penalties, according to Wayne's lawyer, Stephanie Moran, reports the New York Post.
"It's not so much the price, it's the point I wanted to get across," Wayne told the paper. "Let him think about what he's going to say before he says it."
Features Slim (of 112): Hi Haters What else do you want from Slim? His prolific group 112 has sold over 20 million records worldwide, and with a bevy ... full story
Editorials & Columns Scouting Report: Bambu You can refer to Bambu with various terms: rebel, revolutionist, Filipino, thug, artist. From the outside looking in, ... full story
Beyond Hip-Hop Game Review: Far Cry 2 Gone are Jack Carver, his Hawaiian shirt, and the trigens from the first installment of "Far Cry," but in comes spine ... full story
Video Bambu: Like Us (Music Video) We recently featured Filipino rapper, Bambu, in our Scouting Report column, and now, he's just dropped a new video. ... full story
Digg It
Del.icio.us
