Kodak Black Beats $10M Lawsuit
Kodak Black has successfully beaten a $10 million shooting lawsuit. His lawyer issued a "chilling ultimatum," underscoring the high-stakes environment around hip-hop's legal and personal battles.
The lawsuit stemmed from a February 2022 shooting outside a Los Angeles restaurant during a Super Bowl after-party hosted by Justin Bieber. Kodak Black was among those shot, sustaining a leg injury. Two other men who were also allegedly shot, Mark Schaefer and Adam Rahman, filed the $10 million lawsuit. They claimed that an altercation involving Kodak Black escalated and led to the gunfire. The plaintiffs' legal team, led by attorney Gloria Allred, not only sued Kodak Black but also initially named Justin Bieber as a defendant, though he was later dismissed from the case. Kodak Black's attorney, Bradford Cohen, called the lawsuit "the dumbest, most ridiculous lawsuit I have ever read." He maintained that there was no settlement payment to have the case dropped. The "chilling ultimatum" from Cohen was a threat to countersue the plaintiffs for attorney's fees if they did not withdraw the lawsuit. The plaintiffs subsequently dropped the case, and it cannot be refiled. This legal victory adds another chapter to the rapper's extensive history of legal issues, which have included charges ranging from drug and firearm possession to assault. Despite numerous arrests and periods of incarceration, Kodak Black's career has continued, including a sentence commutation by President Donald Trump in 2021 for a 2020 conviction on firearms charges.
