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Rick Ross sued over name and deposit

By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 18 July 2012

A Californian state court yesterday allowed a lawsuit being pursued against Warner Music by Rick Ross over Rick Ross to continue. Yeah, follow that one.

Rick Ross the rapper, real name William Roberts, took his stage name from the real Rick Ross, one of America’s best known convicted drug traffickers (and in doing so turned down the opportunity to perform as Bill Bob, which would have been much more fun). The real Rick Ross, often known as Freeway Rick Ross, was still in prison when the rapper first emerged on the scene, but once freed he sued the hip hop man in 2010, claiming the rapper had misappropriated his name.

Freeway Ross’s first lawsuit in the California federal court in 2010 failed, because the judge ruled that the claimant did not own any trademarks in the name, and couldn’t claim such rights on the basis of his infamy. The former drugs man then tried again, through the California state court, claiming, according to Law 360, false advertising, unjust enrichment, unfair business practice, and common-law claims of misappropriation of name, identity and rights of publicity.

The main defendants in that lawsuit were William Roberts himself, and his original label Universal Music. The case failed in March on the basis of statute of limitations, the legal principle that says that litigation relating to a specific action must be taken within a predetermined time after the offending incident. The court ruled that the claimant hadn’t acted soon enough, under Californian law, after Roberts and his label starting using the Rick Ross moniker. Ross tried to argue that each new album released by Roberts and Universal constituted a new offence, but the courts did not concur.

But, as previously reported, Warner Music only entered into its business partnership with Roberts to release music using the Rick Ross name in February 2011, meaning, Ross claimed, the statute of limitations did not apply if he sued them. And yesterday a Californian judge agreed, telling the music major it couldn’t have the case dismissed on statute of limitations grounds, because of the 2011 agreement. Though the judge added that Ross’s lawsuit would need to be amended, because it doesn’t currently make specific allegations against the music company. Reps for the claimant said this would now be done.

Ross, who it’s thought amassed a fortune of up to $600 million via his drug trafficking network through the 1980s and early 1990s, was given early release from prison due to good behaviour, and says he is now involved in youth projects to help his local community, and wants his name to be associated, not with rap, but with “the struggles Black America has had as a result of the crack cocaine epidemic, and to correctly represent what I went through personally when I was given a federal life sentence”.

Welcoming this week’s ruling, and confirming he is appealing the March decision, Ross told CMU: “While we are still confident in our case against Universal on appeal, and believe they were filed against in time, and each new CD restarted the statue of limitations too, we take this [new] decision as a good sign”.

Elsewhere in Rick Ross the rapper news, he, his sister and his manager are all being sued by a UK company over a planned appearance at a concert in Nigeria in 2011.

London-based Zons PR worked for African beer brand Star Lager on its annual Star Mega Jam event, and booked Ross to headline via his sister, Tawanda Roberts. The promotions firm handed over a deposit of $87,500, but Ross ultimately pulled out of the Nigerian show citing security concerns. But, say Zons PR, he is yet to return the deposit, and has refused to discuss paying back the money or agreeing to an alternative project. Ross’s people are yet to respond to the lawsuit.