Dame Dash has just found out he’s facing a whole new round of legal drama, according to documents obtained by HipHopDX.
The documents were filed on Thursday (February 22) by Christopher Brown on behalf of photographer Monique Bunn. Brown is requesting that the courts reopen Bunn’s case of damages against the embattled Roc-A-Fella executive, claiming that the jury in the previous case didn’t fully understand the nature of the damages Bunn had incurred as a result of Dash’s alleged actions.
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According to the 285-page memorandum of law, Dame Dash confirmed the value of the photographs he allegedly withheld from Bunn and knew that he didn’t properly compensate her for using the photographs the way he’d done (that is, outside of the scope of promotional purposes). For this reason, Brown argued, the case needs to be reopened.
“The evidence at trial – which was uncontroverted – established that each photo was worth $1,500, which should have resulted in a verdict for at least $384,750,000,” Brown wrote in his memorandum of law. “It is well known that professional photographers earn much of their income through licensing their portfolio of photographs, and Defendants’ actions destroyed Ms. Bunn’s economic prospects. The jury ignored the valuation evidence and awarded zero to Ms. Bunn.”
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He continued: “It is impossible to conceive how a jury could conclude that a professional photographer’s portfolio of thousands of photos, as well as photography equipment, could be worth zero. Especially when the Plaintiff and the Defendants both testify that the damages are in the millions. A new trial is warranted under these circumstances.”
HipHopDX has reached out to Dame Dash’s legal team for a statement.
Dame Dash facing new lawsuit from photographer who claims he cost her nearly $400M pic.twitter.com/V4azMVFMUu
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) February 25, 2024
Christopher Brown is also the same attorney behind the order to sell Dame Dash’s shares in Roc-A-Fella Records to satisfy a nearly $900,000 judgment awarded to Josh Webber, the producer behind the film Dear Frank.
According to documents obtained by Radar Online on February 16, a judge ordered Dame to sell his shares of Roc-A-Fella Records after he allegedly refused to pay a $823k judgment to movie producer Josh Weber that stemmed from the 2016 film Dear Frank.
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Both Jay and Kareem “Biggs” Burke objected to Dame having to sell his shares in an auction, on the basis that company bylaws mandate that the board of directors must first approve the sell-off. However, U.S. Magistrate Robert W. Lehrburger ruled that the former exec’s one-third ownership of Roc-A-Fella can be seized to help cover the judgment since it is his personal property.
In his 15-page decision, Lehrburger blasted Jay and Biggs for creating a no-sell-off clause during a 2021 board meeting that Dame did not attend or vote for. He ordered Roc-A-Fella to deliver Dame’s stock certificate to the U.S. Marshals Service for an auction in 180 days.
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Jay and Biggs’ main objection is less about siding with Dame, however, and stems from concerns that an outsider can purchase the intellectual rights of Roc-A-Fella. To address the issue, Lehrburger said, “They can participate in the auction and place the winning bid.”
As previously reported, Dame Dash was sued for copyright infringement and defamation over the Dear Frank film in 2019. Although he was originally asked to direct the movie in 2016, he was ultimately removed from the project after he was deemed unfit for the job.
Webber and Muddy Water Pictures claimed he was always high on set while shooting the film on his Sherman Oaks property. They eventually finished the film without him.
They then sued Dash three years later, claiming he tried to shop Dear Frank around as his own. They also alleged he sent promotional ephemera to networks such as BET but changed the film’s title to The List. Dame argued they shot the film at his home using all of his equipment then stole the footage to do the movie without him.
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The jury failed to see Dash’s perspective and handed down its decision in 2022. In response, attorney Christopher Brown, who repped the plaintiffs, said, “I will get every penny due to my clients.”
