On Tuesday April 20, a federal judge dismissed the wrongful death suit filed by the family of The Notorious B.I.G. against the city of Los Angeles. In April of 2002, the family of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace filed the suit against then LAPD Police Chief Bernard Parks on the grounds that the LAPD didn’t do enough to prevent the rapper’s death when he was gunned down in a 1997 drive-by shooting. After going to trial in 2005, the case ended in a mistrial after the LAPD was accused of withholding evidence. The city of Los Angeles was ordered to pay $1.1 million in sanctions.
The criminal investigation into the 1997 death of Wallace has yet to be solved and remains open.
“We run the risk of pursing a case against some people, and later finding out we went after the wrong people,” Bradley Gage told the Los Angeles Times. Gage is one of six lawyers representing the Wallace family. “There is benefit to both sides in waiting on this case. Murder has no statute of limitations, so the criminal issues linger on.”
According to the Times, the civil lawsuit estimated the financial losses from the rapper’s death could be as much as $500 million.
