Efforts by Drake‘s legal team to get their client out of sitting through a deposition over XXXTENTACION‘s murder have proved successful.
TMZ reported Tuesday (February 14) that Judge Michael A. Usan has signed off on Drake’s motion to avoid the deposition following the court’s previous order for him to sit down later this month and answer questions.
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Drake’s attorney Bradford Cohen argued that the court had no relevant information to bring his client in, which the judge ultimately agreed with.
Suspect Dedrick Williams’ lawyer Mauricio Padilla had presented Drake as a possible alternative theory to X’s murder, citing their beef before the Florida rapper’s death.
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Padilla tried to subpoena Drake for a deposition last month before the trial commenced, claiming that the Toronto native was properly served but failed to show up for the deposition. Because of this, Padilla then petitioned the court for an “order to show cause,” which the judge then granted on Thursday (February 9). The order requested Drake’s presence for a deposition on February 24.
Days later, Drizzy’s lawyer filed a motion to dismiss it, writing that he believes defense attorneys are only trying to “add more layers of celebrity and notoriety” to the case.
“It is both unreasonable and oppressive to subpoena an out of state party who has not been mentioned in any reports, any investigation, or referenced to have any involvement in this matter,” Cohen wrote in the filing. “To mandate that he appear for deposition for something that he very clearly has no relevant knowledge of is unreasonable.”
Drake is not the only high-profile Hip Hop figure Padilla is trying to bring into the case, having listed Quavo, Joe Budden and 6ix9ine as potential witnesses.
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In addition to Williams, codefendants Michael Boatwright and Trayvon Newsome are standing trial. If convicted, the three suspects could face life in prison. Authorities believe Boatwright was the assailant who ultimately fired the fatal shots at XXXTENTACION.
A fourth suspect, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder charges in August 2022 and has testified against his accomplices in hopes of a lighter sentence.
