Logo designer wants judge removed from Jay Z case

A New York designer who is suing Jay Z for royalties relating to the superstar's Roc-A-Fella Records logo is demanding the judge overseeing the case be replaced over concerns of his impartiality.

Dwayne Walker filed legal papers against the Empire State of Mind hitmaker, his former business partner Damon Dash, and executives at Universal Music Group in 2012, demanding $7 million in unpaid royalties over the use of the iconic symbol, which he claims he created in 1995.

Last year (14), Judge Ronald Ellis ordered Dash to sit for a deposition to answer the allegations, while he chose to defer a ruling on whether Jay Z should give evidence until after he heard Dash's testimony.

However, Walker's lawyer, Gregory Berry, has since expressed his client's unease at having Ellis continue to oversee the dispute amid allegations he has continually issued inconsistent rulings in favour of Jay Z throughout the case.

Walker claims Ellis based one decision on a private call he took from a lawyer for the defendants, without seeking any input from the plaintiff, reports Reuters.

He wants Ellis to remove himself from the case. Representatives for the judge have declined to comment on the accusations.