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Meek Mill loses civil rights lawsuit

Written by . Published: May 04 2014

Rapper Meek Mill has lost his civil rights lawsuit against authorities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania following an arrest in 2012.


The Ima Boss hitmaker, real name Robert Williams, sued city officials and the two arresting officers after claiming that he and his three friends, also black males, had had their car pulled over in October, 2012 due to racial profiling.


Cops claimed the Range Rover was stopped because its tinted windows were too dark, and they were given cause to search the car after a sniffer dog smelled marijuana.


The four men, one of whom was an armed, off-duty Florida policeman, were arrested and detained for several hours, even though no drugs were found and no charges were filed, and the incarceration forced the hip-hop star to scrap a scheduled appearance in Atlanta, Georgia.


The 26 year old was seeking $400,000 in lost income and additional damages for emotional distress, but on Thursday (01May14), a jury decided against his claims, reports the New York Post.


However, they also placed the blame for the incident on both sides, stating in the verdict, "Although we voted unanimously that Mr. Williams'... rights were not violated, we feel strongly both the plaintiff and defendant were in the wrong and made mistakes. Any reasonable officer faced with those circumstances would have conducted an investigation."


Speaking after the civil trial wrapped, Williams said, "They ain't (sic) from where I'm from. I (don't) really expect them to understand what I go through. I respect their decision, though."

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