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Dr. Dre recently won a case against former Detroit officials who accused the producer of violating eavesdropping laws by videotaping them during 2000’s Up In Smoke tour.
Flint, Michigan’s U.S. District Judge Paul Gadola dismissed the former city officials’ federal lawsuit. Gadola stated that Wayne County Circuit Judge John Murphy, who ruled in Dre’s favor in a previous suit in August 2003, had already resolved the matter.
The "state court determination that plaintiffs did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy precludes plaintiffs from re-litigating that issue before this court," Gadola explained in a 15-page decision. "This conclusion disposes of all of plaintiffs' claims before this court."
The ex-employees filed a suit after being videotaped backstage on July 6, 2000 during the Up In Smoke's Detroit stop at Joe Louis Arena. The videotape pictured the employees in a heated argument with several of Dre's representatives. Two years later, the footage was used in a documentary chronicling the tour. The plaintiffs claim they didn't know the footage would land in a section of the documentary dubbed "Detroit Controversy" and did not authorize their appearance.
The ex-employees first sued Dre and Aftermath Entertainment in Wayne County Circuit Court, lost the suit and are presently appealing. They then filed a federal lawsuit in April 2002, claiming a violation of federal wiretapping laws. Dre’s attorney said he was satisfied with the verdict.
"This case was much ado about nothing," Detroit attorney Herschel Fink told the Detroit Free Press. "Hopefully, this will put an end to three years of litigation over groundless claims that the cameras were hidden and the plaintiffs didn't know the cameras were taping."
Despite the ruling, defense lawyer Glenn Oliver is confident that his clients will win the appeal.
"Everyone is waiting for the state Court of Appeals decision. And we feel very strongly the state Court of Appeals will rule in our favor. And at that point the case will be back on," Oliver shared.
The conflict began when former Police Department employee, Gary Brown, former Mayoral Press Secretary Greg Bowens and former Second Deputy Police Chief Paula Bridges met with Dre’s representative to ensure that the concert wouldn’t feature a sexually explicit video. Dre’s team agreed to hold the clip at the Joe Louis arena date, but showed it the next night at a performance at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The team later filed a federal suit and consequently was awarded $25,000 and received a letter of apology from the City of Detroit for violating their free speech rights. Dre eventually included the footage on the Up In Smoke DVD which sparked the state and federal suits by the former employees. Both camps pleaded for Gadola to rule in their favor during a court hearing late last month.
Source: sohh
Flint, Michigan’s U.S. District Judge Paul Gadola dismissed the former city officials’ federal lawsuit. Gadola stated that Wayne County Circuit Judge John Murphy, who ruled in Dre’s favor in a previous suit in August 2003, had already resolved the matter.
The "state court determination that plaintiffs did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy precludes plaintiffs from re-litigating that issue before this court," Gadola explained in a 15-page decision. "This conclusion disposes of all of plaintiffs' claims before this court."
The ex-employees filed a suit after being videotaped backstage on July 6, 2000 during the Up In Smoke's Detroit stop at Joe Louis Arena. The videotape pictured the employees in a heated argument with several of Dre's representatives. Two years later, the footage was used in a documentary chronicling the tour. The plaintiffs claim they didn't know the footage would land in a section of the documentary dubbed "Detroit Controversy" and did not authorize their appearance.
The ex-employees first sued Dre and Aftermath Entertainment in Wayne County Circuit Court, lost the suit and are presently appealing. They then filed a federal lawsuit in April 2002, claiming a violation of federal wiretapping laws. Dre’s attorney said he was satisfied with the verdict.
"This case was much ado about nothing," Detroit attorney Herschel Fink told the Detroit Free Press. "Hopefully, this will put an end to three years of litigation over groundless claims that the cameras were hidden and the plaintiffs didn't know the cameras were taping."
Despite the ruling, defense lawyer Glenn Oliver is confident that his clients will win the appeal.
"Everyone is waiting for the state Court of Appeals decision. And we feel very strongly the state Court of Appeals will rule in our favor. And at that point the case will be back on," Oliver shared.
The conflict began when former Police Department employee, Gary Brown, former Mayoral Press Secretary Greg Bowens and former Second Deputy Police Chief Paula Bridges met with Dre’s representative to ensure that the concert wouldn’t feature a sexually explicit video. Dre’s team agreed to hold the clip at the Joe Louis arena date, but showed it the next night at a performance at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The team later filed a federal suit and consequently was awarded $25,000 and received a letter of apology from the City of Detroit for violating their free speech rights. Dre eventually included the footage on the Up In Smoke DVD which sparked the state and federal suits by the former employees. Both camps pleaded for Gadola to rule in their favor during a court hearing late last month.
Source: sohh