Meek Mill's Docuseries Producers Say Lawyer Can't Seize Interview Tape

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Rapper Meek Mill attends the Billboard 2018 R&B Hip-Hop Power Players event at Legacy Records on September 27, 2018 in New York City
Roc Nation and Amazon refute claims made by Charles Peruto that "off the record" interview tapes are his "personal property."

Meek Mill is still battling to get Judge Genece Brinkley off of the case, although she has refused to do so. In an "off the record" comment made during an interview for Meek Mill's upcoming docuseries with Roc Nation and Amazon, her lawyer, Charles Peruto, said that if he was the lawyer, he would have given Meek a new trial. He continued to say that Brinkley "looks f—ing awful." He sued the docuseries producers to ensure that none of the comments up in the docuseries but Amazon and Roc Nation are arguing that "spoken word" property can't be seized.

Although Peruto wants to regain "personal property," Roc Nation and the other defendants in the case have argued otherwise.

"Peruto's replevin claim fails for a basic and threshold reason," reads a motion to dismiss the case. "He alleges the property at issue is the 'oral communication' defendants recorded. Peruto's spoken words, however, are not goods or chattel. And, in turn, the words he uttered are not physical property subject to a replevin action as a matter of law."

They continued to say that Peruto can't recover property that exists in only a digital form and would have to be a physical object in order to get seized. 

Peruto has since filed a separate lawsuit accusing the producers of violating the Wiretap Act. In Pennsylvania, both parties need to agree on recordings being made, but Peruto filed his lawsuit under federal law, where only one person needs to consent to the recording. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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