Lil Wayne Takes Major Loss In $20M Legal Battle With Ex-Manager: Report

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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 09: Lil Wayne performs onstage during the 2019 Outside Lands Music And Arts Festival at Golden Gate Park on August 09, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
An appeals court rejected four major claims in Lil Wayne's filing.

An appeals court shot down Lil Wayne's claims in a multi-million dollar legal battle with his former manager and attorney.

Per Law.com, the Appeals Court denied several claims in his lawsuit. The claims include causes of action for fraudulent inducement, legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, and unjust enrichment.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - OCTOBER 29: Lil Wayne performs during Lil Weezyana 2022 at Champions Square on October 29, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)

The news sets back Lil Wayne's case significantly. The First Department said Wayne had no merit to his claims. The decision gave the rapper little ground to stand on in his 2019 lawsuit.

The four main claims in Wayne's lawsuit were initially tossed by the Manhattan Supreme Court in 2021. They also dismissed an additional four causes of action, as well as aspects of Weezy's suit.

Sweeney claims he served as Wayne's manager and attorney since 2005. Following the "Lollipop" rapper's settlement with Birdman and Cash Money, Sweeney demanded his cut from the deal. Now, Sweeney's appeal lawyer, John Harris, says Lil Wayne must pay up.

Harris recently issued a statement following the appellate court's decision. He said that he's happy "that the appellate court rejected Lil Wayne’s cynical attempt to avoid paying Ronald Sweeney for the work that Mr. Sweeney did for him."

MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 24: Lil Wayne attends Floyd Mayweather’s exclusive red carpet birthday bash at Gabriel South Beach on February 24, 2022 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images for CGI Merchant Group)

"Mr. Sweeney will vigorously pursue his claims for payment and require Lil Wayne to appear in court to answer for his actions," Harris added.

Sweeney's $20M lawsuit against Weezy allegedly said that the rapper "failed and refused to pay plaintiffs his promised 10 percent of the recovery from lawsuits, 10 percent of the sale of master recordings owned by Lil Wayne’s record label, and then 17 percent in general commissions that he owes to Plaintiffs in connection with Plaintiff’s day to day management activities.”

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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