XXXTENTACION Murder: Drake's Attorney Wants Defense Sanctioned Over Deposition Request

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LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 30: Drake attends Drake's Till Death Do Us Part rap battle on October 30, 2021 in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Drake's attorney said the defense only wants a deposition from the rapper "to inject celebrity spectacle into an otherwise routine trial and generate headlines in the news."

Drake still hasn’t escaped the possible deposition surrounding XXXTENTACION’s murder. Drizzy faced numerous requests to be deposed in the case due to his feud with the late Florida rapper. Most recently, a process server attempted to subpoena Drake at his California mansion, only to be met by his security who refused to accept anything on his behalf. His bodyguards allegedly kicked the subpoena down the driveway afterward. “Drake’s staff believes that physically kicking the subpoena is a legally sound way of refusing service,” Dedrick Williams attorney, Mauricio Padilla, said. 

The judge ruled that Drake would have to sit down for some sort of deposition by Feb. 24th. Per Rolling Stone, on Feb. 17th, the judge stated that Drake’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, and the defense, Padilla, would have to “work together to mutually agree to a time that was convenient to Mr. Graham, agree on parameters for topics discussed at deposition and even stated that he would even consider sealing the deposition.” He added that they need to balance “the rights of the defendants to investigate the first degree murder case properly with Aubrey Drake Graham’s privacy issue.”

Drake’s Attorney Clashes With The Defense

Drake’s lawyer, Bradford Cohen, appeared in court this week where he formally addressed complaints from the defense surrounding the subpoena. Padilla said he tried to serve Cohen after asking if he would “accept service” on Drake’s behalf. However, Cohen allegedly refused. At this point, Padilla claimed that he “mentioned possibly asking for attorney’s fees, the metaphorical equivalent to kicking the subpoena down the driveway.” 

In response to Padilla, Cohen said that the attempt to expedite the deposition is “quite simply, legally unsound.” He added that they failed to properly serve Drake with the subpoena in accordance with California laws. “Counsel for the Defendant’s only logical motive in moving for an order to show cause a second time would have been to inject celebrity spectacle into an otherwise routine trial and generate headlines in the news,” Cohen told the court. Then, he asked the court to force Padilla to cover Drake’s attorney fees. We'll keep you posted on any further updates surrounding the case.

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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