Birdman To Pay Ex-Employee $1M Default Judgment After Bailing On Court

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Recording artist Birdman speaks onstage during 106 & Park Live sponsored by Denny's & M&M's during the 2016 BET Experience at Microsoft Square on June 23, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.
Birdman's gotta pay, again.

Birdman might be a Cash Money Millionaire but it appears as though the only way he can stay in that tax bracket is through his shady business practices. Over the years, we've heard through court dealings and word of mouth that Birdman isn't actually a fair businessman, especially when it comes to those close to him. Drake, Lil Wayne, and Tyga are among the artists signed to Cash Money who've expressed disdain with working with Birdman. But imagine the allegations made from people who aren't even in the music industry like that.

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According to The Blast, Birdman is being forced to cough up $1M to a former employee who sued him over unpaid wages. Nicolas Jose Penzo filed a lawsuit against Birdman, Cash Money and Pine View Management LLC in 2018 and was granted a default judgment in the case. Birdman apparently failed to show up to court which is why he now gas to pay Penzo $1M.

Penzo originally said that Birdman was terrible at paying him on time. He sued Birdman for $23,900 -- $15K for the $150 a day salary and an additional $8,900 in unpaid wages -- but later filed a new motion seeking a default judgment where he said that he believes he's owed far more than $23,900. He said argued that he needed over a million in damages.

"The Defendant gave me several checks which were returned from his bank for insufficient funds and currently owes me $30,000 in unpaid wages, not including overtime," the motion read. “I have suffered back pain due to the immense amount of work the Defendant required me to do. I was without work for approximately one year, suffered financially, physically, and emotionally because of the position the Defendant left me in, and therefore feel I am entitled to $1,000,000 in compensatory damages.”

Rough times for Baby.


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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