Academy
Award-winning rap group Three 6 Mafia requested the dismissal of a lawsuit filed
against them by man who claimed he was severely beaten at a concert when fans
followed lyrics of the song "Let’s Start A Riot." McKeesport,
PA resident Ramone Williams, 22, claimed in his July 2005 suit he was beaten during
a concert at a now-defunct Pittsburgh nightclub on Aug. 26, 2003.Williams,
who was 19 at the time, said he was admitted into the Rock Jungle night club in
Station Square, despite being underage.In
his July 2005 complaint, Williams said he attended the show on a whim with a friend.
He became uneasy during the concert, when fans of Three 6 Mafia started acting
out the lyrics to "Let’s Start a Riot." Williams
alleged, he was thrown to the floor, hit with a chair, stomped on and kicked in
the face, fracturing his left jaw. He won a default judgment against the club,
which later closed. According
to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Williams’ attorney, James E. DePasquale,
said the group claims the inciting lyrics were performed that night by Robert
"Koopsta Knicca" Cooper and Darnell
"Crunchy Black" Carlton, two associates who are not regular members
of the group. A
motion, filed by the group’s lawyer in TN, John E. Hall, challenged Williams’
complaint, saying there is no "genuine issue of material fact" and that
Three 6 Mafia’s lyrics are protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution.
In April
2005, Williams voluntarily released two group members from the suit, stating that
[DJ] Paul Beauregard and Jordan "Juicy J" Houston, were not present
at the time of the assault, and thus should not be sued.Both
Crunchy Black and Koopsta Knicca remain as defendants in the suit along with Ricky
"Scarecrow" Dunigan. Three
6 Mafia, of Memphis, TN., won an Oscar this year for the song "It’s Hard
Out Here for a Pimp" from the film Hustle & Flow.
