The family of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace continues to experience roadblocks in their quest for justice following the rapper’s death, as its secondary wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles and former LAPD Officer Rafael Perez was dismissed.
According to reports, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper granted the city and Perez’s request to dismiss the case on Monday (Dec. 17), as she ruled that Wallace’s family did not file a claim against the city within the necessary time frame in an ancillary wrongful death lawsuit, which was filed in April.
The ruling comes after both sides of the family’s still-active lawsuit agreed last week to go into mediation presided by a magistrate judge.
As a result, the second trial in that case, which was set to begin in February, has been delayed indefinitely.
The dismissal of the secondary wrongful death suit is the latest chapter in a string of happenings surrounding the case, as Wallace’s murder remains unsolved.
The rapper died on March 9, 1997, after being shot to death while leaving a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum.
According to Wallace’s family, rogue LAPD officers, including Rafael Perez, played a part in the killing.
A 2002 lawsuit later resulted in the family’s first wrongful death trial, which ended in a mistrial when authorities discovered that city lawyers withheld evidence from attorneys representing B.I.G.’s estate.