Young Thug attorneys back in court over Lil Wayne bus shooting

A state judge must decide whether there is enough evidence for the 10-year-old case involving the artist Birdman to proceed to trial.ATLANTA (CN) — Attorneys for Grammy Award-wining hip-hop artist Young Thug were back in court Monday, nearly two years after he entered a no contest plea to racketeering charges in Fulton County as part of Georgia’s longest criminal trial.This time however, they were in neighboring Cobb County to fend off a lawsuit from a tour bus driver for Dwayne Carter, also known as Lil Wayne, one of the most influential hip-hop artists of his generation.Alvin Lewis was driving the bus carrying Carter and his entourage when it was riddled with bullets while leaving a concert in Atlanta over 10 years ago.No one was struck or injured, but Lewis is seeking damages for emotional distress and claims Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, and Bryan Williams, the rapper known as Birdman, are responsible. The two are collaborators but not relatives.But the rappers argue there is no direct evidence or eyewitnesses linking them to the gunfire or showing that the April 25, 2015, shooting was carried out by one of their employees or agents.Instead, Lewis relies solely on prejudicial evidence about gangs and speculation over a dispute between Carter and the other artists leading up to the attack, attorney Jeffrey Reilly said.Lewis’ attorney Jeffrey Gewirtz argued that Jeffery Williams and Bryan Williams paid Jimmy Winfrey, known as Peewee Roscoe, who was arrested in connection with the shooting after Atlanta police found his white Camaro with an assault rifle.Winfrey initially pleaded guilty to gang charges in February 2018 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, the Georgia Supreme Court reversed that conviction later that year, ruling that Winfrey’s plea was given involuntarily.He later accepted a plea deal in the racketeering case against Jeffery Williams and accused members of the “Young Slime Life” gang, where the tour bus shooting was cited as an overt act of the criminal enterprise.Jail phone calls between Jeffery Williams and Winfrey show he was trying to gain “street cred” and was being rewarded for not being a “rat,” Gerwirtz said.But Reilly told the judge that a $25,000 payment Jeffery Williams made for Winfrey’s legal fees was just a case of helping out his childhood friend. He said Winfrey never worked for Jeffery Williams, Bryan Williams or either of their record labels.“Georgia law does not support such a broad brush of liability,” Reilly said.Gerwirtz said Winfrey was directed to carry out the shooting on the rappers’ behalf following a dispute between the musicians and that the incident was a foreseeable and directed attack.In the months before the incident, Carter said Bryan Williams and his company Cash Money Records were refusing to release his album and that his works were “prisoner” to the label. Carter sued seeking lost revenue and termination of his contract; he won a settlement of more than $10 million in 2018.Carter also told Jeffery Williams he could not use his name for an album title, as Williams attempted to “take over” the five-album “Carter” series by releasing a new record under the name “Barter VI.”About five days before the shooting, Jeffery Williams posted a recording on his Instagram account containing taunts and threats of violence against Carter, Gerwirtz told the judge.Reilly said Jeffery Williams admired Carter, wanted to pay homage to him through the album and testified in his deposition that Carter was one of his idols. He added that Jeffery Williams was not in Atlanta at the time of the shooting.Cobb County Chief Judge Eric Brewton was asked to toss most of Lewis’ submitted evidence, as the defendants argue it contains accounts of hearsay and inappropriate expert opinions.Brewton said he will decide as soon as possible if the now decade-old case will move forward to a trial.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads