Rap- war grudge vs. judge
Bronx clothing designer suing Jay Z for royalties from the Roc-A-Fella Records logo is seeking the recusal of a federal judge overseeing the $ 7 million lawsuit.
In a Monday court filing, plaintiff Dwayne Walker said “a reasonable person would question [ the] impartiality” of US Magistrate Judge Ronald Ellis in Manhattan.
Walker accused the judge of issuing inconsistent rulings that favored Jay Z and other defendants including Roc-A-Fella Records.
Ellis was also accused of basing one ruling on a private call from a lawyer for the corporate defendants “without even reaching out to the plaintiff” for his views.
“On several occasions, the court has ignored or reversed its own reasoning” in ways that benefitted the defendants, Walker’s lawyer, Gregory Berry, said in a court filing. “Combined with the exparte call, this pattern would strongly suggest to the average person that the court is biased in favor of the defendants.”
Ellis’ chambers declined to comment. Lawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Berry did not immediately respond to a similar request.