T.I. and Tiny Harris just won a major legal victory after a federal judge in Los Angeles threw out a longstanding defamation lawsuit against them. The case, filed in 2021 by Sabrina Peterson, accused the couple of harassment, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. But after four years of legal back-and-forth, the court decided Peterson had not kept the case moving forward.
Peterson, who has previously claimed that T.I. once pointed a gun to her head, said that the celebrity couple had retaliated against her by launching a smear campaign against her to discredit her publicly. She also alleged they made defamatory comments about her mental health and suggested they drugged and sexually assaulted multiple women.
However, her legal fortunes changed, and she faced a Los Angeles court hearing on Monday (March 24) for contempt of court hearing. The issue? Peterson had not paid more than $96,000 in legal fees to T.I. and Tiny, a sum she testified was half her annual salary.
Judge Michael Shultz of Los Angeles County didn’t mince words, telling her, “There’s a possibility of you going to jail. Anything you say can and will be used against you.” However, the judge ultimately denied her motion, explaining, “It’s been four years and 24 days. The court concludes that the plaintiff has not prosecuted this case.”
Peterson first sued her in March 2021, sparking a whirlwind of claims and social media discussion. She alleged that the Harrises had punished her for going public about at least some allegations against them by attacking her credibility and character in the media. The lawsuit was but one of several legal entanglements the couple were involved with in recent years. However, no criminal charges were ever pursued against them concerning the accusations Peterson referred to.
With this latest ruling, the Harrises can put one major legal headache behind them. But the courtroom drama is not quite over. They dismissed Peterson’s case against him, but T.I. flipped the script and filed a defamation lawsuit against her. The rapper claims that Peterson made false statements implying he was “under federal investigation for sex trafficking of women.”
At a hearing earlier this month, a federal judge admonished T.I. about the possibility of his lawsuit being tossed out if he didn’t validly serve Peterson with relevant legal documents. But T.I.’s lawyer confirmed that she was served officially while appearing in court for her contempt hearing on Monday, keeping the matter alive.
For now, T.I. and Tiny are celebrating a courtroom victory, but the legal saga involving them and Peterson isn’t over. All eyes will be watching how the next round of this battle kicks off as T.I. gets to attack the counter-lawsuit. T.I. and Tiny know how to stay in the limelight in music and court.
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