As jury selection gets underway for a fresh civil trial over the 2015 hit-and-run killing of Compton businessman Terry Carter, the notorious music producer Suge Knight is making news not just for the case but because he won’t let his lawyer surrender from the battle.
Knight, who is already serving 28 years in prison on a voluntary manslaughter plea connected to Carter’s death, returned to court Friday for his second wrongful death trial. The retrial prompts painful memories of the assault on the set of Straight Outta Compton nearly a decade ago. However, as the courtroom is meant to serve as a setting focused on achieving justice for the Carter family, it has instead been a battleground between Knight and his attorney, David Kenner.
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Kenner, an old hand at high-profile clients from his days practicing criminal defense, is desperate to get out. Citing “communication breakdowns” and a conflict of interest, Kenner said Knight still owed him for his work on the last trial. Maybe worse, Kenner says the defense team never even subpoenaed crucial witnesses or hired an investigator, two foundation stones of any halfway decent defense.
But Knight, despite his griping, which also extends to the charge that Kenner hasn’t returned his phone calls, is not about to let his lawyer off the hook. Knight is doubling down on why this is the case, whether it is loyalty, strategy, or pure cussedness.
That left the decision in the hands of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas Long, who smacked Kenner down hard in uncertain terms.
“Your motion to withdraw is denied, and I’m not taking the motion to withdraw off the table,” Judge Long replied on Monday. “It strikes me that there’s no reason you can’t give your best effort to cross-examine and examine witnesses and defend Mr. Knight as best you can.”
The judge emphasized that though Knight has the right to find a replacement for Kenner if he wishes, the court would not accept any last-minute exits that could throw the trial off track. And so the retrial moves on with a weary sigh, with Kenner still sitting at the defense table and Knight calling the legal shots, albeit from a jail cell.
For now, the limelight glares at a lawyer who doesn’t want to be there, representing a client who won’t let him leave. With tensions high and legacy weighty, the world and the country seem set for more fireworks in this, the second act of justice before the dust is finally settled.
True to Suge Knight, it’s never just about the trial but about control. And once again, it’s a two-handed grip, even if the walls are closing in.
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