LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a $1.1 million payment to the family of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G because of errors in a civil wrongful death trial over accusations that he was murdered by rogue police officers.
The penalty was levied by a U.S. district judge who accused police of concealing evidence and declared a mistrial in the lawsuit, which was brought against the city last year.
The popular rapper, born Christopher Wallace, was shot dead at the age of 24 after leaving a Los Angeles music party in 1997.
His unsolved murder has been widely attributed to a feud between East and West Coast rap record labels which had also cost the life of another popular rapper, Tupac Shakur.
Relatives of Notorious B.I.G. claim the shooting was carried out by Los Angeles police officers moonlighting for one of the record companies.
The $1.1 million dollar penalty will go to pay legal costs incurred by the family of the rapper before the mistrial was declared in July.
The family has said it will go ahead with its wrongful death lawsuit and hopes to set a new trial date next month.
What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~
