joe tacopina

ASAP Rocky’s holiday season is off to a rough start. According to CBS, the “Riot” rapper’s felony assault case has taken a turn for the worse. On Monday, November 20, during a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles, California, Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar reportedly ruled that Rocky, real name Rakim Mayers, must stand trial for allegedly firing a loaded weapon at his former friend and music collaborator ASAP Relli (real name Terell Ephron).

Mayers’ attorney, Joe Tacopina, reportedly questioned LAPD detective Frank Flores about the validity of the weapon in question allegedly shown in court video. “That gun or whatever it was was not tested, right,” asked Tacopina.

Flores replied, “No, it was never recovered.”

Tacopina said, “You’re not sure if it’s an operable gun or a non-operable gun or whatever?”

“Without having it, I can’t tell you whether it’s operable,” answered Flores.

Back in September, Mayers entered a plea of not guilty on both charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. However, if a jury finds Mayers guilty, he could face nine years in prison. That’s just the one side of the legal matter. Both Mayers and his attorney were supposedly named in a civil lawsuit filed by the alleged victim. The victim’s legal counsel alleges both parties “damaged [Ephron’s] reputation and his personal brand; goodwill in the community as a member of A$AP Mob,” which could result in loss of future wages.

Ephron is seeking punitive or exemplary damages in addition to the legal fees he incurred.

“Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n)” rapper ASAP Rocky is currently laying low with his partner, music superstar Rihanna, while they celebrate the birth of their second child. Unfortunately, that at-home bonding time may be cut short as Rocky (real name Rakim Mayers) could be heading to a courtroom to clear his name.

According to Rolling Stone, both Mayers and his attorney, Joe Tacopina, have reportedly been named in a defamation lawsuit. In court documents obtained by the publisher, several public remarks made by or on behalf of the pair regarding his ongoing felony assault case (which dates back to November 2021) are allegedly damaging.

The alleged victim and former ASAP Mob member Terell Ephron (aka ASAP Relli) and his legal representative, Camille Vasquez, have filed a suit against the parties, accusing them of slander and making false statements to the press. One of the remarks came via a statement shared with Rolling Stone, where Tacopina alleged that Ephron’s civil lawsuit for the reported shooting was him “trying to get money from Rocky” and referring to the incident as a “false scenario.”

Vasquez emphasized those statements:“damage [Ephron’s] reputation and his personal brand; goodwill in the community as a member of A$AP Mob,” which could result in loss of future wages. The documents list that Ephron is seeking punitive or exemplary damages in addition to his incurred legal fees.

Mayers’ preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 8.