lawyers

Pras Claims His Former Lawyer Used A.I. To Craft Closing Arguments, Wants New Trial

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Pras wants a new trial after being found guilty of 10 criminal counts, including conspiracy, witness tampering, and failing to register as an agent of China. The Fugees member says his former lawyer, David Kenner, used artificial intelligence to craft the closing arguments in his case and has hired a new legal team to help him. Kenner previously represented Suge Knight, Tory Lanez, and more. Pras is alleged to have aided Malaysian entrepreneur Jho Low in gaining political clout in America.

This time around, Pras is working with the firm, ArentFox Schiff LLP, which boasts Peter Zeidenberg, former US Senator Doug Jones, and Scott Peeler. The new lawyers say Kenner spoke openly about his use of EyeLevel’s A.I. technology. “We also found evidence indicating that this was true. Specifically, we identified a press release issued by a company called EyeLevel after the trial that stated: ‘EyeLevel.AI’s litigation assistance technology made history last week, becoming the first use of generative AI in a federal trial. The case involved Pras Michel, a former member of the Hip-Hop band The Fugees, who was on trial for international fraud charges,” Pras’ legal team argued.

Read More: Pras Reveals He Only Learned Of Fugees Reunion Last Week

Pras Arrives At Court

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 03: Pras Michel, a member of the 1990’s hip-hop group the Fugees and his lawyer David. Kenner (R) arrive at U.S. District Court on April 3, 2023, in Washington, DC. Michel is on trial for his alleged participation in a campaign finance conspiracy. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

They also added that Kenner bragged the tech turned “hours or days” of his legal work into “seconds.” Kenner is also believed to have a financial stake in the company.

The latest update on Pras’ case comes as the Fugees recently reunited during Lauryn Hill’s performance at Global Citizen Festival. They’ll be performing on her upcoming tour as well, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Following the previous guilty verdict, Pras is currently facing up to 20 years in prison. Be on the lookout for further updates on his case on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Lauryn Hill Announces 25th Anniversary Tour For “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”

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Lawyers In Young Thug’s YSL RICO Case Threatened With Contempt Over “Professionalism”

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Judge Ural Glanville got into it with attorneys Anastassios Manettas and Eric R. Johnson, who are representing Miles Farley and Christian Eppinger in the ongoing YSL RICO case involving Young Thug. Glanville threatened them with jail time for contempt of court after Manettas refused to buy lunch for all the lawyers in the case. He also ordered them to complete a 17-page essay on “the importance of professionalism,” and “treating one’s opponents with civility.”

“A 17-page paper on the importance of professionalism in the legal field and treating one’s opponents with civility. Paper is to be published quality in APA format and at least 10 primary and secondary sources,” the Judge said in a clip from court uploaded by Law&Crime Network. “April 28 at noon or you do 20 days,” Glanville said to Johnson.

Young Thug With Gunna At The BET Awards

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 01: Young Thug and Gunna attend the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on October 01, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)

Before the day ended, Glanville further reminded the court of being professional. “It has been brought to my attention that some of you at various times have gotten cross purposes with our court personnel. And this falls under the general category of professionalism and our obligations as counsel…. Do not provide extra items in contravention of the things that our deputy have told you,” the judge also said. “On a basic level, folks, all of us are still subject to the rules to include the court. So please don’t put yourself cross purposes with the court.”

The latest incident comes after one lawyer in the trial went viral on social media, Monday, for using the term, “cap,” while addressing the judge in court. The full case is expected to break records as the longest criminal trial in Fulton County history. It is now the third month of jury selection and experts expect the trial itself to take at least nine months in total. The time commitment is reportedly further playing a role in the difficulty of finding a jury.

The YSL RICO Trial

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Tory Lanez Demands Prince From “L&HH” To Sit For Deposition In Assault Case

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Tory Lanez and his legal team recently demanded that Prince of Love & Hip Hop: Miami fame sit down for a deposition after the latter’s accusations against him. Moreover, according to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Lanez’s lawyers asked a judge in Miami court to force Prince to show up to the proceeding. Furthermore, this follows Prince’s lawsuit against the Canadian rapper for assault. Going off his testimony, Lanez allegedly attacked him with assistance from his crew on two separate occasions.

First, the “Say It” star, according to Prince’s testimony, punched him in the face after a verbal altercation in 2019. Said incident took place at the nightclub LIV on November 8th, located near Miami Beach. Not only that, but the reality star said Tory’s entourage also jumped him afterwards, and he alleged that it caused blunt trauma to his back, neck, and chest. However, nightclubs proved to be a common factor, at least from Prince’s side of the story. Moreover, he alleged later in 2020 that he ran into Lanez again at a separate Miami nightclub. Much like his last accusation, he said that the artist punched him in the face.

Tory Lanez Wants Prince To Sit For Deposition

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – AUGUST 26: Prince Michael Harty attends the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards at Prudential Center on August 26, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

“Immediately after punching [Prince] in the face, [Tory’s] employee/agent fled and attempted to enter [Tory’s] vehicle,” the lawsuit stated. “However, [Tory] yelled at the agent/employee and instructed him to leave the premises in a separate vehicle.” Still, Lanez argued that his actions were in self-defense and moved to dismiss. Furthermore, Lanez later asked the court to uphold a settlement that Prince allegedly signed, though he says the artist pressured him into doing so. “He told me not to contact my lawyer when I told him I needed my lawyer to review the agreement,” the Miami native stated. Also, he said that he found Tory with an armed member of his team at the settlement meeting, which further pressured him.

“This individual is the same individual who was ordered by [Lanez] to attack me at the Vendome night club and he did so,” Prince stated. “I cannot share his identity at this time as this individual threatened me that if I mention his name, I would be severely injured or even killed. This individual was in possession of a firearm which was visible at the meeting.” Now, Lanez said he paid Prince $20K to settle and wants him to face a deposition to enforce the deal in court. Regardless of your take on these stars, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest on Prince from Love & Hip Hop and Tory Lanez.

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Young Thug Trial Faces Bump As Lawyers Of Two YSL Codefendants Are Pregnant

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The Young Thug and YSL trial recently took a turn as two lawyers of codefendants are now pregnant. Now, both YSL members potentially face separate trials at a later date that could keep them incarcerated for longer. Moreover, prosecutors filed a motion this week to eliminate Tenquarius Mender and Kahlieff Adams from Thug’s trial. Furthermore, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that prosecutors referred to “impending and imminent personal leave of absence.” However, the pregnant lawyers in question dismissed these notions and maintained they can fully represent their clients.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 17: Rapper Young Thug performs at halftime during the Boston Celtics v Atlanta Hawks game at State Farm Arena on November 17, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

“I don’t think pregnancy should be treated as a disease or a disability,” Nicole Fegan, who represents Mender, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If Rihanna can do it, I’m sure that we can both adequately represent our clients.” While Thugger’s trial could last from six to nine months, it’s unclear how far along each lawyer is in their pregnancy. Interestingly, Fegan requested the judge to sever her client from the RICO case, and the court denied said motion. Following that, now she objected to the state creating a separate trial. From her statement, she seemed to specifically highlight that jury selection is already underway. As such, any initial plans she had for severance would now hurt the process too much.

“I think at this point, trying them separately would be expensive and potentially prejudicial because the jury selection process has already started,” Fegan remarked. “We’ve been on this case since May, and in May I wasn’t pregnant.” On the other hand, neither Mender nor Adams expressed desires for new lawyers after this revelation, at least as of writing this article. Moreover, the court will hear this motion on Tuesday (February 21) at the earliest.

Meanwhile, jury selection for YSL’s case already faced several delays and could take a while to complete. Considering that, these developments only mean more time and money for the court, and months behind bars for defendants. For example, after excusing many jurors for varied health and circumstance reasons, the court sought out an additional 300 potential jurors. Whether these pregnancies pose an obstacle for the collective remains to be seen. However, prosecutors seem keen on focusing in on the meat of the case and setting precedent for later convictions. Regardless, come back to HNHH for the latest on Young Thug and the YSL trial.

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Kanye West Finally Dropped By Lawyers

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An NYC law firm successfully served Kanye West documents to drop him as a client after he spent months M.I.A.. Moreover, AllHipHop reported that Greenberg Traurig, LLP successfully cut ties with Ye as of Wednesday (February 1). The firm requested to officialize this process as early as at least November 30. In this new filing, attorney Nina D. Boyajian said they finally presented the documents thanks to some help from the Chicago rapper’s new attorney. Previously, Traurig took out two newspaper ads in California to publicly renounce their relationship and association with Kanye.

LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 21: Kanye West is seen on October 21, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rachpoot/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

“On January 18, 2023, an attorney based in California contacted my firm advising that he would be representing ‘Ye on some of his legal matters,’” she wrote in the court documents. “During the course of several emails and a phone call with this attorney, I requested that he coordinate personal service of the Order on Ye.” Furthermore, Boyajian continued, “On February 1, 2023, the attorney referenced above emailed me the executed Certificate of Service attached hereto as Exhibit A. I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America that the foregoing is true and correct.”

Moreover, they claimed last month that they were unable to locate Kanye to officially sever their ties. In fact, they even requested the courts to recognize a public announcement in the Los Angeles area as sufficient notice. Still, they intended their newspaper ads to contribute to a “multi-prong approach” to get him to notice, and apparently it worked. “Publication of the Withdrawal Order’s contents in two Los Angeles-area newspapers, where Ye appears to reside, will also apprise him of the Withdrawal Order,” the filing read.

However, U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres denied requests to make the separation official. Moreover, she expressed doubt in Greenberg Traurig exhausting all their efforts to contact the rapper directly. The law firm represented Ye in a case against Ultra International Music Publishing over an uncleared Donda 2 sample. Said case stems from a June complaint to a U.S. District Court in New York. It claimed that “Flowers” by Kanye sampled Marshall Jefferson’s 1986 Chicago house classic “Move Your Body” without proper compensation. With or without a legal team, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest on Kanye West.

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50 Cent Reacts To Kanye West Being Dropped By His Lawyers

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50 Cent responded to reports of Kanye West’s lawyers dropping the polarizing rapper on Instagram, Monday. The legal firm took out newspaper ads to alert Ye that they are no longer representing him in a New York lawsuit.

“The lawyers don’t give a fvck what you do if you pay them,” 50 captioned the post. “Wait so you mean to tell me they don’t even want the man money they dropping him.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 20: Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson performs onstage at STARZ Madison Square Garden “Power” Season 6 Red Carpet Premiere, Concert, and Party on August 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for STARZ)

The Greenberg Traurig Law Firm took out the ad, explaining that they have been unable to reach West. They explain that they’re dealing with a “breakdown in communication” and that West “deactivated the phone number previously used to contact him.”

They further described the ad as a “multi-prong approach” to find the rapper.

“Publication of the Withdrawal Order’s contents in two Los Angeles-area newspapers, where Ye appears to reside, will also apprise him of the Withdrawal Order,” the document reads.

It continues: “Given Ye’s public status, publication of the Withdrawal Order will likely garner significant media attention, resulting in broader publication and provide an even greater likelihood of apprising Ye of the Order.”

A judge granted Greenberg Traurig permission to formally withdraw from representing West back on November 30.

The aforementioned law firm isn’t the only party having trouble finding West. Ye’s former business manager, Thomas St. John, has also complained about being unable to locate the artist. St. John is suing West for breach of contract.

Check out 50 Cent’s post on Instagram regarding Kanye West below.

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Kanye West’s Lawyers Use Newspaper Ads To Cut Ties With Him

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While Ye’s public statements have caught him in hot water, his avoidance of legal issues mustn’t be understated. Moreover, lawyers putting out newspaper ads to rid themselves of Kanye West as a client. According to legal documents obtained by AllHipHop, lawsuits against him will continue regardless of his presence.

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 27: Kanye West is seen on November 27, 2022 in Los Angeles, California (Photo by MEGA/GC Images)

However, readers might think that Kanye hasn’t been all that hard to find. After all, news recently broke of his secret marriage to Yeezy architectural designer Bianca Censori. Still, this recent development represents a time in which lawyers are unable to find the rapper. Now, the Greenberg Traurig Law Firm seeks to publish advertisements of a withdrawal order in two L.A.-area newspapers. Given this “multi-prong approach,” according to the firm, they can find Kanye more easily.

“Publication of the Withdrawal Order’s contents in two Los Angeles-area newspapers, where Ye appears to reside, will also apprise him of the Withdrawal Order,” the documents stated. “Given Ye’s public status, publication of the Withdrawal Order will likely garner significant media attention, resulting in broader publication and provide an even greater likelihood of apprising Ye of the Order.”

Furthermore, Greenberg Traurig represented the Chicago artist against Ultra International Music Publishing. However, in December of last year, the New York City-based firm requested an extension to serve West as a client after dropping him. Attorneys had to serve him before a copyright infringement case against him could proceed.

Moreover, Judge Analisa Torres granted their motion to drop Ye as a client in November of last year. Also, she ordered the firm to serve him a court order firsthand by December 14th 2022. Apparently, that’s when the trouble began.

While this developed, Kanye’s ex-business manager Thomas St. John claimed he was missing. After rumors ran rampant about his location, news of his new wife broke. Still, they didn’t get a marriage license, so their union is committed, yet not legally bound. Prior to this, his divorce from Kim Kardashian finalized in November.

What do you think of Kanye West’s lawyers using newspaper ads to get to him? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments down below. Also, as always, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest on Kanye West.

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