Man implicated in death of Notorious B.I.G. by XXL Mag loses lawsuit

By: Yves Erwin Salomon

Tyruss Himes, an aspiring rapper and friend of the late Tupac Shakur, has lost a lawsuit against Fox's KTTV-TV, which implicated him in the March 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G. and XXL magazine, which suggested that he put together the murder team. The Associated Press reports that the defamation lawsuit was thrown out by a Los Angeles judge on the grounds that Fox affiliate KTTV-TV and XXL stories were constitutionally protected free speech.

Himes, who allegedly lost a record deal because of the reports, lost the case because he failed to prove that the media outlets acted with malice and reckless disregard for the truth, which is the standard of proof in defamation cases.

Although Himes may still file an appeal, his lawyer, Arthur G. Lesmez, said, "We are appreciative of the time and effort the court put into reviewing the case. We're understandably disappointed in the decision and we're evaluating all of our options."