Jury Clears Suge Knight of Battery Charges

[mrtonguetwista]

LOS ANGELES -- A civil jury Wednesday cleared Death Row Records impresario Marion "Suge" Knight of battery in a 2001 attack, but awarded more than $162,000 to a man who claims he was beaten by a group of Knight's associates.

The trial stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Dwayne H. Baudy, who claimed he was assaulted without provocation in the early hours of Nov. 6, 2001, outside the recording studio where he worked.

Baudy alleged Knight was among the group of men who beat him, leaving him permanently disabled.

Baudy's attorney, Joseph E. Porter III, could not be reached for comment this afternoon.

Porter maintained that someone at the studio planted a gun on his client and called Los Angeles police, who arrested Baudy and another man on gun charges that were later dropped.

Knight contended he was not at the studio the night of the alleged beating.

Knight's attorney, Harold Becks, did not return a call for comment.

Death Row spokesman Jonathan Wolfson confirmed the verdict, but declined further comment.

The jury held that neither Knight nor associate Reginald L. Wright Jr. committed battery, but that Wright was negligent.

When asked whether Wright's negligence caused substantial harm, jurors found that he was "acting within the scope of his employment," a court representative said.

The jurors then decided on four types of economic loss.

They awarded Baudy $58,301 for past economic loss for medical expenses, but decided against an award for past lost earnings.

For future economic loss, dependent on how much work time Baudy may miss, they awarded the approximate value of one year's salary, or $45,440.

For past non-economic losses, for physical pain and mental suffering, they awarded $10,000, and for future pain and suffering, the panel awarded $48,900, for a total of $162,641.

Although it was a civil trial, the case was moved to a high-security criminal courtroom in Van Nuys because of safety concerns, a court representative said.

Knight, who appeared at one point in the Van Nuys courtroom during testimony, served 10 months in prison for a parole violation before being released last month from Mule Creek State Prison in Ione

[Trauma-san]

He probably got beat down by some guy that works for Suge, and thought he'd get more money if he said Suge was in on it... he probably thought Suge's notoriety would have the jury think he did it.