Rapper Rick Ross is learning the hard way that the gansta’ life can get costly in ways you don’t anticipate. He was ordered to pay the victim of an alleged 2008 assault $300,000 in damages this week by a New York jury.
The victim, DJ Vlad, real name Vlad Lyubovni, sued for $4 million, claiming he suffered a broken eye socket, a broken nose, and nerve damage to his face.
He also needed seven stitches to close a cut under his right eye, as a result of the attack.
Vlad claimed Ross organized an ambush of him at the 2008 Ozone Awards in Houston.
The rapper and his entourage allegedly roughed up Vlad for asking Ross if rumors that he once worked as a prison guard were true.
Ross was in New York Federal Court, Thursday (Apr. 15) trying to explain the incident. He denied any role in the assault, insisting he never touched the DJ.
But the jury saw it otherwise. It deliberated for only an hour before returning with a verdict in Vlad’s favor.
Ross was ordered to pay $50,000 in compensation and $250,000 in punitive damages.
“Today is a good day,” Vlad Tweeted following the verdict.
Ross says he plans to appeal.
“The lawsuit is done. Even though I plan to appeal th e decision, I thank the courts for the monetary decision that they made. They were extremely lenient, I appreciate that. It’s back to the business for the boss,” he told MTV.com.
“I’m blessed to be in the situation I’m in. Four mil was at stake. It’s behind me,” he said.
Ironically, although Ross initially denied working as a prison guard, he has since confirmed that it was one of the jobs he had as a youth. So, $300,000 for nothing.
Ross is still up to his bad boy ways.
After last year’s BET Awards, he started a feud with rapper 50 Cent, claiming the rapper looked at him the wrong way. But 50 Cent said he could not even remember seeing Ross there.
Still the feud helped propel his third studio album 2009’s Deeper Than Rap. It was one of the most highly anticipated hip-hop albums of the year, because of the feud, according to MTV.