Efforts to stop the inclusion and release of “private and sensitive” material for a documentary featuring Lil Wayne have been halted.
On Friday (June 12), California Superior Court Judge Michael Mink denied the Cash Money Records rapper’s motion to prevent Digerati (QD3 Entertainment) from releasing a documentary titled The Carter in its entirety.
Court records show Mink’s decision was based on the fact that evidence Wayne’s attorney’s used as the basis for the suit were not strong enough to justify the rapper’s allegations.
At the center of the suit are claims that, “Lil Wayne’s reputation and the value of his identity can be diminished by an unauthorized use of his image and persona, or by association with a movie or purported ‘authorized’ documentary that, in reality, does not meet with his approval and depicts him in a negative light and/or engaged in criminal conduct.”
Friday’s ruling marks the latest development in the case, as well as another setback for Lil Wayne regarding The Carter film.
In April, Digerati’s search for a distributor for the documentary was cleared after a preliminary injunction to halt The Carter’s release was also rejected.
The Carter was later screened at the Sundance Film Festival to an enthusiastic reception, despite a request from Lil Wayne’s management to cut certain scenes that showed what the suit deemed as a "scandalous portrayal" of the rapper without his approval.
Lil Wayne sued Digerati for breach of contract, fraud and invasion of privacy in light of accusations that The Carter's producer, Quincy Jones III, failed to make good on a promise to give Lil Wayne approval of the final cut of the feature.
Besides the denial of the motion, Mink awarded sanctions against the New Orleans-based rap star and his attorneys in the amount of $5,000.
The money must be paid within 30 days.
Also, the rapper has been ordered to appear for deposition at the offices of Digerati’s attorneys in Los Angeles by no later than July 31.
At that time, the rapper will be asked to disclose details pertaining to scenes in The Carter documentary that he feels are harmful to his ongoing criminal cases.
