Jury clears Snoop Dogg of beating

SANTA MONICA, California – A civil jury says Snoop Dogg didn’t hit a man who came up on stage during a 2005 concert near Seattle.

The rapper wasn’t in court on Friday when the jury’s verdict cleared him of civil assault and battery claims. The jury did find that Richard Monroe Jr suffered serious injuries during the concert and awarded him US$449 400 in damages to be paid by a record label, another performer and others involved in the concert.
The damages awarded were substantially lower than the US$22 million Monroe sought when he sued the rapper in 2006.
Jurors found that Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, doesn’t personally owe Monroe anything.
During two weeks of testimony, jurors were repeatedly shown a video of a melee that Monroe said left him unconscious, badly bruised and nearly naked.
While Broadus was not present for the verdict, he attended part of the trial and testified, denying that he struck Monroe.
Monroe’s attorneys contended that Broadus hit their client with a microphone during the scuffle. But a video shown during the trial didn’t show Broadus striking Monroe and the performer said he left the stage before the fight was over.
Broadus’ attorneys attacked Monroe’s recollection of the events, telling jurors that his story about who hit him changed over time.
They contended Monroe didn’t tell investigators immediately after the incident that Broadus allegedly hit him with his microphone.
Monroe told investigators that the men who beat him also poured their drinks, which appeared to be a mix of gin and juice, on him during the beating.
– Nampa-AP