Jury clears rapper of beating charge

A civil jury decided Snoop Dogg didn’t hit a man who came up on stage during a 2005 concert near Seattle.

The rapper wasn’t in court 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 $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 $22m Mr Monroe sought when he sued the rapper in 2006.

Jurors found that Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, doesn’t personally owe Mr Monroe anything.

During two weeks of testimony, jurors were repeatedly shown a video of a melee that Mr Monroe said left him unconscious, badly bruised and nearly naked.

Mr Monroe’s attorney, Brian E. Watkins, said jurors did believe his client’s contention that Broadus’ people were involved in a savage beating.

“We’re very pleased that the jury found that this incident was not something to be taken lightly,” Mr Watkins said.

Responsibility for paying the judgment falls on Doggystyle Records, which Broadus founded; rapper Soopafly, whose real name is Priest Brooks; and other unnamed parties.

While Broadus was not present for the verdict, he attended part of the trial and testified, denying that he struck Mr Monroe.

Mr 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 Mr Monroe and the performer said he left the stage before the fight was over.