One of the victims in the Miami Gardens shooting earlier this year is suing rapper French Montana for damages amounting to $50,000.
The plaintiff Carl Leon filed a lawsuit on Monday where he said says the rapper bears liability partially because he failed to obtain proper permits from city officials and the police, which could have prevented the shooting.
Back in January, French Montana was advertised to be at a Miami Gardens restaurant parking lot where attendees said he was shooting a music video. The rapper had claimed later that he was celebrating the release of his new Coke Boy mixtape. However, the event erupted into massive confusion as a shooter or shooters opened fire on the persons at the event.
Videos of the incident showed people bleeding from gunshot wounds as they lay on the streets while paramedics were seen treating others.
According to Rolling Stone, Leon says he was an extra hired for a video shoot in January and that the rapper and others were filming a video for a track called “Igloo” featuring Rob49 when an “altercation and robbery” reportedly targeting the rapper took place.
The victim says this is not the first time the rapper has been targeted by gunmen in Miami, and given past incidents of the same nature, the rapper’s celebrity status, along with that of Louisiana rapper Rob49 (who was also shot), French Montana and his team should have reasonably anticipated that he might be a target for criminals.
The victim wants the court to award damages against Montana because he nor his handlers did enough to ensure that the event received sufficient security or police presence to prevent what took place. Calling the event a “preventable, foreseeable incident,” the victim said the rapper and his handlers failed to obtain permits for video production, which would have “ensured that proper police presence and security would be present on the Subject Property in order to prevent or otherwise deter violence and/or other types of criminal activity.”
Leon wants $50,000 for “great bodily injury, pain, mental anguish, and loss of the capacity for the enjoyment of life,” and attorney costs.
The lawsuit also named Montana’s label, Coke Boys Records, the restaurant Miami Finga Licking (trading as The Licking), and property owner Gayles Plaza where The Licking is located.
“All Defendants failed to properly plan and conduct the music video production in a safe manner,” the lawsuit claims. “Instead, they consciously ignored the extreme risks of harm to its participants, including [Leon].”
Leon is being represented by attorney Josiah Graham who said even after the victims were shot and laid in the street bleeding, Montana continued the video shoot across the street.
In the meantime, Rolling Stone says French Montana’s legal team is denying that Leon was an extra or that he was hired to perform.
“His interest in litigation is solely to exploit and benefit financially from it, and his re-imagining of his invitation and current statements are simply an egregious profit play and publicity stunt,” Ted Anastasiou representing French Montana, said.
“Beyond rejecting Mr Leon and his counsel’s claims, we implore them to take a good, long look in the mirror and ask whether their loved ones would respect them for trying to make a buck by blatantly lying.”
