Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney ruled in favor of defendants Viacom, and K. Michelle (who wasn’t initially part of the lawsuit but added later) in the defamation case of former Jive Records executive Mickey “MeMpHiTz” Wright Jr. MeMpHiTz filed this lawsuit after he caught wind that the “How Many Times” singer was using allegations of physical abuse and embezzlement by him as her storyline on the reality show “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta.” Wright filed after informing producer Mona Scott-Young that the allegations weren’t true, and the production company continued to depict K. Michelle as a victim and expand on the alleged abuse story.
Wright had his attorney issue a cease and desist letter to K. Michelle to not mention his name on the show. Even though Michelle didn’t ever actually mention his name, the description of her ex was sufficient to have others name him.
Unfortunately for Wright, the court revealed it “reasonably believed the defendant during the production of ‘Love and Hip Hop Atlanta’ and they still do today.” They also believed the production company exercised “due diligence” in looking into allegations made by K. Michelle. In order for Wright to win his lawsuit, in which he was suing Viacom for $15 million in compensatory damages and another $50 million in punitive damages, he had to prove that K. Michelle’s allegations were false and he was a private figure and not a public figure.
Also the court’s decision in favor of the defendant was partly due to Wright mentioning in depositions that he did, in fact, get into a physical altercation. The judge didn’t like the fact it took several months for Wright to provide information of what was defamatory, which the records indicate “consumed the resources of the Court and Defendants and ultimately required an order of the Court to fix.”
Wright’s legal team has already filed an appeal.
Several sources close to Wright were appalled to hear about K. Michelle’s allegations and said in all their years of knowing him, they never were introduced to the man she describes him to be.
