A federal judge went looking for Exhibit A and found nothing. That missing document helped end a lawsuit that pulled Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne into a Michigan woman’s claims about secret surveillance.
Judge Judith E. Levy of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan tossed the case on November 10. She wrote that the complaint “lacks an arguable basis in fact or law," according to AllHipHop.
What Was the Michigan Surveillance Lawsuit Against Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne?
Europe R. Colbert filed the suit without a lawyer. She claimed that devices were planted inside her home in Warren, Michigan, and that details from her private life ended up in songs.
The list of defendants went beyond the three headliners. Birdman, Slim, Cash Money Records, and Limp Bizkit were also named.
Colbert cited racketeering, wiretapping, and trademark statutes, along with state claims, across ten causes of action. She filed the original complaint on September 28 and an amended version in early November. She asked for damages and public corrections.
These were accusations only. The judge did not find that any artist conducted surveillance. She found that the case could not stand.
The paperwork had a glaring gap. Colbert pointed to an attached list of recordings she said infringed on her rights, but that list never appeared on the court docket.
The ruling came during an early screening that courts apply when a plaintiff cannot prepay filing fees. In that process, judges can dismiss claims that lack legal or factual footing.
The dismissal is technically without prejudice, which usually leaves room to refile. Levy effectively closed that door by writing that another amendment would fail. She also denied Colbert permission to appeal without paying fees, saying an appeal would not be made in good faith.
Cash Money has had a busy stretch in court. Birdman and the label recently won dismissal in a separate Georgia suit tied to the 2015 shooting of Lil Wayne’s tour bus. That case has no connection to the Michigan complaint.
With the order in place, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne walk away from a case that never got past the starting line.
