Lil Peep's Wrongful Death Case Unveils Texts From "Drug-Infected Mismanagement"

BYHayley Hynes2.3K Views
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Lil Peep

Tour manager Belinda Mercer has been described as the "tour drug dealer," according to reports.

New details surrounding the tragic death of 21-year-old Lil Peep have surfaced thanks to a wrongful death lawsuit filed against First Acess Entertainment (FAE) and others by the late rapper's mother, Liza Womack, Pitchfork reports.

Earlier this week, the outlet shared that a 372-page document of evidence had recently been filed by lawyers, including "inculpatory" text messages, among other damning evidence. "The vigour with which FAE and Mercer fought to shield this information from the public record speaks volumes as to the inculpatory nature of these text messages," attorney Paul Matiasiac said.

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According to Complex, in October of 2021, lawyers for both FAE and tour manager Belinda Mercer asked for multiple pages of documents – including the aforementioned texts – to be sealed. Following this, Womack's representation argued that the documents aided in the telling of a story of "the drug-infected mismanagement" that, as they claim, "led to [Peep's] death."

Last month, a judge determined that the papers in question didn't require sealing, apart from a handful of redactions. In fact, excerpts are now being made public, painting a picture of just how broad the scope of the wrongful death lawsuit has been.

At the end of 2017, Peep was set to head out on what would ultimately become his final tour, where he was found dead on his bus on November 15th due to an accidental drug overdose.

The texts at the center of the report date back to September 25th of the same year, with Womack's legal team arguing that they prove the U.S. tour was "mishandled" by FAE and Mercer, who has been described as the "tour drug dealer."

"What these documents mostly contain are exchanges that reveal FAE tour management as dangerous, discordant, inept, and engaged in conduct that contributed to [Peep]’s death," Peep's mom's lawyers have reportedly said.

Later this week, a hearing on FAE's motion for summary judgment in the case will take place – check back in with HNHH then for any updates. RIP Peep.

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About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.