Earlier this week, Judge Robert Lehrburger denied New York City's motion to stay the auction of Dame Dash's Roc-A-Fella stake. According to court docs obtained by AllHipHop, Lehrburger's decision means that the question of whether or not Jay-Z will be able to terminate the label's Reasonable Doubt copyright will not be answered ahead of the auction.
“Intervenor NYCDSS’s motion to stay the auction for purposes of having this court determine the validity of the copyright termination notice filed by Shawn Carter a/k/a Jay-Z in connection with the work Reasonable Doubt, an asset owned by [Roc-A-Fella], is denied,” the judge said. “The asset that is the subject of the auction is Dash’s one-third interest in RAF itself, not the work owned by RAF. The court does not presently have jurisdiction over the validity of Carter’s copyright termination notice.”
Judge Denies Motion To Stay Dame Dash Auction
The ruling comes after Gerald Singleton, attorney for the city, accused Jay-Z of having "poisoned the environment for the auction." Jay-Z's lawyer, Alex Spiro, later argued that it wasn't the right time to work out Jay-Z's rights to the album. “Put simply," he explained. "This is not the appropriate time, forum, or case to litigate any issues relating to Jay-Z’s notice of termination." Spiro also added that there was “no merit to NYC’s accusations.”
Judge Lehrburger additionally denied NYC's motion to compel discovery of Roc-A-Fella before the Dame Dash auction. "The only subpoena directed to RAF of which the Court is aware is the one served by NYCDSS in state administrative proceedings,” he wrote. “No discovery subpoena has been served by intervenors in the instant action, nor should there be." What do you think of a judge denying New York City's request to stay Dame Dash's Roc-A-Fella auction? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
