"White Boy Rick" Richard Wershe Jr. Hits Detroit PD With $100M Lawsuit

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20222.6K Views

Richard Wershe Jr., the inspiration behind the film "White Boy Rick," is taking Detroit police to court for forcing him to be an informant for the department as a teenager.

The story of White Boy Rick, born Richard Wershe Jr., was told in the Yann Demange-directed film starring Matthew McConaughy, Danny Brown, and YG. Wershe became a police informant between the ages of 14 to 16 and provided information on major drug dealers in his area to the FBI. Ultimately, he ended up behind bars on a cocaine trafficking charge without any intervention from the government or FBI, despite providing them with pertinent information.

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Wershe was released from prison last year after completing his sentence. However, he's taking the Detroit police department to court. According to Detroit Free Press, Wershe filed a $100M lawsuit against Detroit PD for forcing him into becoming a police informant as an impressionable teenager. In the lawsuit, Wershe claims that his problems stem from pressure from the police and federal agents who forced him into going into drug dens to provide them with information.

Nabih Ayad, his lawyer, said that the city of Detroit and the others named in the lawsuit will likely attempt to fight the lawsuit by arguing that his allegations are outside of the statute of limitations.

"This is a unique case. ... Our Constitution, our justice system, and God-given right to all humanity calls on this court to finally bring justice to a man whose life has been taken from him at the tender age of 14 all the way up to 51 years of age," Ayad said.

Detroit PD said they haven't seen the lawsuit.

[Via]

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Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.