J. Prince’s Lawsuit Against Apple, Viacom & BET Dismissed

A Houston federal judge yesterday dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed against BET, Viacom and Apple on December 12 2007 by Rap-A-Lot 2K Records founder, J. Prince, and his employee Thomas Randle over a previously aired episode of their “American Gangster” series.

In the suit, the pair claimed that during the specified episode, they were falsely portrayed as murders. Their pictures appeared in on “American Gangster” promotional spots with the word “murderers” stamped over the photos.

Apple was named in the lawsuit because it made available, over its iTunes download service, the episode for download. Prince claimed the show’s widespread distribution via iTunes and TV has damaged his reputation as a “respectable businessman.”

According to The Houston Chronicle, Judge Lynn Hughes ruled Friday that Prince and Randle were not defamed by BET  because the photo showed their social choices and proved the fact that they visited Hoover in prison. Hughes said that Randle and Prince were “active participants in the free market for speech who sought the limelight when it suits them”.

Late last year, U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes also denied the J-Prince’s request for a restraining order to keep the episode from airing on television or being downloaded on Apple’s iTunes. BET has since edited the Hoover episode by obscuring Prince and Randle’s faces.