Flavor Flav Ordered To Pay Over $1 Mil In Old Shooting Charge

Posted: June 25, 2007 in: Flavor Flav | By: Jason |

A New York State judge recently ruled that Flavor Flav must pay $1.8 million in an assault-and-battery suit filed by a neighbor who alleged the Public Enemy member shot at him over 10 years ago.

According to New York Post reports, Judge Dianne Renwick has ordered Flav, whose real name is William Drayton, to pay the plaintiff interest on a decade-old civil suit judgment of $850,000.

In 1993, Flav allegedly shot at Thelouizs English at his Bronx apartment building, ExecutiveTowers. Following the incident, Flav faced a number of charges, including attempted murder, before being convicted of criminal possession of a weapon in 1995. Court records reflect that he was sentenced to two months behind bars and three years of probation.

English filed his civil suit in 1996, and had Flav notified about the legal action by sending a process server, who left the legal documents with an Executive Towers doorman. Flav failed to respond to the suit, and later claimed he'd never received the papers.

In 1997 English was awarded a default judgment of $850,000 ($350,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages) for civil assault and battery, though Flav did not appear to have the means to pay.

"At that point, it was post-Public Enemy days, but pre-reality-TV days," said English's lawyer, Corey Kupfer. "He's obviously making some money now."

Ten years interest would increase the value of the judgment to $1.8 million, according to English's lawyers. Flav's lawyer estimates the amount should actually be closer to $1.4 million, but he has already announced plans to appeal this week's decision, arguing Judge Renwick should not have handled the case at all, since her husband, Bronx DA Robert Johnson, tried Flav for the shooting years ago.

"Her actions were retaliatory because her husband lost a series of cases to Flav," Charles Johnson, Flav's lawyer said.

In related news, the aging rap star who was launched back into the spotlight via VH1 reality shows "Surreal Life," "Strange Love" and "Flavor of Love" is set to be at the center of attention later this Summer, when Comedy Central makes him the subject of their latest roast, set to air on August 12 at 10 p.m.