Fort Washington teenager seeks $1M from rapper

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Aug 29, 2007 by Brendan Kearney

A Fort Washington teenager has filed suit against rapper Lil Wayne and his record and touring companies, alleging they are to blame for the injuries she suffered at a Baltimore concert last October.

Tyrique Layne, then a 17-year-old college freshman, was standing near the stage in Morgan State University's Hill Field House when the rapper or members of his entourage threw "a large amount of paper money" into the crowd, according to the suit filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

"As the crowd surged forward toward the stage, Ms. Layne was knocked off her feet," the complaint states. "She fell to the floor, where she was trampled by other audience members, lost consciousness, and sustained serious and extensive injuries."

Layne alleges she suffered a "serious closed head injury." The high school valedictorian now experiences memory loss and difficulty concentrating as well as frequent and severe headaches, the suit states.

She seeks $1 million in damages.

Layne claims Lil Wayne, Universal Records Inc., Cash Money Records Inc., and Young Money Touring have extensive experience with such concerts and should have foreseen the frenzied audience reaction to the stunt, which is sometimes called "making it rain."

The suit was filed Monday afternoon by Lawrence S. Lapidus of Karp, Frosh, Lapidus, Wigodsky & Norwind P.A. of Washington, D.C. Lapidus was out of the office and did not return a call for comment on Tuesday.

Lil Wayne, whose legal name is Dwayne Carter, was the opening act for another rapper, Busta Rhymes, at the Oct. 19 concert, according to the suit. Two other women were injured in the incident at the sold-out homecoming event, according to published accounts.

Calls to Carter's publicist at Universal, Vickie Charles, and to Madison Smallwood Financial Group, the company that handles Carter's finances, were not returned Tuesday.

Carter rose from poverty in New Orleans to rap about the garish accoutrements of his wealth, including the chorus of a song entitled "Bling Bling."

Carter's concert this month at the Clarence H. "Du" Burns Arena in East Baltimore was cut short, reportedly for curfew reasons. A City Council candidate had previously asked Mayor Sheila Dixon to cancel the show, citing the rapper's violent lyrics.