The son and widow of deceased N.W.A rapper Eazy-E have decided to take their legal squabble straight outta the court system.
Eric Darnel Wright, professionally known as Lil Eazy-E, and the company owned by Eazy-E’s widow Tomica Woods-Wright, have settled their lawsuit over the use of the names N.W.A and Ruthless Records.
The legal saga began in August 2017, when Woods-Wright’s company, Comptown Records, filed suit, alleging that Ruthlessrecordsinc, the website of Wright and his associate, creates “the impression that [their company] NWALLC is the ultimate owner of Ruthless’ trade names and marks. Defendants state: ‘Ruthless Records Inc. is an exclusive branding and marketing agency for NWA Entertainment and signed artists under NWA Entertainment.” Comptown alleged that those assertions are “intentionally false and misleading.”
According to the suit, Comptown Records took over ownership of Eazy-E’s label Ruthless Records after the rapper’s death in 1995, and has “continuously used the trade names, trademarks, and service marks RUTHLESS, RUTHLESS RECORDS, and N.W.A.”
Eazy-E’s son later called B.S. on those claims in his own filing, saying that Comptown gave up the right to those marks through abandonment, and in any case Comptown’s application for the marks was marred by false claims.
Now the beef has ended, according to court papers filed last week in federal court in California and obtained by TheWrap.
According to the papers, as part of the settlement, the defendants have been blocked from using Ruthless and Ruthless Records, N.W.A, Comptown, Comptown Records and Straight Outta Compton.
The good news for Lil Eazy-E?
“Notwithstanding the foregoing, this injunction is not intended to prevent Defendants from using the name and mark ‘Rich & Ruthless’ in accordance with the terms of the parties’ Settlement Agreement,” the court papers state.
Each side has agreed to pay its own costs incurred from the suit.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.