Tupac Shakur reached his final destination more than 20 years ago, but the deceased rapper’s passport sits at the center of a legal battle that is very much alive.
The trust of the “All Eyez on Me” rapper’s mother has filed suit against an auction company over Shakur’s passport and other items, including handwritten lyrics.
In the suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 24, Tom Whalley, the trustee of the Afeni Shakur Trust against Gary Zimet, dba Moments in Time, listed Shakur’s passport for auction last year, despite having no rights to the property.
“The Passport was Tupac’s personal property at the time of his death, and thereafter became, and now is, the property of the Trust,” the suit reads. “In addition to the Passport, defendant has threatened and continues to threaten to auction original handwritten lyrics, notebooks, writings and other personal property that belonged to Tupac and that the Trust now owns.”
The suit goes on to claim that Moments in Time has “misrepresented the provenance” of items supposedly owned by the rapper “including, for example, a medallion that defendant falsely claimed was worn by Tupac when was shot in 1994 and which defendant falsely claimed was dented by the gunfire, and other items that defendant falsely claimed were owned by Tupac, but which Tupac did not own.”
Whalley claims that Moments in Time has “wrongfully refused” to turn over the passport to the Trust, and “acted with fraud, malice or oppression.”
TheWrap has reached out to Moments in Time for comment on the lawsuit.
The complaint is seeking damages of at least $100,000,” plus punitive damages. The Trust also wants the passport returned immediately.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.