Kodak Black is being sued over a shooting that took place in Los Angeles three years ago, which also left the rapper wounded himself.
The incident occurred outside Justin Bieber’s Super Bowl afterparty at The Nice Guy restaurant/lounge on February 12, 2022. Previously released video showed Kodak snapping pictures with fans before he was involved in a street brawl that erupted in gunfire. Kodak (real name Bill Kahan Kapri) was among several people injured in the shooting, alongside bystanders Mark Schaefer and Adam Rahman.
According to TMZ Hip-Hop, Schaefer and Rahman are seeking $10.6 million in damages from Kodak, arguing that he initiated the violent altercation in which they were shot. The suit originally named Bieber and The Nice Guy as co-defendants; however, they were dismissed from the suit months after the complaint was filed.
During a court hearing on Wednesday (August 6), the plaintiffs’ attorney informed the court that Kodak was the only remaining defendant and should be found “in default” because he failed to respond to the complaint. The judge denied the default request, stating Schaefer and Rahman did not provide sufficient proof of damages (medical bills).
The plaintiffs were given until August 25 to resubmit their request for default damages; however, Kodak’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, insisted that Schaefer and Rahman had no case.
“We are not paying them a thing — it’s us who are the victim of a legal assault by these two people,” Cohen told TMZ. “They allege Kodak initiated the altercation that led to the shooting? There is video evidence that shows Kodak running to the scene of a fight to help people getting beat up when the gunfire starts. Kodak gets shot, so they are suing the man who got shot? I don’t understand the lawsuit.”
Kodak’s lawyer also claims his client was never properly served, which is why he never responded to the complaint. According to Rolling Stone, the plaintiffs made at least two attempts to serve Kodak with the legal documents. They first hired a private investigator to serve the lawsuit to Kodak’s mom, and then tried to send the documents to Kodak via mail. Cohen told the outlet that the mailing address in question was for a house Kodak “does not own.”
“Kodak has never been served with any lawsuit from California. He was never on notice of anything from California,” Cohen told Rolling Stone. “I find it unusual that they’re attempting to sue the very person who was the most injured out of the individuals who got shot.”
The 2022 incident reportedly left Kodak with an “upper leg” gunshot wound. Schaefer was shot in the right ankle, and Rahma was shot in his left shoulder. No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
